Interim Provost John Zumbrunnen has been selected to hold the role of provost permanently, beating out finalists Anna Stenport (the University of Georgia) and Charles Martinez Jr. (the University of Texas-Austin), the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Monday.
“John Zumbrunnen is an exceptional academic leader and has earned broad trust from our students, faculty and staff through his thoughtful engagement on a wide range of complex issues and for his strong commitments to the Wisconsin Idea, shared governance, student success and excellence in research and teaching,” outgoing Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement.
Zumbrunnen has served as interim provost — the chief academic leader and the second-highest ranking official at UW-Madison — for the past nine months following the departure of Charles Isbell Jr. to become president of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“I am incredibly honored to serve as provost of this amazing university,” Zumbrunnen said in the release. “Even after nearly two decades on campus, I continue to learn about and to stand in awe of all that UW-Madison is and does.”
The provost is responsible for creating and implementing the academic vision of the university, as well as leading the deans of UW-Madison’s various schools and colleges — alongside other leaders from the UW Extension, Libraries and other organizations — in advancing and executing an academic mission and vision for the university.
As provost, Zumbrunnen will be navigating what looks to be a tumultuous transitional period at UW-Madison, as the university navigates federal and self-imposed departmental budget cuts as well as the creep of artificial intelligence into higher education. The search for the university’s next chancellor will begin on May 17 of this year when Mnookin officially departs her role for Columbia University.
During his presentation to students, faculty and staff two weeks ago, Zumbrunnen promised to “never be content” as provost and constantly strive to better serve the state and embody the Wisconsin idea.
“Those words, to me, suggest that the Wisconsin Idea is not just a principle. It's not just a pride. It is a challenge to us,” Zumbrunnen said last week in his finalist interview. “It is a challenge to us to do everything we can to have UW-Madison be a force for good in the world that will never be content.”
Zumbrunnen said he was “excited to continue the valuable work of the Wisconsin Idea,” in the release.
Annika Bereny is the campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the special pages editor. As a staff writer, she's written in-depth on campus news specializing in protest policy, free speech and historical analysis. She has also written for state and city news. She is a History and Journalism major. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
