The Wisconsin Idea Seminar is an annual five-day journey through Wisconsin that offers faculty and staff the opportunity to learn firsthand about the social and cultural contexts that shape the lives of many of our Wisconsin students, and to see what the Wisconsin Idea looks like when it is rooted in local communities and shaped by local priorities. The 2024 experience engaged a variety of themes including health, healing, creative placemaking, K-12 education, incarceration, dairy, and how rivers and people have shaped each other.
The state’s rivers, including the Mississippi, the Wisconsin, the Kickapoo, the Trempealeau, and the Kinnickinnic, structured our exploration of Wisconsin life.
In the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, located in the non-glaciated and ancient landscapes of Wisconsin’s southwest, we walked across the Kickapoo River at the historic Bridge 13, one of Wisconsin’s few remaining metal truss bridges that was refurbished in 2017 in collaboration with the Ho-Chunk Nation.
We met with health practitioners who are supporting the next generation of health professionals through collaborations with UW-Madison’s Native American Center for Health Professions.
We conversed with colleagues at UW-La Crosse to learn how they tightly weave community engagement into the undergraduate research experience.
Health practitioners, including doctors from La Farge Medical Clinic, and Mark Louden, professor in the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+, spoke about the importance of cultural humility and trust-building with surrounding Amish communities and their appreciation for UW-Madison’s collaborative role in bringing world-class healthcare and expertise to Vernon County.
In Arcadia, we met with K-12 educators who value their strong partnerships with area colleges and universities to support their students and families.
At the banks of the Wisconsin River, Stevens Point-area food producers gathered at Bukolt Lodge to share their small-batch products, including hydroponic lettuce, pickled vegetables, and maple syrup, and to talk about how they collaborate with each other and local nonprofits to support community development and food economies in central Wisconsin.
At Mitchell Street Arts in Milwaukee’s south side, we learned about the power of storytelling for formerly incarcerated people and their families who are working to make communities stronger.
The morning sun was bright at Alice’s Garden, a 2-acre urban farm in Milwaukee’s north side, when the Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants were invited to slow down and pause to appreciate the abundance and then harvest from the garden’s swaths of mint, sage, okra, hyssop, lovage, and collard greens.
And we ended our journey like we began, among grandmothers who are deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of their communities, who bring forth ancestral knowledge to inspire the present and future, and who fundamentally believe that to care for the waters of Wisconsin is to care for us all.
We are so grateful to the tireless and generous hosts and collaborators across the state who spent months planning, consulting, and offering expert guidance and ideas that strengthened and enriched our collective learning.
And at nearly every stop, we met with UW-Madison alumni who are proud of their alma mater and who bring a Badger spirit to the work they do in their home communities.
The Wisconsin Idea Seminar is a program of the Provost’s Office and is made possible with the support of many UW–Madison schools and colleges and the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of the Capital Times and long-time underwriter of the Seminar since 1985.
A special thanks to Rachel Niles, executive assistant in the Office of the Provost, and Kelly Copolo, academic program specialist in the Division of Teaching and Learning, who offered excellent assistance that contributed to the success of the 2024 Wisconsin Idea Seminar.
Join us!
We encourage eligible members of the UW-Madison community to apply now.
Highlights of the 2024 River Journey
- Introduction to Ho-Chunk cultural land and waterscapes
- Culturally-responsive healthcare with Amish communities
- Learning from the land at Maa Wákąčąk, sacred landscapes at the foot of the Baraboo Hills
- Participatory art experience with Ho-Chunk artists
- Conversations with UW-La Crosse faculty about integrating community-engaged research into undergraduate curriculum
- A creative placemaking walking tour at the banks of the Wisconsin River
Gratitude
“The Wisconsin Idea Seminar instilled in me a profound sense of connectedness to the university community and the communities we serve across the state. Among the seminar’s many impactful experiences, our day with Ms. Venice Williams at Alice’s Garden and The Table stands out as particularly meaningful, both personally and professionally. Ms. Williams’ work to foster the health and healing of both the people and the land of Milwaukee reignited a sense of purpose and commitment to my own research on Black women’s well-being and to thoughtfully engaging in community-based scholarship.” (WIS’24)
Morgan Jerald
Assistant Professor, Psychology, College of Letters & Science
“I loved learning from Dr. James DeLine about his work at the clinic in La Farge. He was so genuine and inspirational in his commitment to serving rural communities in Wisconsin, with his particular focus on the Amish community living there.” (WIS’24)
Diego Román
Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education, Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education
“The Wisconsin Idea Seminar is an immersive experience and goes way beyond any work conference you would ever attend. We got to hear many impactful stories and meet incredible people during our journey, and it touched every sense of being- from food we ate, to the stories we heard, to the people we met and the places we visited. I have a greater appreciation for people in Wisconsin who have been caring for the land for thousands of years and for those who have moved to Wisconsin in recent years.” (WIS’24)
Meenu Verma
Associate Director, UW Veterinary Care, School of Veterinary Medicine