>> THANK YOU.
>> THE NEW UW-MADISON CHANCELLOR
STARTED THE JOB THIS WEEK.
DR. JENNIFER BECOMES THE 30TH 3H
CHANCELLOR.
SHE JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS VERY MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
>> WELCOME.
WHAT IS YOUR ORDER OF BUSINESS
AS YOU TAKE THIS JOB?
>> 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 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.
>> YOU HAVE A VERY IMPRESSIVE
VITAE.
YALE, MIT, HARVARD.
HOW DO YOU RELATE TO A LARGELY
IN-STATE UW-MADISON STUDENT
POPULATION?
>> I'VE ACTUALLY SPENT MY ENTIRE
CAREER AT LARGE PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS.
NOT IN WISCONSIN.
I AM IN YOU 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.
>> 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?
>> 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 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.
>> RACIAL DIVERSITY AT
UW-MADISON IS OBJECTIVELY VERY
LACKING.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO RECRUIT
AND RETAIN MORE STUDENTS OF
COLOR?
>> 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.
>> 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?
>> I BEGAN MEETING WITH
LEGISLATORS, BOTH REPUBLICANS
AND DEMOCRATS AND I 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.
>> HAVE YOU YET MET WITH SPEAKER
VOS?
>> NOT YET, BUT I'M LOOKING
FORWARD TO IT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR WHEN
STUDENTS RETURN IN THE FALL,
SHOULD COVID CASES CONTINUE TO
SPIKE?
>> 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.
>> 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?
>> 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.
>> DR. JENNIFER MNOOKIN, NEW
UW-MADISON CHANCELLOR, THANK YOU