Posted: Friday, April 5, 2013 -- 1:11 p.m.

Information from the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

Rebecca M. Blank was confirmed as the next chancellor of UW-Madison today, Friday, April 5.

Blank, an economist who currently serves as the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, was appointed by a unanimous vote of the UW System Board of Regents. She will begin her appointment in mid-to-late July, succeeding David Ward, who has served as interim chancellor for the past two years.

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Posted Friday, March 22, 2013 --- 5:37 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The woman selected as the University of Wisconsin-Madison's next chancellor says her top priorities will include a strong emphasis on fundraising.

Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank will be the university's next chancellor, subject to approval by the Board of Regents in two weeks.

Blank told reporters on a conference call Friday the school needs to launch a major fundraising campaign. She says she'll work closely with school and alumni foundations to figure out the best way to reach potential donors.

Blank says improved fundraising could help keep tuitions low and allow the school to offer professors more competitive salaries. She says she'd also like to re-examine out-of-state tuitions, which bring in more money but have to remain low enough that out-of-state students don't go elsewhere.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A former University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor tried and failed to spin off the campus from the rest of the UW System. The incoming chancellor says she has no plans to try again.

Rebecca Blank will be the school's new chancellor, subject to approval from the Board of Regents. She told reporters on a conference call Friday the UW System benefits from having all its schools under one umbrella.

She says in states without a unified system, schools fight between themselves for limited resources. She says that's not an issue here.

Blank does acknowledge that UW-Madison has a global reputation, while smaller UW schools are more regionally focused. She says that could entitle UW-Madison to some leeway and different rules -- but that's different from removing it from the system altogether.

Copyright 2013. The Associated Press.