Learning about the state we serve
In this edition of Why Wisconsin?, a series produced by the Division of the Arts, Edward Klorman, a professor of music theory and alum of the 2026 Wisconsin Idea Seminar, discusses how teaching a seminar on music by women composers inspired broader rethinking of the music theory curriculum. Klorman is also finding opportunities to reach …
Erika Meitner, professor of English and an alum of the 2026 Wisconsin Idea Seminar, is a recipient of the Kellett Mid-Career Award in 2026. The award, named for the late William R. Kellett, a former president of the WARF board of trustees and president of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, celebrates faculty promoted to tenured positions seven to …
Beth Fields, an associate professor of occupational therapy in the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and an alum of the 2023 Wisconsin Idea Seminar, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award. The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange initiative, supports scholars and professionals in advancing knowledge, addressing global challenges, and fostering mutual …
Whether he is introducing students to the history of hip hop, collaborating across disciplines, or expanding access to the arts, Omari Carter, an assistant professor in UW-Madison’s Department of Dance and alum of the 2025 Wisconsin Idea Seminar, sees dance as a way to bring people together. As UW–Madison’s dance program continues to grow, he …
Milda Aksamitauskas, chief administrative officer of Population Health Sciences and an alum of the 2025 Wisconsin Idea Seminar, has been selected as one of only 12 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Alumni Ambassadors nationwide for 2026. Chosen from a competitive pool of over 200 applicants, Aksamitauskas will spend the next two years representing the program at national …
For his second-to-last show before retirement, WPR’s legendary Larry Meiller invited Curt Meine and Catherine Reiland to talk about a philosophy he has lived by every day of his career (and childhood!): The Wisconsin Idea. Larry has spent six decades on the radio connecting people across Wisconsin with the information that impacts their lives. Together …
A dugout canoe made from a cottonwood tree in McDaniel Park by Bill Quackenbush, tribal historic preservation officer of the Ho-Chunk Nation, was donated to Dane County Parks in June of 2026. The 22-foot canoe had been used for an annual educational voyage organized by Quackenbush that retraced ancestral Ho-Chunk water routes in Wisconsin. It …
In May, the 2026 Wisconsin Idea Seminar set off on a journey to follow a 900-mile circular path around Wisconsin focusing on the state’s great waterways. Three dozen University of Wisconsin—Madison faculty and staff, many of them new to campus, were on a mission: to meet fellow Wisconsinites in communities along the route and hear …
Each year, undergraduate students in Professor of Design Studies and WIS’15 alumna Marianne Fairbanks’ weaving class create handwoven textiles called “water cloths” that are included in gratitude bundles for Wisconsin Idea Seminar collaborators and hosts. This story by Maggie Ginsberg, writer in the Division of the Arts and WIS’26 alumna, highlights the collaboration and undergraduate students’ reflections on the process.
In this episode of Discover Wisconsin’s The Cabin podcast, Fran Puleo Moyer, associate director of outreach programs in the UW-Madison Office of State Relations and a WIS’25 alum, introduces listeners to Badger Talks, a UW-Madison program that brings faculty expertise and research insights to communities across Wisconsin on issues that matter most to them. Mark …