MADISON, WI (WSAU) – Rebecca Blank, former UW-Madison chancellor, died Friday of cancer. She was 67.
Blank was chancellor in Madison from 2013 to 2022. She announced plans to leave Wisconsin to become president of Northwestern University at the start of the 2022 academic year.
Blank is remembered for her low or no-tuition initiatives to make UW-Madison more accessible to low-income students.
“Our community has lost a brilliant leader who cared deeply about making this great public research university stronger, more accessible, better connected to the community and the state, and better positioned to make a difference in the world,” said Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who struck up a friendship with Blank in 2022 during her own transition into the chancellor role. “Becky inspired faculty, staff and administrators with an approach to problem-solving that combined vision, creativity and pragmatism.
Details for a memorial service have not yet been announced. UW-Madison is also preparing an on-campus remembrance.
