politics
Science Faction
In a new book, former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson ’63, JD’66 recalls his partnership with UW–Madison and his support for biotechnology research.
LOL
Brian Stack MA’88 is poised at the pinnacle of late-night comedy — writing and performing for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Jessica Weeks
A UW expert discusses the “dark side” of international relations: dictatorships.
Parental POV
A history course tackles the 1970s–90s through a generational lens.
A Judge on Trial
John Becker LLB1890 lost his career in public service when his words were deemed a crime.
Paula Bonner MS’78
Paula Bonner
After just a year of teaching phys ed to eighth graders in her native South Carolina, Paula Bonner moved to Madison …
Dairy Drama
The $43 billion Wisconsin industry has benefited from a long tradition of UW support.
Black Cultural Center
A resource center for African American students has a new home on campus.
Jake Lubenow
Jake Lubenow x’18
With more than 300 dues-paying members, the College Republicans of UW–Madison is one of the organization’s largest …
Protest vs. Disrupt
Free-speech guidelines address a delicate balance.
Russia in Focus
The new Wisconsin Russia Project aims to help the U.S. be more prepared to manage a calculating Kremlin with yet-to-be-determined ambitions.
Great Fall of China
Should a Chinese couple have one baby? Two? More? UW obstetrician Fuxian Yi and his homeland are at odds over children.
Politics and Persecution
As sharply divided opinions about the war drew unwanted national attention to the state, the UW was eager to show its loyalty.
A Matter of Interest
When the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in a decade, Simon Potter MS’87, PhD’90 was in charge of carrying out that change. What’s it like to have a front-row seat to keeping the economy humming?
Cambodia Protests
A look back at May 1970 through the lens of an alum’s camera
Dorri McGhee McWhorter ’95
Photo by Alissa Pagels
As the CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Dorri McGhee McWhorter ’95 is garnering headlines for …
Michael Knetter
The president and CEO of the UW Foundation says our strength is in our numbers.
John Woolley MA’74, PhD’80
Matt Perko
John Woolley MA’74, PhD’80 was 12 when he stood at a Nashville, Tennessee, curb watching President John F. …
Steven Durlauf
Bryce Richter
In 2014, an exhaustive book about income inequality — French economist Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First …
Locked Out
In an excerpt from his best-selling book, Matthew Desmond MS’04, PhD’10 sheds new light on the harsh realities of housing and poverty.
This Woman’s Work
Kathryn Clarenbach ’41, MA’42, PhD’46 is largely unknown, but her name belongs alongside those of Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem in the history of modern feminism.
Social Strategy
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are part of everyday life. What happens when political candidates and their campaigns wade into the social media scrum?
The Analyst
Elan Kriegel ’03 runs the data shop for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. After the election, he and his team will use their algorithms and their passion to help other causes.
Ben McCready x’76
The portrait painter’s roster includes four U.S. presidents and several celebrities, such as George Clooney and Paul Newman.
Unbowed
Naheed Qureshi ’94 works for justice and equality for American Muslims, who face discrimination, violence and hateful rhetoric.
Campaign Roadshow
UW–Madison Archives S08042
UW–Madison loves politics and, from time to time, politicians even return that love.
During this campaign year, …
Boom Box Parade
When former student Leon Varjian passed away last September, UW–Madison lost one of its true legends.
Budget Fallout
For UW–Madison, the hits just keep coming.
Jim Doyle
A former governor sees “bright, committed” people taking us into the future.
Kings of Sherman Park
Herb Kohl ’56 and Bud Selig ’56.
The Warlord’s Biographer
In his recent book, Brian Williams PhD’99 sets the record straight on Afghanistani general and now vice president Abdul Dostum, who, along with his cavalry of two thousand Uzbek horsemen, helped the United States defeat the Taliban in a key battle in late 2001.
Advocating for Your University
Alumni voices have played a role for more than 150 years.
The Chemistry of Truthfulness
UW Professor William Bleckwenn 1917, who first used sodium amytal to treat people with schizophrenia, had little idea that his pioneering work would lead to what is popularly known as truth serum.
It Was a Very Good Year
In 1964, the university was marked by rising interest in civil rights, a legendary live music scene, and such a large incoming class that officials considered banning student cars and bicycles and building a campus subway or monorail.
Making It Count
How can we reform the American voting process?
Social Potential
Can spending time online translate into citizen action?
We’re still struggling to build a more perfect union
As a nation, we are deeply polarized. And our partisan divisions will solidify with the approaching 2014 midterm elections and the horserace already under way for the 2016 presidential campaign.
Practical Magic
Fans of Harry Potter and other pop-culture touchstones transform into activists.
The Reach of Facebook
A powerful social platform is engaging citizens in the political process.
Teaching Controversy
How can we prepare our kids to participate in the highly polarized world of politics?