The rise of environmental awareness on the University of Wisconsin -Madison campus can be traced back to the broader societal movements of the 1960s, including the civil rights movement and anti-war protests, which fostered a climate of activism and social change.
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Center for Campus History 2024-2025 Year in Review
The Center for Campus History’s mission is to uncover and give voice to the many groups across the university’s history who experienced and challenged discrimination and exclusion on campus. Since becoming a permanent center in 2023, the CCH has sought to continue and grow that mission, working to expand and enrich UW–Madison’s historical narrative by centering the voices, experiences, and struggles of marginalized groups. That work has taken many forms over the last year, from new archival research to classroom visits. We published new pieces of student and staff research, collaborated with other campus groups on public-facing projects, developed new curricular materials, and much more.Consider this Year in Review a sampling of what we’ve been up to.
Remembering Rice Paper: The Artifact After the Obituary
By the time of the magazine’s final issue in August 1977, Rice Paper had succeeded in holding a published space for Asian American artists and writers, while simultaneously acting as a regional resource for Asian Americans in need of contacts, support and cultural centers, and various economic and career opportunities.
Driving Change: The Legacy of the Women’s Transit Authority
“Some of us have cars, so let’s share those resources with other women who don’t and give each other rides.” That was the basic idea behind the Women’s Transit Authority (WTA) — a service that became a symbol of safety and empowerment for women in Madison.
Building the Southeast Dormitories: How UW’s Postwar Building Program Unleashed Relentless University Expansion in Madison
As U.S. universities bulldozed entire neighborhoods with federal and municipal government support in the mid 20th century, they normalized an urban planning model that prioritized university expansion over the preservation of urban homes and communities.
Introducing ‘Reorientation’, a Podcast from the Center for Campus History
What’s the deal with campus police? How did UW–Madison and hundreds of other universities across the country end up with their own deputized law enforcement agencies? And what does their existence mean for the communities they police, both on and off campus? Those are the questions we’re digging into on the inaugural season of Reorientation, an original narrative podcast from the Center for Campus History!
Center for Campus History 2023-2024 Year in Review
The Center for Campus History (CCH) officially opened on July 1, 2023, but it grew directly out of four years of work as the Public History Project, a limited-term initiative commissioned by Chancellor Emerita Rebecca M. Blank. The Project’s mission was to uncover and give voice to the many groups across the university’s history who experienced and challenged discrimination and exclusion on campus. Since becoming a permanent center, the CCH has sought to continue and grow that mission, working to expand and enrich UW–Madison’s historical narrative by centering the voices, experiences, and struggles of marginalized groups. That work has taken many forms over the last year, from new archival research to classroom visits. Consider this Year in Review a sampling of what we’ve been up to.
“The Policy of Secrecy:” Parents, Administrators, and Spies Investigating Sexual Violence Before UWPD
There was snow on the ground when a Madison police officer and a Pinkerton agent arrived on campus in February 1911 to investigate the rape of a sorority house mother. Agents kept arriving over the coming months as more reports of sorority break-ins and sexual harassment of students rolled in. It was the dead of summer by the time the investigation wrapped up and the (at least) eight private detectives called in from The Pinkerton National Detective Agency and their rival, the William J. Burns International Detective Agency, returned to Chicago.
On Badger Belonging: The Complexity of Shared Identity at UW–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has stood as the flagship university of the state since Wisconsin was founded in 1848. For nearly two centuries, there have been thousands of people who have attended or worked at this institution — some carrying on a family tradition and others simply excited to embark on a new educational journey. Through its history, UW–Madison has marketed itself not only as a school, but also as a community that is invested in the cultivation of well-rounded scholars, cutting-edge researchers, and strong leaders. The marketing tactics change, but are always implemented with the same goal: to foster a sense of belonging at UW. Whether or not people at UW–Madison feel as if they belong within the bounds of this institution, though, is another thing completely.