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Wisconsin regents’ search advances with three presidential contenders
Three higher-education executives are set to make public appearances as finalists to lead the Universities of Wisconsin. The public can attend in Kenosha or Madison, watch online and submit feedback to the search committee.
The search for the next president of the Universities of Wisconsin has narrowed to three candidates, who will meet with the public at forums in Kenosha and Madison on Oct. 26 and 27.
The finalists, announced Thursday by the system’s Presidential Search Committee, are Dr. Steven Gareth Holley, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at the University of Mississippi; Dr. Tonjanita L. Johnson, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Alabama System; and Dr. Bernard J. Savarese, vice president for academic affairs, research and student success at the University of Tennessee System.
All three agreed to take part in the forums. Each candidate will appear at both locations, with sessions scheduled at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Monday at UW-Parkside’s Bedford Concert Hall in Kenosha, and at the same times Tuesday in the Great Hall of UW-Madison’s Memorial Union. The sessions will also be available by Zoom.
The committee is asking residents to weigh in. Feedback will be accepted from 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, until 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, through the Universities of Wisconsin website.
Board of Regents Vice President Ashok Rai, who chairs the search committee, said the system’s 13 universities serve communities throughout Wisconsin and are important to the state’s future. He said the forums will give residents a chance to hear candidates’ plans for the system and how its campuses can best serve Wisconsin.
Renée Wachter has served as interim president since May 18, following the dismissal of former president Jay Rothman. The selection will determine who leads the statewide system and its 13 universities.