Here & Now

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on the Future of UW-Madison

Frederica Freyberg:

The new UW-Madison chancellor started the job this week. Dr. Jennifer Mnookin comes to Madison after serving as dean of the School of Law at the University of California-Los Angeles. She becomes the 30th chancellor of UW-Madison. We should note PBS Wisconsin is part of the university. Dr. Mnookin joins us now. Thanks very much for being here.

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thanks so much for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

Welcome. What is your first order of business as you take this job?

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thank you. Well, today is day one, and it’s a very busy day, and it’s really the beginning of a chance to listen and learn and talk to lots of members of this community, as well as broader stakeholders around Wisconsin. About what we want to see for UW-Madison in its next chapter. I am very excited to build a vision collectively but I strongly believe we’ve got to start with talking to lots of people about what’s working well right now and where there might be opportunities.

Frederica Freyberg:

You have a very impressive vitae. Yale, MIT, Harvard. How do you relate to a largely in-state UW-Madison student population?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I’ve actually spent my entire career at large public institutions. Not in Wisconsin. I am new to Wisconsin but I’ve spent my career at the University of Virginia and then UCLA and large publics are really the form of education in which I most deeply believe. I think they offer the opportunity for transformation at scale for making a real difference in individuals’ lives and also for the states in which they exist. So I’m new to Wisconsin but not new to public education.

Frederica Freyberg:

In reading UW-Madison’s budget report about the cost of attendance, it states that half of our resident students have annual unmet financial need averaging $5,470. I know that Bucky’s Tuition Promise gives free tuition to about 3500 undergraduates but how do you keep the cost of going to UW-Madison attainable or sustainable?

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thank you for the question. I think you’re exactly right, to be focusing on affordability. I think affordability is a critical issue. Here at UW-Madison, about 60% of our students do graduate with no debt. I’d love to see that number be even higher, but it is a pretty strong number compared to many of our peer institutions. So keeping our eye on affordability and how we can make sure that all students who are admitted can be here and thrive and flourish and graduate without really brutal debt loads is absolutely going to be a priority.

Frederica Freyberg:

Racial diversity at UW-Madison is objectively very lacking. What are your plans to recruit and retain more students of color?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I think that’s something we need to be looking closely at. Obviously the diversity numbers in terms of racial diversity haven’t moved dramatically here, though this entering freshman class is going to be one of the most diverse if not the most diverse in UW-Madison’s history. I think making sure that all students do feel a strong sense of belonging here needs to be a priority. That, yes, racial diversity is a piece of that, but only a piece. Gender, LGBTQ, first generation, urban/rural, and diversity of thought and perspective, making sure that all kinds of people feel that UW-Madison is for them and a place for them is something on which I both appreciate the work that’s been done, but is absolutely something that we’ll be talking about and looking at.

Frederica Freyberg:

Have you met yet with legislative leaders because some were decidedly unwelcoming when your hire was announced, Speaker Robin Vos blasting you for what he called your “wholehearted support of critical race theory” and your favor of vaccine mandates. What is your response to that?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I’ve begun meeting with legislators, both Republicans and Democrats and I’ve really enjoyed those meetings. That’s going to continue over the weeks and months to come and I’m very much looking forward to it. Look, it’s election season, I get that. I’m really looking forward to getting to meet people and talking to them directly so we can find all of the places where I think we share values and hopes and ideas.

Frederica Freyberg:

Have you yet met with Speaker Vos?

Jennifer Mnookin:

Not yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. What is the plan for when students return in the fall, should COVID cases continue to spike?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I think our goal will be to continue to do what UW-Madison has been doing, which is to follow public health authorities and to look carefully at how we can balance health and safety of our community with the critical importance of in-person education and an active campus life. I think that UW-Madison did an impressive job last year. These are challenging times and one of the things we’ve learned is to not make presumptions about what’s going to be around the next corner, but that’s what we’ll continue to do.

Frederica Freyberg:

As students return, reproductive healthcare, as you know, has done an about-face with Wisconsin now under an 1849 statute that outlaws abortion. We know University Health Services has stated it will work with students to find resources, including going to another state. What is your support for that?

Jennifer Mnookin:

We will absolutely follow the law. There’s no question about that. At the same time, we will work to make sure that both our medical students have access to the full panoply of training that is required for accreditation, and we will make sure to protect the health of our students just as we’ve always done. That will be a priority.

Frederica Freyberg:

Dr. Jennifer Mnookin, new UW-Madison chancellor, thanks very much.

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thanks for having me. I’m thrilled to be here.