Tommy Thompson, on January 7, announced that he will be resigning from his position as interim president of the UW System effective March 18, 2022. Thompson has served in that role for the past 18 months, succeeding President Ray Cross after a failed search for a successor. It is hoped that a new president will be named in the near future. Thompson’s letter may be viewed here.

UW System Regent President Edmund Manydeeds III issued the following statement on January 7:
“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.”

UW-Whitewater Interim Chancellor Jim Henderson issued the following statement on January 7:

“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 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. 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!”