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Author: Nathan Steagall

Rothman refuses to resign despite Regents’ request

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman has refused to resign at the Board of Regents’ request, the Associated Press first reported Thursday.

Rothman, who has led the System for nearly four years, said that he will not step aside and has been given no reason from the Regents for why they are requesting his removal in a letter to the Regents, obtained by The Daily Cardinal. In a second letter, he claimed the Regents planned to fire him over the weekend which would make him the first UW System president to be fired.

Universities of Wisconsin leaders looking to oust system president who refuses to quit

Posted on
Associated Press

The president of the University of Wisconsin system said in letters obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday that he has been told to either resign or be fired, but has been given no reason and won’t step aside.

Jay Rothman, president of the multicampus 165,000-student university system since 2022, said in a letter addressed to the head of the Board of Regents dated March 26 that he has been given no reason why regents want him to leave.

A Badgers basketball team builds a foundation for success

Posted on
The Cap Times

After her 122nd and final game for the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team, dynamo point guard Ronnie Porter fielded a question on her legacy.

The Badgers had just lost 67-50 to Columbia in Monday’s semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

5 things to know about UW system President Jay Rothman amid ouster push

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Jay Rothman’s tenure as Universities of Wisconsin president hasn’t been without controversy, but it’s not clear yet why the UW Board of Regents has asked him to resign or be fired.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that Rothman wrote in a letter to the Regents that he is resisting the board’s request for him to step aside as leader of the 13-university system because they didn’t give him a reason.

Badger women’s sports teams to add UW Health patch to jerseys

Posted on
Channel 3000

UW-Madison’s women’s sports teams will soon have some extra branding on their jerseys.

UW Health on Thursday announced it would become the official jersey patch sponsor for the Badgers women’s squads. The healthcare provider’s logo will appear on basketball, volleyball, hockey and softball uniforms beginning with the 2026-27 season.

UW-Madison: Christian Capitini named director of the UW Carbone Cancer Center

Posted on
WisBusiness

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health are pleased to announce that Dr. Christian Capitini, a national expert in the treatment and research of childhood cancers, has been named the next director of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. Capitini will also hold the title of director of UW Health Cancer Services. He will assume the role of Carbone Cancer Center director on April 19.

UW Health recognizes ‘Donate Life’ Month to promote organ donation

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Channel 3000

UW Health is joining organizations across the country to recognize April as Donate Life Month, honoring organ, eye, and tissue donors.

Over 108,000 adults and children in the U.S. are awaiting an organ transplant, including 1,500 people in Wisconsin.

UW Health states that most individuals on the waitlist need a kidney, but more than 13 people die each day while waiting for a transplant, according to Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation.

UW-Madison professor: Artemis II mission moves NASA closer to returning to the moon

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NBC 15

NASA has launched its Artemis II mission, sending astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years — a milestone a University of Wisconsin–Madison expert says could shape the future of human spaceflight.

“There was an old IMAX movie called ‘The Dream is Alive’, narrated by Walter Cronkite about the space shuttle,” said UW–Madison astronomy professor Thomas Beatty. “And I think I watched that a million times with my mom.”

Now, decades later, he’s watching as humans prepare to travel back toward the moon for the first time since the Apollo era.

Student-run EMS at UW-Madison? Fire, police leaders not sold yet

Posted on
The Cap Times

Genevieve Simmons grimaced the more Mitch Reuter tightened a tourniquet around her arm.

“Definitely don’t have a pulse,” Simmons chuckled as Reuter checked her wrist.

Reuter was demonstrating how to use a tourniquet as he led a Stop the Bleed training last month at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Students filled a classroom in Birge Hall to learn how to pack a wound and apply pressure in a medical emergency.

Here’s what jobs recent UW-Madison graduates are landing after college

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Wisconsin State Journal

While facing a tough job market, the majority of recent UW-Madison graduates found employment or planned to pursue another degree after graduation, a new university survey found.

Within six months of graduation, about 62% of recent UW-Madison graduates had a job lined up, and nearly 27% planned to continue their education, according to the survey the university released Tuesday.

Is There Life After Smartphones?

Posted on
The New York Times

For most of his childhood, Shaawan Francis Keahna considered himself to be a fundamentally unattractive kid — “too giggly and too gangly and too smart,” as he put it to me recently, “with a face that was really, really adult, despite my youth. My biggest problem, of course, was that I was just plain weird.” Growing up in Hayward, a former logging town on the Namekagon River in northwestern Wisconsin, he was often teased by white classmates for his Native ancestry and for his love of poetry and art. “It became a self-fulfilling thing,” he said. “I internalized it and basically came to see myself exactly the way they saw me.”

UW-Madison football mourns loss of Jack Pugh

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ABC 27

Wisconsin Football announced the death of Jack Pugh, a former football player who graduated from UW-Madison in 2025.

In a recent post from Wisconsin Football on Facebook, they remember him as a positive and genuine light who cared about people.

Opinion: The quiet criminalization of student speech

Posted on
The Cap Times

There is something revealing — almost too revealing — about how quickly a university can move from the language of education to the language of enforcement.

Within hours of a student government vote calling for divestment, the University of Wisconsin–Madison administration issued a statement denouncing the resolution as “flawed, unrelated and illegal.” Not misguided. Not debatable. Illegal.

UW settles discrimination lawsuit over tenure denial

Posted on
The Cap Times

A former assistant professor at Wisconsin’s flagship public university has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit that claimed he was discriminated against when he was denied tenure.

The case was scheduled to go to trial Monday in the Western District of Wisconsin and was expected to last five days. But over the weekend, the parties notified the judge they reached a settlement, court records show.

Democrat candidate pushes back on UW antisemitism law

Posted on
The Center Square

The leading candidate in Wisconsin’s race for governor is unhappy with a new law that defines antisemitism and looks to fight it at the University of Wisconsin.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, who is leading the Democratic race for governor, and who calls herself a Democratic Socialist, took to social media recently to criticize a new law that Gov. Tony Evers signed.

“I am disappointed that Gov. Evers has signed into law a controversial definition of antisemitism that will compromise free speech across the state and academic freedom at our universities,” Hong wrote.

UW Madison PD to conduct WiscAlert test Tuesday

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NBC 15

The UW-Madison Police Department announced they will be conducting their annual test of the WiscAlert system.

The test will take place on Tuesday at noon.

The UW-Madison Police Department stated that the timing of the test during spring break is intentional to avoid disrupting classes and studying.

UW-Madison will stop sharing Flock camera data with Wisconsin counties tied to ICE

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Wisconsin State Journal

The UW-Madison Police Department will stop sharing its campus Flock camera’s data with Wisconsin counties that are cooperating with federal immigration enforcement, Chief Brent Plisch said at a meeting Monday.

The eight AI-powered surveillance cameras, installed on campus in July, have been a flashpoint at UW-Madison in recent weeks, sparking calls from staff and faculty on leaders and police to remove them, over concerns about mass surveillance and data sharing with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lea Jacobs sheds new light on an old master in “John Ford At Work”

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Tone Madison

This March and April, the UW Cinematheque is featuring a new series on the work of legendary American film director John Ford in the 1930s, in conjunction with the publication of John Ford At Work: Production Histories 1927–1939. Professor Lea Jacobs, who wrote this new book, out now with Indiana University Press, is also giving short presentations after each screening. The titles in the series—five in all, three of which are on rare 35mm prints—were curated by Director of Programming Jim Healy, Director of the Cinematheque Jeff Smith, and Professor Jacobs herself.

Priced out: Why UW students choose alternative housing

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

When University of Wisconsin-Madison student Ella Stoltz was considering signing a lease with her friends just a few months into her freshman year, she planned to share her room — a personal sacrifice she believed necessary when faced with an unaffordable rent.

That fall, Stoltz applied for a House Fellow position instead, a decision she made with housing at the front of her mind.

“I think if I was going to a university that had lower tuition and more housing prices, I wouldn’t be a House Fellow,” Stoltz said.

One building, big questions: What does Mosse Humanities mean to UW?

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

“Is the Mosse Humanities building a historical building?” student government Rep. Amelia Alvarez asked at a March meeting where representatives debated symbolic legislation aimed at saving a building the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been trying to demolish for at least two decades. “It depends. Up to personal interpretation,” the legislation’s co-sponsor, Rep. Amitabha Shatdal, replied.

ASM passes resolution calling on UW to divest from companies reportedly engaging in discrimination

Posted on
The Badger Herald

The Associated Students of Madison voted 15-5-3 Wednesday to pass anti-discrimination divestment legislation introduced at the last meeting held March 18.

The legislation calls for divestment from BlackRock index funds containing holdings in companies that manufacture weapons for Israel’s military operations and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, as well as corporations that have contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the legislation.

UW-Madison professor analyzes stakes in Wisconsin Supreme Court election

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Channel 3000

Two appeals court judges are making their pitches to voters as the April 7 election approaches.

Although technically a nonpartisan race, Judge Chris Taylor is backed by liberals, while Judge Maria Lazar is supported by conservatives. If Lazar wins, liberals will maintain their 4-3 majority. Conversely, if Taylor wins, liberals will expand their majority to 5-2.

To break down the stakes of this election, For the Record sat down with UW-Madison Professor Michael Wagner.

The Dogma of Meat

Posted on
The New York Times

We live in a heyday of meat. Americans ate $45 billion of beef in 2025, up more than 10 percent from the previous year, according to Beef Research, an industry marketing group. Ground beef is driving sales — McDonald’s recently released its new half-pounder, the Big Arch — but steak sales remain robust. In a February interview at CattleCon, the beef industry conference, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that his favorite beef cut was strip steak. He eats beef every day — “usually twice a day,” he said, to applause.

UW-Madison to revamp sailing facility, outdoor classroom on Lake Mendota shoreline

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison is reimagining its sailing facilities and outdoor classroom along the shoreline of Lake Mendota, with major proposed upgrades.

The university is planning to build an estimated $2.7 million facility for its Outdoor UW equipment rental facility and Wisconsin Hoofers outdoors club for boat storage, events and education, according to a preliminary design proposal.

UW-Madison Police cite 3 people after high-powered laser pointed at officer, buildings and roads

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NBC 15

UW-Madison Police Department officers cited three people after a high-powered laser was pointed at buildings, roads and a police officer on Wednesday.

The department explained a high-powered laser can be significantly stronger than a typical laser used during a presentation, which poses major safety risks to drivers and law enforcement.

UWPD said the laser briefly affected the officer’s vision.

UWPD urged people to never aim a laser at others.

Internships vs. income: UW-Madison students grapple with the cost of building a resume

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison must strike a difficult balance between building the perfect resume to achieve their postgrad goals while also focusing on the classes and college experience in front of them.

College students like UW-Madison junior Abby Madonia say they feel pressured to pursue work experience, while also juggling coursework, part-time jobs and a balanced social life. This pressure is beginning to take its toll.

UW report highlights Exact Sciences economic impact on Wisconsin

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Dane County’s low unemployment rate, and its role as driver of Wisconsin’s economy, is tied in part to Madison-based Exact Sciences, according to a University of Wisconsin report.

“The Economic Impact of Exact Sciences on Dane County and Wisconsin” was published by UW-Madison’s Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy before Exact Sciences was acquired on March 23 by Abbott for $23 billion.

Wisconsin women’s basketball stays alive in WBIT

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ABC 27

Wisconsin women’s basketball is off to its first postseason tournament semifinal since 2007, according to UW Athletics.

The Badgers staged a furious comeback in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, then defeated Harvard 64-61 in the extra period.

Will Evers sign bill defining antisemitism amid free speech concerns?

Posted on
The Cap Times

If Wisconsin adopts a specific definition of antisemitism — as proposed in a bill recently passed by the state Legislature — the change could collide with First Amendment rights, said Howard Schweber, who studies free speech and constitutional law.

The definition wouldn’t necessarily violate the First Amendment, he said. But issues could “easily arise” if the definition is put to use, said Schweber, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an affiliate faculty member in the Law School.

UW-Madison says it’s ‘disappointed’ by student council call to divest from Israel

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison on Wednesday swiftly denounced the university student government after it approved a measure demanding the school divest from companies linked to Israel, calling the demands “flawed, unrelated and illegal.”

The Associated Students of Madison passed the bill at a special meeting Wednesday evening after hearing from nearly 40 students who spoke both in favor and against the legislation. The meeting followed several hours of debate at a forum earlier Wednesday.

‘It is critical’: UW physics professors stress importance of federal funding

Posted on
Spectrum News

“There is no prize for second place,” said Greg Keenan of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. “It is critical that the U.S. win the race for quantum technologies. Fortunately for us, UW-Madison is home to some of the world’s most significant breakthroughs in quantum science.”

University of Wisconsin-Madison students, alumni and professors who came to Washington to lobby for more research funding got schooled on just how important that funding is.

University researchers explained how federally funded work in quantum physics and mechanics led to the invention of GPS, lasers and MRI technology.

Meet the winners of the 2026 Hilldale Awards

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Each year, to recognize their contributions to teaching, research and service, the faculty divisions honor four University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty members with the Hilldale Award.

Faculty members representing the arts and humanities, biological sciences, physical sciences and social sciences are selected from nominations submitted by department chairs. The winners will be recognized at the April 6 Faculty Senate meeting.

Tia Nelson to receive UW–Madison honorary degree

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The University of Wisconsin–Madison will award an honorary doctorate degree to Tia Nelson, an internationally recognized champion for environmental stewardship and conservation.

“Tia Nelson embodies the Wisconsin Idea in its fullest sense. Through her lifelong dedication to environmental stewardship and public service, she has helped shape both conversation and action around global sustainability efforts,” says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “Her work reminds us that environmental stewardship is both a shared responsibility and a profound opportunity. It is a privilege to recognize her unwavering commitment that stands as an inspiration for us all.”

Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges to speak at UW campus event April 8

Posted on
The Badger Herald

Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges will be on the University of Wisconsin campus for “A Fireside Chat With Ruby Bridges,”  according to the Wisconsin Union Directorate. The event will take place at Memorial Union in the Shannon Hall April 8 at 7 p.m. as part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Lecture Series.

The “Fireside Chat” consists of a 60-minute moderated Q&A and a 30-minute audience Q&A, according to the Wisconsin Union. Prospective attendees can submit questions for Bridges through the Wisconsin Union website.

Madison questions legality of Capitol Square, UW-Madison Flock cameras on city property

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Wisconsin State Journal

Differing views about Flock cameras in Madison, on UW-Madison’s campus and at the state Capitol have come to a head atop five of the city’s traffic signal poles.

Madison officials discovered in recent months that five license plate surveillance Flock Safety cameras — one on UW-Madison’s campus and four on Capitol Square — are mounted on city-owned property and may be in violation of city rules.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson charms a friendly audience at UW-Madison

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Only a small fraction of those who showed up Monday evening to see former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speak in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union, which seats about 300, were able to get in.

But those who arrived at least 90 minutes early experienced a freewheeling, good-natured lecture on world affairs. He defended the Trump administration’s recent aggressive foray into foreign policy, including the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

ASM election sees 4% voter turnout in Spring 2026 election

Posted on
The Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin student body completed voting for the Associated Students of MadisonSpring 2026 Election this week, from March 16 to March 18.

As the polls closed, 2,134 ballots were cast by a student population of 49,724 students. Overall, this was a 4% voter turnout, a decrease from the previous year, which was a 6% voter turnout.

Wisconsin men’s basketball backcourt duo’s closing chapter a disappointing upset loss

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

It would have been out of character for Nick Boyd to appear dejected.

The fifth-year guard’s college career had just ended, the No. 5 seed University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team falling in stunning fashion, 83-82, to No. 12 seed High Point in the NCAA Tournament’s First Round on Thursday in the Moda Center. But Boyd said the moment doesn’t define his career. Even if it was his layup at the rim that was blocked with four seconds left, which ended up being Wisconsin’s last chance at avoiding an upset loss.

Will TSA delays affect spring break travel from Madison?

Posted on
The Cap Times

The next few weeks are anticipated to be a flurry of travel as spring break approaches for both the Madison Metropolitan School District (March 23-27) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (March 28-April 5).

As those rush times approach, airports across the nation have reported hours-long delays due to inclement weather, and longer lines at security checkpoints due to Transportation Security Administration workers not being paid because of the partial government shutdown.

How will that affect travel in and out of the Dane County Regional Airport (MSN)? Michael Riechers, director of marketing and communications for the airport, said “we haven’t seen any noticeable change in our security throughput.”

Uber’s ‘Women Preferences’ feature sparks debate in Madison and beyond

Posted on
ABC 27

Alexia Kulwiec, who teaches labor law at UW Law School, said, “A case in Wisconsin would likely be brought under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, which would prove more difficult than the California law” under which the current lawsuit in that state was filed.

DeMaioribus emphasized the importance of cultural shifts, saying, “It may be a bit of a band aid, because that’s not the way to end sexual violence – just by separating people.”

The class action lawsuit in California remains ongoing. As of now, no similar litigation has been filed in Wisconsin.

UW disability center sees spike in learning accommodations, mirroring national trend

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s McBurney Disability Resource Center has seen an almost 250% increase in the number of students receiving accommodations over the past 10 years, according to their director Mari Magler.

Nearly one in 10 UW-Madison students was affiliated with the McBurney Center between summer 2024 and spring 2025, with 5,791 students connected to the center and a fall 2024 enrollment of 51,791.

 

UW crime warning reports incidents of fondling in academic building

Posted on
The Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin notified students in an email Wednesday afternoon that there had been incidents of fondling in an unknown academic building.

The incidents were reported to UW through a report from a Campus Security Authority — which the university defines as either a member of UW Police Department, individuals responsible for campus security, certain members of administration or housing and other departments on campus that handle criminal reports.

UW Health resident creates adaptive crayons for children with disabilities

Posted on
Channel 3000

A physical medicine and rehabilitation resident at UW Health is reimagining crayons by creating adaptive crayons for people with developmental disabilities, stemming from her past experiences.

Amber McKenna was in her first residency program back in 2022 at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport when she came up with the idea to use molds to melt wax and make fun-shaped crayons. Her friend suggested she take them to work and hand them out to kids at the hospital where she was doing a pediatrics residency.

Senate passes UW NIL bill

Posted on
Channel 3000

Taxpayers in Wisconsin could soon be putting more money towards UW-Madison.

A bill would make taxpayers pay for UW Athletic facilities freeing up money for NIL deals for student-athletes.

Gov. Tony Evers will decide if the NIL bill becomes a law or not and he stated that he supports the goal of this bill.

Wisconsin residents spoke out on how they felt about the bill.

“I think our taxes should be going to other things, especially since they’re so high.” said resident Sufiyah Siddique. 

Wisconsin lies in the path of nuclear fallout, UW-Madison researcher’s modeling shows

Posted on
WPR

Wisconsin may not be the economic, political or military center of the United States. But the state would not escape the devastation of nuclear war, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who is modeling the effects of nuclear conflicts.

On Feb. 5, the last formal nuclear weapons treaty between the U.S. and Russia expired. And Wisconsin is in the path of potential nuclear fallout from more than 400 nuclear missile silos in North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and Montana. That’s according to Sébastien Philippe, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at UW-Madison.

Sustainability hiring initiative announces new lead, headquarters

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s sustainability-focused hiring and research initiative will have a new home at the Wisconsin Energy Institute led by professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences Chris Kucharik.

The RISE-EARTH initiative is one of several hiring and research priorities from campus administration across disciplines like artificial intelligence and human health.

Former Badgers basketball star Davison sees the game through new eyes

Posted on
The Cap Times

After a self-scout on the preparation of scouting reports and how they’re communicated, University of Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard opted for change.

“We changed some things early in the year in terms of the process,” Gard explained, “and tried to streamline the whole process a little bit better.”

Why UW-Madison interim provost believes he’s the right one for the permanent job

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison’s Interim Provost John Zumbrunnen saw a room of familiar faces Tuesday during his presentation to faculty and the campus community explaining why he should be in the role permanently.

Zumbrunnen is one of three finalists in the university’s search for the next provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs. Finalists are doing in-person visits to campus this week as UW-Madison seeks a replacement for Charles Isbell Jr., who was named chancellor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2025.