The American Red Cross of Wisconsin is extending heartfelt thanks to blood and platelet donors for their role in helping the University of Wisconsin-Madison secure $1 million through Abbott’s “We Give Blood” competition.
The campaign by Abbott highlights the critical need for regular blood donations. The $1 million award will support health initiatives at UW-Madison, showcasing the power of community action for lifesaving causes.
he Madison School District will partner with the UW-Madison School of Public Affairs to come up with a policy for implementing the state’s new ban on cellphone use during instructional time.
The ban, signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers in October, requires school districts to come up with such policies by July 1. The law includes exceptions from the ban for emergency situations, a student’s ability to manage their health and educational purposes authorized by teachers.
Madison’s District 8 Common Council seat is up for grabs after current Alder MGR Govindarajan announced he will not seek reelection.
The district, which encompasses the UW–Madison campus and much of the State Street area, is currently the focus of two student-led campaigns. University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomores Ellen Zhang and Robert “Bobby” Gronert have both announced bids to represent the district.
“Between our child life specialists talking with siblings with our social workers’ help with identification, that was absolutely critical,” said Dr. Nicholas Kuehnel, vice chair of clinical operations for UW Health’s Dept. of Emergency Medicine. “Even our environmental services teammates that worked to help us turn the room over, get beds into place, get the linens on. None of this would be able to happen as smooth as it does without these individuals really helping each step along the way.”
Oscar Rennebohm — who would go on to a magisterial career that included serving as Wisconsin governor and president of the UW-Madison Board of Regents — opened his first Madison pharmacy in 1925. There were eventually more than two dozen Rennebohm’s that were purchased by Walgreens in 1980.
Across the years, major beneficiaries have included the UW School of Nursing, Edgewood University, Access Community Health Centers, the Henry Vilas Zoo — the list is long.
Dr. Earlise Ward is faculty director for the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative (CHDI) and co-director of the T32 Primary Care Research Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She conducts community-engaged clinical intervention research focused on African American adults’ mental health and culturally competent mental health services. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Baruch College, master’s degree in counseling and Brooklyn College and PhD in counseling psychology at UW-Madison.
Donald Dantzler is an alder for the City of Fitchburg, candidate for Dane County Board, and a Survey and Research Specialist for the Madison Metropolitan School District. He was previously faculty and adjunct faculty for UW-Whitewater, and has also worked as a research associate at Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory and a project assistant for the UW System Administration Office of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Success. He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Whitewater and is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis program at UW-Madison.
On one of the coldest days of the year, 2,151 graduates packed into the Kohl Center Sunday to walk the stage and celebrate their UW-Madison graduation. The ceremony featured speeches from UW Regent and former American Family Insurance CEO Jack Salzwedel, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, keynote speaker Grace Vanderhei and student speaker Jeeva Premkumar.
More than a thousand students walked across the stage at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the 2025 Winter Commencement.
Child survivors of gun violence, and their parents, require special attention in the aftermath of a school shooting, said Janet Hyde, professor emeritus of psychology and gender and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Under the right circumstances, returning to school can be a form of exposure therapy, especially if schools can emphasize learning, social activities and have an open channel for students to express their feelings, Hyde said, who authored the book, “The Psychology of Gun Violence.” It can also build resilience, which helps kids cope and manage stress.
Maurice Thomas is chief operating officer at Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy, a 4k-8th grade Christian school in Milwaukee. He is an alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and expects to earn a master’s degree in education leadership from Harvard in 2027.
Jerry Jordan is a nationally-known painter working in the style of contemporary realism. He counts the unsung artists of the Harlem Renaissance as his artistic role models. By day, Jordan is an academic and multicultural advisor with the UW-Madison School of Education. He holds a degree in art from UW-Whitewater.
Dr. Bashir Easter is founder of Melanin Minded, a company that aims to empower Black and Latino communities by culturally appropriate resources and support for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. He began his career in elder care nearly 15 years ago with Milwaukee County as an elder abuse investigator, human services worker, and dementia care program specialist, and later served as associate director of the All of Us Research Program at UW-Madison.
Across the country, many school districts are experiencing high vacancy rates and turnover in cafeterias — largely because of low wages, according to Jennifer Gaddis, a University of Wisconsin Madison associate professor who studies food labor and policy. A 2024 study found that school food service workers make an average of $3.16 less than custodial staff.
“It is much harder to not only improve meal quality, but also to provide a really caring, constructive environment for young people in schools when you’re dealing with that much turnover,” Gaddis said.
Curry, then an artist in residence at UW-Madison’s School of Agriculture, took some liberties when he created “Madison Landscape,” a 7-foot-wide, 8-foot-high tempera and oil canvas mural that for more than three decades was a fixture behind the tellers at First National Bank on Capitol Square.
“Our collective expectations of fathers have shifted. We expect dads to be more involved with their kids,” says Allison Daminger, author of “What’s on Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life” and a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
“At the same time, the expectations on breadwinning and dads hasn’t changed. We’ve added to their job description. I think younger dads are starting to feel that strain.”
“It’s important to be able to express ourselves through our clothing and kind of use it not only as a statement … that we’re still on campus, but also just have some pride in ourselves and our traditional attire,” said Miinan White, an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.
Today’s grants are in addition to the $1.3 million awarded to local nonprofits and the University of Wisconsin in June. All told, some 136 local nonprofits received Evjue help during the year.
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.
Maile Lloyd studied art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she graduated in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Originally from Madison, Lloyd is a graduate of West High School and also studied at Madison College
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?”
Dr. Jonathan Temte, associate dean of public health and community engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, said Friday’s vote was not based on new scientific evidence. And he believes it will have consequences for people’s health care.
“This creates a great deal of confusion for parents, for clinicians, for public health providers, for vaccine managers,” Temte said. “I believe there have been purposeful approaches to create as much havoc and a great deal of parental concern over safety when none of this is necessary.”
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.
“If we want land to be available to new or beginning farmers, figuring out ways that the land can be affordable for them and still provide the income that the owner generation needs is key,” said Joy Kirkpatrick, a farm succession outreach specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.
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.
Dominique Brossard, a professor of life science communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and principal investigator at the Morgridge Institute for Research, says it’s likely the people who get the flu vaccine every year likely did so again this year but the public confusion might have dissuaded those who were undecided.
“People that are hesitant might actually become reluctant,” she said.
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.
Some say they fear being scapegoated for the actions of one man — an Afghan national who has been charged in the ambush-style shooting of two National Guard members last week.
“No community is responsible for an individual’s act,” said Najib Azad, a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was resettled along with his wife and children in Stevens Point almost four years ago.
Public schools must provide disabled students with equal opportunities to participate in athletics. But how schools meet that requirement can be complicated, according to Julie Mead, a professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in special education law.
Madison leaders and economists are still working to predict all of the major changes that could take place with the sale of local cancer diagnostics company Exact Sciences to Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories, which was announced late last month. But one local economist and business analyst says the merger is likely to be a net positive for both companies. Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, studies mergers and acquisitions in prominent companies.
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.
Early results of a new study show landfill runoff contained the highest levels of PFAS among liquid wastes sampled statewide in Wisconsin.
Since 2023, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been collecting and analyzing samples from four waste materials that could be potential sources of PFAS in groundwater, which provides drinking water to two-thirds of state residents. It’s also a source of drinking water for around 800,000 private wells.
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.
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. .
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 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.”
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.
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.
Leaders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are excited about the Center, Gee said. The chancellor and provost recently toured the building.
He said the Center is developing partnerships with six university departments and that UW leaders “believe we can help sell the university as a place for students, researchers and faculty.” “I love that, but the other piece is if we connect (with) Milwaukee, Beloit, Racine, and we unite those Black communities so that we set agendas together, we dream together, we celebrate together.”
Tomas Dodds, journalism professor and founder of the Public Media Tech Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hopes to help local journalists understand the implications of AI in the newsroom by providing a variety of resources, such as training sessions and workshops.
“In the newsroom, you don’t know how your colleagues are using AI,” Dodds said, adding that the Public Media Tech Lab would facilitate discussions in the newsroom where coworkers could disclose how they use it and create AI usage policies from these discussions.
Families across the country are asking that same question when it comes to childcare, as the yearly costs for daycare are becoming comparable to a year’s rent in many places. How did childcare become so expensive, and how might everyone benefit if the government provided more support to parents? Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Jessica Calarco, and Senior Fellow at the Think Tank Capita Elliot Haspel are here to help Brittany find out.
Students have criticized the changes, though. Members of the university’s student governing body say they are concerned about “the lack of clarity and transparency from university administration about the future of DEI at UW-Madison.”
Student athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Madison join Sunday to help the largest push of the weekend. Elected officials, including Gov. Tony Evers, have participated as well.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is home to over 7,000 international students from more than 120 different countries. For some students, visiting home means a long flight and an uncomfortable middle seat. But with fall break just around the corner, many international students are bringing fresh perspectives to Thanksgiving.
Miss America 2023 Grace (Stanke) Vanderhei will return to her alma mater on Dec. 14 to deliver the winter 2025 commencement address, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Wednesday.
A former Miss America and Wausau native will take the podium as the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s winter commencement keynote speaker, UW officials announced Wednesday.
UW-Madison researchers at a new federally funded center on campus will examine how aging influences diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s.
The Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging will fund new research that examines how metabolic changes associated with aging are linked to disease. The center’s researchers aim to develop improved treatments or methodologies that physicians can use to better address their patients’ conditions.
Former Miss America and UW-Madison graduate Grace Vanderhei will be back at UW-Madison’s commencement — less than three years after she celebrated her own graduation — as the university’s winter commencement speaker.
Dean Emerit of the School of Nursing Linda D. Scott died Monday at the age of 69, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Tuesday.
Scott stepped down as Dean just six days ago due to health reasons, moving her retirement up from June 2026. She was the first Black dean of the College of Nursing — and the eighth dean ever — and spent almost ten years in the role, being appointed in July 2016. She led expansions to the program as well as the school’s centennial celebration.
The secrets of Lake Mendota continue to be revealed.
The latest cache of ancient canoes discovered in the spring includes one estimated to be around 5,200 years old. It is now the oldest dugout canoe recorded from the Great Lakes region and the third-oldest in eastern North America, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The Wisconsin Union is hosting their 22nd annual ‘Thanksgiving To Go’ program, providing homemade meals for members of the Madison community distributed on Nov. 26. Ordering is currently set to close on Nov. 18 at 9 a.m., or while supplies last.
Written by Susan Webb Yackee, a professor of public affairs and director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison.
A Veterans Day Program took place at Memorial Union on Tuesday celebrating veterans and marking a century since Memorial Union’s dedication to service members.
The Memorial Union is dedicated to fallen UW Madison service members.
Tuesday is a day to remember those who served this country. There is a ceremony planned to honor veterans at the state Capitol, and many businesses are offering free meals and more to veterans. Here are a few.
UW-Madison’s Memorial Union is hosting a free Veterans Day event featuring free refreshments, a program and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Memorial Union breaking ground as a memorial to service members. The event is from 1:30 to 2:50 p.m. Tuesday.
Legendary heavy metal rock and roll band AC/DC announced Monday that it will play at Camp Randall Stadium on Sunday, July 19.
The Madison show will be part of the Australian band’s “Power Up” tour named for its latest studio album, which reached No. 1 in 21 countries.
The Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra, founded by UW–Madison student Ben Carlee and composed of 55 regional musicians, will hold its inaugural concert on Nov. 1.
After suffering a cardiac arrest while performing on stage last year, local musician Rökker is speaking out regarding his efforts to provide Automated External Defibrillators to public spaces.
Rökker collapsed on stage at the Gamma Ray Bar, and with the help of bystanders, he was taken to UW Health.
People in Madison are working to help Jamaicans prepare as a Category 5 hurricane is hitting the islandon Tuesday.
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm. It’s currently tied for the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Atlantic. At least seven people have died from the hurricane.
Co-owners of Fya Syde Kitchen in Madison say they have been trying to stay in contact with their family, who are still in Jamaica, to make sure they know just how devastating this storm is.
