By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents President Edmund Manydeeds III announced on November 4 the members of a Special Regent Committee which will interview finalists in the search for the next UW System president. That person will succeed Tommy Thompson, who has been serving as Interim President since July 2020 upon the retirement of Ray Cross, who served as president from February 2014 to June 2020. A previous search for a successor to Cross failed when the only finalist for the position, University of Alaska System President Jim Johnsen, withdrew from consideration. Johnsen resigned from the Alaska position the following month.
The only student to be named to the interview committee is Corey Saffold, a UW-W senior majoring in Criminology. He serves as the Regent representing the non-traditional student population. Saffold is the Director of School Safety and Security for the Verona Area School District (VASD) in Verona. Prior to his role with the VASD, he served as a City of Madison Police Officer for a decade.
Over the past two months, the Search and Screen Committee has held nearly three dozen listening sessions at all 13 universities and virtually to solicit input and feedback on the presidential search.
In November, the seven member Special Regent Committee will establish a process for selecting and evaluating finalists. The Special Regent Committee is expected to review candidates recommended by the Search and Screen Committee in December. The committee is expected to conduct finalist interviews in January and forward a recommendation to the full Board of Regents in February.
