Cheers for Grandparents University

Jeanne Nye and her granddaughter Charlotte Nye learned about DNA at a biotechnology class at the 2022 Grandparents University. Althea Dotzour

Grandparents University (GPU), the UW–Madison summer event that brings grandkids and their grandparents to campus to enjoy special classes together, was launched by the Wisconsin Alumni Association in 2001. Since then, more than 30 other schools have been inspired to start their own initiatives.

Children between the ages of seven and 14 visit campus with their grandparents or other adults, with many opting to stay in a residence hall. Attendees can register for “majors” in fields ranging from art and music to entomology, nursing, and veterinary science. They also participate in tours of campus destinations such as Camp Randall Stadium, the Geology Museum, and Babcock Dairy.

“We hear all the time from grandparents that kids decided on their college major based on a class they took during Grandparents University,” says Nathalie McFadden ’14, who manages the program.

Julie Underwood, a former dean of UW–Madison’s School of Education, says that her grandkids plan their GPU majors a year in advance. “Kids opening up and learning about things that you would never have an opportunity to teach them — that’s pretty special.” One of her favorite moments was seeing the kids’ faces light up when they got to dance with Bucky Badger at the GPU dance party.

Liz Philosophos Cooper ’77, who attends GPU with her husband, Scott Cooper ’77, and their grandchildren, says the program has lived up to their expectations tenfold. She enjoys experiencing something new through her grandchildren’s eyes and says, “They’re so excited — they talk about it all year round.”

Scott adds that “the instructors do a marvelous job at getting involvement, bringing it down to the kids’ level, and also making it interesting for us.” The kids were thrilled to hear their names called at the graduation ceremony and to choose their own food in the cafeteria. He was also impressed to see how excited they got about the idea of actually attending college when they got older.

During the graduation ceremony, Kate Prehn ’09, who played a key role in the program from 2010 to 2025, began a tradition of asking the children to thank their grandparents. “It is so magical to see them all turn at the same time with huge smiles on their faces, and they throw their arms around each other and high-five,” she says. “It’s just such a special moment. That’s why we do this.”

Published in the Summer 2026 issue