The Madison school district is seeking state approval to change how it ranks high school students nearing graduation, which could affect how many students qualify for automatic admission to state universities.
When Charity Alfred stepped off the elevator onto the third floor of Witte Residence Hall for the first time, she wasn’t just entering a dorm.
She was entering Essence, a community which she would come to describe as “its own little neighborhood,” carved out of an isolating predominantly white campus.
UW-Madison’s Science Hall will be undergoing a major renovation, courtesy of a gift from philanthropists.
John and Tashia Morgridge gifted $85.2 million to help restore the university’s iconic red-brick building.
Science Hall was first constructed in 1887 and was built as the first home of the College of Letters & Science. The renovation project is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The State of Wisconsin Department of Administration requested proposals from contractors on May 14 for a new residence hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All proposals are due to the State July 16.
The new dorm, which is expected to be finished by 2028, is a step towards increasing dorm space available for students, a long-time priority for the university.
Fifty years after wild turkeys were reintroduced to Wisconsin, conservationists, hunters and volunteers of the National Wild Turkey Federation gathered on Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on Sunday, May 17, to celebrate one of the state’s greatest wildlife comeback stories.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students experienced a higher rate of food insecurity than the national average last school year, and more than a third of Badgers lacked stable, safe, adequate and affordable housing.
As part of its 80th anniversary celebration, Woods Equipment is making financial contributions to agriculture programs at universities and local organizations across the Midwest. Among the universities is UW-Madison.
“For 80 years, our equipment has worked alongside farmers and the next generation of land stewards,” said Jillian Love, Marketing Manager at Woods Equipment. “These partnerships are our way of giving back and making sure there is a next generation ready to carry that work forward.”
UW-Madison’s Science Hall will undergo an extensive renovation to restore its historical features while adding modern updates, assisted by an $85.2 million gift from philanthropic couple and class of 1955 alumni John and Tashia Morgridge, the university announced Thursday.
For more than a half-century, Madison has been considered one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. Since 2020, Dane County has added nearly 30,000 residents.
The engine driving much of that growth is in the heart of Madison.
“You can’t discuss housing in Madison without first understanding the impact of the university,” said Paul Soglin, who served as Madison mayor for nearly a quarter-century.
“Pets for Life” is a monthly wellness clinic hosted in Lac du Flambeau, in partnership with UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, offering veterinary services that have been scarce in the community.
For the last year, staff from the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine have been making the trips, offering veterinary services that have been scarce in the community.
On Monday, April 20, 2026, the German+ Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison hosted its 34th “German Day” in Union South on the UW–Madison campus. Since 1990, students of German from high schools and middle schools have been showcasing their knowledge of German through poetry, spelling, skits, Pictionary, charades, solo and ensemble music performances, posters, and memes.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s solar racing team is unveiling a new solar-powered vehicle built by students.
What is Badger Solar Racing?
Badger Solar Racing is a student-run team at UW-Madison that designs and builds solar-powered vehicles to race in competitions. The organization began focusing on creating solar vehicles in 2021.
Kyle Ma, the president of Badger Solar Racing, said over 100 current and former Badgers are involved in the organization.
The World KidWind Competition brought more than 500 students from around the globe to UW Madison today to take on clean-energy challenges.
Students from 4th grade through 12th grade competed in events ranging from solar home design to wind-tunnel testing.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison business student predicts politics on prediction market platforms, wagering on foreign election outcomes and what President Trump will say during the State of the Union. In the past five months, Jack Campion says he’s made about $110,000.
“I’m making money doing what I love, like I’ve always loved reading the news,” Campion said. “It’s working. Doesn’t work for everybody though.”
Born Kathryn Dorothy Frederick, Clarenbach was raised in Sparta. After graduating from Sparta High School as valedictorian at age 16, Clarenbach went directly to UW-Madison to study political science. By 1946, the 22-year-old had earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D.
She began her women’s rights career while devising a continuing education program for women through the University of Wisconsin-Extension. While she saw success with the program, her husband, a real estate agent, was able to rework his schedule to stay home with their kids.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a group of students and staff are working to reduce the amount of food wasted. They’re using a tool that a graduate of the university helped develop.
At Badger Markets, food that doesn’t sell right away now gets a second chance.
May 1 marked Decision Day for high school seniors. The date is the traditional deadline for high school seniors to commit to a college or university for the fall semester.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is doing some reporting on which Wisconsin students do – and do not – get into the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The state flagship is the most competitive school to gain admission.
UW-Madison ranked third in the nation in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Nuclear Engineering Programs. Four fusion companies spun out of the university — Xantho Technologies, SHINE Technologies, Type One Energy and Realta Fusion — and nearly 600 plasma physics PhD students have graduated from UW-Madison since its founding, interim chancellor Eric Wilcots said in opening remarks.
UW-Madison is closing a pair of libraries this summer as a result of campuswide budget cuts.
Friday was the last day students, faculty, staff and the public could visit the Geology and Geophysics Library. The Social Work Library shutters Aug. 14.
Kids from around the country will compete to build wind turbines at the UW-Madison campus.
Another iconic music group is making a stop in Wisconsin this year. The Smashing Pumpkins will perform at the Kohl Center on Sunday, Oct. 11, UW Athletics announced Monday.
The alt rock band, known for hits like “Tonight, Tonight” and “1979,” are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their third studio album, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.”
Hundreds of anglers took to south central Wisconsin lakes Saturday for the annual Casting for Kids tournament, raising money for children fighting cancer at the UW Carbone Cancer Center and American Family Children’s Hospital
It wasn’t pink plastic flamingos that filled Bascom Hill on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Sunday morning. It was decoy turkeys.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the reintroduction of wild turkeys to Wisconsin, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) planted 50 decoy turkeys at the base of Bascom Hill.
UW-Madison is taking another shot at building a new dorm to alleviate its campus housing crunch.
The Wisconsin Department of Administration, on behalf of the university, posted a request for proposals on Thursday, asking developers to submit plans for student housing with 1,500 to 2,000 beds and a 400-seat dining space.
College students might imagine many nightmare scenarios during finals week:
But what if these horrors weren’t yours alone? What if all students and their professors found themselves living a shared nightmare at the worst possible time?
Thousands of students will graduate from colleges in Wisconsin this month, and while concerns about artificial intelligence loom, a college dean and a Madison college student said personality and durable skills are irreplaceable.
Alejandra Beal is a student studying radiography at Madison Area Technical College. She also works as a peer coordinator specialist for the college’s career and employment services department, helping students navigate resources, schedule appointments and approve jobs on Handshake.
A malfunctioning freezer at the UW-Madison Zoology building prompted a response from the fire department Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Madison fire, firefighters were dispatched to 1117 W. Johnson Street after 12:35 p.m. for a smoke odor on the third floor.
As more than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water, new research from the La Follette School of Public Affairs investigates the effects of early-life exposure to citywide water filtration on longevity in the early 20th-century.
A nuclear fusion company that got its start at UW-Madison is nearing the end of a nationwide search for the right place to advance the technology it hopes will power the future.
It didn’t have to look far.
After some promising successes using powerful magnets to shape plasmas, Realta Fusion is ready to build a prototype fusion device, which it will use to test whether the plasma inside will perform as expected at a commercial scale.
If there’s two things that Andrea “Andi” Bill likes, it’s problem solving and applying it to the human experience. It’s part of what led her to a career in Civil Engineering, but those same skills have also been invaluable in her second career as a trainer and owner of Sugar Creek Stables in Brooklyn, Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin reflected on her accomplishments leading the state’s flagship campus Monday while acknowledging what she calls a period of “significant challenge” during her four-year tenure.
Mnookin’s last day on campus is Friday.
The term “moonshot” most often reminds people of the Apollo space program that first landed astronauts on the moon in 1969 or April’s Artemis II mission, which was the first crewed flight beyond Earth’s orbit since 1972.
Devesh Ranjan, the new dean of UW-Madison’s College of Engineering, is hoping people will also associate “moonshots” with lofty research goals in the coming decade.
After four years leading UW-Madison, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s exit this week is like a graduation of sorts.
“Like many of our seniors, I feel like I am graduating after four years, and so I, too, know the enormous life-changing impact that a place like this can have,” Mnookin said during an interview Monday in Bascom Hall.
Thousands of graduates filled Camp Randall Stadium Saturday as the University of Wisconsin–Madison celebrated its Spring 2026 commencement ceremonies.
The university says nearly 10,000 students are expected to earn degrees this spring, including bachelor’s, master’s and law graduates honored during Saturday’s ceremony.
Madison non-profit hospice group Agrace will break ground on its dementia village in two weeks, the first of its kind in the country.
The village is modeled after The Hogeweyk Village in the Netherlands.
Right now in the United States — caring for those with cognitive decline means prioritizing safety.
UW Madison hosted its first commencement ceremony of the year for doctoral, MFA and medical students on May 8.
Honorary degree recipient and UW graduate Speaker Tia Nelson spoke about her work in conservation and environmental protection. “The most complex problems we face will take more than persistence. They will take people with the courage to try something new,” Nelson said.
A major cyberattack knocked out Canvas, an online platform used by about 9,000 schools across the country, including universities in Wisconsin, Thursday afternoon.
Saturday marked a huge milestone for the graduating class of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Just under 9,000 Badgers earned their bachelor’s, law, and master’s degrees at Camp Randall, starting a new chapter in their professional lives.
For the first time in 40 years, UW-Madison is launching a new college.
The university has named Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau as the founding dean of the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, set to officially open on July 1.
As artificial intelligence continues to grow, so do its criticisms.
UW-Madison’s class of 2026 was left with a resounding message at its commencement ceremony at Camp Randall on Saturday: Find your purpose through times of uncertainty.
“Purpose is not a perfect plan, it’s a compass,” UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said to a sea of black graduation caps and gowns in the stadium. “It helps you decide what deserves your time, what deserves your courage, and what you may need to walk away from.”
Being a student at any age is a challenge, but returning to college as an adult with a job, caretaking roles and other responsibilities requires a special kind of balancing act.
Leslie Wright knows this all too well. After an attempt at college in the 1990s, she left and later earned her associate degree. Wright entered the workforce but stepped away to raise children. Through volunteer work and as a school board member in Oregon, she saw a need for mental health support in schools. She overcame obstacles to go back to school, and she’ll finish her bachelor’s in psychology this summer.
The Office of the Independent Monitor, the agency responsible for independent oversight of the Madison Police Department, released a 31-page public memorandum lambasting the City attorney and Common Council members for obstructing the OIM’s independence April 21.
Some streets around Camp Randall will closed on Saturday due to the UW-Madison commencement ceremony.
Residents are asked to plan for extra time when traveling.
Starting at 6 a.m. the following streets will close to traffic and will reopen at 4 p.m. after commencement has finished:
North Breese Terrace, between Regent Street and University Avenue
Monroe Street, between Regent Street and North Randall Ave.
University of Wisconsin-Madison and the rest of the UW campuses are part of a nationwide outage of Canvas – an online platform used for assignments, grading and more – that is causing disruptions to final exams.
Run Madtown’s Charity Chaser Runner beneficiary will be the Badger Challenge during a 5K race this month.
The Badger Challenge is a fundraising initiative supporting cancer research at UW-Madison.
A designated runner representing the Badger Challenge will start the Run Madtown Twilight 5K on May 23. Once the final participant crosses the start line, they will try to pass as many athletes as possible before reaching the finish line. For every 5K athlete passed, Run Madtown will donate $1 to the Badger Challenge.
More than half of college students use artificial intelligence daily or weekly for schoolwork, according to new data from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation.
The Class of 2026 is the first to have had AI chatbots available throughout their four years of college.
Madison will be buzzing this weekend with family members and supporters of UW-Madison students in town for their graduation ceremonies.
UW-Madison has commencement ceremonies on Friday at the Kohl Center and Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
The first dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence says the institution will be a vital non-industry leader shaping the future of AI.
Leaders in science, business, and government gathered in Madison on Tuesday to discuss the future of fusion energy.
The Fusion Summit at the Discovery Center brought together researchers, lawmakers, and more than one hundred companies exploring how Wisconsin could become a national hub for this emerging technology.
The Madison school district unveiled its proposal for a new cell phone policy at a School Board meeting Monday, recommending an all-day ban for students in grades K-8 while allowing more leniency for high school students to use their phones during passing time and lunch periods.
At the meeting, some School Board members expressed trepidations about a full-day ban for K-8 students, while others questioned different aspects of the proposed policy.
In its 100 years, Breese Stevens Field, the city-owned field smack in the middle of Madison’s isthmus, has lived a hundred different lives.
“Every time somebody tries to tell Breese what it’s going to do, it doesn’t,” said Tristan Straub, Breese’s general manager.
Officials at the public flagship said in a recent court filing that the university may have to lay off up to 160 employees if it doesn’t get clarity on federal funding in the near future, The Cap Times reported.
At issue is an effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose conditions on financial disbursements. USDA has asked states to agree to conditions to continue receiving funding, including ensuring federal money won’t be used to “promote gender ideology” or diversity, equity and inclusion practices. In March, 21 states sued the USDA over the preconditions; though UW Madison is not a plaintiff, the state of Wisconsin is.
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On June 1, Maria Woldt will become the third director of the Dairy Innovation Hub, a state-funded initiative that brings together scientists, farmers, businesses, and educators to explore new ideas to ensure Wisconsin’s $52.8 billion dairy sector remains globally competitive while advancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
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Nearly 550 faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are set to receive pay raises this month as part of efforts to attract and retain faculty in high-demand fields of study.
State lawmakers provided $27 million annually and created an annual appropriation to the UW system in the current state budget for the compensation. Over 2,300 faculty members across the state’s 13 public universities are receiving raises through the funding, said Mark Pitsch, a UW system spokesperson.
The chancellor is leaving.
The president got fired.
The athletic director jumped before he could be pushed.
That’s a lot of turnover at the top for UW-Madison and the 13-campus Universities of Wisconsin. It’s also an opportunity to reset priorities for higher education in Madison and across the state. The Regents and others who will help fill these jobs need to get this right.
The University of Wisconsin has released a five-year strategic framework, “Forward, Together,” aimed at guiding the University’s priorities in student experience, research, public engagement and campus operations, according to a UW news release.
he MadHatters, an a cappella group at UW-Madison, will be performing their final show of the spring semester on Friday, May 1.
The group consists of 14 performers, using just their voices to sing and dance for performances.
“We really try and bring the energy so the crowd can feed off of that, and it can be this really fun night,” Kevin McNeil said. “Everybody just has fun, even apart from all the music, we’ve got some video skits with a little bit of dancing in there. We make our fair share of jokes, and we just really try to make sure everyone has a good time.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison says it contributed billions in statewide economic impact last fiscal year.
That’s according to a new analysis that was released by the university and completed by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach.
