Photo gallery Chancellor Mnookin heads northwest to meet with tribal leaders and UW–Madison partners
Since becoming the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 30th leader on Aug. 4, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin has made it a priority to learn more about the state, listening to the university’s many stakeholders about what the institution is doing well and what it can do better.
This week, Mnookin’s travels led her to northwestern Wisconsin, starting in Black River Falls and a meeting with Ho-Chunk Nation leadership, including President Marlon WhiteEagle. The group discussed shared priorities and UW–Madison’s commitment to providing greater access to Native American students.
The next stop was the Wisconsin Cranberry Research Station near Millston. The station is a private-public partnership with contributions from cranberry growers, cranberry businesses and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, with UW–Madison contributing $500,000 to support it. Wisconsin produces more than 60 percent of the nation’s cranberry crop, expected to exceed 500 million pounds this year.
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From left to right, Chancellor Mnookin; Allison Jonjak, UW–Extension regional cranberry specialist; and Glenda Gillaspy, dean of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, stand in a marsh holding cranberries as they discuss the outreach work of university fruit specialists. Photo by: Jeff Miller
A worker monitors a conveyor belt harvesting cranberries from a marsh and loading them into a truck. Photo by: Jeff Miller
Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association, discusses the state's cranberry industry with Chancellor Mnookin. Photo by: Jeff Miller
Juan Zalapa, USDA-Agricultural Research Service cranberry geneticist and UW–Madison professor of horticulture, describes his work to Chancellor Mnookin. Photo by: Jeff Miller
At left, Amaya Atucha, associate professor and extension fruit crop pathology specialist in the UW–Madison Department of Horticulture, points out the budding top of a cranberry plant to Chancellor Mnookin as Mnookin meets with horticultural experts and tours the Wisconsin Cranberry Research Station in Black River Falls. Photo by: Jeff Miller
Pictured from left to right, Allison Jonjak, UW Extension regional cranberry specialist; Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin; and Glenda Gillaspy, dean of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, observe the harvesting process in a cranberry marsh. Photo by: Jeff Miller
Chancellor Mnookin gets a close look at the cranberry crop as she stands in a marsh. Photo by: Jeff Miller
At left, Dick Leinenkugel, president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., introduces Charles Hoslet, UW–Madison vice chancellor of University Relations; Chancellor Mnookin; and others to the brewery. Photo by: Jeff Miller
Master brewer John Hensely (left) listens as Dick Leinenkugel describes the process of brewing beer to Chancellor Mnookin and others. Photo by: Jeff Miller
At center, Shawn Snedden, plant manager at Leinenkugel's brewery, describes bottling operations as Chancellor Mnookin and others listen. Photo by: Jeff Miller
From left to right, Wisconsin state Sen. Kathy Bernier and Chancellor Mnookin listen to Dick Leinenkugel during a tour of the Leinenkugel's brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wis. Photo by: Jeff Miller
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin (standing at center) and others throw a W hand sign following Mnookin’s tour of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. Photo by: Jeff Miller
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Researchers from the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences and UW Extension discussed their work on plant genomics, pest management, sustainability practices and more with the chancellor, who along with CALS Dean Glenda Gillaspy waded into a marsh to check out this season’s crop firsthand. Researchers who presented included Leslie Holland, assistant professor and Extension fruit crop pathology specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology; Amaya Atucha, associate professor and Extension fruit crop pathology specialist in the Department of Horticulture; Juan Zalapa, USDA-ARS cranberry geneticist and professor in the Department of Horticulture; and Jyotsna Mura, USDA plant physiologist and research assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture.
Travel continued to Chippewa Falls and the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. President Dick Leinenkugel, whose family started the Leinenkugel’s brewery five generations ago, led a tour that included a discussion of the brewing process, the importance of conserving Wisconsin’s freshwater resources and the need for greater diversity in brewing. In 2021, the company established the Jake Leinenkugel Diversity in Brewing Award in the CALS Food Science Department to support students from underrepresented groups pursuing a degree in brewing or fermentation sciences at UW–Madison.
The chancellor was in the region to attend the UW System Board of Regents meeting at UW–Eau Claire on Thursday and Friday. Next week, she will visit Lands’ End in Dodgeville for a tour of the factory and discuss current and potential partnerships. She has also visited Milwaukee, northeast and southwest Wisconsin, as well as central Wisconsin.
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