The Wisconsin Alumni Association congratulates all of Wisconsin's newly elected legislators and incumbents. At WAA, we are especially proud of fellow Badgers who rise to positions of leadership. Please join us in congratulating the following alumni:

Tammy Baldwin JD '89 (D), 2nd Congressional District
David Obey, '60 MA '68 (D), 7th Congressional District
Steve Kagen '72, MD '76 (D) 8th Congressional District
Alberta Darling '67 (R) 8th District, State Senate
Luther Olsen '73 (R) 14th District, State Senate
Al Ott '67 (R), 3rd District, State Assembly
Pedro Colon JD '94 (D), 8th District, State Assembly
Josh Zepnick '90 (D), 9th District, State Assembly
Fred Kessler '62, LLB '66 (D), 12th District, State Assembly
Barbara Toles '79 (D), 17th District, State Assembly
Tamara Grigsby '00 (D), 18th District, State Assembly
Scott Newcomer '89 (R), 33rd District, State Assembly
Fred Clark '93 (D), 42nd District, State Assembly
Keith Ripp '80 (R) 47th District, State Assembly
Ed Brooks '65 (R), 50th District, State Assembly
Gordon Hintz MPA '01 (D), 54th District, State Assembly
Peter Barca '82 (D), 64th District, State Assembly
Louis John Molepske, Jr '97 (D) 71st District, State Assembly
Marlin Schneider MS '79 (D), 72nd District, State Assembly
Gary Sherman '70 JD '73 (D), 74th District, State Assembly
Mary Hubler JD '80 (D) 75th District, State Assembly
Terese Berceau '76 (D) 76th District, State Assembly
Spencer Black '80, MA '81 (D) 77th District, State Assembly
Mark Pocan '86 (D) 78th District, State Assembly
Chris Danou '89 (D) 91st District, State Assembly
Lee Nerison '70 (R) 96th District, State Assembly

To see full election results for the state of Wisconsin, click here.

Jobs. Education. Healthcare. As a Wisconsin citizen, these issues are important to you. Learn more about the University of Wisconsin-Madison's leadership role in the areas you think are most essential to our state.

The UW Needs You
State support. State funding made up 27 percent of UW-Madison's budget in 1999, down to just 21 percent in 2008. A recent Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance report ranked Wisconsin 49th our of 50 states in increasing funding for higher education over the past five years.

Faculty retention. During the past three years, outside job offers to UW faculty have nearly doubled. Salaries for UW-Madison professors rank last among 12 comparable public institutions.

Graduate student retention. Graduate students play a vital role in the university's research and teaching mission. UW-Madison faces increased costs and tougher competition for the best students.

Affordability. In-state tuition has more than doubled in the past ten years, threatening the affordability of a public college education. The average debt for students graduating in 2007 was $21, 018.

Alumni for Wisconsin can help you speak your mind to your state legislators.
We encourage you to gather some friends and neighbors to meet in person with your legislators to discuss the issues that you feel are most important to UW and to the state. Please contact Mike Fahey at (608) 263-2645 or mfahey@waastaff.com if you are interested in setting up a legislator meeting in your area.

You can also use this helpful link to contact your legislators by e-mail.
Contact your state or federal legislator.

Don't forget to voice your opinions by signing our online petition.

Wisconsin has lagged behind every other state but one in providing funding increases for higher education over the past five years, according to a report this week by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

CONTACT: Robert Seltzer, (608) 262-0464, raseltzer@admissions.wisc.edu

ROBUST NUMBERS OF FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS IN CLASS OF 2012

MADISON - Incoming students to the University of Wisconsin-Madison are
traditionally strong academically and very active in activities outside
the classroom.

But in recent years, the university is also gaining a reputation for
admitting a significant group of first-generation students, or students
whose parents did not earn a college degree.

Among this year's class of 5,774 new students, 1,170 carry this
distinction. First-generation freshmen have consistently made up
approximately 20 percent of UW-Madison's incoming class, a percentage that
the Office of Admissions has been tracking since 2005.

"Building a strong cohort of first-generation students shows this
university's commitment to ensuring that all residents have an equal
opportunity to get an education here, even when their parents may not have
had the chance to attend college," says Rob Seltzer, director of
admissions.

First-generation students also positively impact their peers by adding
another layer of diversity to campus community, he adds.

First-generation students in the 2008 freshman class include Adam Lopez,
from Milwaukee, who says that as a high-school student, he "thought about
his first-generation status constantly." He knew that going to college
would mean that others in his family would follow in his footsteps.

Jack Concannon, another incoming first-generation freshman, chose to come
to UW-Madison from New York. He also chose UW-Madison over Boston, Fordham
and Northeastern universities. Although his parents both worked in
finance, a trend that Concannon is hoping to continue, he is the first
person on either side of his family to go to college.

Deanna Yang, of Sheboygan, was very aware of the significance of coming to
UW-Madison. She says that she comes from the Hmong community, among which
high-school graduation rates and college retention rates are low. For her,
coming to the university meant supporting positive images of the Hmong
community by attending a four-year university.

The Office of Admissions considers first-generation status as one of many
important factors - such as course rigor and standardized test scores -
that contributes to being offered a place in UW-Madison's freshman class.

UW-Madison has a vested interest in the success of its first-generation
students, which it sees as directly proportional to its efforts to build
up a strong body of these students in each freshman class, Seltzer says.

This priority is paying off. First-generation students report feeling very
comfortable on campus for various reasons, including parental support for
choosing UW-Madison and programs such as Pre-College Enrichment
Opportunity for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) and the Summer College
Experience (SCE). These two summer high-school bridge programs help
students transition from high school to college.

As UW-Madison freshman, Milwaukee-native, first-generation student and
PEOPLE scholar Precious Woodley explains, such programs gave her an early
taste of "the college experience" and helped her learn how to navigate her
way around the university.

Freshmen at UW-Madison are also taking advantage of the many opportunities
for personal enrichment available on campus.

Lopez is involved with MEChA, a Chicano student organization, as well as
the Latino Men's Group. And Concannon is a pledge at Tau Kappa Epsilon, as
well as an intern for the public interest group WISPIRG.

Other statistics of note about the Class of 2012 include:

- The class represents 70 of 72 Wisconsin counties, 44 states, the
District of Columbia and 46 countries.

- It also is made up of 13 percent students of color, 53 percent women and
6 percent international students.

- The university received 25,478 applications and admitted 13,438.

- Fifty-four percent were in the top 10 percent of this high-school class.

- The mean high school academic GPA was 3.69.

- The mean ACT score was 28.1, compared to the national average of 21.1.

- The mean SAT score was 1897, compared to the national average of 1511.

- Seventy percent of freshmen held a part-time job in high school.

- Sixty-six percent earned a varsity letter in one or more high-school
sports.

- Fifty-six percent received an award of special recognition for
leadership.

- Fifty percent performed in a school musical group.

- Thirty-three percent exhibited a work of art at school.

To learn more about first generation students at UW-Madison, visit
http://www.news.wisc.edu/15568.

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Coverage from the 2008 Alumni for Wisconsin Fall Forum:

UW Grads Become Advocates at Alumni for Wisconsin Forum
University Presentations at 2008 Alumni for Wisconsin Advocacy Forum
Officials: u.S. Fiscal Crisis Could Mean Budget Squeeze for University