Universities of Wisconsin President

Renée Wachter, longtime chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Superior, was named Interim President of the Universities of Wisconsin effective May 18, 2026. The Universities of Wisconsin serve more than 164,600 students and, as the state’s talent pipeline, award more than 37,000 degrees annually. With 13 universities all across Wisconsin, including two major research universities, 10 comprehensive universities, and one polytechnic university, the Universities of Wisconsin offer value and impact to students, communities, and the public.

Interim President Wachter joined UW-Superior in July 2011 as its tenth chancellor following a distinguished career of innovation and leadership in higher education, serving in both faculty and administrative roles at a variety of institutions. Previously, she served as Founding Dean of the School of Business at Truman State University, Missouri’s designated highly selective public liberal arts and sciences university.

At the Universities of Wisconsin, Dr. Wachter has played a prominent leadership role in several key systemwide efforts. She is serving on the statutorily required Efficiency Review and Organizational Study, helping guide a thoughtful examination of how the Universities of Wisconsin operate collectively. She also served as a co-sponsor of the Online Growth Initiative launched in 2023. That work focused on developing and implementing a unified online portal to promote programs across the Universities of Wisconsin, benchmarking online enterprise models from across the nation, and establishing an Online Advisory Council composed of leadership and experts from across the UWs. Additionally, over the years, she has participated in UWs Strategic Planning as well as the WiSys Advisory Board.

Dr. Wachter believes deeply in the power of education to expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and prepare students to lead lives of purpose and impact. She is committed to fostering learning environments that encourage innovation, critical thinking, and learning across the lifespan, while ensuring students are equipped to succeed in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.

Dr. Wachter earned a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems, with minors in marketing and statistics, from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing, with a minor in mathematics, from the University of Kansas.