Written by Alvin Thomas, an Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a consulting editor at the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
Staff Attorney, State Democracy Research Initiative, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Digital learning management system softwares changed higher education forever, but that has come at a price.
Dear Editor: In this new academic year, UW-Madison administration is beginning to enforce a crackdown on its own students and faculty who participated in the anti-war and anti-genocide protests at downtown Library Mall last spring, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine.
Recent appearances from Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles and Charlie Kirk have sparked campus controversy, offering lessons in free speech.
For the benefit of students and faculty, the university should start classes a week earlier.
When looking at sexual violence on campus, the need for this space becomes particularly clear.
University must continue investing in study abroad programs to improve cultural consciousness in student body.
Yet, under a new UW policy announced by system administrators last week, top UW officials will be barred from making public statements about what might broadly be imagined as controversial. The policy lists those officials as “the UW System president and vice presidents, the university chancellors, provosts, vice chancellors, deans, directors, department chairs and others who, when communicating in their official capacity, are likely to be perceived as speaking in the name of and on behalf of the institution or one of its units.”
Letter to the editor: As is common, the wealthy donors will have an important new building on campus named after a family member. There are winners in all this. But I urge families with significant resources to consider a different giving opportunity: affordable housing developments.
Letter to the editor: Now I see they are doing away with the Hall of Fame walk. These bricks are very special to the people who purchased them. Some of these bricks were very old, and some were memorials to loved ones. It was all done very underhandedly. Brick purchasers received little or no notification.
In the same breath, colleges claim that they remain committed to academic freedom, the right to protest and freedom of expression. In another extreme example, University of Wisconsin at Madison updated its expressive activity policy in a manner seemingly straight out of 1984, banning any speech activity short of “individuals speaking directly to one another” within 25 feet of a building, a policy UWM constitutional law professor Howard Schweber called “clearly unconstitutional” because it covers “an enormous and almost incalculable amount of First Amendment–protected expression in ways that have nothing to do with ensuring access to university buildings.”
Lawmakers must move to support increased state funding for UW system schools, steady tuition, enable scholarships.
Expanded league will lead to new rivalries, stronger recruiting, higher revenues.
After a lack of communication from UW System officials, many communities and students face uncertainty and isolation with higher education after a myriad of branch campuses closed.
A scientific survey of nearly 4,000 Wisconsin residents by the UW Survey Center helped identify the top issues heading into the fall election. Throughout the year, we’ve been publishing opinion pieces from faculty at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, our partner in the Main Street Agenda, exploring the public policy behind those issues.
Column by Barry Burden, a political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center at UW-Madison.
Letter to the editor: Roughly 20 years ago I was very active in a Universities of Wisconsin System committee that advocated for liberal education at all System campuses. The initiative was wildly successful, but its success was short-lived.
Column by John Gross, a clinical associate professor of law at the UW-Madison Law School and director of the Public Defender Project.
The Universities of Wisconsin last week listed the demolition and replacement of the Humanities Building as one of its top priorities for the next state budget. The UW Board of Regents approved the request. Now Gov. Tony Evers should include it in his budget request to the Legislature next year.
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.
