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January 21, 2026

Higher Education/System

UW-Madison names inaugural leader of entrepreneurship hub

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison has picked its first leader of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, the initiative launched last fall to encourage more startups on campus and boost Wisconsin’s economic growth.

Lewis Sheats will serve as associate vice chancellor and executive director. Sheats previously served as executive director of Saint Louis University’s center for entrepreneurship and spent two decades at North Carolina State University as assistant vice provost for entrepreneurship. His first day at UW-Madison is Feb. 2

Campus life

Why Wisconsin football is lowering prices of season tickets in 2026

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin is lowering the total price of football season tickets at Camp Randall Stadium ahead of a 2026 season that has only six home games.

The listed price of season tickets will drop across the stadium from $399 to $312 before taxes and fees. That is a 21.8% decrease in listed price for a season with 14.3% fewer home games, although that comes with an asterisk.

Brutal cold exposes growing need across Madison

Posted on
Spectrum News

The University of Wisconsin–Madison began its spring semester during the coldest stretch of the year, sending students back to campus bundled in layers.

One UW Ph.D. student from South India said the frigid temperatures made her feel “like an onion,” layered again and again to stay warm. Her friend from Kentucky said she was not used to wearing boots or layering so much clothing.

Here’s the UW news you missed over break

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Although campus activity slowed with many students home for winter break, news did not stop at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Between a conservative law firm filing a complaint on race-based scholarships at UW and a string of burglaries at the UW Law school, here’s what you may have missed while off-campus.

State news

Bill aims to restore federal funding for Wisconsin abuse shelters, hotlines

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The bill is “is a Band-Aid to stop the bleeding,” said Ryan Poe-Gavlinski, director of UW-Madison’s Restraining Order and Survivor Advocacy Clinic. She said it could fill a critical funding gap until lawmakers figure out a long-term solution.

But the number of victims in need of services is continually on the rise. Wisconsin broke records for domestic violence-related deaths in 2024.

“We’re going to always have victims who need assistance, and there’s just not enough people to help the victims,” Poe-Gavlinski said.

Mark Pocan says court should fast-track decision on congressional maps

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Political experts have said it’s possible, but not likely, congressional candidates will run on new maps this year.

“I think it’s not impossible, but a court would really have to give dedicated attention to the case and prioritize it over others,” Barry Burden, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last month. “There would just have to be a kind of rapid-fire set of events to get through all those steps in time for the 2026 cycle.”

Still, University of Wisconsin Law School professor and co-director of the State Democracy Research Initiative Rob Yablon noted, “it’s conceivable” the plaintiffs in the case brought by Elias Law Group will push for a speedy process. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Julie Zuckerbrod, argued during a scheduling conference that the case could in fact be decided in time for the 2026 election.

Athletics

Business/Technology

How my Coinbase account was almost stolen

Posted on
CNBC

“They try to make you scared by making you feel like you’re the victim, and they’re calling to help,” said Rick Wash, professor of information science at the University of Wisconsin, in a phone interview. Wash is a computer scientist who researched the possibility of electronic breaches two decades ago. He then began mixing his vast technical knowledge to focus on the personal side of the scam.

“I began to realize the human factor was often the most critical factor of computer scams,” Wash said.