On September 22, 2025, Dr. Donna E. Shalala and Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin sat down for a lively and wide-ranging conversation about pressing issues in higher education. During their fireside chat, both leaders compared their experiences with higher education. Even with thirty years between their time as chancellor at UW–Madison, they found similarities in the challenges facing higher ed.
Dr. Shalala served as chancellor at UW–Madison from 1988 to 1993 prior to serving as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and later as a congresswoman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Throughout her career, she meaningfully shaped public health policy, educational outcomes, and the academic community, including here at UW–Madison as well as at the University of Miami and Hunter College (both of which she also led as President).
Jennifer Mnookin is the 30th leader in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s 177-year history, and one of the nation’s top legal scholars. Prior to joining UW–Madison, she was dean of the UCLA School of Law and a law professor at UCLA, the University of Virginia, and Harvard University. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.