Milwaukee School of Engineering is proud to announce that Dr. Eric Baumgartner, president elect and current executive vice president of academics, has been named to the Wisconsin 275, BizTimes Milwaukee’s annual list recognizing the most influential business leaders across the state.

The Wisconsin 275 honors executives and leaders whose decision-making and leadership have a significant impact on Wisconsin’s economy, industries and communities.

Baumgartner will become the president of MSOE on Jan. 1, 2026. He is only the sixth president in the 122-year history of the university. He joined MSOE as executive vice president of academics in 2017. 

Under Baumgartner's leadership, MSOE accomplished numerous strategic academic initiatives. He led MSOE’s conversion from a century-old, quarter-based academic calendar to a semester-based model; led the COVID-19 crisis response committee to guide MSOE through the pandemic; supported the development of undergraduate and graduate programs focused on AI and machine learning; contributed to the design of new academic spaces such as those within the Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall, Hermann Viets Tower, and the soon-to-be-built Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center; and established the Center for Professional Education. 

Among many other initiatives, Baumgartner also created the opportunity to broaden MSOE’s academic offerings in the health professions in collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin; supported the launch of engineering and computing explorer pathways for undecided students; supported the formulation of the MSOE Mindset and the integration of this mindset into program courses and curricula; and created a focus on data-informed decision making by providing transparent access to data through numerous institutional dashboards.