The university’s tenet of education extending beyond the classroom has propelled her as chancellor, she told the audience. In December 2020, she donated a kidney to her father, who was diagnosed with late-stage kidney disease. A synthetic solution created at UW-Madison, which increased preservation times for organs outside of the body, allowed her kidney to safely travel on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to her dad in Boston.
Category: Top Stories
Investiture ceremony formally recognizes Chancellor Mnookin as 30th leader of UW
The University of Wisconsin held an Investiture ceremony April 14 at the Hamel Music Center to officially recognize Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin as the 30th leader of the University of Wisconsin.
UW-Madison celebrates “Earth Week” with free campus events
rom a campus-wide cleanup to a sustainable cooking competition, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Office of Sustainability will launch a free week of nature-centered events from April 17-April 22.
UW-Madison dairy production stopped in 2019 — now it’s back and bigger
After nearly five years of construction, new upgrades to the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant and a three-story addition for the Center for Dairy Research are finally complete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Book alleging lax oversight of UW flu research distorts facts, campus says
UW-Madison didn’t promptly report a 2019 lab incident involving a potentially dangerous bird flu virus to some authorities, raising questions about whether the public can trust oversight of such controversial research, an investigative reporter alleged Tuesday in a USA TODAY opinion piece promoting her new book.
New Babcock Hall facilities stand to drive innovation in Wisconsin’s dairy industry
State-of-the-art renovations to UW-Madison’s Babcock Hall are expected to revolutionize the Wisconsin cheese industry and bring the university’s iconic dairy production back to campus after a three-and-a-half year hiatus.
UW-Madison unveils $73 million dairy research, production facilities
Babcock Hall invited members of the media for an exclusive tour on campus. The school’s dairy plant is newly renovated and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) housed within the hall now has a three-story addition.
UW-Madison to debut Chicana/o and Latina/o bachelor’s degree, first of its kind in UW System
UW-Madison is set to launch a Chicana/o and Latina/o bachelor’s degree this fall as the department has seen exploding enrollment in the department’s certificate program over the past decade, director Rubén Medina said. The major was approved by the UW Board of Regents at its March meeting.
Through newest UW Odyssey Project’s senior program, people rediscover themselves
The latest program to launch under the Odyssey Project umbrella, Odyssey Senior offers people age 60 and older an opportunity to preserve their histories.
UW-Madison, MMSD partner to put mental health staff in schools
Using a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, UW-Madison will recruit and train 24 new school psychology graduate students over four years, with six each year. Those students will complete their practicum and internship training in MMSD and upon graduation be required to complete three years of service in a “high-needs, local school,” according to a press release.
UW-Madison names 4 provost finalists, most with Big Ten ties
UW-Madison has named four finalists for provost, most of whom have ties to Big Ten universities.
UW campuses will raise residential tuition for first time in 10 years
In-state undergraduate students in the University of Wisconsin System will see the first tuition hike since Republican state lawmakers instituted a tuition freeze a decade ago.
The UW System Board of Regents on Thursday approved the tuition hike with 16 members voting in favor and one voting against. Regents Héctor Colón and Jennifer Staton were not present. The average increase of 5 percent comes as a GOP bill aims to limit the board’s tuition setting authority once again.
UW Regents increase in-state tuition for first time in a decade. Here’s what you need to know.
The board overseeing Wisconsin’s public university system voted Thursday to increase tuition for in-state undergraduates.
It’s the first rate increase since 2012, a move craved by University of Wisconsin System campuses that have operated under financial strain for years and opposed by students who already take out tens of thousands of dollars to earn their degrees.
Wisconsin hires Minnesota State’s proven winner as men’s hockey coach
Mike Hastings heard the question a few times in the past few days and has given a consistent, quick answer.
UW System in-state undergraduates will see first tuition increase in a decade
The UW Board of Regents on Thursday approved a 4.5% in-state tuition base increase. Proposed by System President Jay Rothman to lawmakers earlier this month, tuition for in-state undergraduates will increase by $372 at UW-Madison, $364 at UW-Milwaukee, $283 at other System four-year schools and about $214 at most branch campuses.
UW-Madison Letters and Science Dean Eric Wilcots named interim provost
UW-Madison College of Letters and Science Dean Eric Wilcots will become interim provost in April as provost John Karl Scholz departs to become president of the University of Oregon.
‘Day of the Badger’ raises more than $1.5M for UW-Madison
The event, which began Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, saw 6,207 gifts pledged to more than 100 programs and funds at the university, including scholarship programs and efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Republicans announce hearings on UW free speech issues
Republicans on the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities announced on Tuesday they’d be holding a series of hearings about free speech and “intellectual diversity” on Wisconsin’s public university campuses.
Republican lawmakers to hold hearings on what they call lack of ‘intellectual diversity’ at UW campuses
A Republican legislator who has accused colleges of “indoctrinating students” will hold hearings next month on whether a lack of what he calls “intellectual diversity” at UW System campuses is hurting the quality of education. The push follows a campus free speech survey that found some conservative students reported self-censoring views in class.
Jane Goodall tells UW-Madison crowd there is still hope, time to save the planet
Jane Goodall wants everyone to know the impact they can have on the world.In an engaging and often entertaining lecture at UW-Madison on Sunday, Goodall, a conservationist famous for her work with chimpanzees, talked about the work that transformed the way the world looks at the relationship with animals.
UW Teacher Pledge receives $5 million to extend program
Students who pledge to work in Wisconsin school system after graduating to receive equivalent of in-state tuition, fees from program.
Wisconsin women’s hockey team makes history winning 7th national title, most of all time
The University of Wisconsin Women’s Hockey team made history — again.
The team won its seventh national title on Sunday in a major upset, beating the Ohio State Buckeyes, the top ranked team of the season and the 2022 defending NCAA champions. The Badgers now lead Minnesota with the most national titles of all time in the Frozen Four.
UW-Madison extends Teacher Pledge to pay tuition for future educators
With a $5 million gift from bestselling author James Patterson and his wife Susan Patterson, a children’s book author and UW-Madison alum, the program will now go on through the 2027-28 academic year. Launched in 2020, the over $26 million initiative funded by donors was initially planned to last five years but was extended last March through the 2025-26 academic year.
Want to celebrate Wisconsin women’s hockey’s national title with them? Here is how
The University of Wisconsin is hosting a rally at 6 p.m. Monday at LaBahn Arena. The doors for the free event will open at 5 p.m.
Wisconsin wins 7th NCAA women’s hockey championship by blanking Ohio State
This 179-day journey began with an unusual splash of cold water thrown at the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team and at one point had a historic low point.
It ended Sunday with a more common sight: The Badgers piled onto the ice to celebrate a national championship and later splashed the cold water on coach Mark Johnson.
See how much tuition would go up at UW-Madison, other campuses under System plan
UW-Madison’s resident undergraduate students would see a $419 increase in tuition and fees for the next academic year under a proposal unveiled by UW System President Jay Rothman.
What’s it like to be a conductor? Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra fellowship helps reveal the answer
For an orchestra conductor, raising the baton at the start of a concert is a tiny fraction of the job. “I’d say it’s about 5% of what we do,” says Andrew Sewell, music director for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.
It’s that other 95% that Kelby Schnepel and Daewon Kang are learning as graduate students at the UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music — and now as the first recipients of a new conducting fellowship with the WCO.
UW’s strong legacy of service continues with resumed overseas Peace Corps service
‘The Peace Corps is a logical extension of the university’s Wisconsin Idea,’ Returned Peace Corps volunteer says.
John Karl Scholz, UW-Madison provost, to lead University of Oregon
Scholz begins the role July 1, succeeding Michael Schill, who left the position to become Northwestern University president. Schill assumed that role after Rebecca Blank, former UW-Madison chancellor, resigned as Northwestern president due to a cancer diagnosis. Blank passed away last month.
University of Oregon hires new president after six-month search
After six months of searching, the University of Oregon has found its new president.
John Karl Scholz, an economist, professor and provost at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was hired by the UO Board of Trustees in a unanimous vote Monday morning.
Rebecca Blank, Who Changed How Poverty Is Measured, Dies at 67
At the Commerce Department, she attained the post of acting secretary briefly in 2011 and again from 2012-2013. She left to become chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she tangled with state Republicans who were trying to cut funding. One achievement was her creation of a scholarship program for Wisconsin students from poor families.
High stroke risk threatens the keepers of Oneida culture. Now, tribe works with UW to improve health.
Now, at a special health education event on the farm, she watched as Chef Arlie Doxtator, her nephew, cooked roasted corn mush in a clay pot and taught attendees about the benefits of traditional foods. Joining Doxtator remotely was Dr. Robert Dempsey, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher and neurosurgeon.
Rebecca Blank’s legacy lives on through UW students
Jasmine Phung is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin and she said if it weren’t for Bucky’s Tuition Promise, she might not be attending UW-Madison.
A prolific fundraiser, Rebecca Blank reshaped UW-Madison research, finances
Rebecca Blank’s influence can be seen in some unexpected places.
It’s embedded in a nationwide breast cancer database that examined how long patients could delay surgical treatments at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s noticeable in research endeavors she helped make possible. It’s found, subtly, in portraits hanging at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Memorial service for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank honors her life’s work
University and government officials and community members celebrated former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s life Saturday in just the way she planned — a sea of Wisconsin Red, German chocolate cake and plenty of Diet Coke.
UW System president to propose 5% increase in tuition for next year
University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman is proposing a 5% in-state tuition increase for the 2023-24 academic year, the first for the System in a decade.
UW-Madison opens integrative health center
UW-Madison has opened the Osher Center for Integrative Health, joining 10 other universities in the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health, which focuses on complementary therapies such as acupuncture and yoga as well as medications and other standard treatments.
The UW center, housed in the Department of Family Medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, is funded through a $5.5 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation received in 2021.
‘Joke’ comments on social media about guns lead to threats charge for UW grad student
A UW-Madison graduate student was ordered banned from campus after he was charged Tuesday with making an online threat to “start sneaking guns into crowded school buildings” and advised that others “don’t go to Bascom Hall next week” during a chat on a social media platform last week.
Gov. Tony Evers proposes $3.8 billion for building projects, about half for UW System
“We thank Governor Evers for prioritizing this critical project,” UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with lawmakers to share the tremendous value of an engineering facility, both to grow our number of engineering graduates and for our world-changing research in areas ranging from clean energy to semiconductors to transportation, areas that are critical to the economic development of the state.”
Carla Vigue gives back to Native community as UW tribal relations director
Growing up on the Oneida Indian Reservation, just outside of Green Bay, Carla Vigue fondly remembers the close relationships she formed with the tribe’s leadership.
How free is speech on UW System campuses?
Cultivating an inclusive environment while balancing free speech protections on campuses can be tricky — but it’s important for administrators and faculty, University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Howard Schweber said at a forum Wednesday.
UW-Madison to hold memorial service March 4 for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank
UW-Madison will hold a memorial service for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank on March 4, with a dress code of Wisconsin Red encouraged.
UW-Madison launches center in India to develop vaccines, study disease
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will soon have a health center in Bangalore, India, to research and develop new vaccines for the country.
UW-Madison’s west-campus vision could bring housing, lab spaces for businesses
UW-Madison’s west side could be dramatically reshaped under a new real estate strategy that would infuse high-density housing, hotels or retail into an area that, right now, is heavy with surface parking lots.
How Tiny Earth pushes boundaries of antibiotic research
Started just 11 years ago by Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Jo Handelsman, Tiny Earth has since expanded worldwide to over 700 participating instructors teaching the course and over 14,000 students enrolled each year.
Rebecca Blank, who led University of Wisconsin, dies at 67
Rebecca Blank, an economist who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has died, less than a year after announcing that she had an aggressive form of cancer. She was 67.
‘She really cared’: UW-Madison alum remembers Rebecca Blank, reflects on her legacy
Barni Shiferaw crossed paths with Rebecca Blank several times during his senior year at UW-Madison. As the vice president for the Class of 2022, he met with Blank to talk about changes the student body wanted to see.
“It was an honor for me,” he said. “There’s not a lot of people at this campus who have the combination of the intelligence that she does, but then also the personability to make these things happen.”
Rebecca Blank, university chancellor who led Obama commerce team, dies at 67
Rebecca Blank, an economist who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and was acting commerce secretary under President Barack Obama, died Feb. 17. She was 67.
Rebecca Blank, ‘transformational’ former UW-Madison chancellor, dies
In her near-decade of tenure at UW-Madison, she accelerated the university’s research programs, achieved record-high graduation rates and developed scholarship programs catering to low-income students within the state. Her work also expanded the number of faculty and students, as well as put the campus’ finances back on track after the pandemic brought losses in revenue.
Rebecca Blank, 1955–2023
Rebecca Blank, who was chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison for nine years, died of cancer Friday. She was 67.
UW-Madison alumni remember former Chancellor Rebecca Blank
Video: The University of Wisconsin announced on Saturday that former Chancellor Rebecca Blank died at 67. Her legacy and life leave a profound impact.
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank dies at 67
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, who helped put a university education in reach for low-income students through the Bucky’s Tuition Promise, steered the university through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and brought billions in gifts and donations to expand research enterprise, died Friday of cancer. She was 67.
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank dies of cancer at age 67
One of the longest-serving chancellors in recent UW-Madison history, Blank is credited with gaining the ability to enroll more out-of-state students, launching a full-tuition scholarship program for low-income Wisconsin students, and leading a $4 billion fundraising campaign. She’s remembered for smaller gestures, too, like bringing commencement back to Camp Randall Stadium.
Former Chancellor Rebecca Blank dies at 67 after cancer battle
Blank passed away Friday evening after a seven month battle with cancer, according to an email sent by current Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to the campus community.
UW-Madison students react to Becky Blank’s passing
Students on the UW campus said most of their peers knew of the former chancellor’s cancer diagnosis announced in July, but her death shocked many.
‘There’s so much to love about Becky’: Rebecca Blank’s husband weighs in on her life and legacy
Tributes to former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank have been pouring in from around the world since news of her tragic death came out Saturday. Now, the person who knows her best is also sharing a tribute.
UW-Madison creates endowed professorship named for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank
The endowment, the first to be created in honor of Blank, is funded by donations from alumni and supporters.
Data science, computer science majors show biggest increase in student enrollment
Increase of enrollment in Computer, Data & Information Sciences is primarily due to tech sector growth and expanding job opportunities.
Bucky’s Pell Pathway seeks to increase opportunity for students in financial need
“Rural schools are doing a great job preparing students to be career and college ready or, moreover, future-ready,” said Jeff Eide, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance. “Bucky’s Pell Pathway is another step in supporting the financial barrier students and parents may see to higher education opportunities.”
For 40 years, the Wonders of Physics has been wowing
UW-Madison professor emeritus Clint Sprott has spent half of his life making people’s hair stand on end and shooting sparks out of people’s fingertips.