Testimonials
Reflections from the Wisconsin Idea Seminar
“The Wisconsin Idea Seminar offers you this sort of on-the-ground, unfiltered context and human perspective that desk-based work and reporting often misses. As someone who has just recently landed on the west side of the isthmus and has yet to explore beyond the boundaries of Madison, the seminar feels like a quick course to learn about local communities and, surprisingly, new perspectives about justice, nature, and education that weave together in unexpected ways.” (WIS’26)
“What stayed with me most from the Wisconsin Idea Seminar was the depth of the relationships behind the work we witnessed. Again and again, I saw folks collaborating with humility, trust, and mutual respect, and expressing deep gratitude for those partnerships. The Wisconsin Idea Seminar has reinforced my commitment to fostering communities where learning is grounded in meaningful relationships.” (WIS’26)
“The journey is hard to compare to any other travel! The Wisconsin Idea Seminar brought us out of our element, fostering deep conversations and exchanges with communities across the state. For each place we visited, it was wonderful to experience the different ways people come together with their neighbors to deepen their ties to their cultures and to the lands and waters that support them. Interwoven into this experience were the new connections we made with colleagues and friends from across the UW–Madison campus as we processed our experiences traveling up to Lake Superior and back.” (WIS’26)
“Being relatively new to Wisconsin, I found the Wisconsin Idea Seminar to be a truly special, immersive experience. It introduced me to the communities where many of our students come from in this state, which has now become home for me. Our host communities shared their sacred spaces and knowledge with us, and I particularly enjoyed finding many common themes between some topics covered in the Global Health courses I teach and the experiences we had.” (WIS’26)
“The Wisconsin Idea Seminar brought to life what makes UW–Madison so special. It is our belief and mission that our work should create impact far beyond campus. I came away with a deeper understanding of the people, communities, and industries that make Wisconsin unique, and even more excitement about how entrepreneurship can help connect ideas, talent, and resources to solve real-world challenges across our great state.” (WIS’26)
“The Wisconsin Idea Seminar reinforced my conviction about the promise of an asset-based, community-engaged approach to developing and implementing public health interventions.” (WIS’26)
“The Wisconsin Idea Seminar deepened my understanding of the many contributions that immigrant communities are making to education and industry in rural and urban communities across Wisconsin. I will weave these observations into my work to promote the international dimensions of the Wisconsin Idea in our state and around the world.” (WIS’24)
“I think it is impossible to do social science work without deeply touching the Seminar themes of relationship, reciprocity, and responsibility to people, land, and water. The Wisconsin Idea Seminar has left a lasting mark on how I think about these themes and I will incorporate that extended knowledge in my research and teaching.”
– Soeren Henn, WIS’25, Assistant Professor, Political Science, College of Letters & Science
“It’s a great way to learn a lot about the state in a short amount of time – and also to meet colleagues from around the University that you wouldn’t otherwise meet.”
– Joshua Foa Dienstag, WIS’23, College of Letters & Science, Political Science
“Do it. Sitting on a bus for so long and making new friends may feel weird at first, but the experiences with colleagues and with Wisconsin will change you, or at least change how you think about the application of your research to the state.”
– Alvin Thomas, WIS’22, School of Human Ecology, Human Development and Family Studies
“You’ll make 40 new best friends, you’ll learn so much about new things and things you think you already know about. You’ll hear from different and unique perspectives.”
– Danielle Lawry, WIS’19, University Relations, University Marketing
“Service for and with the community is important to my research and teaching. Linking what I do each day to individuals and groups beyond the boundaries of campus is critical to making my impact relevant to Wisconsin and to helping the community understand what I do. I will continue to think about ways to build bridges with the community — so that we can help one another, inform each other’s work, and create spaces that are collaborative and useful in a variety of contexts.”
– Pajarita Charles, WIS’18, Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work
“Extremely mind opening. I’m relatively new to Wisconsin, and I have a new appreciation for aspects of where our students come from, as well as the variety of populations we, as a university, serve.”
– David Ronis, WIS’17, College of Letters & Science, Music – Opera
