Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents president Amy Bogost announced Friday morning that UW-Superior chancellor Renée Wachter will serve as interim Universities of Wisconsin Chancellor president beginning May 18. The Board of Regents also named a 25-member presidential search committee chaired by Regent Ashok Rai.
The search committee includes regents, Universities of Wisconsin provosts, chancellors and University stakeholders, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of American Family Insurance Bill Westrate. One student regent will serve on the committee.
Renée Wachter has served as UW-Superior’s tenth chancellor since July 2011. She is the longest serving chancellor throughout the UW system. She will replace Chris Patton, vice president of university relations, who has been executive-in-charge since the Board of Regents unanimously fired former board President Jay Rothman April 7.
“The next president must bring the courage, discipline, and forward-looking leadership needed to guide the Universities of Wisconsin through one of the most consequential periods in higher education,” Bogost said in a press release.
Rothman later wrote an op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel criticizing the Board of Regents for its “unwieldy” 18-member size, saying individual regents should not direct system leadership without full-board consensus and regents should be more well-read on higher education issues.
Bogost said the Board clashed with Rothman on several issues including establishing system-wide artificial intelligence guidelines and cited a failure in leadership for his firing, while Republicans characterized the firing as politically motivated.
Regent colleagues and other chancellors expressed “strong support” for Wachter, according to the press release.
“At a time when continuity, focus, and forward momentum are essential, the Board is confident she understands what must be done to support our universities during this transition,” Bogost said in the press release.
UW-Superior is the smallest public university in Wisconsin, serving 2,877 total students. In total, the UW system serves about 164,600 students, according to the press release.
Friday’s announcement follows the May 1 naming of a 23-person search committee for the next UW-Madison chancellor. UW-Madison Athletic Director Chris McIntosh also announced their resignation this year.
Sonia Bendre is the campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal. You can reach her at sonia.bendre@dailycardinal.com.
Grace Carlson is the college news editor for The Daily Cardinal. As a staff writer, she's written in-depth on city Wisconsin politics, including the 2025 and 2026 State Supreme Court elections, as well as focusing on community coverage. Grace is interning at WisPolitics this summer.
