UW–Madison is organized into 13 schools and colleges, which enrolled approximately 34,200 undergraduate and 14,300 graduate and professional students in 2024.[5] Its academic programs include 136 undergraduate majors, 148 master's degree programs, and 120doctoral programs. Wisconsin is one of the founding members of theAssociation of American Universities. It is considered aPublic Ivy and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".[8] UW–Madison was also the home of both the prominent"Wisconsin School" of economics anddiplomatic history. It ranked sixth among U.S. universities inresearch expenditures in 2023, according to theNational Science Foundation.[9]
The university had its official beginnings when theWisconsin Territorial Legislature in its 1838 session passed a law incorporating a "University of the Territory of Wisconsin", and a high-rankingboard of visitors was appointed. However, this body (the predecessor of the UWboard of regents) never actually accomplished anything beforeWisconsin was incorporated as a state in 1848.[12]
TheWisconsin Constitution provided for "the establishment of a state university, at or near the seat of state government..." and directed by the state legislature to be governed by aboard of regents and administered by achancellor. On July 26, 1848,Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin's firstgovernor, signed the act that formally created the University of Wisconsin.[13]John H. Lathrop became the university's first chancellor, in the fall of 1849.[14] WithJohn W. Sterling as the university's first professor (mathematics), the first class of 17 students met atMadison Female Academy on February 5, 1849.
A permanent campus site was soon selected: an area of 50 acres (20.2 ha) "bounded north by Fourth lake, east by a street to be opened at right angles with King street", [later State Street] "south by Mineral Point Road (University Avenue), and west by a carriage-way from said road to the lake." The regents' building plans called for a "main edifice fronting towards the Capitol, three stories high, surmounted by an observatory for astronomical observations."[15] This building, University Hall, now known asBascom Hall, was finally completed in 1859. On October 10, 1916, a fire destroyed the building's dome, which was never replaced.North Hall, constructed in 1851, was actually the first building on campus. In 1854, Levi Booth and Charles T. Wakeley became the first graduates of the university, and in 1892 the university awarded its first PhD to futureuniversity presidentCharles R. Van Hise.[16]
Research, teaching, and service at the UW is influenced by a tradition known as the "Wisconsin Idea", first articulated by UW–Madison PresidentCharles Van Hise in 1904, when he declared "I shall never be content until the beneficent influence of the University reaches every home in the state."[25] The Wisconsin Idea holds that the boundaries of the university should be the boundaries of the state, and that the research conducted at UW–Madison should be applied to solve problems and improve health, quality of life, theenvironment, and agriculture for all citizens of the state. The Wisconsin Idea permeates the university's work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students, and the state's industries and government.[26] Based in Wisconsin's populist history, the Wisconsin Idea continues to inspire the work of the faculty, staff, and students who aim to solve real-world problems by working together across disciplines and demographics.[27]
TheUniversity of Wisconsin Experimental College was a two-year college designed and led byAlexander Meiklejohn in 1927 with agreat books,liberal arts curriculum. Students followed a uniform curriculum that sought to teach democracy and foster an intrinsic love of learning, but the college developed a reputation for radicalism and wanton anarchy in which students lived and worked with their teachers, had no fixed schedule, no compulsory lessons, and no semesterly grades. The advisers taught primarily throughtutorial instead of lectures. TheGreat Depression and lack of outreach to Wisconsinites and UW faculty led to the college's closure in 1932.[29]
In 1936, UW–Madison began anartist-in-residence program withJohn Steuart Curry, the first ever at a university.[13] In the 1940s,Warfarin (Coumadin) was developed at UW by the laboratory ofKarl Paul Link and named after the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.[30] During World War II, the University of Wisconsin was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in theV-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.[31]
Bascom Hill with crosses placed by students protesting theVietnam War and sign reading, "Bascom Memorial Cemetery, Class of 1968"
Over time, additional campuses were added to the university. TheUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee was created in 1956, and UW–Green Bay and UW–Parkside in 1968. Ten freshman-sophomore centers were also added to this system.[32] In 1971, Wisconsin legislators passed a law merging the University of Wisconsin with the nine universities and four freshman-sophomore branch campuses of theWisconsin State Universities System, creating the University of Wisconsin System and bringing the two higher education systems under a single board of regents.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, UW–Madison was shaken by a series of student protests, and by the use of force by authorities in response, comprehensively documented in the filmThe War at Home. The first major demonstrations protested the presence on campus ofrecruiters for theDow Chemical Company, which supplied thenapalm used in theVietnam War. Authorities used force to quell the disturbance. The struggle was documented in the book,They Marched into Sunlight,[34] as well as the PBS documentaryTwo Days in October.[35] Among the students injured in the protest was former Madison mayorPaul Soglin.
Another target of protest was the Army Mathematics Research Center (AMRC) in Sterling Hall, which was also home of the physics department. The student newspaper,The Daily Cardinal, published a series of investigative articles stating that AMRC was pursuing research directly pursuant toUS Department of Defense requests, and supportive of military operations in Vietnam. AMRC became a magnet for demonstrations, in which protesters chanted "U.S. out of Vietnam! Smash Army Math!" On August 24, 1970, near 3:40 am, a bomb exploded next to Sterling Hall, aimed at destroying the Army Math Research Center.[36] Despite the late hour, apost doctoral physics researcher,Robert Fassnacht, was in the lab and was killed in the explosion. The physics department was severely damaged, while the intended target, the AMRC, was scarcely affected.Karleton Armstrong,Dwight Armstrong, andDavid Fine were found responsible for the blast.Leo Burt was identified as a suspect, but was never apprehended or tried.[37]
The main campus of the university is situated partially on theMadison Isthmus betweenLake Mendota andLake Monona. The main campus comprises 933 acres (378 ha) of land, while the entire campus, including research stations throughout the state, is over 10,600 acres (4,290 ha) in area. The campus contains fourNational Historic Landmarks.[38] The central campus is on an urban layout mostly coinciding with the city of Madison's street grid, exceptions being the suburbanUniversity of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and the Department of Psychiatry & Clinics in the West Side research park. It is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of theWisconsin State Capitol, connected byState Street. TheUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum, a demonstration area for native ecosystems, is located on the west side of Madison.[39][40]
Bascom Hall sits atopBascom Hill at the heart of campus
As one of the icons on campus, Bascom Hall,[45] at the top of Bascom Hill, is often considered the "heart of the campus." Built in 1857, a decorative dome that once sat atop the structure was destroyed by fire in 1916. The structure has been added to several times over the years. The building currently houses the office of thechancellor and vice chancellors. Bascom Hall is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places as a contributing building within the Bascom Hill Historic District.[46]
Flanking both sides of Bascom Hall are the two oldest surviving buildings on campus. Designed byJohn F. Rague in aFederal style, the oldest structure in the university,North Hall (built in 1851), was planned to be similar to the dormitories at theUniversity of Michigan.[47] It is still in use as the home of the Department of Political Science. Its opposite twin, South Hall (built in 1855), originally served as the women's dormitory prior to the establishment of the Female College Building in 1871 (today the location of Chadbourne Hall).[48] The administrative offices of the College of Letters and Science now occupy the building.
Evening view of the Carillon Tower
The Carillon Tower, erected in 1936, was designed byWarren Powers Laird andPaul Philippe Cret so that thebalustrade echoes that on Bascom Hall.[49] The carillon has 56 bronze bells, with the largest weighing 6,800 pounds.[50] An automated system rings bells on the hour, playing songs such as "Varsity" and "On, Wisconsin!". East of the tower lies a monument to theSauk leaderBlack Hawk, whose flight through the Madison area represented the last armed conflict between theUnited States Army and native peoples in southern Wisconsin.[51]
Van Hise Hall is home to most of the languages departments of the university[55] and the upper floors house the offices of the University of Wisconsin System's president and its board of regents. At 241 feet and 19 stories, Van Hise is the second-tallest building in Madison and one of thetallest educational buildings in the world.[56] Because of its placement atop Bascom Hill it towers over the State Capitol as the building with the highest elevation in the city. Van Hise Hall was constructed in 1967 and its destruction is slated for sometime around 2025 as part of the university's campus master plan.[57]
TheGeorge L. Mosse Humanities Building, located on Library Mall, was built in the late 1960s in theBrutalist style. Although debunked, the campus myth is that the building (with its poor ventilation, narrow windows, inclined base, and cantilevered upper floors) was designed to be "riot-proof".[58][59] Its seven floors house the history, art, and music departments. The most recent campus master plan calls for it to be demolished and replaced with two other buildings,[60] in part because of water damage.[61][62]
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has twostudent union facilities: Memorial Union and Union South. The older,Memorial Union, was built in 1928 to honor American World War Iveterans. Also known as the Union or the Terrace, it has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful student centers on a university campus. Located on the shore ofLake Mendota, it is a popular spot for socializing among both students and the public, who enjoy gazing at the lake and its sailboats. The union is known forthe Rathskeller, aRatskeller or German pub adjacent to the lake terrace. Political debates andbackgammon andsheepshead games over a beer on the terrace are common among students. The Rathskeller serves "Rathskeller Ale", a beer brewed expressly for the Terrace. Memorial Union was the first union at a public university to serve beer.[63]
Memorial Union is home to many arts venues, including several art galleries, the Wisconsin Union Theater, and a craft shop that provides courses and facilities for arts and crafts activities. Students and Madison community members alike congregate at the Memorial Union for the films and concerts each week. An advisory referendum to renovate and expand Memorial Union was approved by the student body in 2006, and the university completed the renovation in 2017.[64]
Union South was first built in 1971 to better accommodate a growing student enrollment. The original structure was demolished in 2008 and replaced with aLEED-certified building which opened in 2011.[65] The building contains several dining options, an art gallery, a movie theater, a climbing wall, a bowling alley, event spaces, and a hotel.[66][67]
The Wisconsin Union also provides a home for the Wisconsin Union Directorate Student Programming Board, which provides regular programs for both students and community members. One of the most well-known members is theWisconsin Hoofers, a club that organizes outdoor recreational activities.[68]
Henry Mall is a 50-foot wide and 575-foot long landscaped quadrangle that was designed by architects Warren Laird and Paul Cret and constructed between 1903 and 1961.[69] The mall contains buildings that represent Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts,Italian Renaissance Revival, andModern Movement styles of architecture.[69] Laird and Cret were hired to draw up a master plan for future construction at the campus, with the idea of creating a more unified and aesthetically pleasing area. The departments around the Henry Mall area were conceived to be "technical" and geographically close to the science departments and the university farm.[69]
The Mall features several notable buildings, includingAgriculture Hall, the Agronomy Building, theAgricultural Engineering Building, and theAgricultural Chemistry Building. The Mall is also home to several artworks, including the Hoard statue byGutzon Borglum, which honorsWilliam Dempster Hoard, the publisher of Hoard's Dairyman magazine.[69][70] The Henry Boulder, a chunk of gneiss on the mall with a plaque, is dedicated to DeanWilliam Arnon Henry, the mall's namesake, who helped establish the College of Agriculture.[69] Other buildings in the area include the Stovall Lab of Hygiene and the Genetics Building.[71][72] The Henry Mall Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[69]
UW–Madison claims more distinct archaeological sites than on any other university campus.[73] The campus contains four clusters ofeffigy mounds located at Observatory Hill, Willow Drive, Picnic Point, and Eagle Heights. These sites, reflecting thousands of years of human habitation in the area, have survived to a greater or lesser degree on campus, depending on location and past building activities. Surviving sites are marked and fenced on the campus, ensuring that they are not disturbed. Wisconsin statutes protect effigy mounds by giving them a five-foot buffer zone.[74][75] TheLakeshore Nature Preserve Committee is endeavoring to "...safeguard beloved cultural landscapes," through aggressive enforcement of measures for the preservation of such zones and advocating for broader buffers where possible.[76]
TheGeology Museum features rocks, minerals, and fossils from around the world. Highlights include a blacklight room, a walk-through cave, and a fragment of theBarringer meteorite. Some noteworthy fossils include the first dinosaur skeleton assembled in Wisconsin (anEdmontosaurus), a shark (Squalicorax) and a floating colony ofsea lilies (Uintacrinus), both from theCretaceous chalk ofKansas, and the BoazMastodon, a found on a farm in southwestern Wisconsin in 1897.[77]
TheChazen Museum of Art, formerly the Elvehjem Museum of Art, maintains a collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints and photographs spanning over 700 years of art.[78]
The university's Zoological Museum maintains a collection of approximately 500,000 zoological specimens, which can be used for research and instruction. A special collection contains skeletons, artifacts, and research papers associated with theGalápagos Islands. Since 1978, the UW–Madison Zoological Museum has been one of only three museums granted permission by the Ecuadoran Government to collect anatomical specimens from the Galápagos Islands.[79]
TheL. R. Ingersoll Physics Museum contains a range of exhibits demonstratingclassical andmodern physics. Many of the exhibits allow for hands-on interaction by visitors. The museum also has a number of historical instruments and pictures on display.[80]
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is divided into eight main undergraduate schools and colleges and four main professional schools, some of which have further divisions:[81]
UW–Madison is governed by the board of regents of theUniversity of Wisconsin System, which governs each of the state's 13 comprehensive public universities.[82] The board has 18 members; 16 are appointed by the governor of Wisconsin, while two are students of the system. Furthermore, the electedsuperintendent of public instruction serves as an ex-officio member.[83] The board establishes the regulations and budgets for the university and appoints thechancellor.Jennifer Mnookin, former dean of theUCLA School of Law, has served as the chancellor of UW–Madison since 2022.[84]
The four year, full-time undergraduate instructional program is classified by theCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as "arts and science plus professions" with a high graduate coexistence.[86] The largest university college, theCollege of Letters and Science, enrolls approximately half of the undergraduate student body and is made up of 38 departments and five professional schools[87] that instruct students and carry out research in a wide variety of fields, such asastronomy, economics,geography, history,linguistics, andzoology. The graduate instructional program is classified by Carnegie as "comprehensive with medical/veterinary." In 2008, it granted the third largest number of doctorates in the nation.[86][88]
ThePrinceton Review ranked the University of Wisconsin–Madison's undergraduate admissions selectivity a 92/99.[90] The 2022 annual ranking ofU.S. News & World Report categorizes UW–Madison as "more selective."[91] For the Class of 2027 (enrolled Fall 2023), UW–Madison received 63,537 applications and accepted 27,527 (43.3%). Of those accepted, 7,966 enrolled, for a totalyield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 28.9%. On average, UW–Madison accepts about two-thirds of in-state applicants, while its out-of-state acceptance rate is approximately 47%.[92] UW–Madison's freshmanretention rate is 94.2%, with 89.2% going on to graduate within six years.[93]
The university started test-optional admissions with the Fall 2021 incoming class in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has extended this through Fall 2024. Of the 38% of enrolled freshmen in 2022 who submittedACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 28 and 33.[93] Of the 18% of the incoming freshman class who submittedSAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1370–1500.[93] The average unweighted GPA among enrolled freshman was 3.88.[93]
Admission isneed-blind for domestic applicants.[94] The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 10 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 30 freshman students wereNational Merit Scholars.[95]
TheWall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings 2022 ranked UW–Madison 58th among 801 U.S. colleges and universities based upon 15 individual performance indicators.[111] UW–Madison was ranked eleventh in the nation and second among public universities by theWashington Monthly 2023 National University Rankings.[112]
In 2023, Money.com gave the University of Wisconsin–Madison 5 out of 5 stars among four-year colleges and universities in their Best Colleges in America list.[113]
UW–Madison was ranked 35th among world universities in 2022 by theAcademic Ranking of World Universities, which assesses academic and research performance.[114] In the 2024QS World University Rankings, UW–Madison was ranked 102nd in the world.[115] The 2024Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed UW–Madison 63rd worldwide, based primarily on surveys administered to students, faculty, and recruiters.[116] For 2023, UW–Madison was ranked 63rd byU.S. News & World Report among global universities.[117] In 2023, UW–Madison was ranked 28th globally by theCenter for World University Rankings, which relies on outcome-based samplings, coupled with a Subject ranking in 227 subject categories.[118]
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has the 12th largest research library collection in North America.[119] More than 30 professional and special-purpose libraries serve the campus.[120] The campus library collections include more than 11 million volumes representing human inquiry through all of history.[119] In addition, the collections comprised more than 103,844 serial titles, 6.4 million microform items, and over 8.2 million items in other formats, such as government documents, maps, musical scores, and audiovisual materials.[121] Over 1 million volumes are circulated to library users every year.[122] Memorial Library serves as the principal research facility on campus for the humanities and social sciences. It is the largest library in the state, with over 3.5 million volumes.[123] It also houses a periodical collection, domestic and foreign newspapers, Special Collections,[124] the Mills Music Library,[125] and the UW Digital Collections Center.[126] The UW–Madison Libraries are members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance.[127]
Steenbock Memorial Library is the primary science library and supports the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Engineering, the School of Veterinary Medicine, UW–Extension and Cooperative Extension, and the College of Liberal Arts and Science Departments of Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Statistics, and Zoology.[128] The University of Wisconsin–Madison Archives and Records Management Department and Oral History Program are also located in Steenbock Library. The library is named for UW professorHarry Steenbock (1886–1967), who developed an inexpensive method of enriching foods with vitamin D in the 1920s. This library is open to the public. After the closure of the Wendt Library for Engineering,[129] Steenbock Library was designated a Patent and Trademark Depository Library, and it maintains all U.S. utility, design, and plant patents, and provides reference tools and assistance for both the general public and the UW–Madison community.
Undergraduates can find many of the resources they need at College Library in Helen C. White Hall.[130] Special collections there include Ethnic Studies, Career, Women's, and Gaus (Poetry). The Open Book collection, created to support the extra-academic interests of undergraduates, contains DVDs, audio books, and video games, and paperback books.[131] The library also has a coffee shop, the Open Book Café.[132] College Library houses a media center with over 200 computer workstations, DV editing stations, scanners, poster printing, and equipment checkout (including laptops, digital cameras, projectors, and more).
Ebling Library for the Health Sciences is located in the Health Sciences Learning Center. It opened in 2004 after the Middleton Library, Weston Library, and Power Pharmaceutical Library merged collections and staff.[133]
The LGBT Student Center, located in theRed Gym, functions as a library for queer-themed fiction and non-fiction and provides training and resources for the entire campus.[134][135]
The Kohler Art Library is located in the Conrad A. Elvehjem Building across from theChazen Museum of Art and serves as the main campus resource for art and architecture. The library supports the Departments of Art and Art History as well as the Chazen Museum. Its collections number over 185,000 volumes covering global art movements of all periods.[136] A feature of the library is the Artists' Book Collection, which contains over 1,000 artists' books from 175 presses and artists.[136] The collection, created as a teaching resource in 1970 by founding Kohler Art Library Director William C. Bunce, was digitized in 2007 by the UW Digital Collections Center.[137] The Kohler Art Library is open to the public.
UW–Madison Libraries is maintain their own online catalog.[138] It includes bibliographic records for books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, maps, music scores, microforms, and computer databases owned by over 30 campus libraries, as well as records for items part of the University of Wisconsin System Libraries. The UW–Madison Libraries website provides access to resources licensed for use by those affiliated with UW–Madison, in addition to those openly available on theWorld Wide Web.
Washburn Observatory houses the College of Letters & Science Honors Program, while its telescope remains in use by astronomy students.
The Letters & Science Honors Program serves over 1,300 students in theCollege of Letters and Science (the UW–Madison'sliberal arts college) with an enriched undergraduate curriculum. In addition to its curriculum, the program offers professional advising services; research opportunities and funding; and numerous academic, social and service opportunities through the Honors Student Organization. The Honors Program also supports several student organizations, such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison Forensics Team.
The University of Wisconsin is a participant in theBig Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA). The Big Ten Academic Alliance is the academic consortium of the universities in theBig Ten Conference. Students at participating schools are allowed "in-house" borrowing privileges at other schools' libraries.[139] The BTAA uses collective purchasing and licensing, and has saved member institutions $19 million to date.[140] Course sharing,[141]professional development programs,[142]study abroad and international collaborations,[143] and other initiatives are also part of the BTAA.
The Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing is a post-graduate program for emerging writers offered by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It was founded in 1985 by the poetRonald Wallace, who taught at the university's English department from 1972 to 2015.[144] WICW was created "to provide time, space, and an intellectual community for writers working on a first book of poetry or fiction."
Each year, the institute awards "internationally competitive" nine-month fellowships to writers of fiction and poetry who have yet to publish a second book.[145] Fellows receive a cash prize and in exchange are required to live in the Madison area for the duration of their fellowship, teach one creative writing workshop each semester, assist in judging the English department's writing contests and fellowships, and give a public reading.[145][146] Notable past Fellows includeAnthony Doerr,Ann Packer andQuan Barry.[147]
The Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing offers two fellowships in fiction and three fellowships in poetry. Additionally, it offers the Halls Emerging Artist Fellowship to a second-year candidate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's MFA program in creative writing, in order to fund a third year of study. In 2012, the institute expanded its fellowship eligibility requirements to include writers who have published only one book-length work of creative writing.[145] From 2008 to 2014, it offered the Carl Djerassi Distinguished Playwriting Fellowship in addition to fiction and poetry fellowships.[147]
The Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement (WISCIENCE) is a unit that facilitates the coordination of science outreach efforts across the university and works to improve science education at all levels.[148]
UW–Madison was a founding member of theAssociation of American Universities.[150][151] In fiscal year 2022, the school received over $1.7 billion in research and development (R&D) funding, placing it sixth in the U.S. among institutions of higher education.[9] Its research programs were fourth in the number of patents issued in 2010.[152]
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of 33sea grant colleges in the United States. These colleges are involved in scientific research, education, training, and extension projects geared toward the conservation and practical use of U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes and other marine areas.
The university maintains almost 100 research centers and programs, ranging from agriculture to arts, from education to engineering.[153] It has been considered a major academic center forembryonic stem cell research ever since UW–Madison professorJames Thomson became the first scientist to isolate human embryonic stem cells. This has brought significant attention and respect for the university's research programs from around the world. The university continues to be a leader instem cell research, helped in part by the funding of theWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and promotion ofWiCell.[154]
Its center for research oninternal combustion engines, called the Engine Research Center, has a five-year collaboration agreement with General Motors.[155] It has also been the recipient of multimillion-dollar funding from the federal government.[156]
The Department of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics conducts research to advance the scientific and technical basis forfusion energy. They have over 70 current graduate students and recruit new students annually. Their research includes non-inductive startup techniques, investigation of ion gyro-scale turbulent instabilities and dynamics, understanding core-edge coupling, modeling of fusion machines through digital twins, and development of diagnostic systems.[157] The UW also hosts theHelically Symmetric Experiment (HSX), which is a modular coilstellarator.[158]
In June 2013, it was reported that the United StatesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) would fund an $18.13 million study at the University of Wisconsin. The study will research lethal qualities of viruses such asEbola,West Nile andinfluenza. The goal of the study is to help find new drugs to fight off the most lethal pathogens.[159]
In 2012, UW–Madison experiments on cats came under fire fromPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who claimed the animals were abused. In 2013, the NIH briefly suspended the research's funding pending an agency investigation. The following year the university was fined more than $35,000 for several violations of theAnimal Welfare Act. Many people spoke out against the experiments that ended in 2014. The university tried to defend the research and the care the animals received claiming that PETA's objections were merely a "stunt" by the organization. Since then, it remains the only major university that abolished its testing on cats.[160][161][162]
Over 800 student organizations or clubs are registered with the Office for Student Organizations, Leadership & Involvement (SOLI)[164] at UW–Madison each year.[165]
Religious student organizations include affiliates of the Christian organizationsAthletes in Action,[166]Chi Alpha Campus Ministries,[167] and theChristian Legal Society.[168]Pres House[169] is a progressive student organization loosely associated with thePCUSA that welcomes students of all backgrounds to its worship and various other gatherings. Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel is a Lutheran chapel and campus ministry that serves students of UW–Madison.[170] There are also a Hillel and a Chabad serving Jewish students.[171][172]
UW is also home to student vehicles teams such as Formula SAE combustion and electric, Baja SAE, SAE Clean Snow, ASME Human Powered Vehicle, Wisconsin Autonomous, Concrete Canoe and formerly theUW Hybrid Vehicle Team andBadgerloop.[173]
There are eighta cappella groups on the UW–Madison campus. Of them, two are mixed-voice, two are lower voice, two are upper voice, and two are themed mixed-voice. The groups are the MadHatters, Redefined A Cappella, Fundamentally Sound, Pitches and Notes, Tangled up in Blue, Under A-Rest, Jewop, and Wisconsin Waale.
UW–Madison is the only university in the country with two daily student newspapers:[174][175][176]The Daily Cardinal, founded in 1892 andThe Badger Herald, founded in 1969.The Onion was founded in 1988 by two UW–Madison juniors, and was published in Madison before moving to New York City in 2001.[177] It is also the home ofThe Madison Misnomer, an undergraduate comedy newspaper, founded in 2007.[178]
UW–Madison is also home to one of only two nationally distributed undergraduate international studies journals in the country.[179] The Journal of Undergraduate International Studies (JUIS) is a competitive publication that features peer-reviewed academic articles. It was founded in 2003 by David Coddon with the support of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Leadership Trust.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison campus radio station isWSUM 91.7 FM, "The Snake on the Lake".[180] Historically, UW–Madison has been home to a collection of student run radio stations, a number of which stopped broadcasting after run-ins with the United StatesFederal Communications Commission (FCC). The current radio station, WSUM, began in 1997 in awebcast only format because of the prolonged battle to get an FCC license and construct a tower. This lasted five years until February 22, 2002, when the station started broadcasting overFM airwaves at 91.7 from its tower inMontrose, Wisconsin. The radio station currently has around 200 volunteer DJs and eight paid managers. All UW–Madison students, as well as a limited number of community members, are eligible to participate in running the station. WSUM remains entirely free format, which means that the on-air personnel can showcase a large variety of music and talk programming at their discretion with few limitations. WSUM has garnered many awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association for their news, play-by-play broadcasts of Badger athletic events, and uniquepublic service announcements.[181]
The university runs over twenty residence halls, including learning communities and affinity communities. These are spread across two distinct neighborhoods: Lakeshore and Southeast. The largest residence hall has a capacity of 1,250 students, while the smallest is home to 30 residents.[182] Nestled against Lake Mendota, the Lakeshore Neighborhood is home to thirteen residence halls and four dining markets. The neighborhood is close to Ebling and Steenbock Libraries and the Engineering campus. The Southeast Neighborhood, near downtown Madison, is home to eight residence halls and two dining markets.[183] The Lakeshore and Southeast neighborhoods are considered to be rivals owing to their contrasting lifestyles. Southeast dorms are considered to be more social, while Lakeshore dorms tend to be more quiet.[184] In winter, the two sides meet at Bascom Hill for a snowball fight that draws hundreds of students.[185]
Barnard Residence Hall, the oldest functioning residential building on campus, opened its doors in the fall of 1913 as the second women's dormitory. The building features an Italian Renaissance Revival style and owes its namesake to former chancellorHenry Barnard, who, ironically, opposed student housing on campus believing it to be a drain on the institution's income.[186] Alongside neighboring Chadbourne Residence Hall, Barnard Hall is part of the Chadbourne Residential College, a building-wide living-learning community.[187]
On May 22, 2012, theHo-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin passed a resolution permitting the usage of the name "Dejope", a variation of the original Ho-chunk term, for a new residence hall at the university.Teejop means "Four Lakes" in the Ho-Chunk language, and Native Americans have used this word to describe the Madison area for thousands of years.[188]
TheWisconsin Badgers football team plays atCamp Randall Stadium. The head coach isLuke Fickell. TheHelms Athletic Foundation selected Wisconsin as the 1942 national champion at the end of the season, giving the program its only national championship.[189] Wisconsin has won 14 conference championships, eight outright and six shared.[190] The Badgers won threeRose Bowl Championships underBarry Alvarez in 1994, 1999, and 2000; they additionally competed in the Rose Bowl in 1953, 1960, 1963, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2020.
TheWisconsin Badgers men's basketball team plays at theKohl Center, where the student fans are known asAreaRED.Greg Gard is the current head coach. The Badgers earned their only NCAA National Championship in 1941, and were the NCAA tournament runner-up in 2015. The team madeFinal Four visits in 2000 and 2014,Elite Eight appearances in 1947 and 2005, andSweet Sixteen appearances in 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2017.[191]
Badgermen's ice hockey andwomen's ice hockey also play at the Kohl Center. From 1999 to 2012 the men's team led the nation in college hockey attendance, setting an NCAA attendance record (averaging 15,048) during the 2009–10 season, which surpassed their previous record set in 2006–07.[192]Bob Johnson coached the Badger men to three national championships in 1973, 1977 and 1981.Jeff Sauer coached the Badger men to two more titles in 1983 and 1990.Mike Eaves, member of the 1977 NCAA title team, coached the Badger men's team to its sixth national championship in 2006. The six Badger titles rank fourth in NCAA men's ice hockey history.[193]
2005–2006 marked the first time in school history that four Badger teams won national championships in the same academic year.[194] In the fall, the men's cross country team won its fourth national championship. The winter season was highlighted by the men's and women's ice hockey teams both winning national titles. The year was capped off in the spring with the women's lightweight crew taking its third straightIntercollegiate Rowing Association national crown. In 2008, both men's and women's crew teams claimed national titles.[195]
The school mascot is ananthropomorphizedbadger namedBucky who dons a sweater affixed with the UW–Madison athletic logo (currently the red "Motion W"). Beginning in 1890, the university's first Bucky Badger was a live, temperamental and unruly badger who was quickly retired. Although the nickname of the Wisconsin teams remained the "Badgers", it was not until Art Evans drew the early caricature version of Bucky in 1940 that today's recognizable image of Bucky was adopted. In 1949, a contest was held to name the mascot, but no consensus was reached after only a few entries were received. In reaction, the contest committee chose the name Buckingham U. Badger, or "Bucky", for short.
At Wisconsin football games in the 1920s live mascots were used to inspire fans. The animals used included a black bear, a bonnet monkey, and live badgers. 1949 was the first year a student sporting a papier-mâché badger head appeared; this subsequently replaced the use of live badgers.[202]
The team's nickname originates from thestate nickname. In the 1820s, many lead miners and their families lived in the mines in which they worked until adequate above-ground shelters were built, and thus were compared to badgers.[203][204]
In 2009, Fulton Market Films produced the documentaryBeing Bucky which followed the lives of seven Wisconsin students who take on the role of Bucky Badger.[205]Being Bucky won "Best Documentary Film" at theWisconsin Film Festival and went on to play in local Wisconsin movie theaters.[206]
As of 2017[update], UW–Madison had more than 427,000 living alumni. Although a large number of alumni live in Wisconsin, a significant number live in Illinois, Minnesota, New York, California, and Washington, D.C.[220]
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