For Wisconsin and the World: Focusing a Great University on its Core Mission, Public Purpose, and Global Reach

Third-Year Progress Report

Reinvigorate the Wisconsin Idea and renew our commitment to our public mission

The Year of the Wisconsin Idea highlighted how the work of university faculty, staff, and students contributes to the state, nation, and world. The celebration included 41 events, 29 of which are standing UW–Madison activities that incorporated the Wisconsin Idea in some way. More than 8,500 students, faculty, staff, and community members participated in events during the year.
In 2011, UW–Madison brought in $808 million in new revenue to Wisconsin through research and instructional activities and $1.1 billion for all activity and sources.
University Research Park has an econo-mic impact of $826 million for the state, including creating more than 9,300 jobs and generating $43 million in local and state tax revenue.
During the 2010–11 academic year, for the first time in its history, the university awarded more than 10,000 degrees. Of the 10,099 degrees conferred, more than 3,500 were in master’s, research doctorate, and professional/clinical doctorate programs.
The Global Health Institute awarded $320,000 in global health research projects to six schools and colleges, and continued to expand global health education, with more than 200 students enrolled in certificate programs and nearly 300 students participating in field courses and independent study in 25 countries.
The Office of Sustainability was formally launched with the goal of fostering a campus community that embraces sustainability as a core value and serving as a catalyst that ties sustainability to the campus’s objectives and values. The office distributed eight seed grants designed to promote ties between sustainability research and education, and campus operations.
Thanks to gifts and grants from private sources, including UW alumni Simona and Jerome A. Chazen, a $43 million project to expand the Chazen Museum of Art opened to the public. The new building doubles the museum’s size and, among other features, provides space for public enrichment programs.
The Office of Corporate Relations worked with more than 530 companies, organizations, and individuals and connected them to campus experts and resources that could provide needed business assistance.
Interim Chancellor David Ward led a Wisconsin delegation to China to launch UW–Madison’s first-ever international office. The Shanghai Innovation Office, located in a large research park in Shanghai’s Minhang District, is designed to facilitate conferences and workshops in areas such as technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and the commercialization of intellectual property.
The Pro Arte Quartet, believed to be the world’s oldest continuously performing string quartet and the first quartet anywhere to be named a university ensemble-in-residence, celebrated its 100th anniversary with public concerts and lectures.
As part of the Badger Volunteers program at the Morgridge Center for Public Service, 950 students worked with 53 Madison-area schools and other community groups, volunteering 15,200 hours at food pantries, clinics, programs for the elderly, and more.
Seventy percent of the UW’s student-athletes participated in community service in the Madison area, contributing more than 3,600 hours.
Visitor and Information Programs (VIP) hosted campus tours for more than 42,000 prospective students, and staff at the Welcome Centers personally greeted more than 200,000 visitors. Some 1.3 million people interacted with VIP via website visits, phone calls, online chats, and email exchanges.
The Entrepreneurs’ Resource Clinic assisted more than 150 nascent entrepreneurs and new start-up companies, with services ranging from legal assistance to business development ideas to communications consulting.
The Division of Continuing Studies offered 642 noncredit courses this year. In partnership with campus-based outreach units, the division enrolled 202,318 participants in classes or programs and, through Adult Career and Special Student Services, provided free educational advising and career counseling to 6,675 people. In addition, 3,440 nontraditional students took UW credit courses via distance education or during evenings and weekends.
The Wisconsin Idea Scholars Program was launched, connecting community leaders from across the state with UW–Madison experts to promote discussion and enable solutions to some of the state’s most pressing challenges.

Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Projects

The Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment awarded nearly $790,000 in 2012 to projects that foster public engagement and advance the Wisconsin Idea.

Home-visit programs for low-income women experiencing postpartum depression
Public-health projects for rural and other medically underserved populations
Community-based education about practical applications of IceCube research
Alternative treatment for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder
Outreach to K–12 students to increase awareness of engineering, math, and science
A legal clinic that will assist immigrants facing detention or deportation
An educational program that will help older adults avoid medication errors
Travel and skills development for students participating in Model United Nations
Movement classes and performances for underserved girls ages 9–18
Studio arts experiences for hospital patients transitioning to their communities