Columbia University’s Board of Trustees selected Jennifer L. Mnookin, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as the Ivy League school’s next president, a hire trustees say combines academic credibility with operational experience. Mnookin takes the helm on July 1 amid lingering campus unrest and intense political scrutiny following high‑profile protests that unraveled her predecessor’s tenure. Reporting and interviews trace Mnookin’s record in Madison—she negotiated with encampment protesters, invoked law‑enforcement responses when encampments formed, and endured a Faculty Senate rebuke—giving Columbia a leader experienced in crisis negotiation. Commentators cite her background as a law‑school dean and university leader as relevant to Columbia’s current test: balancing free‑speech disputes, faculty governance, and external political pressure. Observers say Mnookin inherits a short‑tenure presidency pattern at Columbia and must stabilize trustee‑administration relations, repair faculty trust, and manage federal and municipal backlash over campus demonstrations. Her appointment will be watched as a case study in selecting leaders who combine scholarship with dealmaking amid the politicization of campus life.