“What upsets me the most about these … is very rarely are there actual metrics attached to it,” Wilde said.
Mnookin will qualify for the $150,000 if she continues as chancellor through June 30 and “her performance remains satisfactory,” according to her contract with the UW system. Although her contract doesn’t specify what “satisfactory” means, the document says Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and the Board of Regents will evaluate the chancellor.
“When you have just a generic goal with no specific metrics attached, how do you really, truly know that it’s been met?” Wilde asked. “What is ‘satisfactory’ performance? What is ‘poor’ performance? What is ‘excellent’ performance? There’s no definition there.”
Mnookin declined to comment this week on the bonus and her plans to stay at UW-Madison. Rothman and the Board of Regents currently consider Mnookin’s performance to be satisfactory, Pitsch confirmed to the Cap Times.
The Board of Regents offer different rewards to other leaders across the Universities of Wisconsin. Starting in 2026, all the chancellors outside of UW-Madison could earn up to 15% on top of their base salaries if enough first-year undergraduate students continue for a second year. Specific targets vary among campuses. UW-Green Bay needs to retain 70% of first-year students this fall, while UW-La Crosse’s has to keep 87%.