The letter, penned by Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, told Gow of his termination after it was discovered Gow and his wife produced pornographic content.
UW – La Crosse chancellor’s termination letter released
WKOW-TV 27
Author: gbump
The Most Mysterious Cells in Our Bodies Don’t Belong to Us
The Atlantic
Similarly, inherited microchimerism might help explain why some studies have found that people are better at accepting organs from their mother than from their father, says William Burlingham, a transplant specialist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Once a Badger, always a Badger: Diane Nordstrom on her career in sports communications
Wisconsin Public Radio
Diane Nordstrom, the associate director of brand communications at UW-Madison, is retiring after more than three decades with the Badgers. We talk with her about the world of sports communications and how it’s changing.
Tenure allowed me to speak out against evils of apartheid. Truth depends on it. | Opinion
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Tenure is a rigorous process by which one’s academic publications are reviewed by the country’s (and often even world’s) top experts in one’s field of research. The tenure process is undertaken after completing 6 years of work and can take up to a year to assemble and review materials.
Trump is on the Wisconsin ballot; Minocqua Brewing owner looks to sue
The Capital Times
To Howard Schweber, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert in constitutional law, there are two separate issues at play: the legal and the political.
James “Jim” R. Leu
Wisconsin State Journal
Jim worked as a Network and Systems Engineer in various locations, most recently at the University of Wisconsin Department of Information Technology.
Wisconsin’s ‘Smart Growth’ law requires planning to meet housing needs, but enforcement is lax
PBS Wisconsin
“There have been no reported appellate court cases in Wisconsin dealing with the issue of how housing is addressed in local comprehensive plans,” said Brian Ohm, a retired professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at UW-Madison, calling the lack of legal challenges “a surprise to a lot of people.”
Jon O. Baldock
Wisconsin State Journal
At his core, Jon was always a farmer and a statistician, vocations he passionately pursued throughout his life. He became an Assistant Professor of Agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976.
Badgers honor the ‘architect’ of the Kohl Center — Herb Kohl
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Herb Kohl’s courtside seats were unoccupied but not quite empty Tuesday night.
GOP bill would have UW tell out-of-state students how to vote at home
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Universities of Wisconsin would be required to provide all first-year students with information on how to vote absentee in their home states under a bill introduced by GOP lawmakers.
UW professor ‘not concerned’ about claims of former Harvard president plagiarizing his work
WKOW-TV 27
“Both Dr. Gay and I are defining basic terms such as Section 2 and Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, covered jurisdictions, and bailout,” he said. “Good definitions of these terms would have to use similar language or they would not be accurate.”
Late UW alum and Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl honored at Wisconsin men’s basketball game
WKOW-TV 27
The team set out a jersey for Kohl and put flowers on a seat in the Kohl Center. Kohl gave money to build the arena, which opened in 1998. There was a moment of silence before the game. After the game, head coach Greg Gard praised him.
DEI, politics and a racist video — top higher education stories of 2023
captimes.com
The past 12 months in higher education in Wisconsin have been filled with major developments and some attention-grabbing headlines from the Universities of Wisconsin.
UW sytem chancellor ousting not a violation of free speech
Wisconsin State Journal
The regents fired Gow in a unanimous vote on UW system President Jay Rothman’s recommendation after UW system officials were tipped off the week before Christmas about videos published on popular porn websites.
UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow and Carmen Wilson share their story
Journal Sentinel
Gow said the university was the only within the UW System to avoid furloughs and layoffs when COVID-19 hit.
10 UW-Madison profs share their favorite books of 2023
The Capital Times
FacebookTwitterEmailPrintCopy article linkWith the fall semester drawn to a close and a new year underway, University of Wisconsin-Madison professors in departments ranging from math to English are reflecting on their favorite reads of the year.
COVID Mask Mandates Return to Hospitals in Five States
Newsweek
University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics are also asking that people wear masks in its medical buildings, including University Hospital, American Family Children’s Hospital and East Madison Hospital.
Mike Nussbaum, Celebrated Chicago Theater Actor, Dies at 99
The New York Times
He attended the University of Wisconsin before dropping out and enlisting in the Army during World War II.
How long does it take you to get in shape when you’ve gotten out of it?
Deseret News
University of Wisconsin researchers found in their study that after six weeks of working out, most people do not see a difference in their appearance.
Trump’s New Year’s resolutions: Winning the 2024 campaign trial and his trials
Washington Examiner
Trump is at his strongest point now, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and Elections Research Center director Barry Burden.
Biden New Year’s resolutions: What 2024 holds for the president
Washington Examiner
Conda’s perspective is not simply Republican talking points, because a majority of the public does have a negative perception of Biden’s performance and is dissatisfied with the direction of the country, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and Elections Research Center director Barry Burden.
Harris’s New Year’s resolutions: How she can use 2024 to become a trusted successor to Biden
Washington Examiner
By demonstrating her “unwavering support” for Biden, Harris is amassing “a national network of allies” within the Democratic Party who might back a second presidential campaign of hers in the future, according to University of Wisconsin, Madison political science professor and Elections Research Center Director Barry Burden.
Harvard President Claudine Gay faces six new plagiarism charges: Report
Fox News
The new charges were first reported on by The Washington Free Beacon and included this claim: “In a 2001 article, Gay lifts nearly half a page of material verbatim from another scholar, David Canon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin.” The total number of plagiarism allegations against Gay are near 50, or “half of Gay’s published works,” according to the Free Beacon.
Final drive comes up empty as Badgers fall to LSU in ReliaQuest Bowl
WISC-TV 3
On a day full of big plays by both offenses, the Badgers came up just short and lost to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday, 35-31.
Tribal leadership weighs in on UW decision to cover tuition for Native students starting next fall
WMTV Channel 15
As 2023 comes to a close, a new chapter is on the horizon for tribal communities in Wisconsin. “What better way to do so by empowering its next generation of leaders to graduate debt free on their traditional homelands,” said Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians and chairwoman of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council.
Despite progress, MENA students see need for further support on UW campus
Badger Herald
MENA students, MSC staff push for representative staff, dedicated space in MSC.
Former UW-La Crosse chancellor reacts to termination and alleged freedom of expression violation
WKOW-TV 27
Gow revealed that a week before receiving his termination letter, he attended an unexpected meeting with HR and general counsel. However, he left the meeting without any clear directives or disciplinary actions taken against him. “I didn’t expect this would be so sudden,” Gow told 27 News.
Native American–language translations appearing on more road and street signs
MarketWatch
Native American–attuned signage has also appeared on university campuses, including the University of Wisconsin, and in other contexts of late, including in retail, where at least one brand, Faherty, identifies among its store-location listings which tribes formerly controlled the territory that became those store sites.
We Are About to Enter the Golden Age of Gene Therapy
Inverse
Krishanu Saha, a bioengineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison whose lab is working on gene therapies for treating blindness, says the precision allowed by CRISPR-Cas9’s programmability is its singular selling point.
“Traditional gene therapy, which we call gene augmentation, is essentially flooding the cell with extra copies of a normal gene; in some cases, this doesn’t work,” Saha tells Inverse. “We found in a few cases, it’s really important to destroy the mutant copy of the [gene] or fix the underlying mutation and that’s where you have to have the precision of CRISPR to go in and specifically do that.”
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse chancellor sacked from post over pornographic films made with his wife, reports say
CNN
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System has terminated a 63-year-old university chancellor from his position after “discovering sexually explicit videos” he made with his wife, according to statements from officials and reporting from major media outlets that interviewed the ex-chancellor.
Fired UW-La Crosse chancellor defends porn videos made with wife and adult stars since 2015
La Crosse Tribune
On Tuesday, the Regents announced a special closed-door virtual meeting. The notice for the Wednesday meeting stated the Regents would consider punishment of an unnamed chancellor for unspecified actions. Gow said he was not informed of the meeting or given an opportunity to respond to allegations that he had embarrassed the institution.
2023 was a wild year in Wisconsin politics, again
The Capital Times
A long-running standoff over diversity, equity and inclusion in state government, notably on Universities of Wisconsin campuses, boiled over in 2023, as Republican legislators aimed to cut UW budgets before a deal was ultimately reached.
Ready to quit smoking? Here’s how you can get free help
Wisconsin State Journal
“Now’s the perfect time to set a New Year’s resolution to rethink your interest in quitting tobacco use,” Dr. Michael Fiore, a UW-Madison tobacco expert, said in a statement. “You can reach out to the Quit Line and go at your own pace. You get to decide how you change your tobacco use and when.”
Hiring freeze will hurt higher education — Benjamin Daniels
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: The deal requires UW system to implement a freeze on some positions that do not work directly with students or patients. This will have devastating impacts on our universities’ ability to grow and fulfill their missions.
5 ways Herb Kohl impacted sports in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal
The Badgers men’s basketball team ran the risk of capacity for its home games at the UW Field House being downsized from 11,500 to 9,300 in the mid-to-late 1990s. There were safety concerns with the aging facility, and talk of a new venue across campus accelerated.
Kohl, who graduated from UW-Madison in 1956, stepped up with a $25 million gift — the largest ever given to the school at the time — to make it a reality.
5 easy ways to keep your brain sharp
CNN
“Forgiveness is a moral virtue basically; it is a merciful response toward those who have not been good to us — without excusing the people, without forgetting, lest it happen again, without necessarily reconciling,” said Robert Enright, a pioneer in the field of forgiveness science and professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW regents fire UW-La Crosse chancellor who filmed porn with wife
The Capital Times
Chancellor Joe Gow, the longest-tenured chancellor in the UW system, already had plans to retire at the end of the school year. In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, the regents voted to terminate his chancellorship and place him on paid administrative leave as he transitions into a faculty role.
UW-La Crosse chancellor fired after producing online porn
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow, who was denied a pay raise five years ago over inviting a former porn actress to speak on campus, has been fired for himself engaging in explicit sexual acts with his wife on popular porn websites.
UW Health takes collaborative approach to mental health
WISC-TV 3
The Collaborative Care program helps patients get mental health treatment quickly, without having to possibly wait months to obtain an appointment at a specialty clinic. Patients can talk to their primary doctor about any issues they are experiencing and can see a clinician right away.
UW-Madison hired professional cheese tasters: Here’s how their research is going
WISC-TV 3
Job postings for “cheese tasters” at UW-Madison’s Center for Diary Research went viral over the summer, sparking hundreds of applications for only five positions.
UW Board of Regents vote to fire UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow
WISC-TV 3
“An outside law firm has been engaged to undertake a fulsome investigation of the matter,” Rothman said in a statement. “We anticipate the complaint will be considered in the normal course as dictated by Wis. Admin. Code Ch. 4.”
Herb Kohl, UW alum who became ‘nobody’s senator but yours,’ dies at 88
The Capital Times
Kohl’s giving also touched his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he roomed with future Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Kohl’s name graces the school’s basketball and ice hockey arena after a $25 million gift to the project and he gave extensively to the university’s LaFollette School of Public Affairs.
University of Wisconsin system fires chancellor for reputation-damaging behavior
The Associated Press
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents decided unanimously Wednesday to fire the chancellor of one of its campuses for unspecified behavior that could damage the school system’s reputation.
Board of Regents terminates UW-La Crosse chancellor
WKOW-TV 27
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said Universities of Wisconsin leadership learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the universities to significant reputational harm, calling Gow’s actions abhorrent.
Virtual reality gives a boost to the ‘lazy eye’
National Public Radio
“In all cases of amblyopia, there’s a stronger eye and a weaker eye. And it’s winner-take-all in the cortex. And the cortex learns to ignore the signals from the weak eye,” says Elizabeth Quinlan, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Novel helmet liner 30 times better at stopping concussions
New Atlas
To improve their effectiveness, helmets worn by military personnel and sportspeople must employ a liner material that limits both. This is where researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison come in. Determined to prevent – or lessen the effect of – TBIs caused by knocks to the body and head, they’ve developed a new lightweight foam material for use as a helmet liner.
‘Pregnancy’ used to be the focus in abortion local news stories. Now, it’s ‘vote.’
Politico
“It’s important who wins the White House for a whole host of reasons,” said Michael Wagner, the director of graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who has published research on how abortion became a partisan issue in the news. “But for those who have become pregnant and don’t want to be, the election does not come in time to provide them a remedy.”
UW Board of Regents to hold special meeting to consider chancellor punishment
Wisconsin State Journal
The UW Board of Regents plans to hold a special closed-door meeting Wednesday to consider “taking a personnel action to discipline or terminate a chancellor,” an agenda released Tuesday night states.
Celebrate outstanding UW women student-athletes — Daniel Grant
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: I am writing to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of women student athletes at UW-Madison.
Universities of Wisconsin looking to double its international student population
Wisconsin State Journal
International students make up about 4% of the UW system’s undergraduate population, although much of that comes from UW-Madison, where about 10% of its undergraduates come from other countries. Of the regional schools, UW-Superior has the highest percentage of its undergraduate enrollment from international students, about 6.4%.
UW Board of Regents right to accept DEI compromise
Kenosha News
Common sense prevailed recently when the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents flip-flopped and voted 11-6 to agree to a compromise deal with Republican legislators. The agreement limits diversity positions on system campuses in exchange for money to cover staff raises and construction projects.
‘Trojan horse’? Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling likely to boost legislative Democrats
Wisconsin State Journal
Had the Wisconsin Supreme Court found only a couple of districts with noncontiguous territory in violation of the Constitution, it could have called for a tailored approach to fix just those boundaries, UW-Madison Law School associate professor Robert Yablon said.
Ruth Leona Schumacher Lutze
Wisconsin State Journal
She worked as a visiting nurse in Kenosha, Wis., and spent the greater part of her nursing career in Madison as the coordinator for UW-Extension Wisconsin Inactive Nurse Studies (WINS) program until her retirement in 1996.
What to know about the UW System funding deal
The Daily Cardinal
Republican lawmakers and UW System President Jay Rothman reached an agreement earlier this month to restructure diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions in exchange for pay raises and building projects.
Looking for a babysitter? Badgersitters has a team of 180 of them at your service
Wisconsin State Journal
Most of the Badgersitters are UW-Madison students, whose class and extracurricular obligations make them more available for irregular schedules and overnight shifts, which Chung says has taken a lot of the stress out of finding child care.
New UW partnership allows direct donations to students in need
Madison365
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is partnered up with Purposity to match students up with donors to help meet their basic needs. Purposity, an Atlanta based philanthropic fundraising service founded in 2016, developed a platform for school systems and local non-profits to match community members with donors.
The DEI Rollback of 2023
The Wall Street Journal
The diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy on campus has proliferated in recent years, but there are signs it’s finally meeting resistance. The latest good news is from Wisconsin, where public universities will pare back some DEI programs and freeze them going forward.
Wisconsin filling wide receiver coaching vacancy with one of Luke Fickell’s former players
Wisconsin State Journal
University of Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell is turning to a player he once coached to lead his wide receivers.
Donation app bringing giving tree to UW Madison bookstore
NBC-15
Smartphone application Purposity and the UW Madison Student Financial Aid Office will provide a space for people to donate gifts to college students in need this holiday season and beyond.
For the Record: What’s next after the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out the state’s district maps?
Channel 3000
University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School professor Robert Yablon gives insight into why the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out the state’s election district maps and where things could go from here.