University of Wisconsin-Madison Names Its Next Chancellor

Rebecca M. Blank has been selected to become the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been serving as acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Dr. Her appointment is subject to a vote of the board of regents on April 5.

in a statement, Dr. Blank said, “Wisconsin is a world-class university, and the opportunity to provide leadership with first-class groups of staff and faculty is exciting.” She added that when visiting campus,  “I was impressed with the quality of the faculty, the quality of the staff and the students you meet, and the shared commitment to teaching and learning, research and service.”

Dr. Blank joined the Department of Commerce in 2009 as under secretary for economic affairs. Previously, she was a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

From 1999 to 2007, Dr. Blank was the dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She has also taught at MIT, Princeton University, and Northwestern University.

Dr. Blank is graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she majored in economics. She earned a Ph.D. in economics at MIT.

Here is a video in which Dr. Blank discusses her return to the academic world.