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Category: Higher Education/System

Measles cases spread on college campuses

Posted on
Inside Higher Ed

A student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also tested positive for measles last week; an update from the university on Friday confirmed that the student was no longer contagious and provided a list of times and places, both on and off campus, “where they may have inadvertently exposed others to measles.” The university called for exposed unvaccinated students to quarantine for three weeks in accordance with local public health guidance.

UW-Madison makes Time Magazine’s list of World’s Top Universities

Posted on
NBC 15

UW-Madison took second place among public universities on Time Magazine’s list of World’s Top Universities, UW officials said Tuesday.

The school took spot #20 for the overall worldwide list.

The rankings, generated by Statista, focused on academic capacity and performance, innovation and economic impact, and global engagement.

“UW–Madison’s value lies not just in our direct teaching and research, but also in the impact our graduates have when they go out into the world and our contributions in advancing knowledge across the globe,” says UW interim Provost John Zumbrunnen. “It’s encouraging to see this value acknowledged in the Time rankings.”

UW-Madison dean named interim chancellor to succeed Jennifer Mnookin

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The Universities of Wisconsin has named a temporary successor for UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin.

College of Letters and Science Dean Eric Wilcots will serve as interim chancellor starting May 17 as Mnookin begins her departure to lead Columbia University, UW system President Jay Rothman announced Wednesday.  

Wisconsin Supreme Court weighs fate of grants for students of color

Posted on
The Cap Times

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Wednesday over the legality of a grant program aimed at helping students of color attend college.

The case dates back to 2021, when a group of Wisconsin taxpayers — including some from Madison — filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court, arguing the state’s Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant program unlawfully discriminates based on race and national origin.

UW-Madison saw 17 percent cut to federal research funds in Trump’s first year

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

The University of Wisconsin-Madison saw a 17 percent decrease in federal research funding since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to outgoing Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin.

In a presentation to the Board of Regents last week, Mnookin shared the clearest quantification yet of cuts to Wisconsin’s flagship university by the Trump administration, which also included a decrease in grants awarded.

Jennifer Mnookin says 3 policy changes could help UW-Madison

Posted on
The Cap Times

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s continued and growing excellence will depend on either more state support or more flexibility, the school’s leader said Thursday.

“Now look, both would be best of all. But we deeply need, at a minimum, one or the other,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin told the Board of Regents, which oversees UW-Madison and Wisconsin’s 12 other state universities, at a campus meeting.

INVESTIGATION: Wisconsin university closes DEI unit but keeps most staff working on equity issues

Posted on
The Center Square

After concerns were raised about spending on DEI, the University of Wisconsin-Madison shuttered a department but kept most of the staff and their titles working on equity issues, an investigation by The Center Square found.

The former Division of Diversity, Equity and Education Achievement – which employed about 100 people who earned more than $7 million annually – had been mired in financial mismanagement and attacks from Republicans before the university closed it last year.

An audit found that the university had no grasp of its total diversity spending and whether it was effective, and auditors identified problematic employee bonuses, travel and other expenses in the division.

Bipartisan antisemitism bill draws controversy over free speech

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Tensions rose in discussion over a bipartisan bill that would require state agencies, including the University of Wisconsin System, to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism for any “law, ordinance or policy” when evaluating possible discriminatory intent at a Jan. 28 public hearing.

Daniel Hummel, a research fellow with the History Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert on U.S. relations with Israel, said there has been increased “antisemitic rhetoric around campus” since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Madison measles case leads to hundreds of exposures

Posted on
Spectrum News

Dane County health officials continue to contact hundreds of people who may have been exposed to measles after a University of Wisconsin–Madison student tested positive for the highly contagious virus.

Public Health Madison & Dane County posted a growing list of exposure locations on its website, including several UW-Madison buildings such as Union South, the Genetics and Psychology buildings, multiple Madison Metro bus routes, Qdoba on Park Street and the Waisman Center.

UW-Madison sophomore launches productivity startup aimed at simplifying student life

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Growing up in a first-generation Indian household, Armaan Jain was thrown into activities from a young age — baseball, basketball, soccer and everything but football. The packed schedule forced him to learn time management early, a skill reinforced by parents who deeply valued education and structure.

“From elementary school onward, I had to have systems in place to succeed,” he said. “I learned early that motivation isn’t always there, so you need something that keeps you going anyway.”

UW System president says AI can help move Wisconsin forward

Posted on
WPR

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman says artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract idea, but is now transforming how the state’s public universities operate.

Rothman penned an op-ed on the future of AI and higher education Monday ahead of the Thursday Board of Regents meeting where he said there will be a “robust discussion” on the topic.

Measles confirmed in UW-Madison student

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Jake Baggott, associate vice chancellor & executive director of University Health Services, said UW-Madison has directly notified around 4,000 people who may have been exposed. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Baggott said immunization data voluntarily reported by students shows many are already protected against the virus.

“We estimate, based on our own data, that about 95 percent of our campus is vaccinated against measles, which is a good place to be,” Baggott told reporters.

UW rises to No. 2 U.S. public university in latest TIME Magazine rankings

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal
TIME Magazine named the University of Wisconsin-Madison the 19th best university in the world and the 2nd best public university in the United States in their ‘World’s Top Universities of 2026’ rankings.

UW-Madison rose seven positions from 2025, leapfrogging the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles. The University of Michigan took the top U.S. public university spot

UW-Madison alumni group kicks off Black History Month with community celebration

Posted on
Channel 3000

The Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Black Affinity Group launched Black History Month with Legacy and Libations, an event celebrating the Black community in Madison.

This year’s theme, “Taking Flight,” highlighted UW-Madison student projects and alumni-owned businesses. The event featured the SoulFolk Collective, a recently established research department at UW-Madison focused on documenting Madison’s Black community stories through research.

Which Wisconsin colleges produce the highest-earning graduates?

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

At the top of the list for Wisconsin institutions was the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where median earnings four years out of school topped $93,000.

Coming in at No. 2 was Marquette University, where undergraduates earned nearly $80,000. Bellin College, a private nursing school in Green Bay came in third, with students earning about $79,000.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison ($75,084) and Viterbo University ($70,471) rounded out the top five.

The film students who can no longer sit through films

Posted on
The Atlantic

Everyone knows it’s hard to get college students to do the reading—remember books? But the attention-span crisis is not limited to the written word.

Professors are now finding that they can’t even get film students—film students—to sit through movies. “I used to think, If homework is watching a movie, that is the best homework ever,” said Craig Erpelding, a film professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “But students will not do it.”

US universities turn to lawyers as leaders in turbulent year

Posted on
Reuters
Three top U.S. universities selected former law school deans as their incoming presidents in recent months — a sign that campuses are seeking out leaders with legal expertise amid a challenging time for higher education.
Columbia University on Sunday named Jennifer Mnookin — a former University of California at Los Angeles School of Law dean and current University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor — as its next president. The University of Michigan earlier this month chose former Washington University in St. Louis law dean and current Syracuse University chancellor Kent Syverud as its incoming president. In October, Georgetown University selected former Cornell law dean and current Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver as its next top leader.

How NIH ending funding for human fetal tissue research could affect studies

Posted on
ABC News

Dr. Anita Bhattacharyya, an associate professor of cell and regenerative biology in the school of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she was hoping to apply for a future NIH grant to study human fetal tissue research and will now not be able to do so.

Bhattacharyya explained she currently uses human-induced pluripotent stem cells, which are reprogrammed cells that are similar to embryonic stem cells, in her work. However, the loss of NIH funding for human fetal tissue research could affect future work.

“My reaction was, ‘How are we going to do some of our research if we can no longer use human fetal tissue?'” she recalled to ABC News. “In particular, my lab studies Down syndrome and so we know that in Down syndrome, the brain develops differently to lead to the intellectual disability that people with Down syndrome have.”

UW-Madison Chancellor says her role prepared her for Columbia University job

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

“I well understand the significant uncertainties and heightened scrutiny many universities are now facing,” Mnookin wrote to members of the Columbia University community. “Moments like this demand, in my view, an urgent assertion of the role universities must play in civic life, a clear articulation of both our value and our values, and, simultaneously, a genuine openness to taking seriously the views of those who see the world differently, both inside our campus and in the broader world.”

Meanwhile, UW System President Jay Rothman plans to name an interim chancellor for UW-Madison before Mnookin departs in May.

Hard times have come for the PhD degree

Posted on
Forbes

In October, Harvard indicated it would significantly reduce the number of new PhD students it admitted. Yale, Columbia, Brown, the University of Southern California, Boston University, and the University of Pennsylvania are examples of schools that also scaled back, rescinded, paused or stopped new admissions. Large public universities — such as the University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University and the University of Washington— took similar steps.

Hundreds rally at Library Mall in solidarity with Minneapolis, demand sanctuary status from ICE at UW

Posted on
The Badger Herald

Hundreds gathered in negative windchill in solidarity with the city of Minneapolis and rallied for no Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence on UW’s campus at Library Mall, Jan. 27.

Madison Students for a Democratic Society held the rally in response to the presence of ICE operations across the U.S. and ICE agents killing two Minneapolis residents, according to their Instagram.

UW-Madison to demolish building to add faculty parking, future development

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison is going ahead with plans to demolish a small building on the west side of campus to create more faculty parking and green space, opening up space for future development.

The UW Board of Regents on Wednesday approved the university’s request to raze the vacant building at 1800 University Ave. to make way for the additional parking spots, about a block west of Breese Terrace.

Bill threatens UW research, study abroad programs in 6 countries

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Wisconsin Republican lawmakers want to limit the University of Wisconsin System’s academic and research collaboration with six countries amid concerns over national security and foreign influence in education.

The bill, which passed the Assembly on Jan. 22, prohibits study abroad, dual degree programs and research collaborations with China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Qatar. While there are currently no UW-Madison programs in four of the targeted countries, the university has three study abroad programs in China and one flagship program in Russia.

Cardinal View: Mnookin couldn’t meet UW’s moment. She’ll need to overcome more to meet Columbia’s

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

When Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin took over at the University of Wisconsin-Madison four years ago, she entered an unwinnable situation.

Republican legislators immediately criticized her as an out-of-touch coastal elite, and she was forced to handle many of the issues that would plague her term as chancellor — debates over anti-semitism and how campuses could support free speech while upholding an environment inclusive of all students.

Photos: UW-Madison students protest ICE activity across the country

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Students from UW-Madison filled Library Mall to protest ICE activity across the country and show solidarity with Minneapolis residents on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 in Madison, Wis. The protest, organized by Students for a Democratic Society Madison, intended to “show the campus, the city, the state, and the Trump administration the students will not allow this to continue unobstructed,” according to the organization’s social media.

SJP to focus on divestment, disclosure in return from university suspension

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) will renew calls for university divestment from Israel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and military operations in Venezuela while remaining civil with the university as the organization returns to campus Jan. 15 following a six-month suspension, a member told The Daily Cardinal.

What Columbia University and Jennifer Mnookin will get from each other

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

When Jennifer Mnookin joined UW-Madison in 2022 as its chancellor, she faced declining state funding, a decadelong tuition freeze, then campus protests and an onslaught of federal research cuts.

But during her nearly four years in the position, Mnookin built a track record of forging deals with critics of her leadership or the university itself, such as breaking ground on the hard-fought new engineering building, despite frequent opposition from the Republican-led Legislature.

Evers plans to veto Republicans’ college sports, free speech bills

Posted on
The Cap Times

Wisconsin legislators haven’t directed a ton of their attention to higher education issues during the current legislative session, lobbyist Jack O’Meara said.

“It just seems generally that it’s not at the top of the list of items that are being discussed … so I don’t see a whole lot of bills moving,” said O’Meara, who advocates on behalf of faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through an organization called PROFS.

Highlights of Jennifer Mnookin’s tenure at UW-Madison

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

From her own ice cream flavor to a tense standoff with pro-Palestinian protesters and battles with the Legislature and the Trump administration over DEI, Jennifer Mnookin made a mark during her four years as chancellor at UW-Madison. On Sunday she was named the next president of Columbia University.

Here are highlights from her tenure in Madison.

UW-Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin tapped as Columbia’s president

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Almost four years after Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin stepped in to lead UW-Madison, Columbia University has tapped her as its new president.

Mnookin, 58, will succeed acting president Claire Shipman. Mnookin will remain in her role in Madison through spring commencement and start at the New York university on July 1, Columbia announced Sunday. Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said he will appoint an interim chancellor after her departure.

University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin leaving for Columbia

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is leaving at the end of the school year for a job as president of Columbia University.

Mnookin, 58, started at UW in August 2022 after 17 years at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. A search for her replacement will begin later this year.

Columbia University selects UW-Madison Chancellor Mnookin as its next president

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Columbia University has selected University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin as its next president.

Mnookin has led the state’s flagship university since 2022.

In a statement Sunday, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said Mnookin brought “unbounded energy, resilience, and deeply thoughtful leadership to the position.

UW senior auditors program fosters lifelong learning, connections

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Through the Senior Guest Auditor Program, Wisconsin residents aged 60 and older take UW-Madison courses free of charge alongside students less than half their age. This fall, the program reached a record enrollment of more than 1,000 auditors, double the number enrolled a decade ago, according to program administrator Anne Niendorf. The program places older adults alongside traditional undergraduates in lecture halls across campus, creating multigenerational classrooms.

UW-Madison cancels classes Friday due to extreme cold

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

The University of Wisconsin-Madison cancelled Friday classes due to freezing weather conditions for the first time since 2019, according to a news release.

The cancellation of all lectures, labs and discussion sections comes after the National Weather Service placed Dane County under an Extreme Cold Warning from midnight to 1 p.m. Friday, with wind chills projected to range from 30 to 40 degrees below zero.

Education has seen unprecedented changes in Trump’s second term

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Last year, just as she was finishing a teacher residency program through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, federal funding for the project was cut by the Trump administration.

“So we were in the spring semester and we were all like, are we going to be able to continue?” Lind said. “Are we going to still be able to get our teaching license? Are we going to have to pay this back?”