Jennifer Mnookin chosen as Columbia’s next president after leading UW-Madison

Columbia University’s trustees have picked Jennifer Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin‑Madison, to be the university’s next president, the trustees said. At Wisconsin, Dr. Mnookin negotiated a range of fraught compromises: she persuaded pro‑Palestinian students to peacefully remove an encampment protesting the Gaza war and helped secure the release of $800 million in state funding through a deal with the Republican‑controlled legislature that required restructuring some diversity offices and freezing certain hires.

Trustees and supporters praised her ability to listen, build consensus and find pragmatic solutions; Jeh Johnson, co‑chair of Columbia’s board, said her reputation is that she “is a healer, brings people together, listens to diverse points of view and tries to find solutions that will work for everyone.” Dr.

Mnookin is a longtime law professor and administrator who led UCLA’s law school, served on the faculty at the University of Virginia, and became Wisconsin’s chancellor in 2022. She attended Harvard, Yale Law School and earned a doctorate at MIT; friends and colleagues called her a “principled pragmatist” and noted her deliberative, consultative style.

Key Topics

Culture, Jennifer Mnookin, Columbia University, Wisconsin Legislature, Gaza Protests, Jeh Johnson