The University of Wisconsin (UW) system has instituted two new admissions programs meant to make this process easier and encourage more Wisconsin students to attend their institutions: The Wisconsin Guarantee and Direct Admit Wisconsin.
Category: State news
Attending college in Wisconsin and unsure how to vote? Here’s our Election 2024 student voter guide
College students can play a pivotal role in a swing state like Wisconsin, where elections are often won by razor-thin margins.
Voting rules can be confusing to navigate — and even more so for college students, most of whom live at a new address each school year. Here’s a guide on what to know, where to register and how to vote:
Vos says he’s open to ‘finding consensus’ on abortion at UW-Madison visit
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos promoted contraceptive access and highlighted Republican Party goals in Wisconsin during a College Republicans of University of Wisconsin-Madison event.
2 years after fall of Roe, Democrats campaign on abortion rights, ‘freedom’
During an interview with WPR, UW-Madison Professor of Sociology Emerita Myra Marx Ferree said when Roe fell, “it was like this bucket of cold water poured on the public consciousness” and Americans began seeing the abortion issue as far deeper than simply having a choice.
“It’s fundamental, it’s freedom, it’s rights. It’s respect for you as a human being. It’s justice,” said Marx Ferree. “Freedom is not about buying coats or shoes or taking a vacation or not taking a vacation. Freedom is about determining the course of your life.”
What to know about noncitizen voting and the November referendum question in Wisconsin
“If you declared an intent to become a citizen, that was sufficient for you to vote,” explained Bree Grossi Wilde, executive director of the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which has researched referendum questions this year.
UW-Madison’s new freshman class is less diverse than previous classes, new data shows
The percentage of Black, Latino and Indigenous students in UW-Madison’s Class of 2028 has dropped, despite a record number of applications, following last year’s Supreme Court ruling that barred consideration of race in college applications.
Evers responds to UW neutrality policy for leader statements
Gov. Tony Evers spoke with UW-Madison students and responded to a new neutral-viewpoint policy for leadership across all Universities of Wisconsin schools after the spring 2024 campus protests.
Enrollment is up or stabilizing at four UW branch campuses and dropping at five campuses
Four University of Wisconsin System branch campuses increased enrollment since last fall, while five saw student headcount decline, according to preliminary estimates released after an outcry from media organizations and a government transparency advocate.
Here are the 75 best employers in Wisconsin, according to Forbes
6. University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW system staffing growth may be state budget sticking point
The Universities of Wisconsin employed about 6,000 more employees during the 2022-23 academic year than in the 1992-93 school year, despite serving a similar number of students, according to a recent analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, a nonpartisan arm of the Legislature.
‘It can’t be done with just nickel and diming it’: Gov. Tony Evers pitches nearly $800 million boost for Wisconsin’s universities
Gov. Tony Evers is making the rounds to pitch his funding proposal that could help keep some schools afloat amid budget struggles as he announced his 2025-27 budget will propose a more than $800 million increase for the Universities of Wisconsin.
Gov. Evers defends request for $855 million UW budget increase
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday defended his promise to ask for at least an $855 million increase in funding for the Universities of Wisconsin during the next budget cycle.
Gov. Evers visits UW-Madison to discuss impact of proposed $850 million funding increase
Gov. Evers toured one of the campus dining halls before hosting a roundtable discussion with students to learn more about their concerns and how they thought that extra funding could be spent.
Survey: Demand for child care outpaces providers’ capacity
Hilary Shager, author of the report and associate director of the University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty, said not having enough staff was a primary reason for not expanding capacity, mostly among group providers. She said providers pointed to low compensation as one of their top issues.
Universities of Wisconsin enrollment up overall
Preliminary enrollment figures released Monday show eight colleges in the Universities of Wisconsin system have more students this year than last fall.
Voter frustration fueled by lack of policy details on issues like health care, climate
The town hall meeting featured a panel discussion with two faculty members from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison who focus on climate change and health care policy, Morgan Edwards and Yang Wang, and Laura Olson, chief business development officer at Eneration, a subsidiary of Gundersen Health System that helps health care companies reduce their energy costs.
Universities of Wisconsin projects higher enrollment, led by UW-Madison
Universities of Wisconsin systemwide enrollment is projected to increase by just more than 1,000 this fall overall, an encouraging sign as enrollment has increased for a second year in a row after a decade of declines.
How threats are escalating for Wisconsin’s public officials
Melissa Kono trains other municipal clerks around the stateas an associate professor with UW-Madison Extension Trempealeau County.
“There are outright threats, right? But there are also comments and things that are said that feel threatening,” she said.
University of Wisconsin viewpoint-neutral policy in effect immediately for college leaders
University of Wisconsin leaders must limit their public statements to matters that affect school operations and maintain neutral viewpoints under a new policy that system administrators released Friday.
Universities of Wisconsin introduce policy requiring college leaders to stay neutral on controversial issues
Universities of Wisconsin leaders must remain neutral in public statements on political and social issues, and they should only make public statements on matters affecting school operations, under a new policy the university system released Friday.
Long-planned UW-Madison engineering building nets $75M donation
University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni donors are giving $75 million for construction of a long-awaited new engineering building.
UW-Madison receives one of largest gifts in its history to build new engineering building
The University of Wisconsin-Madison unveiled a $75 million gift Wednesday for a new engineering building that just last year seemed doomed to be delayed.
UW-Madison announces $75 million donation for new engineering building
The Levy surname will grace a second UW-Madison building, as prolific Madison-area philanthropists Marv and Jeff Levy have pledged $75 million in support of the College of Engineering’s new building.
Chancellor Mnookin talks student expression, approved budget, housing at student media roundtable
University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor hosted a media roundtable with student journalists Tuesday. Updates on campus initiatives, financial and housing needs and free expression were prominent in the discussion.
Chancellor Mnookin reflects on free speech, student housing, protest violations during media roundtable
A lot has been on University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s plate since the spring.
Between a 12-day pro-Palestine encampment and juggling the university budget process, she’s had to carefully tread an upcoming election with a student body that has divided perspectives. Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor sat down with campus media Tuesday to discuss free speech efforts, the affordable housing shortage and protest culture.
Wisconsin farm leaders say changes to national milk pricing system will lead to bigger losses
Wenzlaff said the Wisconsin Farm Bureau is working with experts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to plan a series of informational meetings in the coming months so farmers better understand their options ahead of a likely vote in December.
Wisconsinites have lower blood PFAS levels than found in other states, new study finds
Wisconsinites have lower concentrations of “forever chemicals” in their blood than residents of other states, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin students failing reading exams, and so are future teachers
In 2020, UW-Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District created a task force to study effective ways to teach literacy. Around that time, test scores showed about 80% of the school district’s students were failing to read proficiently.
Beverly Trezek, a UW-Madison professor who specializes in reading, said university administrators used the research to adjust courses. They added more instruction on topics like spelling and writing, and added opportunities for prospective special education teachers to teach reading in schools, she said.
Higher prices are burden for Wisconsin families. Senate candidates outline their remedies.
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.
State lawmakers remain divided on UW-Madison encampment
While Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, told the Cardinal she acknowledges protest is a tool for change, law and regulations remain an important principle for protesters to follow. “You can certainly exercise your right to free speech and right to assemble without tents in a camp… there is protest and then there’s civil disobedience,” Subeck said. “Actions have consequences, so whatever it is the protest is about when they choose to set up an encampment such as these students did, there are consequences that can come with that.”
Are UW campuses financially viable? New reports paint a fairly positive picture for some campuses
Newly released reports for five of Wisconsin’s public universities paint a much better financial picture than the other universities, some of whom have had their financial viability called into question.
UW-Madison airs new ad to combat ‘elitist’ perceptions about school
The 30-second video premiered during the Badger football team’s season opener Aug. 30 at Camp Randall Stadium. University officials said the UW Marching Band-themed ad will play during sporting events throughout the year.
Wisconsin’s low-wage workers have seen gains in recent years, but challenges remain
Wages for the lowest-paid workers in Wisconsin have risen faster than pay for higher earners in recent years, but workers still face challenges.
That’s according to the new “State of Working Wisconsin” report from the High Road Strategy Center, an economic think tank at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The report is released annually around Labor Day to provide insights into how workers are doing in the economy.
UW tuition promise programs finding success, but need funding
For years, national surveys of students and families have shown the cost to attend college heavily influences where high school students choose to enroll. Educators in Wisconsin have taken that seriously.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison launched Bucky’s Tuition Promise in 2018. The program covers a student’s tuition for four years if the family has a household income of $65,000 or less.
Wisconsin’s prison population swells as other states limit incarceration
Extended periods of supervision after release from prison do little to improve public safety, according to Cecelia Klingele, a University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School professor of criminal law. The long terms “may interfere with the ability of those on supervision to sustain work, family life and other pro-social connections to their communities,” she wrote in a 2019 study examining 200 revocation cases.
“Fewer, more safety-focused conditions will lead to fewer unnecessary revocations and more consistency in revocation for people whose behavior poses a serious threat to public safety,” she added.
Main Street Agenda is hitting the road to hear from Wisconsin on issues that matter to you
The Main Street Agenda is here to help you navigate these times. It is an election-year project designed to provide information and civil conversations about the issues Wisconsin voters care most about. The topics come from a UW Survey Center survey, WisconSays, that asked residents about the top issues they face.
Wisconsin voter ID law still causing confusion, stifles turnout in Milwaukee, voting advocates say
“It’s a small factor compared to not liking the candidates or not caring about the outcome,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Elections Research Center. His university colleagues published a 2017 study on the effect of the law.
Laura Dresser on the state of working in Wisconsin in 2024
UW-Madison labor economist and High Road Strategy Center associate director Laura Dresser discusses the group’s State of Working Wisconsin 2024 report on job numbers, wage growth and gender pay gaps.
Capitol Hill Campaign Committees explained by Barry Burden
Barry C. Burden, a professor of political science and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains what the process of targeted races means.
Donald Trump to hold town hall in La Crosse on Thursday: Time, location, moderator, tickets
La Crosse County voted blue in 2020, with about 56% of the vote going to Biden and 42% to Trump. Eau Claire County is the only other county in that part of the state that voted blue in the last election. Both are home to University of Wisconsin campuses.
Universities of Wisconsin leader says layoffs were needed because of falling demand
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman is defending a leadership decision to lay off tenured faculty as a necessary response to declining enrollment and lagging state aid.
OUR VIEW: Tear down ugly, failing monstrosity in heart of UW-Madison campus
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.
U of Wisconsin regents agree to ask Gov. Tony Evers for $855 million budget increase
Tuition and student fees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the system’s flagship campus, now total $11,606 a year for in-state undergraduates. The total cost to attend the university for a year is about $30,000 when factoring in room and board, educational supplies and other costs.
Regents accept UWM plan with system’s first mass layoff of tenured profs
With only one dissent, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a plan Thursday from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that will include the layoff of 35 tenured faculty members.
In precedent-setting vote, UW Regents close college and lay off 32 tenured professors
The board overseeing Wisconsin public universities voted to lay off 32 tenured University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professors, marking the first large-scale application of a Republican policy put in place nearly a decade ago.
Although PFAS in Dane County lakes are a concern, you can still enjoy the waters
WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” checked in with Christy Remucal, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about whether Madisonians should be concerned, and if so, to what degree.
Wisconsin’s inmate population swells as other states limit incarceration and close prisons
Extended periods of supervision after release from prison do little to improve public safety, according to Cecelia Klingele, a University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School professor of criminal law. The long terms “may interfere with the ability of those on supervision to sustain work, family life and other pro-social connections to their communities,” she wrote in a 2019 study examining 200 revocation cases.
“Fewer, more safety-focused conditions will lead to fewer unnecessary revocations and more consistency in revocation for people whose behavior poses a serious threat to public safety,” she added.
UW system needs $855M increase to compete with neighboring states
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents will decide this week if they’ll ask the state Legislature for an $855 million budget increase in the next two-year budget.
UW System funding ranks 43rd nationally. A big budget request would move it to middle of pack
The state public university system is leaning heavily on a low national ranking in a bid seeking $855 million from the Legislature.
Wisconsin ranks 43rd among 50 states in funding its public four-year universities, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. The advocacy group represents the UW System, as well as other state university systems.
University of Wisconsin president wants $855 million in new funding to stave off higher tuition
President Jay Rothman said during a brief Zoom news conference Monday that his administration plans to ask regents on Thursday to approve asking for the money as part of the 2025-27 state budget. The request is only the first step in a long, winding budget-making process.
UW system pledges no tuition increases for 2 years if state aid increases by $855 million
Universities of Wisconsin schools would keep in-state undergraduate tuition steady for the next two academic years if lawmakers hike state aid by $855 million of state dollars as part of the upcoming budget cycle, UW system President Jay Rothman said in a budget request Monday.
Razing UW-Madison’s Humanities building among top priorities for 2025-27
The Universities of Wisconsin’s top priorities in its next capital budget are tearing down and replacing two failing 1960s-era monstrosities: Cowley Hall at UW-La Crosse, and the towering concrete fortress known as Mosse Humanities building at UW-Madison.
Craig Thompson stepping down as DOT secretary for UW-Madison position
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson is leaving his position next month for a position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, marking the end of nearly five years as the head of the agency.
Wisconsin DOT Secretary Craig Thompson to step down; deputy secretary to take over
Thompson, who took on the role as Wisconsin DOT secretary five years ago as one of Evers’ first department head appointees, will leave the agency on Sept. 11 to take a position at UW-Madison, Evers said. On Sept. 16, Thompson will begin his new role as vice chancellor for university relations at UW-Madison, university officials announced Friday.
Tribal Elder Food Box program plans to increase production
In 2021, the Tribal Elder Food Box program began in response to a shortage of food for Native elders, said Carolee Dodge Francis, who chairs the department of civil society community studies in the school of human ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison celebrates its 175th anniversary in the Chippewa Valley
175 years after UW-Madison was founded, it continues prioritizing teaching, research and public service across the state. Now, the university is celebrating its impact while thanking Wisconsinites in the Chippewa Valley and beyond for their support.
UW-Madison students work to improve water quality in Lake Altoona
Students have been working on various projects that have to do with river bank stabilization, conservation plans for the next 50 years, and green technology to prevent blue-green algae blooms.
Wisconsin voters reject ballot questions restricting governor’s power over federal funds
“Either the messaging from Republican and conservative leaders did not fully penetrate or the confusing legal language led some Republicans to vote ‘no’ rather than enact something they were unsure about,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center. “Democrats did put some money into the campaign to defeat the amendments and their message appears to have reached their primary voters.”
Wisconsin project digs through records and dirt to find MIA soldiers
Eighty years later, Stevens was finally buried in Florida National Cemetery. His daughter attended the service in March, along with Ryan Wubben and other members of a University of Wisconsin-Madison group who helped find Stevens’ remains.
“It’s an interesting feeling that the success of your project results in a funeral,” said Wubben, the field physician for the University of Wisconsin Missing in Action Recovery and Identification Project.
Despite drop in production, Wisconsin still expected to produce 61% of U.S. cranberry crop
According to the University of Wisconsin Division of Extension, cranberry marshes cover 21,000 acres in 20 of Wisconsin’s central and northern counties where more than 250 cranberry farms produce nearly 61 percent of the nation’s supply.