Performer, educator and author Erica Halverson has a lot to say about how the arts can be used in schools to transform education in a meaningful way in her book “How The Arts Can Save Education.” Halverson, who also is a professor of curriculum and instruction at UW-Madison, will discuss her book during an in-person event at the Wisconsin Book Festival later this month.
The top two jobs in the University of Wisconsin System are turning over within months of each other next year, a major leadership shake-up that comes on the heels of new chancellors installed during the pandemic at nearly half of the regional campuses and amid a variety of other challenges.
Noted: Currently, De Pierola splits her time between her own business, a part-time job as a Spanish teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and her own studies. Trained as a lawyer in Peru, she’ll graduate with a masters degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in December and then take the bar exam — the necessary steps if she wants to practice law in Wisconsin. Simultaneously, she’s earning a teaching credential through online courses from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
29. Madison, WisconsinColleges: Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Herzing University-Madison
Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are graduating sooner according to school data. The campus’s four- and six-year graduation rates have hit record highs.
All of that adds up to friction between faculty members and their top bosses. The University of Wisconsin system is a case in point, Tiede, the AAUP’s director of research, said. The system did not name any members of the faculty or academic staff to a 2019 committee charged with finding its new president, a move that drew criticism at the time. Only one finalist for the post was named, and he withdrew his candidacy because of “process issues.” The system restarted its search this past summer.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison unveiled a $20 million gift Wednesday that will allow the it to move forward with plans to build a new home for its College of Letters and Science.
UW System President Tommy Thompson reminisced on the history of the education system. “For 50 years, the University of Wisconsin System has been our state’s greatest asset other than its people,” Thompson said. “We have educated millions of our residents, improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities.”
When outgoing UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank leaves for Northwestern University this summer, the UW System and its most high profile leaders are likely to be new to the job as they continue to work against the prevailing trends of declining state support and demographic changes in Wisconsin.
The second-longest serving chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will step down in May next year to become the first female president of Illinois’ Northwestern University.
Rebecca M. Blank, the chancellor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, is set to become Northwestern’s 17th president, the university announced Monday.
With so many colleges going virtual last year, many sophomores are on campus for the first time. But it’s different — a lot still feel like freshman. Colleges set up programs to get them caught up.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will leave the university at the end of the school year to become the first female president of Northwestern University.
Blank became chancellor of UW-Madison in 2013. She has deep ties to Northwestern and the Chicago area, serving as a faculty member from 1989 to 1999 and directing the Joint Center for Poverty Research. She was married in Chicago and her daughter attended Northwestern as a student.
Column by state Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire: The “Reaching Higher for Higher Education” package builds off of Gov. Tony Evers’ commitment to college affordability. The majority party made significant changes to the governor’s 2021-23 budget proposal, but there is still time to fix higher education by passing these bills.
29. Madison, WisconsinColleges: Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Herzing University-Madison
A conservative legal group has threatened legal action against the University of Wisconsin-Madison, claiming it hired three mental health providers to serve only students of color. UW
Children of Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy will have new toys to play with thanks to a UW-La Crosse toy drive.
After months of grim financial forecasts, University of Wisconsin System leaders presented a much rosier financial outlook this week as campuses settle into another school year shadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aformer UW-Whitewater student sued the University of Wisconsin System this week, alleging university employees failed to protect her and others from the husband of a former chancellor who she said sexually harassed and assaulted them.
The University of Wisconsin System says the COVID-19 pandemic has had a $720 million impact on state universities between March 2020 and June 30 of this year. But after a large infusion of federal stimulus funds, the system’s vice president of finance says it’s in “pretty good shape.”
A former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student who said she was sexually harassed by the former chancellor’s husband has filed a lawsuit against the university system alleging UW-Whitewater violated her right to due process and protection from discrimination.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison responded to a letter from a conservative law firm sent Wednesday, clarifying that mental health providers are not assigned based on a student’s race, nor are they limited in terms of the students they can serve based on race.
A conservative Wisconsin law firm accused the University of Wisconsin-Madison of racial discrimination following an announcement of new mental health coordinators who would “exclusively serve students of color.” Now, an attorney with the firm says they’re giving the university “the benefit of the doubt” after it changed the wording of the near month-old press release about the hires.
Quoted: Simone Schweber, a professor of education and Jewish studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it’s a common misconception that it’s better to avoid talking about painful subjects in history and current events.
“One of the easy pitfalls is that you think sometimes by teaching this stuff that it necessarily replicates,” Schweber said. “That if you teach about the history of racism that you’re necessarily replicating the institutions that are racist. And I understand where that fear comes from, but I think it’s a real disservice to what it means to teach.”
After more than a year of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, college study abroad programs in Wisconsin have begun sending small contingents of students around the world.
A conservative law firm issued a letter to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wednesday opposing the hiring of mental health providers that exclusively serve students of color.
Aconservative legal group has threatened legal action against the University of Wisconsin-Madison for hiring three mental health providers to serve only students of color.
After a year of spending cuts driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, fund balances at University of Wisconsin System campuses have grown significantly. Tuition reserves, in particular, have increased by more than 46 percent following years of sustained decreases that put some campuses in financial jeopardy.
According to fall 2021 enrollment data released last week, 8,500 freshmen are enrolled at UW-Madison this semester — a 16% increase compared to last fall’s freshmen. The class comes from a pool of 53,829 applicants, a record-setting number that has risen 17% over the past year. The university has nearly 48,000 students total attending this fall semester, up from 45,540 last year.
Quoted: Heidi Johnson is the advising and training manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Office of Student Financial Aid and president of the statewide Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. She told WPR the coronavirus pandemic and the year of online classes it brought to the state meant in-person meetings about FAFSA applications between students and high school counselors were halted.
As a result, Johnson said it wasn’t as easy for counselors to offer “friendly nudges” to encourage students to fill out the applications when mulling whether to attend college.
“So, I think certainly the timing of it, especially for that particular senior class, played a part,” said Johnson. “And just the fact that things stayed virtual, I think much longer than any of us planned for in the beginning.”
The announcement Tuesday said that because UW-Stout met its campus goal, the UW System will award 70 $7,000 scholarships this fall in a drawing to students at campuses that have reached the 70%-vaccinated mark.
Students looking to become teachers were given a boost Tuesday, after Madison College and UW-Madison announced a transfer agreement.
Madison College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education have announced a new transfer agreement that will create a direct pipeline for future elementary and special education teachers.
On one hand, some institutions, like the University of Wisconsin, are still providing housing for those who need to quarantine or isolate. In Madison, those students may have to travel 35 minutes to an off-site hotel, according to an email to students and parents. Students are also responsible for their own food. On the other hand, some colleges, such as the University of Delaware, have some space for students to isolate.
Democratic legislators are introducing a package of bills that would secure additional funding for the University of Wisconsin System and the state’s technical colleges, as well as make college more affordable through tuition freezes and need-based financial aid grants.
Divestment activists now have turned their focus to Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Boston College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, none of which have fully abandoned fossil fuels.
The move adds UW-Madison to a list of 12 schools in the state that offer a transfer pipeline through Madison College’s liberal arts education program. It will also give students guaranteed admission to the School of Education after matriculating from Madison College.
“We have made mental health a priority on our campuses, and we know students are heavily reliant on services our universities provide,” said UW System President Tommy Thompson. “But there remains unmet need, and we are going to seek help from the governor and the legislature to partner with us to expand our capacity. It not only helps us retain students, but more importantly, ensures students get what they need to build a successful future.”
There has been a years-long increase in students seeking mental health services on campus.
“Thanks to the students and all the university employees at UW Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater for helping us reach this goal,” said UW System President Tommy Thompson. “Like me, they want to make our universities healthy and safe, and I know they have worked tirelessly to make today’s announcement possible.”
With UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater reaching a 70% vaccination mark Friday, five System schools now at or above the benchmark.
The University of Wisconsin System’s drive to ensure that vaccination rates at each of its universities surpass the 70 percent mark leaped forward Friday with officials announcing that two more of its schools have crossed the magic threshold.
Over 90% of undergraduate classes are held in person this fall.
UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater joined UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse and UW-Milwaukee in meeting the 70% goal set by interim System President Tommy Thompson. UW-Madison, which is not participating in the scholarship incentive program and has a student vaccination rate above 90%, announced on Friday an extension of the university’s indoor mask mandate that will last at least until late November.
University of Wisconsin System estimates show fall enrollment fell by around 1 percent across the state’s 26 college campuses compared to last fall. Just three universities reported enrollment increases while the rest saw declines between 1 percent and 11 percent.
Enrollment at University of Wisconsin campuses dropped 1% overall this fall, according to preliminary data released Wednesday.
Some University of Wisconsin schools are requiring students and staff to wear masks indoors. Some Republican lawmakers have pushed to sue to stop that requirement, but so far legislative leaders have not filed litigation.
Wisconsin students will have an easier time transferring, after the UW System and the Wisconsin Technical College System announced a new credit transfer agreement Wednesday. Starting Sept. 1, the two systems will identify 72 core general education credits for transfer by the 2022-23 academic year.
Freshman and new transfer registrations increased, however, by 1,316 students, or 4%, but it dropped by 3,305 students among other undergraduates, which is 4%.
“These preliminary estimates reflect a number of factors,” system president Tommy Thompson said. “It’s clear that students continue to view the UW System as a tremendous value and their ticket to a brighter future. New freshman and transfer students are up, thanks to our added recruitment tools coupled with the extraordinary work done by admissions and registrations staff.”
Dr. Frank King Jr., the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at UW-Platteville, said critics had warped the definition of CRT, which is really a narrowly-defined study of how race influenced American law and how that relationship affects the present.
Enrollment at University of Wisconsin System schools dropped 1% this fall compared with a year ago when it was down 2%, the university reported Wednesday based on preliminary figures. Enrollment was up 6% at the flagship Madison campus, an increase of 2,564 students over last year. But it was down at 10 of the 12 other four-year campuses. Only UW-Green Bay, which grew 3%, and UW-Superior, which was up 2%, had increases.
During an informational hearing Wednesday on critical race theory by the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, lawmakers spoke with members of the University of Wisconsin System, along with Chris Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of the conservative think tank’s critical race theory initiative, and Max Eden, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Wisconsin Public Radio’s higher education reporter joins us to discuss how the state’s colleges and their student populations are adjusting to another school year during the pandemic. We touch on in-person classes, COVID-19 vaccination rates, on-campus testing and more.
Wisconsin’s longest-serving governor has been making plenty of headlines since taking on the job of interim president of the University of Wisconsin System.
Tommy Thompson said people may think he was “nuts” for water skiing at age 79, but the interim University of Wisconsin president said Tuesday he got on the skis earlier this month to “give it the old college try” before summer ends.
All but one University of Wisconsin System campus met a goal set earlier this year to offer at least 75% of classes in person this fall, UW System officials announced Tuesday.
Despite COVID-19 cases increasing recently, the UW System has returned to pre-pandemic levels of in-person instruction for the fall semester, according to System President Tommy Thompson.
“Every student I talk to wants to be back in class, and that’s where they belong,” Thompson said. “There is so much enthusiasm on the campuses I’ve visited this fall. I thank the staff, faculty, and administrators for making that happen and meeting this goal while also prioritizing student and employee health and safety.”
