University of Wisconsin-Madison is set to celebrate its 2025 winter commencement ceremony this weekend.
The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Kohl Center. It is expected to last about two-and-a-half hours.
In August, a group of former University of Wisconsin women’s basketball players sued former head coach Marisa Moseley, alleging psychological abuse.
The civil case, which also lists the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and former UW senior associate athletic director Justin Doherty as defendants, seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who leads the University of Wisconsin-Madison, sees opening a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence as the right move to support in-demand majors and says funding the school won’t come at the expense of other areas of the university.
At a time when American politics are increasingly polarized and partisan, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is launching a new undergraduate major focused on working across those divides to create evidence-based public policy.
Researchers with a few more years of experience are more protected, but still facing setbacks. Fátima Sancheznieto is an associate researcher at the University of Wisconsin who studied biomedical sciences for her Ph.D., but now focuses on education and social science research. Before the Trump administration began cutting federal research funding, she was looking for faculty positions as an assistant professor — now she’s put that search on hold.
“You always have the — I don’t want to call it imposter syndrome, but — imposter phenomenon of, ‘Do I really belong here?’” Sancheznieto said. “When you start to notice maybe that you’re not getting as many job offers or career advancement opportunities and things like that — is it because I’m out and transgender?”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison won the Big Ten “We Give Blood Drive” competition, earning $1 million that will go toward student or community health initiatives.
The competition, sponsored by Abbott, challenged all Big Ten schools to collect the most blood donations to help address the nationwide blood shortage.
For the first time in more than 40 years, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is launching a new college.
Approved by the UW Board of Regents on Thursday, the “College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence” is set to open in July.
“We see the new college as kind of the next step,” UW-Madison Interim Provost John Zumbrunnen said. “We envision it as a hub around computing, data and AI on our campus, but really beyond our campus too.”
Surrounded by tools and wires in his lab at UW-Madison, Luis Izet Escaño holds up a tiny object, 3D-printed with metal powder in a device he created. It’s a little product that could lead to something much bigger, and he’s crafted it through his startup company.
That effort is getting some help from a new program at UW-Madison, through which he gets some seed money from the university and one year of training, with the help of campus experts, to get his company out of the door and pitch it to real-world investors.
The University of Wisconsin won in the second season of Abbott and the Big Ten’s We Give Blood Drive, overcoming Nebraska in a close contest.
Running from Aug. 27 through Dec. 5, the “We Give Blood” competition, was announced at the 2025 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis.
More academic programs at Wisconsin’s public universities could be on the chopping block under a new metric campuses must use to monitor enrollment trends.
The Universities of Wisconsin, also known as the UW system, formed a taskforce last year to explore program cuts in response to declining enrollment and persistent financial pressures.
The UW Forestry Club will revive its Christmas tree sale this December, selling 300 trees after a six-year hiatus due to a pause in club membership and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite not being officially registered as a student organization, the club serves as a student-run professional development organization for forestry and natural resource majors. It provides hands-on skills training, certifications and industry networking opportunities and represents the student chapter of Society of American Foresters in Madison.
UW-Madison has the go-ahead to start a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
The UW Board of Regents on Thursday gave UW-Madison permission to move the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences (CDIS) out of the College of Letters and Science and transform it into the new college.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved the reorganization of the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences to create a new, standalone College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence during its December meeting on Thursday.
UW Board of Regents approved UW-Madison’s proposal to create a College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence (CAI), school officials announced on Thursday
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) will be reorganized into the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence under a proposal approved by the UW Board of Regents Thursday.
he University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has used improv classes to help medical students develop their interpersonal skills, combining performing arts and health-related fields into a six-week course.
Amy Zelenski, a professor of medicine at the school, teaches an elective class in improvisational theater. She is no stranger to the performing arts scene, as she has a background in theater.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison received approval to separate the school’s largest and fastest-growing majors into a new college focused on Artificial Intelligence and computing ahead of next fall.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to authorize creation of a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence (CAI) at UW-Madison, the first new academic division since 1983, when UW-Madison created the School of Veterinary Medicine.
A series of federal and campus funding cuts have plunged the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s foreign language programs into financial uncertainty.
Last spring, UW-Madison regularly offered 31 different foreign languages through the fourth semester level, but now, the future of many lesser-taught languages are in limbo after the Trump administration withheld federal funding and university-ordered campus-wide budget cuts.
For the first time in 42 years, the University of Wisconsin-Madison will launch a new college.
In 1983, the college opened the School of Veterinary Medicine so students could learn how animals and humans relate.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is set to create a new college for the first time in more than 40 years.
The Board of Regents — which oversees UW-Madison and Wisconsin’s 12 other public universities — approved a proposal Thursday to establish the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
This is one of those moments where I can really say I did walk a mile and trudge uphill in the snow to find out about a grade. I was an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and when professors posted grades, it was on a sheet outside their office door, and since we didn’t have email, we just relied on when they said they might be posting the grades. It was common to arrive at the door and find that nothing was posted yet. We did not bang on the door, asking why it had taken a little longer. We didn’t march to the provost’s or president’s office and demand to talk to someone about our complaints. Instead, we walked back downhill, picked up a coffee, and headed home. A day or two later, we would try again. And if we had questions about those grades, we checked the syllabus for when the office hours were and planned to see the professor then.
Georgia returned home to Cross Plains in early August after 170 days in medical facilities. The vehicle pulled up to the house, and there waiting for her were members of the Wisconsin volleyball program.
Following the Trump Administration’s crackdown on higher education, University of Wisconsin-Madison administrators, student and faculty groups alike have stepped up lobbying efforts.
Lobbying reports from OpenSecrets show UW-Madison has spent $831,000 on lobbying since the beginning of the year, but information from the last quarter of the year has not been reported yet. During all of 2024, UW-Madison spent $807,000.
The leader of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Graduate School is anticipating another “cautious” admissions cycle for students seeking a spot on campus next school year.
Dean William Karpus’ remark at a campus meeting followed guidance he recently sent to the university’s graduate programs to help them prepare for fall 2026 enrollment.
A series of federal and campus funding cuts have plunged the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s foreign language programs into financial uncertainty.
Last spring, UW-Madison regularly offered 31 different foreign languages through the fourth semester level, but now, the future of many lesser-taught languages are in limbo after the Trump administration withheld federal funding and university-ordered campus-wide budget cuts.
This State Journal editorial ran on Dec. 11, 1925:
It is probable that no street the length of Langdon Street in the state has dwelt so many significant people of the earlier period.
The sons and daughters of Langdon Street are known in the world’s affairs, and today are carrying on in many places. The ancestral homes have no special right to complain that, in the march of progress, they have been intruded upon.
Lowe earned an undergraduate degree in art education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1969 and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973. During his graduate program, Lowe studied sculpture, glassblowing, ceramics and other art forms that would go on to influence his work: a catalog of earthy, curved sculptures built from organic materials.
The Badger Herald requested text messages and emails from university officials involved in the visa terminations issue in order to look at the inner workings of the university and, in particular, the communications department.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison wants to separate the school’s largest and fastest growing majors into a new college focused on Artificial Intelligence and computing.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will vote Thursday on the creation of a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence at UW-Madison, meeting materials show.
Musicians in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health perform classical music with surgical precision as part of the Medical Sciences Orchestra. Founded in 2018 by fourth-year medical student Joohee Son, the orchestra provides a chance for new operations for students, faculty and alumni in the medical field.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced a new Public Policy Bachelor’s degree in the La Follette School of Public Affairs next fall — the first program of its kind in Wisconsin — at what school leaders call a pivotal time for “civil dialogue.”
Ash Engel and Dante Lucchesi work together as collegiate recovery specialists in UW-Madison’s Badger Recovery program. They provide one-on-one coaching, weekly meetings and social events for students in recovery from substance use, disordered eating and addictive behaviors.
UW-Madison is seeking to break its computer school out into a separate college that will focus on computing and artificial intelligence — a move the university says will position the institution as a leader in AI. The UW Board of Regents will vote Thursday on whether to move the UW-Madison School of Computer, Data, and Information Sciences (CDIS) out of the College of Letters and Science into a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
The massive terrace overlooking Lake Mendota sees about 800,000 visitors each year, and Memorial Union has about 3 million annually. Memorial Union says it’s one of the most visited destinations in the state.
Customers at the Union Terrace from Memorial Day to Labor Day bought about 68,000 cups of beer and more than 41,000 pitchers.
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s chapter of Voices of Courage for Equity and Social Justice (VOCES) hosted a panel discussion with immigration attorneys to teach attendees about immigration rights and how students can support immigrants on campus.
Yung Gravy, rapper and University of Wisconsin-Madison alum, returned to Madison during his nationwide tour for a show at The Sylvee on Nov. 25.
The venue was filled with energy and excitement as Gravy, wearing UW-Madison merch, performed hit songs including “Betty (Get Money),” “oops!” and his latest release “Debbie.”
PhD candidate Morgan Henson received the Gulickson fellowship for the second year in a row, an award given to graduate students working to improve the teaching experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
His research focuses on how far-right political movements use digital platforms and media to gain political support. Outside the classroom, Henson is making a different kind of impact: helping his fellow teaching assistants.
Mike Leckrone led the UW Marching Band in support of the Badgers for many years, but when Bucky went missing, he rose to the challenge of donning the stripes himself.
Chicago schools blow millions on travel while students can’t read, more violent threats appear on midwestern campus.
In fall 2026, UW-Madison will launch the state’s first undergraduate major in public policy. Students will be able to earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in public policy from La Follette.
“Our point here is not to change anybody’s values, but to have students exercise their intellectual muscles to hear different points of view with the hope that when they enter into the workforce, they will be more amenable and curious about other points of view,” said La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee. .
The Regents unanimously approved a seven-year extension with the apparel provider that contains a three-year mutual option in a special meeting Tuesday morning.
Some details of the extension emerged Monday morning when the Board of Regents posted an agenda for a special meeting Tuesday at which it gave unanimous approval. The total amount of cash and merchandise credit for Wisconsin is increasing from $96.75 million under the existing 10-year deal to $104.5 million over the next 10 years.
The contract, which has to be fully signed before it’s released in response to a public records request, is for seven years with a three-year mutual extension, but both Wisconsin and Under Armour were considering it a 10-year arrangement
UW-Madison is revamping its Law School public defender training program after dismissing the program’s director as part of budget cuts.
Students have circulated a petition condemning the decision to lay off the director and have called on the university to halt the changes, but to no avail.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents Nov. 19 approved two policy documents established in the 2025 Wisconsin Act 15, regarding general education requirements and teacher workloads, according to an update from UW News.
The proposed policy document regarding UW general education requirements aims to define the Core General Education Requirements for Universities of Wisconsin and the way they transfer between the different universities, according to the Board of Regents meeting notes.
Madison District 8 Alder and Council Vice President MGR Govindarajan announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in April 2026.
Govindarajan, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, won the campus-seat on the Madison common council during his junior year in 2023. He was reelected to a one-year term last April. He said his choice to not run for reelection is based on the belief that “public office should be a place for service, not permanence” in a statement.
Mattel reflected on her younger self and the fear of not being good enough when she first began drag, adding she realized years later there is no exact path to success. She emphasized projecting confidence early on and “faking it till you make it.”
“Like who wants to see a drag show where some drag queen is like ‘I’m middle amount good?’” she joked to the audience. “I really believe that the only difference between people really clawing up that mountain and people staring at the top of it is the audacity. Nobody is better than anybody.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department is offering tips to help protect property while residents are away for the holiday season.
They emphasize the importance of creating an inventory of important documents and expensive items before departure. You can take photos or record videos showing your valuable items, including your electronics. This documentation can be crucial in the event of theft or damage.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Under Armour have announced a landmark 10-year extension of their partnership. This agreement continues a decade-long relationship focused on innovation and elevating the university’s student athletes.
When Camp Randall Stadium started selling alcohol last fall during Badger football games, University of Wisconsin-Madison leaders said a portion of the revenue would go to campus.
They said the money would support “efforts to promote student wellness and to encourage responsible behavior around the use of alcohol, such as offering alcohol-free programming for students and supporting students experiencing challenges related to high-risk behaviors.”
So far, nearly $500,000 in revenue from alcohol sales at athletic events has been distributed for this purpose, said Gillian Drummond, a campus spokesperson. The university’s Student Affairs division received $442,000 last school year and University Housing received $50,000, she said.
On Nov. 23, 1889, the University of Wisconsin played its first football game. The game was one to forget for UW, who lost 27-0 against the Calumet Club of Milwaukee.
The Badgers (4-1) narrowly fell out of the Associated Press men’s college basketball rankings on Monday, three days removed from a 98-70 blowout loss to BYU on Friday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. It matched the most-lopsided loss of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard’s tenure.
The good news amid the rancor is that people are not only studying why we’re so polarized, but they are also working on ways to fix it. I learned that fact during my recent interview with Susan Yackee, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW–Madison.
The school is launching a new undergraduate public policy program in the fall of 2026, including a required course titled Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America.
In it, students literally practice talking across ideological divides. “If I don’t work out my bicep, it’s just not gonna get strong, right? It’s the same thing with our students and their skills in talking across differences,” Yackee told me. “[It’s] super easy for them to be siloed in their own little social media environments and not hear or have to interact with people that think differently than them. So we’re gonna force that in the class.”
Though the regular full-time student does not meet the requirements for SNAP, there are special opportunities for students with different circumstances, like students in a work study program or who have a child caretaking role.
“There are certain exemptions that make students able to access SNAP … working in a work study job, if you have a caretaking role or if you have a certain kind of disabilities,” said University of Wisconsin assistant director for student engagement Kasie Strahl. “Finally, if you work more than an average of 80 hours a month, you qualify.”
A record number of degrees were disbursed among University of Wisconsin students last Spring. According to UW, 13,733 degrees were awarded to 13,663 recipients, the highest number in UW’s history. The number exceeded the previous year’s record total of more than 1,200 degrees, according to UW.
The UW-Madison Police Department announced that K9 Ritter is retiring.
In a Facebook post, UWPD said Ritter hasn’t missed a single Badger football game in eight years and officially worked his final game on Nov. 22.
Student Affairs along with other campus organizations held the semesterly Swipe Out Hunger Drive Nov. 24 to raise funds to help ensure all Badgers have access to affordable and nutritious food.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) petitioned the university to become a “sanctuary campus” to protect international students at a Nov. 14 rally on Library Mall.
While a fuzzy microfiber suit, red-and-white striped Motion W sweater and 30-pound head are standard issue, it is up to the people inside the costume to make Bucky Badger unique.
In anticipation of the 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 premiere of the new historical PBS Wisconsin documentary narrated by comedian Charlie Berens — Bucky! — we tracked down former Bucky Cecil Powless to unmask what it takes to become the chaotic and infectious icon of energy that is beloved by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the entire state.
The competition has grown so much, in fact, that it’s too big for the five staff members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association to handle. They’re now handing the reins to the Universities of Wisconsin, which has sponsored the event since its inception.
The games will be overseen by the university system’s Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue, which will soon become the Office of Civic Engagement, said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. Separately, that office will host civic education workshops for teachers across the state over the next three years, funded by a $1.1 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s American History & Civics Seminars program.
Many University of Wisconsin-Madison students told the Cardinal they are frustrated about the length of Thanksgiving break, especially those who have to fly home. The timing often results in expensive flights, long travel days or the decision to miss a family holiday rather than attempt the trip.
