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Columbia University has selected Jennifer L. Mnookin, the current chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as its next president, the school announced Sunday. Mnookin will officially assume the role on July 1, 2026.
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The appointment follows a national search led by Columbia’s Board of Trustees and comes after a turbulent period of leadership turnover and campus unrest. According to Columbia, Mnookin was chosen after input from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other members of the university community.“Jennifer will be an exceptional leader for Columbia’s future,” said Board of Trustees Co-Chairs David J. Greenwald and Jeh C. Johnson in the university’s announcement. “She is a distinguished scholar who now leads a complex institution with clarity and vision.”
Mnookin, 58, currently oversees UW–Madison, a flagship public research university serving more than 50,000 students. Columbia said her tenure there has included expanded faculty hiring, new investments in research infrastructure, initiatives focused on artificial intelligence and interdisciplinary collaboration, and efforts to improve affordability and access for students.
“I am honored and thrilled to join Columbia University at this important moment,” Mnookin said. “Columbia is defined by rigorous scholarship, a deep commitment to open inquiry, world-class patient care, and an inseparable and enduring connection to New York City, the greatest city in the world.”
Mnookin’s academic background includes degrees from Harvard University, Yale Law School, and MIT. She previously served as dean of UCLA School of Law and spent nearly two decades on the UCLA and University of Virginia law faculties. Her scholarship focuses on legal evidence, wrongful convictions, and forensic science.
Mnookin will take over after Columbia’s leadership was upended by protests tied to the war in Gaza, federal funding disputes, and multiple presidential resignations. The university has faced deep divisions over how it handled campus demonstrations following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, as well as pressure from the Trump administration, which temporarily suspended more than $400 million in federal research funding.
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Acting President Claire Shipman said Mnookin’s leadership style stood out during the search process. “She’s able to navigate difficult political terrain, and, in fact, she isn’t afraid to dive into thorny issues,” Shipman told the New York Times.Student reaction on campus has been mixed. The Columbia Spectator reported that some student leaders expressed optimism about stability under Mnookin, while others raised concerns about her handling of pro-Palestinian protests at UW–Madison, where police were authorized to dismantle encampments before negotiations ultimately led to a peaceful resolution.
In her first message to the Columbia community, Mnookin emphasized dialogue, writing that “progress comes not from arriving with ready answers, but from creating space for dialogue grounded in shared respect and a willingness to listen,” according to Spectator.
As Mnookin prepares to take the helm, Columbia officials say her appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter for the university — one that aims to restore stability while navigating ongoing debates over campus security, free expression, and the role of higher education in a polarized political climate.
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