About 50 years after Charles Van Hise came up with the Wisconsin Idea, the concept got a roof in Madison, physically and figuratively.
Van Hise, while president of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1904, expressed his belief that education should extend beyond the traditional classroom setting. The opening of the Wisconsin Center for Adult Education in 1958 gave adult learners a specific space to congregate for that purpose. It would be the first of the three UW Extension Conference Centers in Madison.
The UW System Board of Regents and invited guests on Thursday will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first facility (now the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.) with a reception that will feature the products of six that have utilized UW Extension services.