The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents has selected Dr. Tonjanita (Tonja) L. Johnson as the next President to lead the Universities of Wisconsin. Her appointment will begin on or about Jan. 1, 2027.
The Presidential Search Committee recommended Dr. Johnson to the full Board of Regents following public forums; meetings with chancellors, UWs staff leadership, and others; and interviews with a diverse 24-member committee.
Dr. Johnson is currently serving as Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Alabama System, a position she has held since 2019.
About the Universities of Wisconsin
The Universities of Wisconsin serve approximately 164,500 students. Awarding more than 37,000 degrees annually, these 13 public universities are 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% of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in the state five years after earning a degree. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with cutting-edge and life-changing research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative and intellectual energy.
Through a constellation of universities statewide, our two nationally recognized Research I universities in Madison and Milwaukee together with 10 comprehensive universities and Wisconsin’s only polytechnic university offer a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs – including doctoral and professional degrees – providing unlimited opportunities to explore, learn, and thrive.
History and Mission
The University of Wisconsin System was created by legislation in 1971 through the merger of two public university systems under a single Board of Regents, but its roots date to the mid-1800s, when both the land-grant university in Madison and nine normal schools were founded around the state. In October 2023, the University of Wisconsin System announced its rebrand as the Universities of Wisconsin to place the emphasis on the universities and their students, faculty, and staff, not the administrative structure. The name change was also intended to increase general awareness of public higher education and its value in Wisconsin and to address the need for greater public understanding of how our individual universities are part of a collective network and brand. The Universities of Wisconsin are known throughout the world for the Wisconsin Idea, a long and deep tradition that signifies a general principle: that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom.
The mission of the Universities of Wisconsin is to develop human resources, to discover and disseminate knowledge, to extend knowledge and its application beyond the boundaries of its campuses, and to serve and stimulate society by developing in students heightened intellectual, cultural, and humane sensitivities, scientific, professional and technological expertise, and a sense of purpose. Inherent in this broad mission are methods of instruction, research, extended training, and public service designed to educate people and improve the human condition. Basic to every purpose of the Universities of Wisconsin is the search for truth.