Former UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank dies at 67

Rebecca Blank, an economist who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, died on Feb. 17, less than a year after announcing that she had an aggressive form of cancer, according to a report from the Associated Press. She was 67.

Blank’s illness forced her to step aside last July from a new job as president of Northwestern University. She was chancellor in Madison from 2013 to 2022. Blank was credited with creating Bucky’s Tuition Promise — named after the school’s Badger mascot — which guarantees scholarships and grants for students whose household income is $65,000 or less.