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Author: knutson4

‘To remember them is to love them’: Milwaukee vigil held for Indigenous people lost to opioid epidemic

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“My son is represented up there,” Denning said of his prayer tie on the teepee without a cover, adding that the incomplete teepee represents how it feels when we lose someone.

His son, Sawyer, was a bright, young man who did well as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Denning said Sawyer was a good student throughout high school and hadn’t been exposed to drugs. But, at college, someone gave him an anti-anxiety drug to help step up his studying. Sawyer would then drink alcohol to help himself level out, so he could sleep after long study sessions fueled by the drug. He started to crash and struggled with addiction.

‘Everybody deserves a fair chance’: A conversation with Erin Barbato, director of UW’s Immigrant Justice Clinic

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In 2012, a group of law students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison saw a need for free legal assistance among undocumented immigrants.

Around 200 immigrants were facing deportation in Wisconsin at that time, but there were few legal resources for them, especially in the Dane County area. In response, the students established the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Immigrant Justice Clinic.

Amid falling public confidence, forum speakers defend value of a college degree

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Wisconsin Public Radio

While public perceptions of the value of going to college have diminished in recent years, experts argue the lifelong earning potential for someone with a bachelor’s degree is worth the investment.

That was the message Wednesday from a forum about the future of flagship universities held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While ideological battles over diversity programs, curriculum and funding continue, universities must forcefully advocate for their value to society, the panelists said.

Sustainable energy at home and in the community

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Wisconsin Public Radio
By first inviting Wisconsin communities to identify their clean energy needs, a network of researchers, entrepreneurs and investors are pursuing projects in rural and urban areas as well as on tribal lands. Interview with Oliver Schmitz, associate dean for research innovation in the UW-Madison College of Engineering. 

University of Wisconsin-Madison to install new and stronger pier after last year’s collapse

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When a University of Wisconsin-Madison pier collapsed last year, the cause seemed pretty simple: There were too many people on the structure at the time.

But a newly released investigative report found overcapacity was not the cause of the Labor Day collapse that plunged dozens of people into Lake Mendota. Rather, the report indicated people on the pier were jumping and introducing too much strain on the pier, causing it to crumple.

Climate justice top of mind for UW-Madison students on Earth Day

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, said much of Gaylord Nelson’s legacy focused on alleviating poverty and addressing inequality in society — not just the environment.

“We lead with a community-first vision that justice comes first,” Robbins said. “If you get justice right, you’re on the road to healing the environment.”

UW President Lauds Superior Campus, And Earth Day’s Apostle Island Origins

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Wisconsin Public Radio

In a speech touting the value of higher education to northwest Wisconsin delegates visiting the state Capitol for Superior Days, University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman singled out the system’s Superior campus for particular praise. But his talk came amid a third-party analysis showing financial deficits at 10 of Wisconsin’s public universities, including the Superior campus. Rothman’s speech, along with a review of the financial report, are highlighted.

Who is Peter Barca? What to know about Democratic candidate challenging Bryan Steil.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

According to his legislative bio, Barca got his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received a master’s in public administration and educational administration from UW-Madison. He also attended graduate school at Harvard University.

According to a UW-Madison alumni profile, Barca was a “self-proclaimed math geek.”

Cudahy names three finalists for superintendent position

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Olson is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from the same university. She also earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

A case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court could reshape state government. Here’s what to know

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Evers sued GOP lawmakers in October over decisions to withhold pay raises for University of Wisconsin System employees and to block conservation projects, arguing such actions made by legislative committees rather than the full Legislature violate the state Constitution’s separation of powers requirements.

‘Top Chef: Wisconsin’ Episode 5 recap: It’s a supper club showdown at Madison’s Harvey House

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kish explained that the Quickfire Challenge would be centered around another Madison culinary icon: chef Carson Gulley, who was the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s residence hall chef from the 1920s through the 1950s. From 1953 to 1962, he and his wife hosted a weekly cooking show on WMTV — the first-ever African American couple to host a cooking show.

Milwaukee program prepares women for successful reentry after incarceration

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Wisconsin Watch

Tahnee Aguirre, a financial security educator for UW-Madison Extension, which provided the rent education and financial literacy classes, said the women already had the tenacity and intelligence to be successful. Now they have a vision.

“Now that they see it and know what they need to do to make it happen, they have a better chance to achieve their goals,” Aguirre said. “Their opportunities are endless.”

Climate change could cost each American born today $500,000

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Consumer Reports

“This is an innovative way to approach the issue, and the authors are up front about the limitations of their analysis, because it is so new,” says Tracey Halloway, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the report but read a draft. “The optimist in me knows there are a lot of moving parts, and it could end up being easier to be sustainable, easier to be resilient, than we thought, and maybe in some ways that will offset the costs that they project.”

Tracking higher ed’s dismantling of DEI

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The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Chronicle is tracking higher ed’s dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. As colleges make changes in response to anti-DEI legislation and mounting political pressure, an inconsistent and confusing landscape has emerged. This resource aims to document the changes and help readers better understand how the campaign against DEI has actually reshaped campuses.

Wisconsin public universities face challenging financial futures, according to reports

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Wisconsin Examiner

University of Wisconsin schools are facing challenging financial futures without major changes, according to recent campus financial reports.

Several factors have led to campuses’ financial difficulties including declining state support on an inflation-adjusted basis over the last decade, the impacts of the decade-long tuition freeze that ended in 2022, declining enrollment and inflation.

Eviction filings have spiked in Dane County. A new report looks at why.

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Wisconsin Public Radio

“Available housing is incredibly low,” said Grace Kobe, who co-directs the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Eviction Defense Clinic, which is part of the partnership. “And so much of that housing that is being built is not affordable, and so when folks are facing eviction, or not facing eviction and just trying to find somewhere to go, their options are so incredibly limited here.”

Elections chief Meagan Wolfe gets extra security while Donald Trump foments false accusations

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Barry Burden, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Elections Research Center director, said the main source of distrust in elections are messages from political leaders to their followers indicating they should be distrustful.

“As the most important voice in one of the major parties, Trump has a unique ability to undermine public confidence through his rhetoric, even though it is often detached from facts about the situation,” Burden said.

These are the best graduate school programs in Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Top graduate schools in Wisconsin landed on the latest U.S. News & World Report list ranking more than 2,000 programs across the country. U.S. News & World Report published its 2024-’25 report in April, ranking graduate programs in business, education, law and nursing, among other fields.

University of Wisconsin-Madison’s the School of Education tied for first overall with Teacher’s College, Columbia University, according the report. That’s up from third overall and second among public universities last year.

Wisconsin tribe sues social media companies over suicide rates among Native youth

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Heather Kirkorian, professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researches the effects of media on children’s development. Kirkorian said media effects vary widely among individuals, noting it can pose both positive and negative outcomes. While clear evidence exists of manipulative practices to keep youth engaged longer, she said a direct link is lacking between the use of social media and an increase in suicidal ideation or mental health problems.

“It’s really important for us to understand that the effects of media are not the same for everybody, and some groups of children might be disproportionately affected by media,” Kirkorian said.

WHAD-FM 90.7 will switch to classical music as part of Wisconsin Public Radio reshuffle

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“We have heard from Milwaukee listeners for years that they want us to bring classical music radio back to the city and this will do just that,” Marta Bechtol, executive director of the Educational Communications Board, said in a statement from WPR. The board operates WPR and PBS Wisconsin in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.