UW System: Marcovich appoints UW president search-and-screen committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Erik Christianson
(608) 262-5061

MADISON—University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents President Toby E. Marcovich has appointed a search-and-screen committee that will lead the effort to hire a new president for the UW System.

Marcovich on Friday (March 5) announced the members of the presidential search committee. The committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday (March 9) at 1 p.m. in Room 1820 of Van Hise Hall on the UW-Madison campus.

“This group of distinguished individuals has an extremely important task ahead of them—selecting the next president of one of the nation’s largest public university systems,” said Marcovich, who is from Superior. “This task is not only important but also challenging, as we will be searching for a new president in a highly competitive national marketplace for university presidents.”

Marcovich said the committee’s charge will be to identify and select finalists to be considered as a replacement for UW System President Katharine C. Lyall, who announced her retirement last month.

Lyall will remain president until Sept. 1 or whenever her replacement is hired. She will then begin a one-year appointment as a visiting senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Marcovich said he hopes the Board of Regents can appoint the next president by June 1.

“I realize this is an ambitious timeframe, but we need to move quickly so we can get a new president on board before the beginning of the academic year this fall,” Marcovich said.

Members of the President of the UW System Search-and-Screen Committee include: Regent David G. Walsh of Madison, who will chair the committee; Mark Bugher, director of the UW-Madison University Research Park; Regent Elizabeth Burmaster of Madison, who is state superintendent of public instruction; Michael Grebe of Milwaukee, regent president emeritus; David Hay, student

government president, UW-Stout; Joseph Heim, professor of political science, UW-La Crosse; Thomas Lyon of Cambridge, regent president emeritus; David Markee, chancellor, UW-Platteville; David Olien, senior vice president for administration, UW System; Kathy Pletcher, associate provost, UW-Green Bay; Regent Charles Pruitt of Milwaukee; Regent Beth Richlen of Madison, also a UW law student; Regent Peggy Rosenzweig of Wauwatosa; Regent Jesus Salas of Milwaukee; Jay L. Smith of Middleton, regent president emeritus; and Peter Spear, provost, UW-Madison.

Marcovich said he will name two additional members—one faculty and one academic staff—to the search-and-screen committee before Tuesday’s meeting, which will bring the total number of committee members to 18.

Marcovich on Friday also announced the members of the President of the UW System Regent Selection Committee. The search-and-screen committee will report its recommendations to this regent selection committee, which will then interview finalists and recommend a new president to the full board.

Marcovich will serve as co-chair of the Regent Selection Committee along with Regent Guy Gottschalk of Wisconsin Rapids, who is immediate past president of the board. Members include Regents Roger E. Axtell of Janesville, Mark J. Bradley of Wausau, Danae Davis of Milwaukee and David Walsh of Madison.