MADISON, Wis.—University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents President Edmund Manydeeds III issued this statement today:
“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. As important, President Thompson has been a relentless champion of the University of Wisconsin. 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.
“He 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.”
Read UW System President Tommy Thompson’s letter to Regent President Manydeeds.
The University of Wisconsin System serves approximately 165,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the UW System is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree. The UW System provides a 23:1 return on state investment. UW System institutions also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.