Fave 5: Reporter Kimberly Wethal shares her favorite stories of 2022
In the weeks before I joined the Wisconsin State Journal in September, I was told this: Remember that a higher education institution is like their own city. It has its own character and struggles, defined by the students who learn there and the faculty who teach them.
I have seen this over and over again, and it was particularly clear when I visited UW-Platteville at Richland a week after the University of Wisconsin System ordered degree-fulfilling classes to cease because of low enrollment. During my visit, I found many of the devastated students to be emotionally invested in their campus community — and committed to saving it.
(10) updates to this series since Updated
After budget cuts and consolidations, the campus' enrollment is down 90% from 2014, and UW-Platteville was ordered to shutter the campus.
With record enrollment contributing to the housing crunch, UW-Madison lured students out of dorms by offering incentives to live elsewhere.
Management companies are seeing some of their housing in prime areas sell out three to four weeks faster than previous years.
A new Early Learning Center that opened in 2021 at MATC's Truax campus doubled capacity, and a facility at the Goodman South campus could be next.
UW-Madison doctorate student Kirstan Gimse found the courage to go back to school a decade ago from a chemistry professor she would wait on.
After budget cuts and consolidations, the campus' enrollment is down 90% from 2014, and UW-Platteville was ordered to shutter the campus.
With record enrollment contributing to the housing crunch, UW-Madison lured students out of dorms by offering incentives to live elsewhere.
Management companies are seeing some of their housing in prime areas sell out three to four weeks faster than previous years.
A new Early Learning Center that opened in 2021 at MATC's Truax campus doubled capacity, and a facility at the Goodman South campus could be next.
UW-Madison doctorate student Kirstan Gimse found the courage to go back to school a decade ago from a chemistry professor she would wait on.
"How do (builders) know what concrete needs to be replaced and what concrete doesn't need to be replaced? So this informs that sort of decision making."
The new center extends the work of the Public History Project, the entity behind the popular "Sifting and Reckoning" exhibit at Chazen Museum of Art last fall.
Thursday's listening session let community members share ideas on how to revive the Richland Center campus, or at least keep it on life support.
University Housing has seen abnormally high interest this year, both in housefellow applicants and the number of returning students interested in living in the dorms for another year.
According to a new UW System survey, most students said also they never or rarely consider others' viewpoints on controversial topics such as abortion or transgender identities.
UW-Parkside is the fourth campus in a year to have a chancellor resign or a new chancellor hired.
Sheep were used in UW-Madison's decompression experiments because they have complex respiratory systems similar to those in humans.
The pandemic cost the UW-Madison club a lot of institutional knowledge, but students are set on reviving the group and competing nationally.
About 800 in-state students are expected to be eligible for Bucky's Pell Pathway, starting next fall.
Through targeted adaptations and concessions, some UW System branch campuses are determined to avoid Richland's fate.
UW-Madison's College of Engineering could nearly double its student population based on worthy applicants. But growth is stagnant as the college lacks instructional and lab space.
More than 300,000 people have seen the Wonders of Physics show since it started nearly 40 years ago.
Madison Area Technical College administrators already have reduced an expected budget deficit from $3 million, by closing open positions and eliminating class sections.
Gov. Tony Evers did not include borrowing authority for the UW Board of Regents in his proposal, as System staff will advocate for it separately from the budget.
The naming of an endowed professorship comes a few weeks after UW-Madison named its new public history center in Blank's honor.
New development on UW-Madison's west side could bring in revenue as state support has fallen short of requests in recent years.
The measure comes less than two years after the state Legislature relinquished tuition-setting authority back to the UW Board of Regents.
Construction and renovations for University of Wisconsin System facilities comprise nearly half of the proposal.
This would be the first increase in tuition since 2013, when it was frozen for eight years in the biennial budget cycles and left frozen by the Regents for the 2022-23 school year.
The proposal would amount to a $41 increase in tuition for the 2023-24 school year for a full-time occupational degree-seeking student taking 15 credits.
A special committee of the Board of Regents chose the finalists from a list of candidates identified by a search and screen committee.
A $5 million donation from authors Susan and James Patterson will extend the loan forgiveness program by another year.
Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, said he planned to vote against creating a State Building Plan because he didn't want to limit the Joint Finance Committee's decisions.
Changes at the Near East Playfields, including switching from grass to turf, are expected to extend playing seasons for nearly 200 intramural and club sports teams.
The plan, which includes introducing a bachelor's degree in nursing and a teaching certificate, would seek to meet workforce needs and increase economic opportunity for Richland County residents.
Murphy said "it's certainly possible" the committee uses the hearings as a means to draft legislation, but added nothing currently is in the works.
Wilcots is expected to serve in an interim capacity through late summer as UW-Madison searches for a permanent provost.
Tuition for in-state undergraduates will increase by $372 at UW-Madison, $364 at UW-Milwaukee, $283 at other System four-year schools and about $214 at most branch campuses.
UW-Madison is hosting public presentations with its four finalists this week.
Thursday's hearing was the first formal legislative discussion since the results of the UW System's controversial free speech survey were released earlier this year.
Odyssey Senior, the latest pilot program to launch under the Odyssey Project umbrella, offers people ages 60 and older an avenue to preserve their histories.
The UW-Madison program focuses on an interdisciplinary look at Mexican and Latin American history and culture in areas such as politics, pop culture and gender studies.
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin's namesake mix joins other celebrity flavors including "Berry Alvarez" and "Bec-Key Lime Pie."
“Quite frankly, Jennifer Mnookin is made for this university,” University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman said.
Funding for the University of Wisconsin System per student is more than $2,000 lower than the national average.
The cost for administrating the University of Wisconsin System's free speech survey for students last year was covered solely through a Menards family donation and System trust funds.
Part of what's driving the popularity in computer and data science offerings is an economy that is hungry for data, CDIS founding Director Tom Erickson said.
UW-Platteville Chancellor Tammy Evetovich has spent about third of her time at the university serving in interim roles after joining the university in May 2020.
U.S. District Court Judge J.P. Stadtmueller wrote in his dismissal that he felt the plaintiff's council had been deceptive to UW System lawyers seeking evidence by failing to preserve documents.
The new initiative would need the approval of the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College systems.
Joining the board will be Jim Kreuser, Evan Brenkus and Joan Prince.
The University of Wisconsin System will fund the first year in 2023-24, but no decisions have been made for subsequent years.
Wisconsin Technical College System spokesperson Katy Pettersen said she didn't know of any attempts for outgoing members to try to retain their seats, unlike three previous members of the board.
While any evidence the System has of this happening is from anecdotal from lawmakers and free speech experts, Rothman said he felt the directive was an appropriate step to take.
More than 10,000 Madison-area college students will receive degrees this weekend over a two-day span starting Friday.
Mary Papageorge's Irish dance videos infused with pop music have garnered millions of views, catching the attention of celebrities, dance icons and eventually her current employer, Under Armour.
UW-Madison Director of Tribal Relations Aaron Bird Bear says he's retiring knowing he achieved his mission of the university offering a sincere land acknowledgement to the Ho-Chunk Nation.
The misspent dollars, as identified by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, went toward the hiring of consultants, the creation of online maps and student entertainment.
The Odyssey Beyond Wars program, set to start next fall, will help veterans contextualize their military experiences with humanities courses.
King will be the third permanent chancellor in five years to lead the 11,000-student institution.
The three board members, who were appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker, were allowed to stay on after their terms due to a state Supreme Court ruling last June.
Carla Vigue, a member of the Oneida Nation, said she is committed to giving the 12 First Tribes of Wisconsin a voice at UW-Madison.
If implemented, the plan would be another blow for Richland Center officials and residents who are trying to save some version of the campus that has been part of their community for 56 years.
Irwin Goldman, along with research partner Nick Breitbach, created a less earthy plant named the Badger Flame Beet. They tasted thousands of beets to create it.
A previous draft version of the plan said there would be "minimal" needs for the Richland Center campus, as UW-Platteville was only planning for online programming.
Photos of salted walking paths and parking lots at UW-Madison renewed a debate about the balance between water quality and roads clear of snow.
With four degrees from UW-Milwaukee, Prince "has an impressive and trailblazing career," Evers said in a statement announcing her appointment.
