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Author: knutson4

Finding joy and confidence in writing with new ‘Whoopensocker’ collection

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PBS Wisconsin

PBS Wisconsin Education, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education, recently launched Whoopensocker, a new educational resource collection for upper elementary learners that provides an on-ramp to writing through group games and scaffolded lessons.

Whoopensocker was first developed as a six-week teaching artist residency by Erica Halverson, a professor in the department of curriculum and instruction at the UW-Madison School of Education. Halverson teamed up with PBS Wisconsin Education to make a multimedia version of the program that’s accessible to more educators around the state and in spaces where an artist residency may not be available.

Expert warns Planned Parenthood abortion pause will lead to more out-of-state, pill-based abortions

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CBS 58

“This terrible decision between offering abortion care or receiving Medicaid reimbursement for other services is a decision that, ultimately, is going to affect patients,” Dr. Jenny Higgins, director of the University of Wisconsin Collaborative for Reproductive Equity. “It’s a decision that no healthcare system should have to make.”

UW-Whitewater launches bachelor’s degree aimed to elevate health professionals

Posted on
Channel 3000

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater announced Thursday that it has partnered with Wisconsin technical colleges to deliver a pathway for health professionals looking to transition into careers in healthcare management.

This move comes as part of a continued effort to fill vital workforce needs in the region. UW-Whitewater’s Bachelor of Science in Health and Leadership Studies launched in Fall 2025, and is designed for students with Associate of Science degrees working in allied health professions. This includes dental hygiene, cardiovascular technology and physical therapy.

Universities of Wisconsin proposes policy to ensure core gen-eds to transfer between universities

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Channel 3000

All core general education courses, or gen-eds, may soon be transferable between the 13 Universities of Wisconsin.

The proposed UW Board of Regents policy is now being shared for comment at the universities. The gen-ed credits, which are classes students must take for graduation outside their majors and minors, would range from 30 to 36 credit hours in 10 to 12 courses in six curricular categories at all the UWs, according to a statement.

Former Wisconsin football teammates reflect on troubled ‘entertainer’ Bill Ferrario, who died at 47

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Wisconsin State Journal

Bill Ferrario, a four-year starter who was part of two Big Ten Conference and Rose Bowl championship Wisconsin teams in 1999-2000, died unexpectedly early Tuesday morning. He turned 47 on Monday. Details of his death have not been publicly released, but multiple former teammates who spoke to BadgerExtra on and off the record said he lost his battle to addiction.

Research cuts, visa limits lead to fewer graduate and international students at UW-Madison

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Wisconsin State Journal

Fewer graduate and international students are attending UW-Madison this fall, according to data the university released Thursday — a glimpse into how the deep cuts to federal research and visa crackdowns over the last year are rippling through the university.

The data show a 7% decline in total international student enrollment this fall, a decrease of 490 students, and 9% fewer new graduate and professional students.

Former Chancellor Shalala says UW-Madison faces ‘dangerous period’

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The Cap Times

UW-Madison was at a “critical juncture,” former Chancellor Donna Shalala told the group, amid budget constraints, critiques of higher education and a host of other issues.

“I look around, and I see a faculty and staff here that is too often trying to do 80 hours of work in a 40-hour week, too often fatigued, too often unheralded for their accomplishments, too often fearful of the future, and cynical about getting the resources they need to do their jobs,” said former Chancellor Donna Shalala.

UW researcher pushes for federal funding for nuclear fusion research

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Channel 3000

“What we study is thinking about new technology that would be a way to start up future fusion devices. And it’s really looking at, how do you reduce the cost and complexity,” said Steffi Diem, an assistant professor at UW-Madison and principal investigator of the Pegasus Three experiment. “And our technology looks at building. It looks kind of like a small lightsaber that injects, you know, the fuel in it, and then we capture it by a magnetic field.”

RFK Jr. wants an answer to rising autism rates. Scientists say he’s ignoring some obvious ones

Posted on
Los Angeles Times

The rate of children with profound autism has remained virtually unchanged since the CDC started tracking it, said Maureen Durkin, a professor of population health science and pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Indeed, the highest rate of new diagnoses has been among children with mild limitations, she said.

‘Trailblazers in Motion’ exhibit unveils progressive history of UW-Madison women’s physical education program

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

When the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched a Women’s Physical Education Department in 1912, Wisconsin women did not have the right to vote. Women, only reluctantly admitted to UW-Madison in the first place, faced scientific misconceptions, double standards and restrictions from administration. But the department itself was always years ahead of its time, alumni said, from its early days to its eventual merger with the men’s program in 1976.

Got cheese? UW-Madison’s Badger Cheese Club hosts first meeting of semester

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The Daily Cardinal

One of the University Wisconsin-Madison’s largest student organizations packed a lecture hall in Ingraham with over 200 students in attendance last week. The Badger Cheese Club’s goal is to bring Wisconsin’s cheese culture to their 500 official members.

The club of cheese connoisseurs — established in 2006 — offers its members a smorgasbord of cheese each meeting, educates its members on the differences between all the unique types of cheese made in Wisconsin and builds a strong community among its members with a variety of special events.

Former UW chancellor returns to campus to speak of importance of higher education

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Badger Herald

Current University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin hosted former Chancellor Dr. Donna E. Shalala on Monday for a conversation on the future of higher education in Varsity Hall.

Shalala and Mnookin were introduced via remarks by Interim Provost John Zumbrunnen. Shalala and Mnookin took the stage for their conversation, which included questions directly from Mnookin as well as pre-submitted audience questions.

Will Camp Randall keep moonlighting as a music venue?

Posted on
Madison Magazine

The success of this summer’s Morgan Wallen and Coldplay concerts suggests that the stage is set for the University of Wisconsin’s football stadium to continue serving as a venue for big-name acts.

The comeback is nearly three decades in the making. Before this summer, Camp Randall Stadium last held a major music concert in 1997: the year Princess Diana died, the first “Harry Potter” book was published and the WNBA debuted. On Oct. 6, The Rolling Stones thrilled more than 27,000 local fans at Camp Randall as part of their Bridges to Babylon Tour.

Linda Gentes

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Linda Gentes died September 6, 2025, unexpectedly, at home, as a result of a rapid infection.

In Richland Center, Linda was an outspoken advocate for the University of Wisconsin Richland Campus – acting as Director of Continuing Education from 1986 to 2004. During this time she earned her Master’s degree in Continuing and Vocational Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1999.

UW-Madison climbs again in national Best Colleges rankings

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison continued its rise in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings for 2026, moving up one spot this year to 12th among public colleges.

In the national rankings released Tuesday, UW-Madison also swung up by three places as 36th overall out of 438 universities across the country. UW-Madison previously has ranked higher and also lower — in the 2025 rankings the university was 39th overall and it was 35th overall for 2024.

Anti-war group calls for end to Israeli war funding during Willy St. Parade

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The Daily Cardinal

Janet Parker, who leads World Beyond War’s Madison chapter, said the group’s main goal was to “abolish war” and push the University of Wisconsin System to “divest from all weapons manufacturing.”

The group’s march was part of a global movement created by World Beyond War, an international organization with chapters campaigning against issues like war profiteering, police militarization and starvation.

Free speech isn’t free

Posted on
The Voice of America

In October 1990, the Chicago Sun-Times came to the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus to see how students there felt about the new speech code, which could lead to suspension of students for “creating a hostile environment” by making remarks about another person’s sex, race, class, religion, or sexual orientation. Years later, the UW’s then-Chancellor Donna Shalala would tell The New Yorker that she pushed for the speech codes because the students wanted it.

But the Sun-Times headline told the truth: “Students cool to hostile-speech ban.” As board chair and former editor of The Badger Herald student newspaper, I was interviewed for the article and tried to make the point that the speech bans were self-defeating. I told the Sun-Times, “To shut off racial speech you’re actually feeding it. The whole point of a university is to educate the person to be a better person, and here’s the university saying, ‘Here’s a problem, we can’t handle it, send them [offending students] back to the farm.”

How one university is reimagining a humanities Ph.D. program

Posted on
Inside Higher Ed

“We’re thinking about how we can distribute historical thinking skills as widely as possible across as many sectors of industry as possible,” said Matt Villeneuve, an assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and member of the Doctoral Futures postdegree pathways subcommittee. “Because we believe that historical thinking skills are good for individuals and society. So why would we not want to deploy them as far and wide as possible?”

Historic UW-Madison frat searches for new house after plans get pricey

Posted on
The Cap Times

A chemistry fraternity is again looking for a new home at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional co-ed fraternity founded at UW-Madison in 1902. With about 80 active members, the chapter supports Badger students entering STEM fields — in science, technology, engineering and math.

Members of the Alpha Chapter lived and met in two houses at 619 and 621 N. Lake St. for decades, near Lake Mendota and UW-Madison’s Memorial Union.

UW-Madison’s first African American research lab conducts survey on Black affirming spaces

Posted on
WMTV - Channel 15

University of Wisconsin-Madison’s first research lab in the African American Studies department is collecting data on spaces where Black people thrive throughout the city.

The UW-Madison research lab, Soulfolk Collective, partnered with the Center of Black Excellence and Culture to determine how to amplify Black voices, stories and lived experiences.

Badgers partner with MMSD to get students excited about reading and develop better literacy habits

Posted on
WKOW - Channel 27

Badgers were spotted at Sandburg Elementary on Monday helping students get excited about reading.

The partnership between the Wisconsin Badger football program and Madison Metropolitan School District helps UW athletes give back to the community through the support of the district’s reading literacy initiative.

Federal cuts to foreign language grants leave UW-Madison programs, students in limbo

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison graduate student Olivia Kusuma received a competitive federal grant allowing her to study advanced Indonesian this fall for her research on Southeast Asian American communities.

Kusuma is one of more than 50 UW-Madison students who, after weeks of waiting in limbo, got notice this month that the Trump administration canceled the university’s federal Foreign Language and Area Studies.

Barry Alvarez says Wisconsin fans are ‘spoiled rotten’ after ‘Fire Fickell’ chants

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Barry Alvarez is not a fan of the “Fire Fickell” chants that occurred during Wisconsin’s Week 4 loss to Maryland. The revered former Wisconsin football coach and athletic director made that abundantly clear during the Sept. 23 episode of ESPN Madison’s Barry Alvarez Show.

“I think it’s embarrassing,” Alvarez said. “I think it’s terrible, despicable. They’re spoiled rotten.”

Wisconsin chancellor weighs in on AD after Chris McIntosh gives support to Luke Fickell

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Wisconsin State Journal

Chris McIntosh expressed his confidence in University of Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell after a second straight blowout loss Saturday.

UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin now has given McIntosh, the Badgers athletic director, a public vote of confidence. Mnookin declined an interview request by BadgerExtra through a spokesperson Monday but issued a brief statement.

“We all know what a complicated time it is for college athletics,” Mnookin wrote in the statement. “Our Athletic Director, Chris McIntosh, has my full confidence as we navigate these challenges here at UW-Madison.”

How Kirk’s campus work will go on

Posted on
Politico

“What happened to Charlie Kirk was a tragedy, it was wrong,” Jennifer Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said last week.

“The fact that it happened on a college campus is even a step worse,” Mnookin said during a panel discussion at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education. “Because college campuses should be part of the places within society where ideas are explored and bump up against each other, and the ways that we should be disagreeing with each other should never include what happened there.”

UW campuses awarded $4.2M in grants for freshwater research

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Wisconsin Public Radio

The Freshwater Collaborative has awarded Universities of Wisconsin schools $4.2 million to support water education and research programs across the state.

The funding will target already successful programs at universities including undergraduate student freshwater research. It addresses some of Wisconsin’s most pressing water issues — freshwater contamination, data centers and lead pipe replacement.

The only alternative to political violence is civil dialogue, Wisconsin experts say

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Michael Ford is Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue at UW. As his organization works to encourage healthy political dialogue on Wisconsin’s college campuses, he worries that people are beginning to see civil discourse as a sign of weakness.

“My real fear is that the next generation of leaders are going to think politics is all about threats of violence and what-about-ism,” Ford said. “And when we get to that point, we’re ceding the space to the most extreme elements of our society.”

Free speech expert weighs in on ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel

Posted on
WKOW - Channel 27

“The First Amendment only prohibits actions by the government,” said Anuj Desai, a Volkman-Bascom Professor of Law and First Amendment expert at UW-Madison’s Law School. “So, generally speaking, if you are employed by a private employer, as Jimmy Kimmel was — or is — it does not regulate the relations between your employer and you.”

Can University of Tennessee fire professor over Charlie Kirk comment? Free speech experts weigh in

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Knoxville News Sentinel

Donald Downs, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led the charge to successfully fend off speech codes in the 1990s that would have disproportionately targeted conservative ideas at the historically liberal Madison campus. Downs thinks UT is overreaching if it tries to fire Shirinian.

“Who is threatened by what this professor said?” Downs said. “I think what she said was deplorable, and I think there are too many academics that are running around with those kind of ideas that are detrimental. But she’s got due process protections, she has certain academic freedom protections and extramural speech, and those have to be respected, too, especially because of the consequences of not doing that.”

‘A full-blown mosquito invasion’: Milwaukee area residents report relentless mosquitoes after floods

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Inland floodwater mosquitoes are poised the thrive in the wake of heavy rainfall or flooding, according to P.J. Liesch, director of the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab.

“Then the larvae have to feed and grow and develop, which takes a bit of time,” Liesch said, “so that’s why when we have a heavy rainfall event, it’s often 10 to 14-ish days later, and boom, the mosquitoes are out in full force.”

Regents OK more money to expand UW-Madison’s cyclotron lab project

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison is getting an extra $13.5 million to add two floors to the lab it’s constructing for a new cyclotron particle accelerator, which can be used to help detect cancer.

The UW Board of Regents approved the revision to the project Thursday, which will create more space to treat patients for cancer and other diseases at the facility, amid a booming biotech industry.

Insurance provider will stop offering Affordable Care Act coverage in 11 Wisconsin counties

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Dan Sacks, an associate professor of risk and insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, said the expected end of enhanced tax credits likely factored into Common Ground’s decision. That’s because subsidies help people who wouldn’t get insurance due to the cost gain coverage, he said.

“Generally, when they take away the subsidies, it’s less profitable to offer insurance,” Sacks said. “It makes sense that an insurer would want to drop out.”

Aaron Perry strives to keep health care free and growing in Madison

Posted on
The Cap Times

Perry didn’t set out for a career in health care. But while working as an officer with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department, he found himself repeatedly looking in the rearview mirror when transporting men — especially Black men like himself — and wondering, “What could be different to keep you from being in the back seat of this cruiser in the future?”