UW-Madison has eyed the demise of the Humanities building for the last decade, when leaders developed the current campus master plan, a wide-ranging road map for new developments and renovations, in 2015.
Author: gbump
Wisconsin’s lack of snow concerns local farmers as they look toward spring
Dan Smith with UW Extension’s integrated pest and crop management, says the recent snowfall is good for their crops, but it may not be enough to keep crops like alfalfa, wheat, and small grains from winter kill.
“There are a couple of factors that we should consider when we’re thinking about winter kill, for alfalfa, we’re primarily considering those conditions where we don’t have snow cover, like December and January this year,” explained Smith.
‘The drive to the airport is more dangerous than the flight itself’, WI aviation experts say
Behavioral Specialist for UW Health, Dr. Sydney Zettler, explained while probability for plane crashes is low, travel anxiety can be very high.
“There’s two kinds of common thoughts that can drive anxiety, catastrophizing and probability over estimation,” said Zettler. ”This example, is there’s maybe more travel anxiety given recent plane crashes in the United States.”
John Green discusses tuberculosis, health inequities during Shannon Hall lecture
Author John Green visited the University of Wisconsin’s Shannon Hall at Memorial Union on Feb. 18 to talk about the upcoming release of his new book, “Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection.” Green was introduced by professor of pediatrics at UW’s School of Medicine and Public Health Dr. James Conway.
Andrew “Andy” Taylor
He also worked in finance for the University for his entire career, serving most recently as a budget design team lead.
What caused Wisconsin Public Radio’s 3½-hour disruption Tuesday?
Atechnical issue caused Wisconsin Public Radio to go off the air in the Madison area from about 5:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, network representatives said.
Gov. Tony Evers’ budget calls for tax cuts, protection against ‘needless chaos’ of Trump policies
Evers proposed $856 million in new operational funding for the UW system, more than the $800 million he pledged to the UW Board of Regents last August. His proposed budget also includes $60 million in new state aid for Wisconsin’s technical college system, $10 million of which is meant to support the 16 two-year colleges in investing in artificial intelligence.
Ancient Lake Mendota canoes take another step for eventual display
Between now and when the canoes and fragments are removed from the tank, Thomsen, along with Sissel Schroeder, a professor of archaeology in the anthropology department at UW-Madison, will be evangelizing about the canoes. Two of their talks will be during Canoecopia at the Alliant Energy Center, one on March 7 and the other March 9.
Trump gives schools deadline to end DEI or risk losing federal money
UW-Madison and its fellow Universities of Wisconsin schools are reviewing the guidance, spokespeople said in statements to the Wisconsin State Journal. UW system spokesperson Mark Pitsch said they expect there will be further guidance from the Department of Education.
UW-River Falls’ second interim chancellor in 6 months is expected to serve for a long time
On Tuesday, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced UW-Whitewater’s provost and former interim chancellor John Chenoweth would lead UW-River Falls on a temporary basis starting March 1. Chenoweth will replace Michael Martin, who took on the position in an interim status in September following the retirement of Chancellor Maria Gallo.
Tax relief, school funding, insurance crackdown in Gov. Evers’ budget
In June, the governor said he wanted to see an additional $856 million go to the Universities of Wisconsin. Evers said the next state spending plan is a “make-or-break budget for our UW campuses.”
Evers’ 2025 budget includes tax cuts, insurance accountability, UW funding
Evers will ask the Legislature to approve an additional $856 million in funding for the University of Wisconsin System, the largest two-year increase in history.
Georgia Tech professor, Badger alum named dean of UW-Madison College of Engineering
Devesh Ranjan will step into his new role on June 16. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and won the Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in Mechanical Engineering in 2023.
‘Lily’s on Saturday, midterms on Monday’: Lily’s Classic draws hundreds to Lake Mendota ice for charity hockey tournament
Lily’s Classic celebrated its 11th year as hundreds of attendees slip-slided their way onto Lake Mendota, raising money through a four-versus-four “boot hockey” tournament to benefit Lily’s Fund, which supports epilepsy research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Editorial | Lifesaving UW-Madison research threatened by funding cuts
It is beyond comprehension that any responsible American policymaker would take actions that might undermine — or even destroy — efforts that have already yielded tremendous progress for ailing Americans. And that have the potential, in relatively short order, to make historic breakthroughs in the fight against diseases and conditions that have caused immense pain, heartbreak and death.
UW System pauses release of new copyright policy, creates working group after faculty backlash
The University of Wisconsin System has temporarily paused the release of an updated copyright policy that would broaden the amount of intellectual property the university can claim from academic staff after faculty criticism.
Wisconsin football hires Badgers administrator as general manager
Marcus Sedberry is set to become the Badgers football general manager, a BadgerExtra source said. Sedberry has been in the Wisconsin athletic department since February 2022 serving as the deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, with football being his top sport as an administrator.
Tom Still: NIH-funded research produces cures, treatments and jobs, even if it takes time
Howard Temin was a UW-Madison scientist who shared the 1975 Nobel Prize for his discovery of “reverse transcriptase,” which described how tumor viruses act on the genetic material of cells to make copies of themselves before integrating into the host genome.
Wisconsin football names Sedberry as first-ever team GM
Wisconsin Athletics announced Monday that Dr. Marcus Sedberry has been appointed General Manager of Wisconsin Football. His appointment to general manager is a new trend in college football and he is the first-ever general manager of the UW football team.
Regents give Rothman more appointment power under compromise
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents unanimously approved a compromise policy change Feb. 7 giving UW System President Jay Rothman more power to appoint top leaders while retaining some regent involvement.
Capital Cafe open Monday after ‘deep cleaning’ removes potential Typhoid exposure
UHS and Environment, Health & Safety said they were notified of a typhoid fever case in a campus member who worked at Capital Café, inside of Grainger Hall, while infectious. UHS sent the email to campus members who visited Capital Café on Jan. 29 or 30.
Brady Williamson, Madison legal giant defending free speech, dies
Williamson also taught periodically at UW-Madison’s Law School and worked on constitutional and election law projects internationally, including in Iraq, Sudan and Ukraine. In addition, he was a trustee for the William T. Evjue Charitable Trust.
‘Bucky’s mom’ has been caring for UW-Madison’s beloved mascot for 25 years
Josette Jaucian has been “Bucky’s mom” — or on the occasion he misbehaves, “Bucky’s unofficial parole officer” — since 2000. She took over leading the Spirit Squad in that year, which consists of not only wrangling the multiple performers who bring the Bucky costume to life, but also overseeing the university’s dance team and cheerleaders, more than 60 students total.
Wisconsin men’s basketball star graduate guard wins multiple weekly awards
Following a 32-point performance in Wisconsin’s 94-84 upset win over Purdue, graduate John Tonje collected both the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s College Player of the Week as well as Big Ten Player of the Week, according to a release from the Big Ten.
Kohl Center court has a new sponsorship sticker for Wisconsin basketball games
The basketball court now has Culver’s logos on two spots after a sponsorship deal went into effect in January.
Dr. E. K. (Ken) Greenwald
Ken was cajoled out of retirement to join the University of Wisconsin engineering faculty. In that capacity, he lectured around the world.
Stephen L. Barclay
Steve was a professor in the Bacteriology Department at the University of Wisconsin.
Molly Rose (Morrison) Philosophos
In 2016, Tim and Molly moved to Madison, Wis., where their three Badger children also lived, and she began her dream job as a fundraiser for the UW-Madison School of Business through the UW Foundation and Alumni Association. Her commitment to her craft and passion for the university translated into professional exceptionalism in her role as managing senior director of development.
How much police escorts to Madison hotel, airport cost Wisconsin football in 2024
Three law enforcement agencies billed Wisconsin a total of $17,627.34 after the season. The cost from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, which coordinated the escorts and brought in officers from Madison and Fitchburg, was $11,328.03.
Beloit College undergrads organizing student worker union
A group of students who work on campus at Beloit College are encouraging their classmates and coworkers to sign on to a union effort. Administrators are hoping to channel the effort into a learning opportunity and expressing caution about changes to pay.
Public data removal impacts university research
When this kind of data is taken away from journalists, researchers and the public, it can have big consequences for what we are able to learn, University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communications professor Michael Wagner said.
“Being able to use public data to write stories that can hold the powerful to account is the lifeblood of good journalism and so journalists need to have access to public data to tell their audience how our leaders are using,” Wagner said. “And so to take these down and prevent journalists and researchers from using them, makes it a lot harder for us to hold power to account.”
Mary Ann Test
In 1978 Dr. Test joined the social work faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW PEOPLE Program not impacted by national DEI policy changes
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 20 designed to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs beyond the federal government, and it alludes to potential legal action against private entities with DEI programs.
Bucky’s Pell Pathway gives students support for ‘their full financial needs.’ Recipients say it doesn’t go far enough
The program, Bucky’s Pell Pathway, gives Pell-grant eligible Wisconsin residents enrolled in on-campus programs grants, scholarships and work study “sufficient to meet their full financial needs,” according to UW-Madison.
James Edward Kirchstein
He earned a BSEE from UWMadison and later worked as an electrical engineer for UW and the State of Wisconsin.
Outsourcing in Wisconsin state government expands under Evers
Andrew Reschovsky, a professor emeritus of public affairs at UW-Madison, said sometimes it makes sense for a state agency to contract out services when it doesn’t have the staff or knowledge for the work. Without the outcome of cost-benefit analyses or other information, it is impossible to know when contracting out makes sense without querying each agency, he said.
UW researcher warns that federal funding cuts could halt vital work
“We really rely on NIH funding,” Jon Audhya, a professor and associate dean at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health said. “That reduction would have a huge negative impact on the institution. The university really couldn’t fill the gap.”
UW nurses urge Wisconsin Supreme Court to recognize union
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether UW Health has to recognize efforts by UW nurses to re-create the union they lost in 2014.
Sterilization rate at Madison hospital doubled after abortion ruling, study finds
The number of people who sought surgical sterilization at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital in Madison more than doubled after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned decades-old abortion protections in 2022, according to a recent study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.
‘Real brutal capitalism.’ Wisconsin nursing home sales surge, quality drops
“We tend to be going more and more towards a real brutal capitalism, I think everywhere,” said Barbara Bowers, a professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Nursing. “And it’s fine if it’s about the quality of your television set. But it’s a different issue when it’s the quality of somebody’s life. I think we treat this as any other commodity, which is really unfortunate.”
Paying UW student athletes big bucks is out of whack | Timothy Eisele
Letter to the editor: I read in the Wisconsin State Journal about football player Nyzier Fourqurean, who had used up his eligibility. But because he had played for a Division II team earlier in his college career and was not paid, he petitioned a court to allow him one more year of eligibility.
Wisconsin, other states win reprieve in cuts to medical research funding
Afederal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Trump Administration cap on federally funded medical research that UW-Madison said Monday could cost the the university $65 million in already-pledged funds.
Tom Still: Wisconsin scientist sees bright future for fusion as well as fission
Greg Piefer, the founder and chief executive officer of Shine Technologies in Janesville, wouldn’t frown over that punchline. But he’s the first to say fusion for other purposes ranging from fighting cancer to national security, and from inspecting industrial components to recycling nuclear waste, comes first and is no laughing matter.
UW-Madison grad students ‘are very afraid’ of federal funding turmoil
A federal judge last month blocked efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to halt the flow of billions of federal dollars. Wisconsin officials worried the freeze would have wide-ranging effects, including at the state’s flagship university.
Then over the weekend, the National Institutes of Health announced a “dramatic” cut in funding for some research expenses at UW-Madison and other institutions, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and other university leaders said in a statement.
St. Norbert, a Catholic college, may nix theology in latest round of budget cuts
St. Norbert — a small liberal arts college in the Green Bay suburb of De Pere — is planning to eliminate about a dozen majors and to restructure a handful more as it contends with an anticipated $7 million budget gap for 2026.
Regents compromise on giving UW system president more power to appoint top leaders
The UW Board of Regents unanimously approved a rare policy compromise Friday that grants Universities of Wisconsin presidents more appointment authority but also gives Regents a larger role in the process than current President Jay Rothman had requested.
Madison LGBTQ+ residents, rattled by Trump orders, weigh options
As it stands, there have been no moves by the Trump administration or the Supreme Court to do away with equal marriage rights for LGBTQ+ couples. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen, said Howard Schweber, a political science professor and law school affiliate faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Abrupt shift in federal funding will jeopardize medical research, UW-Madison says
UW-Madison will experience significant disruptions to lifesaving research under the Trump administration’s new rules for federally funded medical research, officials said Saturday.
UW Health Med Flight reports lasers pointed at crews
UW Health is condemning anyone pointing lasers at aircraft after noting two crews were hit by lasers Tuesday night in different areas.
Influenza-A leads record respiratory illness spike in Dane County
Health officials say that the peak in respiratory illnesses hit Dane County late this year, leaving hospitals and urgent care facilities packed.
“It did start late and it really came on like wild fire,” said Dr. Jim Conway, pediatric infectious disease doctor with UW Health Kids and medical director of UW Health’s immunization program.
Should Wisconsin require school districts ban cell phones in class?
But UW Health Kids pediatrician and researcher Dr. Megan Moreno said schools should take care to do what’s best for their students. She said when it comes to social media and mental health, there isn’t a population-level impact.
“So when kids are feeling really anxious or over stimulated, a lot of patients that I see have really well-developed mechanisms that they can use their phone to calm down,” Dr. Moreno said.
Court settlement will bring ‘stability’ to Wisconsin athletics, Chris McIntosh says
Acourt settlement that is expected to bring revenue sharing to college athletes next season will provide stability that will benefit the University of Wisconsin, athletic director Chris McIntosh said.
Trump’s tariffs could raise price of Universities of Wisconsin building projects
UW system Capital Planning Vice President Alex Roe told the UW Board of Regents that two projects are a particular concern: UW-Stout’s $138.9 million Heritage Hall project and the $96.3 million Cofrin Library at UW-Green Bay.
All-Campus Leadership Conference to offer leadership insights, connections
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin Student Leadership Program, this free event offers students of all leadership backgrounds the chance to learn from nationally recognized speakers, engage in dynamic breakout sessions and connect with professionals across multiple industries, according to the Wisconsin Involvement Network.
Search for two new UW ombuds begins
The University of Wisconsin Ombuds Office and Provost Charles Isbell are conducting a search for two new Ombud positions, as announced on Feb. 5.
UW-Madison scientists weigh in on LA fires, explain university satellites that track them
Volker Radeloff, a fire expert and professor of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University Wisconsin-Madison, conducts research on wildland-urban interfaces (WUIs), which are fire-prone regions on the cusp between wildland vegetation, often woodlands or grasslands, and civilization. Nearly half of the world’s population lives in a WUI, and all of the areas that burned in the Los Angeles area belonged to a WUI, Radeloff said.
UW invites Marissa Bode to speak in celebration of Black History Month
In celebration of Black History Month at the University of Wisconsin, the UW Black Cultural Center invited Los Angeles-based actress Marissa Bode to speak on intersectionality at Memorial Union on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
UW-Madison uncertain in face of Trump’s executive orders
The University of Wisconsin-Madison recommended “reasonable caution” on federally funded hiring and expenditures which are “elective” Feb. 3 in the wake of uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s executive orders pausing financial assistance for federal grants and loans.
‘Dark clouds on the horizon’: Top UW officials react to federal funding freeze
University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman and UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin emphasized the significant risks of President Donald Trump’s freeze on federal grants and loans at a UW Board of Regents meeting Thursday.
Best team in Wisconsin women’s hockey history? This Badgers group could get there
A program with seven NCAA championship banners hanging in its home venue has a different definition of a great team than most others.