If we run public higher education even more like a business that prioritizes efficiency over all other values, the outcome will be a disaster for a significant majority of students and the state.
Letter to the editor: As the retired, long-time campus executive of the Fox Cities (Menasha) campus, the Cap Times editorial on branch campus closings (“Stop closing Universities of Wisconsin campuses,” Aug. 14) could not be more timely. I and another campus retirees are organizing our community to deal with our campus’ impending closure.
We must not only hold landlords accountable but also examine the choices we are making. As students, we have the power to advocate for more sustainable, affordable living situations that meet our needs without sacrificing our financial stability.
Written by Jay Hill, vice president of Advanced Technologies at GE HealthCare, and Anjon Audhya, senior associate dean for basic research, biotechnology and graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Letter to the editor: While all Americans can be proud of the Team USA athletes in a variety of sports, I felt the results for women’s rugby bronze medalist Alev Kelter (who played women’s soccer and hockey at UW-Madison), women’s volleyball silver medalists Dana Rettke and Lauren Carlini (both standouts for UW volleyball) and especially women’s soccer gold medalist Rose Lavelle (perhaps the greatest UW women’s soccer player of all time) were particularly notable.
Letter to the editor: Why on Earth would this not be supported? It benefits the schools and students. My siblings and my son went through this system. The difference between them was my siblings graduated without debt, while my son has debt. I’m especially disturbed reading that over 30 tenured faculty are slated to be laid off. Majors have been cut.
The Republican-led effort is primed to double down on the austerity logic behind the UW’s problems.
Just look at all the big bucks being showered on Badgers coaches and administrators. It’s time to share more of the university’s haul from highly lucrative TV contracts with the players who make it possible.
Written by Christine Durrance ,a professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies health economics and policy, with particular interests in risky behavior, including substance use and the opioid crisis; maternal, infant, and reproductive health; child maltreatment and domestic violence; and competition in health care markets.
–Dessie Clark is the director of curriculum development and implementation for the University of Wisconsin at Madison Inclusion in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute. (Co-author)
The Shell, formerly the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center, has been a part of my life since my freshman year at the UW in 1958. The building was only 2 years old when every Friday we ROTC cadets went through our “drill and ceremonies,” learning how to march in formation, do about-faces, stand at ease and all the other basics of a well-tuned Army platoon, while getting prepared to become second lieutenants four years later.
Madison serves as the innovator — home to UW-Madison, where research is king. The school ranks eighth in the nation for research expenditures among public and private universities. According to the National Science Foundation, UW invests more than $1.5 billion annually. UW also ranks high in patents granted – 12th in the nation in 2023. Additionally, the city’s startup scene is consistently ranked among the top 150 globally.
The undersigned members of the Board of Visitors of the Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies are writing concerning a Letter to the Editor of The Daily Cardinal from Jewish UW Faculty and Students published by the Cardinal on May 2, 2024 (“May 2nd Letter”).
Letter to the editor: The authors equated political contributions to ideology. They used a lot of modifiers, such as “stunningly,” “remarkable” and “breathtaking” for their findings — in the absence of basic information to justify them.
Faculty members seem to have an aversion to absolutes. In case conservatives have forgotten, that is precisely the purpose of an education. Open and vigorous debate, not affirmation of old ideas, is the point of a college education.
As a former campus tour guide, I was often asked what made the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus so special. My answer? For a long time, I would tell incoming students a variety of answers: Lake Mendota, gameday culture or lakeshore in the fall.
But after living on Stanford University’s campus for the last month, that’s changed: what makes UW-Madison’s campus so special is our ability to leave it.
Co-authored by Morgan Edwards, an assistant professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. She also leads the Climate Action Lab and holds an affiliation with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Zachary Thomas is a graduate student in UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and member of the Climate Action Lab.
“May their memory be a blessing.”
This traditional Jewish saying is usually heard in the context of hearing of someone’s passing. I found myself writing these words earlier today when I learned of the death of Dr. Murray Katcher, a fellow pediatrician and consummate child health advocate. I could call him a personal hero and role model, but the reality is that he went well beyond: a hero to children everywhere, and a role model to anyone who wishes to know how to live a purpose-driven life.
Richland Center has a big problem. The local Universities of Wisconsin branch closed one year ago, due to declining enrollment and UW’s system-wide budget shortfalls that are also forcing other branch closings.
Column by Castronovo, the Tom Paine professor of English and director of the Center for the Humanities at UW-Madison.
Column by Owens, the George C. and Carmella P. Edwards professor of American politics at UW–Madison, and Tahk, associate professor of political science and the director of the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership at UW–Madison.
Letter to the editor: Looking back, this decision could have used more thought. The citizens of Richland County and the surrounding area deserve accountability that goes beneath the surface. So far, no one has borne responsibility for the demise of UW-Richland.
Similarly, a study from the University of Wisconsin, based on Texas data, found that U.S.-born citizens have substantially higher criminal rates than immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully: They are over two times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes and over four times more likely to be arrested for property crimes.
There was no thoughtful plan to integrate the four- and two-year campuses, just a decision. There were no accountability measures or mandates for chancellors for the two-year campuses to succeed.
Sixty students can’t sustain a college campus. That’s the hard truth that ended classes at the Universities of Wisconsin’s two-year campus in Richland Center a year ago. The closure is sad and difficult, yet justified.
Column authored by Steven Wright, a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he directs the Constitutional Litigation, Appeals, and Sentencing Project.
In fact, the issue unifies all Wisconsinites — Democrats, Republicans and independents alike. It ranks at the top of issues residents rated as most significant problems they face. And while it is a common problem for all, inflation has an outsized impact on the young, according to the “WisconSays” survey of nearly 4,000 residents conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Survey Center in partnership with the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
As a Wisconsin resident, I am proud of the role played by UW-Madison in gene therapy and its future potential. Unfortunately, our Legislature fails to appreciate the university’s scientific contributions to humanity when it comes to funding.
UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott told me his department is “working through challenges” with the new law and hoping to receive guidance from the state’s Office of Open Government, part of the Department of Justice. “It’s a broadly worded law that’s really untested. We’re all trying to figure it out.”
Op-ed by John Gross, a clinical associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School and director of the Public Defender Project.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a primate problem. No, there aren’t primates running amok on the campus, but there are significant concerns about the ethics of animal research and the treatment of the campus’ over 1,500 primates.
Column authored by Steven Wright, a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he directs the Constitutional Litigation, Appeals, and Sentencing Project.
In Wisconsin, rather than push back against the austerity imposed by the Legislature, the UW System has acquiesced to its own defunding, a pattern that’s led to the closure of several two year campuses, including the recent announcement of the closure of the UW-Oshkosh, Fox Cities campus on June 30, 2025.
A good schedule is on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion website.
I am back this month to say goodbye. This will be my last “Pleasure Practices” column for Tone Madison. I had discussed ending the column earlier this year to make some space for my new book projects during my upcoming sabbatical, but my recent experience with police violence has accelerated my timeline for wrapping up this series.
Understanding the origin of Covid-19 is crucial for improving future pandemic responses. I strongly disagree with Dr. Alina Chan’s opinion piece. The overwhelming majority of scientific evidence points to a natural origin, like all pandemics in history.
Marta M. Gaglia
Madison, Wis.
The writer is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Answering the political science professor’s query was Dr. Jenny Higgins, director of UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“How do you feel, right now, being here in person?” Higgins asked the audience in the Great Hall of Harwood Memorial Union.
“I see some nods,” Higgins said. “Now think about trying to communicate that with somebody on your phone or even on Zoom.”
To use in a sentence: The University of Wisconsin has “displaced’’ season ticket holders at the Kohl Center. They were forced out and uprooted from their seats. They are disturbed.
Badger alum John Stecher’s journey from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to the C-Suite of the largest Alternative Investment firm in the world is a lesson for all students: stay determined and embrace collaboration.
Written by Mariel Barnes, an assistant professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Her research examines everyday forms of violence against women, gender, and the politics of the welfare state.
“In order to make childbearing seem like an easy option, having more kids an easy option, you’d have to go even further than many of the states that have strong social-safety-net systems,” said Jessica Calarco, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin and the author of the forthcoming “Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.”
Guest column by Donald Downs, emeritus political science professor at UW-Madison.
I feel the need to express my extreme disappointment with UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone’s decisions relating to his “negotiations” with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators whose protests so disrupted UWM campus life and the safety of its Jewish students. Their actions went far beyond “free speech” and their demands are simply outrageous.
Letter to the editor: Sometimes people may feel a certain apprehension about attending an unfamiliar place. I want to tip my hat to the exceptionally talented caring group at this location.
Letter to the editor: Standing in stark contrast to this academic wasteland is the announcement that UW Madison has, over several years now, produced more Peace Corps volunteers than any other campus in the country. This accomplishment does not happen by chance but is the product of vision and hard work by the International Division of the University, our campus recruiter, and the tireless work of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin–Madison in volunteer recruitment. Congratulations to them. They are still able to find students with hearts to serve and to inspire them to follow their dreams.
Guest column by Anusha Talwalkar, a recent graduate of the master of public health program at UW Madison.
Letter to the editor: I was behind the police line at the Commerce Building riot at UW-Madison in 1967. Crossing Bascom Hill, I had encountered small clusters of young people helping bloodied demonstrators away from the packed crowd. The police had just cleared the building of sit-in demonstrators, and around 15 officers had formed a defensive semi-circle outside the main doors.
Letter to the editor: In this global economy, more companies do business with Israel than don’t. Additionally, many of these companies develop medical and other technologies that save lives and advance human knowledge. Then there is the hypocrisy: If UW-Madison must divest in Apple and other phone makers because of its Israeli market (and use of its products by the military), are UW students going to give up their iPhones?
Letter to the editor: We of Madison for a World BEYOND War found what happened there extremely inspiring. Of the many things we witnessed, the conduct of the students was a true ray of hope in our murky future. We saw young people capably imagining & creating a better world.
The Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which was erected in late April by University of Wisconsin-Madison students who want to see an end to the killing in Gaza and Israel, was taken down last week after UW administrators and members of the group Students for Justice in Palestine reached an agreement to keep talking about student demands.
Students believe it is actually patriotic and ethical to be concerned about our taxes being used to support governments that oppress people and ethnically cleanse an indigenous population.
The demands of the anti-Israel protests on campus include “cutting all ties with Israeli institutions, including the… Mosse Graduate Exchange Fellowship.” As a member of the Faculty Committee for the George L. Mosse Program in History, which administers the exchange fellowship, I strongly oppose this demand as a threat to academic freedom. The free exchange of ideas, scholars, and students is essential for the advancement of knowledge and the fearless sifting and winnowing long championed by the University of Wisconsin.
I have been a passionate supporter of my university, but I am now going to withdraw my support. I cannot support an administration that allows uneducated, ill-informed students to make irrational and illogical demands of said administration. Demanding that UW cut all ties with Israel is beyond antisemitic.
It’s been one week since UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin called in police to forcibly clear a student protest encampment on campus. The May 1 early-morning raid on the peaceful assembly on Library Mall resulted in 34 arrests, including students and several faculty members. All but four of those arrested were processed and immediately released, while the remaining four are currently awaiting trial on charges ranging from resisting arrest to assaulting an officer.
The Wisconsin Idea (1904) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison is our home grown state philosophy that education should improve government and public policy through enlightenment, far beyond the boundaries of the classroom. The freedom to read and write is thus part of our state’s DNA.
Recently, the Universities of Wisconsin paid the consulting firm Deloitte $2.8 million for “financial assessments” of several UW universities. While news coverage has focused on the financial problems outlined in these reports, the real story is that this project is being used to implement the Wisconsin Republican Party’s higher education priorities. And this is occurring even as the state enjoys a record budget surplus and a new legislative map that will, by definition, result in a more representative state government.
Letter to the editor: It’s possible to want better for innocents in Gaza than Benjamin Netanyahu’s government offers, while supporting the only liberal democracy in the region. We can be pro-Israel and pro-Palestine.
Letter to the editor: I think protests should focus on winning the hearts and minds of what Richard Nixon once called the “silent majority.” I would like to see more teach-ins and democratic spade-work — less chanting.
Letter to the editor: With raising tuition prices and cost of living, will the degree pay off and how many years until it is paid off? Higher tuition means an increase in loans needed for the average college student. This means that it may take longer for the loan to be paid off, and it depends on the average salary paid to fresh college graduates.
Letter to the editor: I went to the encampment at the UW to see for myself what the conditions were. A student, who identified himself as Jewish, was talking about the Oct. 7 attack on the Supernova Music Festival where hundreds of peaceful concert audience members (many who were for a two-state solution) were brutally massacred and/or taken hostage by the Hamas terrorists. Keffiyeh-wearing protesters near him began to shout at him: “Fake news,” “It didn’t really happen,” “Exaggerated by the media!”
