Johannes Britz

Johannes Britz began serving as interim Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for the UW System in June 2022. Britz had been Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW–Milwaukee, where he also is a professor in the School of Information Studies. Prior to becoming UW-Milwaukee’s interim Provost (2010) and permanent Provost (2012), he served as Dean of the School of Information Studies from 2005 to 2010. He held a concurrent appointment as interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences from 2008 to 2009.

He holds two doctoral degrees from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He serves on the editorial board of multiple academic journals. He is a member of national and international committees in higher education. He also is a member of the South African Academy for Science and Art.

Britz has broad international experience both as a researcher and consultant. He has a specific interest in social justice and information poverty and works primarily in Africa on these topics. He is the author and co-author of more than 100 scholarly publications. He has acted as a consultant for a number of African governments as well as private sector firms. In recognition of his work developing information ethics in Africa, the World Technology Forum named him one of five finalists for its Ethics Award in 2009.