Melanie Matchett Wood, assistant professor of mathematics, has been named a Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering, one of 18 early-career scientists in the U.S. to win the award this year.
When he died in 1999, George L. Mosse’s friends and colleagues wanted to name the Humanities Building after him — even if he wasn’t known to like the building very much.
But the chairman of the University of Wisconsin history department at the time knew Mosse appreciated a good joke, Mosse’s friend and UW history professor emeritus Stanley Payne said. And so the UW System Board of Regents approved dedicating the building after him, honoring the legacy he left behind as a professor with personality and a big voice.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, held a press conference Wednesday to push for the reauthorization of a longstanding University of Wisconsin loan program which allows undergraduate and graduate students to borrow money free of interest until they graduate.
Pocan said lower income families in particular use the Perkins Loan Program. He said he himself used a variety of loans throughout his pursuit of higher education and wants other students to have the opportunity to do so too.
Three Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday to ban weapons on college campuses, two days after Republicans proposed their own bill to allow concealed carry license holders to bring guns inside the buildings of Wisconsin’s public colleges and universities.
In a sign of the times, UW police are circulating two graphic videos with tips on surviving an “active shooter,” that is, someone in the process of killing or trying to kill people.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will publicly launch its most ambitious fundraising campaign yet on Thursday night, welcoming alumni back to campus for homecoming festivities while at the same time asking them to help shape and ensure the university’s future impact.
A bill that would prohibit carrying a dangerous weapon on a university or college campus in Wisconsin bubbled up from state Democrats one day after a pair of Republicans introduced a bill that would allow guns inside campus buildings.
At the University of Wisconsin—Madison next September, nearly half of all freshmen are expected to hail from other states. The university system’s Board of Regents recently lifted the 27.5 percent cap on out-of-state undergraduates at its flagship campus—a decision that’s emblematic of a nationwide trend at public colleges to both raise revenue and boost selectivity.
University of Wisconsin student leaders from around the state are speaking out against a bill to allow concealed firearms on their campuses.
Quoted: UW Political Science Professor Mike Wagner is voicing opposition on Twitter.
“Am I worried, about it? Yeah, I would be worried about going into a classroom knowing 120 students are not enjoying a lecture…or worrying themselves, yeah I worry.”
And UW Madison Police Spokesman Marc Lovicott says his department opposes the bill.
“We don’t feel putting more weapons in the hands of our students, even though they legally have a permit to do so elsewhere will make our campus safer.
Several downtown streets will be closed Friday afternoon for the University of Wisconsin Homecoming parade, according to a release.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. and will close Langdon Street, Wisconsin Avenue, West Gilman Street and North Lake Street, officials said.
Multiple streets around Langdon and State Streets will be temporarily closed so the Homecoming parade can take place, part of the festivities culminating in the Badgers football game Saturday against Purdue at Camp Randall Stadium.
Social media reaction roundup.
While a pair of Republican state lawmakers want to allow students and faculty to carry concealed guns inside public university and college buildings, at least one campus and its police department are warning the measure could have dangerous day-to-day implications.
At a press conference on Monday, the University of Wisconsin – Madison announced it is joining a campaign called, “It’s on Us.” The program is a national campaign aimed at stopping sexual assault.
During the press conference, the university stated it would begin playing a video during this weekend’s homecoming football game against Purdue University that will highlight the “It’s on Us” campaign. UW’s athletic program will play a key role in getting the message out to student’s on campus.
(Video) University of Wisconsin students helped fight cancer at a fundraiser called Make Bo Pay.
Noted: Police who protect the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus in Madison are urging state lawmakers not to allow concealed weapons to be carried into campus buildings.
UW-Madison Police spokesman Marc Lovicott issued a statement Tuesday coming out against the bill circulated Monday by Republican lawmakers.
Two Republican state legislators have introduced a bill that would allow concealed carry gun owners to bring weapons into public university and college buildings in Wisconsin.
The UW-Madison College Democrats and the College Republicans of UW-Madison issued a joint statement this weekend urging officials to gradually replace student ID cards, known as the Wiscard, with one that complies with state voter ID regulations.
People with concealed weapon licenses would be allowed to carry guns inside the buildings and classrooms of Wisconsin’s public universities and colleges under a bill introduced Monday by two state legislators.
What began last year as a White House campaign has spread to college campuses. Some UW student-athletes, including Brown, Corey Clement (football) and Sydney McKibbon (women’s hockey), along with UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves and other staff, will appear in videos that will be shown at UW home games at Camp Randall, the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena and shared through social media.
How would you like to paddle down the lake in a huge pumpkin? That’s what UW students do at the annual Giant Pumpkin Regatta.
UW students grew giant pumpkins that they then paddled in on the lake Saturday.
In just nine days, five people were injured on the UW campus while walking or biking. On Friday UW Police released surveillance video of two of those crashes.
“The videos are a little tough to watch but they bring up a really good point about safety on our campus.,” said Marc Lovicott, a spokesman for UW-Madison Police.
Wisconsin’s public university and technical college systems said each system has emergency plans that include how to respond to a campus shooting.
University of Wisconsin System officials said each campus has an all-hazards plan with responses for emergencies including an active shooter. They said the campuses share the plans with faculty and students several ways including posting the plans online, presenting them during student orientations and sending them out via campus-wide email.
Noted: UWPD police Chief Susan Riseling said the frequency of crashes and injuries is an indicator that bikers, pedestrians and motorists aren’t following laws, “and people are getting hurt.”
“Safety on our campus roads is everyone’s responsibility,” Riseling said.
The department said it plans to increase bicycle enforcement patrols on campus.
The inaugural Giant Pumpkin Regatta was held in 2005, but some years have been skipped due to poor pumpkins. The event is organized by UW-Madison horticulture professors Irwin Goldman and Jim Nienhuis, with help from the UW Hoofer Sailing Club.
Noted: UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank told the committee Thursday the waiver would push the institution to recruit harder within and outside of Wisconsin. She added her institution is “uniquely situated” to make sure Wisconsin’s best and brightest don’t leave for colleges in other states, and to bring students from other states into Wisconsin and get them to stay for work.
“I’m looking at all sorts of ways to partner with industry in the state, with professional organizations in the state, to put industry and Wisconsin businesses in front of my students in a way when they get to their senior year, they’ve heard of these companies, they know something about them, they are more likely to go work for them,” Blank said.
Noted: UW officials said in a statement that they offer a separate ID for voting, but there are concerns with revising their regular student ID cards.
“Adding the signature, as is required to be voter ID compliant, in combination with other information on the card increases the identity theft risk to students,” the statement said.
College rankings are in no short supply, from U.S. News & World Report to Princeton Review to the international Times Higher Education.
But one set of newly released rankings are chosen by a different kind of experts: College students themselves.
Instructor-ranking site Rate My Professors’ 2014-2015 college lists include best universities, top junior and community colleges and — of utmost importance — hottest professors.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students are blasting a plan to eliminate the school’s limit on out-of-state undergraduates.
UW System rules currently cap the number of out-of-state students to 27.5 percent of the undergraduate population at each campus. UW-Madison officials plan to ask the Board of Regents this week to lift that school’s cap, saying in-state enrollment is dropping and they need new young talent that can bolster Wisconsin’s workforce. They would still enroll and maintain at least 3,500 Wisconsin residents in each new freshman class.
UW-Madison’s most celebrated philanthropists, John and Tashia Morgridge, are commemorating their 60th anniversary by hosting a party at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery on Saturday.
A 15-year-old Iowa Hawkeyes fan wasn’t treated very well following the football game between Iowa and Wisconsin on Saturday, suffering facial injuries when he was punched by a Badgers fan.
BELOIT—Beloit businesswoman Diane Hendricks has donated $1.75 million for research into breast cancer and surgery at UW-Madison.
University of Wisconsin-Madison police are investigating a reported assaulted and robbery in a dorm room Thursday afternoon.
UW-Madison police are investigating a reported assault and strong-arm robbery that happened in a dorm room last week on the UW campus.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison student was beaten and robbed inside her room at a residence hall on campus, university police said Monday.
University of Wisconsin-Madison police say they’re looking for a man who punched a teenage Hawkeyes fan in the face following the Badgers’ loss Saturday at Camp Randall.
UW Band Director Mike Leckrone was surprised during class Monday morning with the announcement he would be receiving a Hometown Hero Award.
Madison is seeing a huge spike in high-end apartment construction. And the high cost of those leases is one of the reasons why UW Housing said more students want to live in the dorms.
Dorms are a quintessential part of freshmen life but this year 1,300 sophomores, juniors and seniors are swiping back in to student housing, rather than private apartments.
Two new daily routes (departing campus at 4 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.) and a Friday-only route (departing at 11:30 a.m., and 1 and 4:30 p.m.) are now offered.
The Babcock Hall’s famous frozen treat takes a turn in the spotlight of this ongoing series. “Why it defines Madison: The ice cream can’t be beat, whether you are a fan of the orange custard chocolate chip, a devotee of the mocha macchiato or a chocolate peanut butter enthusiast.”
Q&A with Susan Fischer, who retired last week as director of the office of student financial aid.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin has the advantage of having its own force. Chief Sue Riseling has her team run smaller active-shooter drills four times a year and bigger simulations every few years.
“We’ve practiced at the Kohl Center, this last time we practiced at Camp Randall, we keep trying to move the venue around because we’re never quite sure what venue it’s going to be when and if God forbid the days actually come,” she said.
Six decades have passed, but Ada Deer vividly recalls the words Eleanor Roosevelt said to her that day at the Roosevelt estate north of New York City.
University of Wisconsin-Madison officials plan to ask UW System regents next week for permission to lift the school’s cap on out-of-state students, a move they say would attract more young people to Wisconsin. It also would bolster the school’s coffers considerably as it struggles with deep budget cuts.
Photo gallery of Leon Varjian, former UW–Madison student and prankster, who was found dead Tuesday at his residence in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey.
A UW legend has passed away. According to a UW news release, Leon Varjian died in New Jersey of a suspected heart attack. He was 64 years old.
The man behind such famous Madison pranks as the 1,000 pink flamingos on Bascom Hill and the Statue of Liberty head on frozen Lake Mendota has died. A relative says Leon Varjian (VAHR’-zhan) was found dead at his home in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, on Tuesday. He was 64.
A famous University of Wisconsin-Madison student prankster died suddenly in New Jersey Tuesday, according to a release from the university.
Leon Varjian is best known for putting a foam Statue of Liberty on a frozen Lake Mendota and 1,000 plastic pink flamingos on Bascom Hill.
The oldest federal student aid loan in the country got the ax in Congress Tuesday. A bill introduced by Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., to extend the Federal Perkins Loan was given unanimous support in the house, only to be shot down by Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., in the Senate. The decision effectively ended the program.
About a quarter of University of Wisconsin students rely on Perkins loans to help fund their education. Each year $9 million in those loans are distributed to low-income students. University officials said they are worried about what the end of the program will mean for current Badgers that benefit from it.
The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin Madison has received a donation of artworks and cash valued at twenty-eight million dollars total from New York art collectors Jerome and Simona Chazen, who are both alumni of the school, reports the Wisconsin State Journal’s Gayle Worland.
A decade ago, distinguished University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni Jerome and Simona Chazen made a $20 million donation in support of the school’s art museum expansion. Formerly known as the Elvehjem Museum of Art, the institution was renamed in honor of the Chazens.
Landry, who first rose to prominence as a mainstay for the University of Wisconsin from 2005-09, was back on the practice floor this week in the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion wearing the uniform of his favorite childhood team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
A growing appreciation for the value of learning how to code has led to skyrocketing enrollments in computer science courses at UW-Madison that are stretching resources, says department chairman Mark Hill.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank launched the first issue of a new e-newsletter Tuesday that focuses on the university’s research projects that have a positive impact on Wisconsin communities, according to Blank’s blog, Blank’s Slate.
After spending decades helping many UW-Madison students pay for a college education, director of the Office of Financial Aid Susan Fischer will retire this week, ending a career that started by chance in 1979.
Kevin Hart, one of the biggest comedians in the world (if in stature if not in height), will play the Kohl Center next Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Account of a football game (Badgers vs. Troy) at Camp Randall through the law enforcement prism.
The University of Wisconsin Foundation has announced gifts totaling $28 million from alumni Jerome and Simona Chazen in support of UW’s Chazen Museum of Art.
Some of America’s greatest innovations have come from garages, or basements. The makerspace called Garage Physics at UW-Madison is both.
It’s giving young scientists like Felix Tsao the ability to reach for something brand new. “It’s like a virtual reality project where basically it extends a digital experience to your vision,” said Tsao.
Quoted: Duncan Carlsmith, professor of physics.
