UW-System President Turns In Resignation Papers, Board Will Identify Successor

WISCONSIN — The University of Wisconsin System interim president Tommy Thompson turned in his resignation letter to Board of Regents President Edmund Manydeeds III on Thursday.

Thompson will leave the school system on March 18, he said in a letter. The interim president said that the Board of Regents will identify a candidate to succeed him.

A regent committee will meet at 12 p.m. Friday to select finalists and discuss interview strategies for the next system president, according to a school system agenda.

Manydeeds said Thompson was "the right man at the right time," as he stepped in for former president Ray Cross in July 2020 as the school system dealt with financial uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his letter, Thompson, who is a former Wisconsin governor, touted some achievements, such as opening universities' COVID-19 testing capacity to the public.

The interim president announced the school system's "70 for 70" campaign to get vaccination rates up to 70 percent in every university campus across the state in exchange for scholarships to students. As of Oct. 27, 2021, 12 of 13 school system universities reported COVID-19 vaccination rates higher than 70 percent.

Thompson also dealt with Republican lawmakers who said they wanted to introduce a lawsuit and gain control over the school system's virus mitigation policies. He said his responsibility was to the "campuses, the professors, the employees and the students."

See Also:

• Most UW-System Schools Say 70 Percent Of Its Students Vaccinated
• Former Gov. Tommy Thompson Tours UW System For Vaccine Campaign