Former state Gov. Tommy Thompson will be stepping down as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System, according to information released today be the UW Board of Regents.
In a letter dated Jan. 7 to UW Board of Regents President Edmund Manydeeds III, Thompson said his resignation would take effect March 18.
Thompson was sworn in as interim head of the UW System in July 2020.
“While challenging on many fronts, we worked together to continue to provide the quality of education our students deserve and parents expect,” Thompson wrote in his letter of resignation. “We not only performed but prevailed in our fight against COVID’s deleterious impact on our universities and our communities — and in doing so we made our campuses some of the safest places in Wisconsin.”
Thompson pointed out that the position was temporary as the UW System sought a permanent president
“While I firmly believe that the pursuit of excellence never ends, I am satisfied that I have accomplished what has been asked of me and what the people of this state have sought,” Thompson said in his resignation letter. “It is time to allow you and the board the ability to prepare for a successor to lead the UW System into the years ahead.”
Manydeeds lauded Thompson’s efforts during his tenure.
“Tommy Thompson was the right man at the right time. His leadership has helped carry us through a pandemic and set the standard for managing during a crisis,” he said within the release.
“As important, President Thompson has been a relentless champion of the University of Wisconsin,” Mandeeds continued. “It showed in everything he did as system president. He raised the profile of public higher education in our state and ensured that it is relevant, not only to students, parents, faculty, and staff whose leadership we entrusted to him, but also to all Wisconsinites.”
Manydeeds said that Thompson answered the call as one of Wisconsin’s greatest public leaders by accepting this role in spite of the challenges in front of him.
“We are proud of what he accomplished in his time here and consider him, as always, a lifelong friend of the University of Wisconsin. We were fortunate to have such a strong advocate and evaluator lead the UW System,” he said.
UW-Whitewater Interim Chancellor Jim Henderson also commented on Thompson’s pending resignation.
In a prepared and released statement, he said: “On behalf of the Warhawk family, I’d like to extend my deepest appreciation to President Tommy Thompson for his service to the UW System and the state of Wisconsin,” he said. “He has led the system through one of the most challenging times in our history with unmatched energy and passion.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic champion of UW-Whitewater and the state universities as a whole — someone who fundamentally understands our collective educational, economic, and cultural impact and fiercely promotes our contributions,” Henderson continued. “His tireless advocacy and efforts to provide the universities with resources to carry out our unique missions have been critical to the success of our students and will be felt for years to come. And we will always remember his embrace of the Warhawk Strut!”
Tommy Thompson
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