Four months after her cancer diagnosis, former UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank talks career, politics

In one of her first public appearances since being diagnosed with cancer this summer, former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank received recognition from another Big Ten school with a room named in her honor.

Before leading UW-Madison from 2013 through this spring, Blank's resume also included a stint as dean of the University of Michigan's school of public policy from 1999-2007. There, she spearheaded the addition of an undergraduate degree program and coordinated construction of a new building for the school. The central gathering space in that building, currently known as the Great Hall, will now bear Blank's name.

Luke Shaefer, the school's associate dean for research and policy engagement, told a crowd gathered Tuesday for the naming event that the school hopes for it to be known as "the Becky."

"It beats Blank Hall," Blank quipped. "Don’t call it that!"

Blank appeared at the event virtually, but said she hoped to visit the university in person next month. She appeared upbeat and donned one of the many signature red jackets she wore throughout her nine-year tenure as UW-Madison chancellor.

Blank left UW-Madison in May and was slated to become president of Northwestern University in July but a cancer diagnosis derailed her plans. She announced the medical news on the day she was supposed to start her new job.

During Tuesday's hourlong event, Blank reflected on her policy work in Washington, D.C., during the Clinton and Obama administrations.

"Learning how to politically navigate D.C. is not unhelpful when you’re running a university," she said. "Everything at some point comes down to a certain amount of political negotiation."

Blank said it was during her time as Michigan dean that she learned how to fundraise, a skill she said she relied on "extensively" later in her career. She also lamented other university leaders "job-hopping" from one school to the next without staying long enough in a single place to make a difference.

Blank, a Democrat, was instrumental in getting Michigan's public policy school named after Republican President Gerald Ford, a Michigan alumnus. She recalled her vehement disagreement with Ford's decision to pardon Richard Nixon as a then-college student. Over time, she said, she realized Ford's decision was the right one, the "only way to bring the country together and move forward," even though it cost him come Election Day.

"I wish we had a few more politicians like that right now around Washington, D.C.," she said Tuesday.

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at 414-223-5168 or kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank reflects on career after cancer diagnosis