On July 26, 175 years to the day since its founding as the state’s first public university, UW-Madison will kick off a year-long celebration to reflect on the successes and challenges of its first one and three-quarter centuries and to spark conversation around the next 25 years leading up to its bicentennial in 2048. Photo: Jeff Miller

There are anniversaries, and then there are demisemiseptcentennials—a milestone 175 years in the making.

This July marks 175 years since Wisconsin’s first governor and legislature created the University of Wisconsin. Since then, the state’s very first public university has been a constant trailblazer, leading the way in everything from ground-breaking research discoveries to defining cultural movements.

UW–Madison will honor these historic moments as part of a year-long beginning celebration July 26, 2023 — 175 years to the day since the university was created. Programming will run through May 2024 and will include annual traditions, such as Homecoming and Founder’s Day, as well as anniversary events that will take the Badger spirit to counties across Wisconsin.

“For the past 175 years, UW-Madison has been a place where extraordinary ideas become life-changing realities, where we honor traditions of the past while also continuing to propel Wisconsin forward,” says Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. “In the year ahead, we’ll celebrate many of the people, events and important advancements that have made UW–Madison one of the most respected institutions in the nation.”

Planning for the 175th anniversary will bring together UW–Madison students, faculty and staff, and university partners, including the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA), Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), and community groups. The events will not only reflect on the successes and challenges of the past 175 years, but also aim to spark conversation around the university’s next two-and-a-half decades leading up to its bicentennial celebration in 2048.

“Since its creation, UW–Madison has positively impacted every corner of the state. As we approach this important milestone, we invite students, faculty, staff, alumni and residents from across Wisconsin’s 72 counties to join us in celebrating the university’s past and look ahead to its bright future,” says Charles Hoslet, vice chancellor for University Relations.

Additional information about UW–Madison’s 175th anniversary will be released in the coming weeks. Comments and questions about the event can be shared with celebrate175@wisc.edu.

Over the course of the fall semester, 22 teachers from 12 different countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia honored their skills at the School of Education as part of the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (Fulbright TEA) program. The educators were part of the Fulbright TEA Media Literacy Cohort, which aims to help teachers develop and promote media literacy skills in their communities back home.

The program is administered by IREX and funded by the Department of State, and is only available to educators in 15 countries.

“The purpose of the program is to bring teachers together from different parts of the world to come into conversation with others about teaching practices, new pedagogies and how to confront global challenges such as media literacy,” said Kate McCleary, associate director of the School of Education’s Global Engagement Office.

The educators were in the Madison area from Sept. 13 to Oct. 24 and took seminars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while simultaneously receiving media literacy training from PBS Wisconsin, according to McCleary. The educators also had an opportunity to tour the Wisconsin State Capitol, sit in on a Badgers volleyball game and visit Chicago.

The teachers interacted with approximately 960 Madison, Monona and Cottage Grove students, and the program included five main components: media literacy and technology, ESL & language pedagogy, social studies education and contemporary issues in education.

Many of the guest educators shared they felt it was a great opportunity to mold them not just as educators, but as people.

“I decided to apply for the Fulbright TEA Media Literacy program because I recognized it as a unique chance to develop myself not only as an educator but also as an individual,” said Ausma Sereiviene, a Lithuanian teacher in the program.

For others, taking in the so-called “Midwest nice” way of teaching helped them recognize a different education style that many say they look forward to using back home.

“I have learned a lot of things during my time in Madison, from teaching approaches and media literacy techniques to classroom interaction protocols and group dynamics management in youth and adult classes — I have gathered knowledge and relevant materials that will reshape and improve my practice, ” said Maria Cristina Mocanu, a teacher from Romania.

Many of the teachers who reflected on the program also acknowledged that a key takeaway from the Media Literacy Cohort was the mutual exposure to different cultures this opportunity presented.

The Madison-area teachers who facilitated this program got the opportunity to learn about a region in Europe and Asia that is sometimes overlooked, and the guest educators were able to learn about Midwest culture and Wisconsin life, something many of them said they wouldn’t get to learn about otherwise.

“The group was so curious about US culture and exploring as much of the area as possible while they were here,” said McCleary.

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For many, this initiative was their first opportunity to visit Wisconsin.

“I knew nothing about Madison and Wisconsin prior to finding out that it was our destination,” said Riina Pauklin, one of the guest educators. “It surprised me how open, political, and friendly Americans are. I didn’t expect Madison to be so beautiful.”

The program served as a means to unite Midwest and Eastern European culture for both the visiting and Madison-area teachers.

“I am confident that people at UW-Madison as well as those in the community have learned a bit more than they had known about Romania and Europe prior to meeting me, as it happens when one gets to meet people from places that are rather unexplored ,” said Cristina Mocanu.

Nearly everyone agreed that this was an opportunity that enhanced their understanding of different cultures and how they compare to the more familiar ones back home.

“You can learn so much about our shared world if you are willing to make time to sit down, ask questions and listen,” said McCleary. “Having the time and space to get to know 22 people from other parts of the world who are committed to teaching, and change agents in their home communities was incredibly rewarding.”

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Dancers perform in Madison Ballet’s “Next Steps” in 2022.

MADISON BALLET

Madison Ballet, known for its annual “Nutcracker” and recent efforts to make an artistic leap with new leadership, is undergoing more changes.

Madison Ballet artistic director Ja’ Malik will take on the additional role of executive director with the upcoming departure of CEO Jonathan Solari, the longtime arts organization has announced.

Solari, who came to Madison Ballet from New York in March 2019, is moving to Louisiana to take the position of director of development with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he said.

“It was time” to move on, Solari said. “I was really proud of all the work that I’ve accomplished over the past four years and how the organization has evolved. I’m really confident in the organization to take on that next chapter.”

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Solari’s move “was a little bit of a surprise,” said Ja’ Malik, whom Solari and the board of Madison Ballet recruited from New York last summer.

Longtime Madison Ballet board member Corkey Custer said the board would be meeting Wednesday night and planned to finalize the job description for Solari’s replacement.

“We have every intention of filling Jonathan’s position,” Custer said.

Ja’ Malik, whose name is a blend of his first and middle given names, said he gained experience filling the dual roles of artistic and executive director while heading his own dance company, Ballet Boy Productions, for seven years in New York.

Madison Ballet artistic director Ja’ Malik will also take on the role of executive director following the departure of CEO Jonathan Solari.

YES MALIK

He’s comfortable doing that again at Madison Ballet on an interim basis, he said, but emphasized that the company’s “number-one priority” should now be to find a development director.

“I’m able to cover the role of Jonathan for a good year and a half,” he said, “in hopes that we can get a development director who can help us grow our budget and our donor sponsorship to really help us execute the outreach, the performances, the touring and the things we want to do with the organization.”

The years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have been tough on the performing arts, with many organizations now working hard to lure audiences back. But Solari said that he is leaving Madison Ballet on solid financial footing.

Madison Ballet’s annual operating budget stood at around $1.1 million when Solari joined the performing arts company, Solari said.

“Last year it was at $2.2 (million), so we nearly doubled that,” he said Wednesday. “We’re in the best cash position I think the organization has ever been in. A lot of that is because of the way we managed the pandemic and took advantage of the programs that were available to us during that time.”

Holiday success

In December 2022, “The Nutcracker” — the company’s annual flagship production and chief money-maker — “was, I believe, the highest-grossing production that we have ever had,” Solari said. “The ticket sales were the strongest and the revenue was as well.”

Madison Ballet had just moved to its current home at 6734 Odana Road when Solari took the helm. It is a resident company of Overture Center for the Arts, where it performs “The Nutcracker” each year at Overture Hall.

The company’s next production will be “Ballet Beyond,” running March 31 through April 8 at the Starlight Theater in the MYArts center. “Ballet Beyond” will feature the company’s professional dancers, as well as dancers from the Madison Ballet School, in works choreographed by Ja’ Malik and former dancers from Dance Theater of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

During Solari’s tenure, the company also innovated with performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” outdoors in Wisconsin parks and excerpts from “The Nutcracker” performed for Afghan refugees temporarily housed at Fort McCoy. The company celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022 with a program titled “Turning Pointe,” meant to signal an ambitious new artistic vision.

Another exit

Madison Ballet also recently saw the departure of School of Madison Ballet director Jacob Ashley El, formerly a company dancer for 15 years.

“Unfortunately, we needed to reevaluate that role and take a step back,” said Ja’ Malik, who has since made rehearsal director Richard Walters the school principal.

The ballet school focuses on training dancers for a potential career in the art form, but now has to compete with a ballooning number of dance schools in the area, particularly those that train for dance competitions, Ja’ Malik said.

“There is frankly an oversaturation of dance schools in this community,” Solari agreed. “It’s a really difficult market to make a school thrive in.”

Some regrets

In reflecting on his four years with Madison Ballet, Solari said he wished that the partnerships the company had formed with community centers and other nonprofits had been able to flourish, but many of those outreach efforts were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve still been able to make good work happen with the Bayview Foundation and neighboring school districts,” Solari said, “but I would just love to see the education portion of the organization lean more towards those partnerships than putting those resources into the school. I think a healthier balanced organization would do as much outreach as it does school work.

“My other regret is that I’m not going to see the rest of Ja’ Malik’s work,” Solari said. “I think the season that we’ve begun planning for next year and the following year are really incredible. I’m going to do my best to fly in and cheer them on for opening nights.”

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“We’re in the best cash position I think the organization has ever been in.”

Jonathan Solari, who is stepping down as CEO of Madison Ballet

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Ja’Malik, who has served as artistic director of Madison Ballet since July 2022, will step into an interim executive director role after the announcement that Madison Ballet CEO Jonathan Solari will leave the company.

Solari has been with Madison Ballet for four years, but will step down to take a position in Louisiana with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation. School of Madison Ballet Director Jacob Ashley will also leave the company, and Richard Walters is now filling that post.

Ja’Malik will assume responsibilities in the interim while the company searches for a new executive director, a process that will begin as soon as possible, according to a news release.

Ja’Malik says Solari’s contributions have well-positioned the company to “expand our work on a national level.”

“It has been a pleasure to work with Jonathan as I settled into my role as artistic director,” Ja’Malik says. “Madison Ballet’s reputation as one of the top performing arts organizations in Dane County has continued to strengthen locally under his leadership.”

During his tenure, Solari helped Madison Ballet return to live performances post-COVID-19 and celebrate the 40th anniversary season finale Turning Point among other company milestones.

“Madison Ballet has been an inspiring and meaningful chapter in my career, and I look forward to seeing all that comes next for the company,” Solari says.

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press release: The International Marxist Tendency – Madison Branch talk. Room 1217.

The rise of right wing politics, reactionary movements and fascist-friendly support in society is a threat to oppressed communities, working class organizations and the very fate of humanity. But, how to fight these ideas and remove support for them? It is not a coincidence that once the post-WWII boom ended in the 1970s, the youth and working class in this country and around the globe went onto the streets demanding nothing less than a better society for all. The capitalist class felt cornered and under Siege from one social movement to the next, and went on the offensive with a program of lies, divisiveness, and the worst reactionary ideas to stop the advance of revolutionary ideas. Today, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are in charge of keeping the agenda of pro-business while resisting progress. Millions are facing an endless decline in living conditions, and see in the rhetoric of right-wing populists an escape from the business-as-usual of the traditional capitalist parties. Only a revolutionary program can solve the urgent problems like healthcare, oppression, and climate change. It can effectively counteract the capitalist propaganda of hate, division, and reaction. We must build it ourselves based on the forces of the working class and oppressed communities. Join us in a discussion on how we can defeat the right with revolutionary ideas!

We’ve all made spelling mistakes and had typos before, but fortunately our mistakes aren’t etched in stone.

The MTA can’t say the same.

At the new, $11 billion Grand Central Madison terminal that open just last week, a spelling mistake was made on the wall. A quote carved into a stone wall of the station has the last name of American artist Georgia O’Keeffe spelled wrong.

The etching forgot one of the F’s in O’Keeffe’s last name. But the MTA is now aware of the mistake, and provided that extra F in its response to the mishap.

“We clearly F-ed this one up and it’s being fixed,” said MTA Communications Director Tim Minton.

The agency took responsibility for the error, and said it will be addressing it, but did not say when the correction would be made.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A disturbance in the parking lot of Madison LaFollette High School prompted the postponement of the school’s basketball game against Madison East High School.

Madison Metropolitan School District spokesperson Tim LeMonds said a large police presence responded to the altercation, which happened during the lunch hour.

LeMonds said all after-school activities at LaFollette have been canceled Tuesday due to safety concerns.

A source at the Madison Police Department said that an ex-student walked into the parking lot and pointed a gun at someone before driving away. No shots were fired.

No one was hurt as a result of the disturbance.

NBC15 has reached out to the MPD spokesperson for more information. This story will be updated as details develop.

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

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GROVEPORT, Ohio — Two students are facing charges after a large fight broke out at Groveport Madison High School Monday afternoon, police said.

The Groveport Police Department said at 12:30 pm, the school resource officer made an emergency call for assistance because of the large fight.

While details on how the fight started were not immediately available, the police said the officer used pepper spray on the students and was able to stop the fight. The officer also dispersed the crowd.

The students were treated by the school nurse and medics from the Columbus Division of Fire.

The students are charged with disorderly conduct and additional charges are expected following further investigation and reviewing the additional video, police said.

Three candidates running to be Madison’s next mayor answered questions at a public forum about their ideas for the city’s future.

MADISON (WKOW) — The three candidates who will appear on the February 21 ballot for the Madison mayor race spoke at a public forum Monday, answering questions about their plans for the city and why they want the job.

Current mayor Satya Rhodes Conway, former deputy mayor Gloria Reyes and longtime city employee Scott Kerr shared their views on topics including city finances, neighborhood planning, bus rapid transit and public safety.

Rhodes-Conway said she thinks the city and police department’s current approach to crime is the right one. She said she supports continuing to use data to identify trends and more effectively use police department resources.

“We need to let our police officers do the things that they are best at doing, and that involves working on violent crime,” she said. “But we also have to make sure that we’re investing in the things that reduce crime in the long term.”

One of Rhodes-Conway’s challengers, Kerr, said he thinks Madison needs more police officers on the streets. He said he also supports having all officers wear body cameras. He pointed to the beating of Tire Nichols in Memphis as a reason why body cameras are important.

“Body cameras are not the only answer,” he said. “We also need overhead traffic cameras to help capture the scene. … I’m hoping that we never have a Memphis-type situation in Madison, but, if we do, I want to make sure we have the cameras to prove exactly what happened .”

Reyes said she also supports police officers wearing body cameras, but that’s not her main issue. She said she wants to reduce violent crime and establish a homicide review commission.

“When I left the mayor’s office, we had four homicides per year, and now we’re trending 10 homicides per year,” she said. “That concerns me.”

Reyes and Rhodes-Conway said they believe it is important to reduce gun violence in Madison and voiced their support for Public Health Madison & Dane County’s violence prevention initiatives.

Rhodes-Conway and Kerr said they want to expand services that respond when someone in the city is having a mental health crisis.

The primary election is February 21. All three candidates will appear on the ballot, and the top two vote-getters will move on to the primary election on April 4.

A fourth candidate, Daniel Howell, is running a write-in campaign for mayor. Howell attended Monday’s forum, but did not answer questions.

A new terminal for the Long Island Rail Road was built beneath Grand Central Station in New York City.

A new transportation hub recently opened beneath the iconic Grand Central Station in New York City. Grand Central Madison connects the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), a commuter train that services Long Island, with bustling Midtown Manhattan. The hub will shorten commutes for 45% of LIRR riders.

The 700,000 square-foot terminal, which has been decades in the making, cost more than $11 billion. It is the largest passenger rail terminal to be built in the United States since the 1950s and represents the biggest expansion for the LIRR in more than a century. Visitors and commuters will have access to 25 retail stores and several entrances into Grand Central, which is on the East Side of New York City. In the past, LIRR commuters had to travel to the West Side, adding to their commute time.

MTA Arts & Design commissioned artwork for Grand Central Madison that would enhance commuters’ journey.

NEW ARTWORK

In addition to its design and construction, the station stands out because of its stunning artwork. MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Arts & Design oversees all artwork commissioned for the New York City transit system.

I recently spoke with Sandra Bloodworth, director of MTA Arts & Design, via Zoom. She explained that since its founding in 1985, the program has commissioned several works of art for the MTA. The art has been added to refurbished subway stations and transit hubs.

Bloodworth said that the artwork should connect with riders in a special way. “Our goal is to bring art into the stations in order to improve the journey for our customers,” she said. “But it’s more than that. We want to create work that speaks to the people who are using a particular station.”

A detail from Kiki Smith’s commissioned artwork, “River Light,” at Grand Central Madison

“A TREMENDOUS RETURN”

Two renowned artists, Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith, were chosen to create large glass mosaics for Grand Central Madison. Kusama’s art is playful and engaging, Bloodworth said. “It makes you feel good to experience this work,” she added.

Smith created “River Light” and four other works. “As you come down into Grand Central Madison from Grand Central Terminal, you experience it as you walk into the concourse,” Bloodworth explained. “It’s about light on the East River.”

Bloodworth said that “River Light” also connects riders with their journey. To get to Grand Central Madison, the LIRR utilizes a tunnel beneath the East River. The mosaic represents the journey riders take.

Art in the transit system “changes the experience riders have in our system,” Bloodworth said. “For this very small investment, you get a tremendous return.”

Detail of a mosaic created by Yayoi Kusama for Grand Central Madison