For the past century, UW-Madison has held tight to its tradition of extending the borders of campus to the borders of the state. Known as the Wisconsin Idea, this legacy has forged countless partnerships between the university and its statewide community—schools, organizations, government agencies, and businesses.

As the state's needs change, so, too, do the partnerships. With the economic challenges facing Wisconsin, new partnerships will emerge. In fact, they are already forming.

Today, the university works closely with more Wisconsin businesses than ever before, providing expertise, resources, and technology. For example, the College of Engineering has nearly 40 research centers that work with industry, and the School of Business annually offers some 300 public programs of interest to businesses.

With even more partnerships in place, new opportunities for economic development, as well as learning, can follow. Through mutual effort, new tools can improve business strategies and profits, leading to more jobs and tax revenue for the state. University-industry collaboration also can lead to cooperative learning environments in which faculty, staff, and students can broaden their own horizons.

Successful partnerships, however, depend on several key steps.

The first is easier access to what the university can offer. To find campus centers, identify specific technologies of interest to a company, or to reach out to individual faculty, potential partners must be able to navigate UW-Madison's vast sea of resources. New ports of entry—such as Web sites tailored to industry audiences or consortia that enable campus researchers and business leaders to network—can achieve this. A new Office of Corporate Relations was established in July 2003 precisely to begin that important liaison work between the university and industry.

These ongoing efforts represent just how powerful an idea can be. The Wisconsin Idea, which guided the university 100 years ago, is guiding priorities today, and will continue to guide them tomorrow.