As many of you know, recently I have been visiting some of Wisconsin’s major industries and drawing the linkages between what businesses and researchers accomplish together.
To build on those efforts, today we launch the first issue of Wisconsin Ideas, an email newsletter that shares some of the ways UW-Madison works throughout the state.
We want to show how people everywhere in the state connect with the university and our research. Many understand our education mission, but fewer understand our research mission, which is absolutely central to Wisconsin. It affects our economy, our health and our quality of life.
The first issue highlights some of these examples, such as the work we do with Oshkosh Corp., which employs about 100 of our alumni and has a strong history of collaboration with our College of Engineering. Oshkosh recently won a multi-billion dollar defense contract to build a safer, more mobile combat vehicle that will take the place of thousands of Humvees.
In addition to presenting stories of collaboration and success through research, we are sharing ways in which people, businesses and organizations throughout Wisconsin can engage the university.
These collaborations are the heart of the Wisconsin Idea. Every university where I have been supports outreach. I’ve never been to a place where that’s built into the DNA as closely as it is here, and I believe it’s critical to our success.
I invite you to subscribe to this blog to receive the newsletter, which we are sharing with business, community and government leaders throughout the state.
Thank you and On, Wisconsin!