Wisconsin Idea Seminar

Learning about the state we serve
Drone image of Milwaukee River.

Rivers Journey: A traveling anthology featuring inspiring stories of collaboration

Learn about our 2024 route

Rivers Journey: May 13–17, 2024

Along our Rivers route we will see the land and people shaped by Wisconsin’s waterways. Wisconsin Idea Seminar travelers—faculty and staff from the University of Wisconsin-Madison—will be students of Wisconsin life, deepening their understanding of the state and reaffirming their commitment to public service and the Wisconsin Idea.

We will visit a dairy farm, meet environmental stewards and business owners, spark ideas with UW System colleagues, and see the spaces and places where many of our UW students come from. Experts from across the state will join the journey at various points along the way to enrich the learning throughout the week.

Learn more

Recent News

At Lake Michigan’s shore in Door County’s Fish Creek.

The Wisconsin Idea Seminar is a five-day traveling study tour that immerses forty UW–Madison faculty, academic staff, and administrators in the educational, industrial, social, and political realities of Wisconsin. Begun in 1985, the seminar introduces and promotes the Wisconsin Idea and our commitment to use university expertise and resources to address the problems of the state.

Take a look back at the 2022 Bay Tour

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin

Hello, Wisconsin! Profiles

Who May Apply

  • New faculty members
  • Recently tenured faculty members
  • New deans and department chairs
  • Lead academic staff with statewide responsibilities

Selection Process

Deans of schools, colleges, and divisions recommend candidates for selection to the Provost’s Office. By mid-April, approximately 40 people from a cross-section of schools and colleges and disciplines will be selected to participate.

To Apply or Nominate

  1. Submit a Pre-Nomination web form.
  2. Circulate Nomination form for signatures.
  3. Your Dean’s office will forward the nomination to the Provost’s Office.
  4. Nominations due February 15, 2023.
More >>

"Good learning stirs you up."

Kathy Cramer, Professor of Political Science, reflection on her 2001 Wisconsin Idea Seminar experience