MADISON, WI (August 23, 2024) — Waukesha County turned cardinal red as UW-Madison alumni and friends gathered to celebrate the university’s 175th anniversary. With free Babcock ice cream and Bucky Badger firing up the crowd, excitement was in the air at Nashotah’s Red Circle Inn. UW-Madison chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin thanked those who have been passionate advocates for the university. “We’ve made this a yearlong, statewide celebration, but of course, we cannot get to all 72 Wisconsin counties in one year,” said Mnookin. “So we’ve selected a small number whose partnership with the university has had a truly profound impact — and Waukesha is on that list!”
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association helped organize this and several other special events throughout the day to highlight how UW-Madison is making a difference in Waukesha County.
At GE HealthCare in Waukesha, company and university officials gathered for breakfast to celebrate more than 40 years of collaboration in global health innovations. GE HealthCare and UW-Madison are both part of Wisconsin’s public-private consortium, led by BioForward, which helped secure $49 million in federal funding to create the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub. “This is going to create thousands of high-tech jobs and put rocket boosters under our work to create life-saving medical innovations,” said Chancellor Mnookin. “The Wisconsin idea talks about the university having impact outside the walls of the classroom,” said Jay Hill, GE HealthCare Vice President of Advanced Technologies. “It's been a privilege for us to be a partner in helping that happen with the UW team in all the different UW schools, and especially we really valued our partnership with the School of Medicine,” Hill added. “The purpose of the state tour is to celebrate partnerships that UW-Madison has in local communities,” said Sarah Schutt, chief alumni officer and executive director for the Wisconsin Alumni Association. “Being at GE was particularly fitting due to the enduring partnership, with so many fruitful intersections and future opportunities with the Tech Hub,” added Schutt. “The partnership bond is stronger because of the common commitment [that] GE and UW have to make people’s lives better.”
At the Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center (WVRC) in Waukesha, Jonathan Levine, the new dean of UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, discussed the opportunities and challenges in animal care. Many WVRC employees graduated from UW-Madison’s veterinary program and shared their professional experiences with Levine. He shared his vision for the future of the program and the new curriculum under development. “We'll be focusing on professional competencies like communication and skills and trying to build veterinarians who are ready to hit the ground running day one, but are also equipped with the tools to flourish in a very, very complicated and changing world, said Levine.
Cutting-edge research on child behavior in challenged neighborhoods was the focus of a roundtable discussion at Hadfield Elementary School in Waukesha. The UW’s new School of Education dean, Marcelle Haddix, sat down with the principal and social workers from the school to discuss innovative programs under development with the help of UW-Madison experts. “From our custodian to me, it's our culture of who we have here to connect and help children and families,” said Principal Michael Elliott. Hadfield teachers and staff are especially proud of a program called called Check-in/Check-Out. It matches students with adult mentors to reinforce and track behavioral goals.
One last 175th anniversary celebration is scheduled for La Crosse on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Please visit 175.wisc.edu/tour-stop/la-crosse-county-wi for more information.
