In 2023, UW–Madison celebrated its 175 years of leadership in ground-breaking research, revolutionary social movements, and pioneering academic studies. 175 years ago, UW was officially incorporated by Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey. In 1851, North Hall, the first UW–Madison campus building, was opened and used as a classroom facility and a men’s dormitory.  But long before UW–Madison even existed, the land that UW–Madison occupies has been a cultural center for the indigenous Ho-Chunk nation. As time has continued, the physical spaces of Madison, Wisconsin have continued to change, and UW–Madison has continued to grow and adapt to changing expectations. Welcome to Rooted, our final episode of GridgeFridge season 4. Continue listening to learn about the history of the UW–Madison campus, value of space, and the many factors determining the physical layout of UW–Madison.

Since the grand opening of the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center on April 24, 2023, the facility has been used by an average of about 4,000 students daily. In combination with the Nicholas Recreation Center, together, both gyms see about 10,000 students a day, a fifth of the student population.  In this episode, we are talking with Sadat Khan, the director of facilities and operations at Recreation Wellbeing at the UW–Madison and with this April episode, we are celebrating the one year anniversary of the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center, UW–Madison’s newest gym and recreation center. As an integral part of the design process, Sadat explains the design motivations behind the Bakke and how the design process incorporated student perspectives. Keep listening to learn how the recreation center is a chance to promote inclusivity and holistic health, and how the new facility has been received on campus.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we bring you an Intern Extravaganza Special. GridgeFridge host, Laine Bottemiller, is joined by Morgridge Center interns Barsha Pantha, Isa Hernandez-White, and Makayla Cole to share and reflect about their personal and professional experiences at the center as graduation is around the corner. Tune in to learn how they've grown and hone their skills over the course of the past three years and what the Morgridge Center means to them and what it could mean to you.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Elise Ahn, the founding director of the International Projects Office and lecturer in educational policy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Elise studies language, linguistics, and education policy. Previously, Elise has also lectured at KIMEP University in Kazakhstan. The International Projects Office, or IPO, globalizes the Wisconsin Idea through international projects and partnerships—this can look like capacity building at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan or partnering with different countries through the United Nations to address COVID-19. Beyond the work accomplished by these UW–Madison programs, internationalizing the university is a chance for valuable person-to-person connections, we find out. Keep listening to learn about mutually beneficial international relationships at UW and how learning new languages—despite being intimidating—is a chance to build connections and foster inclusion in education.

Did you know that UW–Madison has an economic impact of $30 billion dollars annually on the state of Wisconsin? In this bonus episode, we talked about how Crystal has seen UW–Madison’s impact across the state of Wisconsin and how she communicates this value to Wisconsin policymakers. As the senior director of State Relations for the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Crystal Potts is the connecting piece between UW–Madison and the state government, balancing the interests and needs of Wisconsin legislators and policymakers with those of UW–Madison leadership, faculty and students. Listen to learn how state funding of UW–Madison impacts the university’s competitiveness and how Crystal advocates for the university while responding to legislators’ needs.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Travis Wright. Dr. Travis Wright has been the faculty director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service since 2022, but beyond the Morgridge Center, his life experiences have been full of public service. Growing up facing housing insecurity instability and then finding his own passion for public service, Travis has witnessed firsthand the importance of service and community engagement.  In this episode, we’re breaking the fourth wall and talking with Travis about his background, research, ideas of community engagement, and how those notions inform his work at the Morgridge Center. Join us as Travis and I discuss emotionally responsive teaching, how public service changed his life, and how community partnerships have the potential to build empathy and understanding.

In this episode, we talk with Gracey Niedzielak and Avery Simpson, the chapter president and vice president of A Moment of Magic at UW–Madison. A Moment of Magic, also known as AMOM, is a nonprofit organization that uses engaging social wellness activities to inspire children to be brave, strong, and fearless. The organization raises awareness for families impacted by pediatric cancer, children with disabilities and other medically vulnerable and underserved populations. Members of AMOM volunteer and visit these children at hospitals, fundraisers, or their home, often dressed as the children’s favorite character. Keep listening to learn how AMOM impacts the children and volunteers involved with the organization, and how the organization is making magic happen here at UW–Madison.

Every year, a select group of University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty and academic staff take a five-day journey across the state of Wisconsin, called the Wisconsin Idea Seminar. This episode, we're talking with Assistant Provost and Director of the Wisconsin Idea Seminar Catherine Reiland, who is responsible for designing the immersive study journey. The Wisconsin Idea Seminar is a chance for academic staff to come together, listen and learn from communities across Wisconsin. When designing seminars, Catherine focuses on the way that communities solve problems and how people can come together in inspirational and mutually beneficial ways. In this episode, we chat with Catherine about the value of the connection and how the program is a chance to hear from different voices across Wisconsin.

In this special episode of GridgeFridge, we dig into the topic of affordable housing in Madison. As the university’s population continues to grow, students question whether there is physically space enough for them. Others are unsure whether they can afford to come to UW-Madison at all. Produced over four months, this narrative-style episode features voices across campus and Madison, including leaders from the Zoe Bayliss Student Housing Cooperative, housing administrators/representatives from UW–Madison and the City of Madison, and campus constituents. Listeners will learn about the efforts in motion to better understand the housing crisis and find solutions. Those initiatives, their progress, and where affordable housing is heading in the City of Madison — we’re going to unpack it all in this special spring semester episode of GridgeFridge.

In this episode, we’re excited to welcome Emily Boettcher, Elaine West, and Maddy Willander, students who worked on a capstone project involving issues to prisoner reentry — also a Community-based Learning course. Their project centered around the organization Just Dane, a program in Dane County that works to provide resources to and advocate for individuals impacted by incarceration. We’ll talk with these students on their experience working with Just Dane and in the academic environment surrounding the criminal justice system.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we're chatting with Amanjot Kaur, Kayley Bell and Sarah Nehls. Throughout the spring, this group has been working with BadgersVote, League of Women Voters, Campus Vote Project, and Associated Students of Madison to activate students in the civic engagement sphere. Following one of the most funded state Supreme Court races, we're reflecting on what made this election special and the importance of the student vote. We're also discussing this semester of BadgersVote's work, reasons you shouldn't be afraid to ask about voting, and why students should care about local elections.

In our second episode of the spring semester, we’re thrilled to welcome Sammy Angelina, Jenna Harb and Claudia Liverseed. Claudia and Jenna are interns for the Morgridge Center’s Student Organization Partnership Programs, called SOPP. SOPP works to connect community partners with registered student orgs to build long-term partnerships between campus and the greater Madison community. Sammy works as a community engagement education intern, a role in which she facilitates educational workshops for students engaging with the community. In March, Claudia, Jenna and Sammy attended the IMPACT Conference, which is one of the nation’s largest annual conferences focused on civic engagement and community engagement on college campuses.

After taking some time to rest and rejuvenate over winter break, we are happy to be back and bring you more episodes! In our first episode of the spring semester, we are thrilled to have Emma Gleed and Molly Peden join us to talk about Achievement Connections. Achievement Connections matches UW–Madison students with local high school students to tutor them in math while developing their overall study skills. The program is a partnership between United Way of Dane County, AmeriCorps, Madison Metropolitan School District, Middleton Cross Plains Area School District and the Morgridge Center for Public Service. In this episode, we’ll look at what Achievement Connections does, why it focuses on math tutoring and how students can get involved to support local students’ academic success.

In this special episode of GridgeFridge, we dig into the behind-the-scenes work of the Sifting and Reckoning exhibit – the culmination of a years-long research project examining the history of discrimination and exclusion at UW–Madison. Produced over two months, this narrative-style episode features voices across campus, including Public History Project Director Kacie Lucchini Butcher and Assistant Director Taylor Bailey. Listeners will learn about the difficult decisions and intricate research that went into uncovering stories for the Sifting and Reckoning exhibit. For years, many of these stories have remained buried in the archives and obscured in the university’s past. In addition to exploring the exhibit’s complicated curation process, listeners will hear directly from students about what they think of the project and where the university must go from here. Through the voices of past and present Badgers, we critically examine the university’s history and look forward to how we can make campus a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all. The Sifting and Reckoning exhibit is open at the Chazen Museum of Arts until Dec. 23, 2022. Admission to the exhibit and the rest of the museum is free.

In our third episode this season, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Barry Burden. Barry is a professor of Political Science at UW–Madison, and is the director of the Elections Research Center. His research and teaching are centered around American elections, with a focus on representation and the electoral system. Barry also chairs the BadgersVote Coalition, which is a campus-wide initiative that strives to provide UW–Madison students with everything they need to know in order to participate in their elections. In this episode, we’ll talk with Barry about his upbringing, research and scholarship that engages in an increasingly questioned American election system, as well as his take on young people being civically engaged.

In this episode, we’re excited to welcome Kao Lee Yang. Kao Lee is a doctoral student at UW–Madison. She researches dementia as a trainee in the Neuroscience Training Program and studies public policy through the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Kao Lee is also a Morgridge Fellow, which is a program hosted here at the Morgridge Center to expand and develop community-engaged scholarship at UW–Madison. Furthering her community impact, Kao Lee is the founder of HmongInBioSci, a Twitter account that serves as an online forum to uplift and celebrate Hmong-identifying academics in biological sciences. We talk with Kao Lee about her research, her experience as a Morgridge Fellow and the importance of Community-engaged Scholarship on campus and beyond.

To kick off our third season of GridgeFridge, we’re thrilled to welcome Hannah Hatlan-Atwell. Hannah has gained a lot of experience in the public service sphere in the Madison area – and now, she helps UW–Madison students navigate the public service sector as a career advisor for the School of Human Ecology (SoHE). Before coming to SoHE, Hannah worked as a coordinator for the Achievement Connections program. Achievement Connections serves over 150 students in the Madison Metropolitan School by providing math tutoring services with the help of over 100 UW–Madison students volunteers. In this episode, we’ll explore Hannah’s work at SoHE to support students pursuing careers in public service and different opportunities on campus this fall that could be a great fit for you.

To cap off an amazing second season, we’re thrilled to welcome Shreya Bandyopadhyay, who is an Andrew Goodman Foundation Ambassador at the Morgridge Center. Shreya is a senior majoring in political science and legal studies with a certificate in gender and women's studies. As a Vote Everywhere Ambassador, Shreya has promoted civic engagement and voting accessibility on campus for two years. Shreya also co-hosts PodCast Your Vote, which is a podcast dedicated to encouraging voter engagement and awareness. As a passionate advocate for women’s rights, Shreya also works as a digital communications intern at the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virgina. In this episode of GridgeFridge, we’ll chat with Shreya about her work as a student voting advocate on campus, the 2022 midterm election, and how her time at the Morgridge Center has influenced her postgraduate journey.

Today on GridgeFridge, we’re ecstatic to welcome Abby Onesti, a member of UW–Madison’s Music Therapy Association (MTA). Abby has been a member of Music Therapy Association for three years and is currently the president. MTA’s goal is that each of its members understands what music therapy is, how it works, and to bring awareness to the music therapy profession. In this episode of GridgeFridge, we talk with Abby about her work as a member of MTA, the impact of MTA as music therapy, and how students can get engaged with community-engaged organizations like MTA on campus.

Today on GridgeFridge, we’re ecstatic to welcome John Zumbrunnen, the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning. Zumbrunnen has been a faculty member of the UW-Madison Political Science Department for over a decade. Now, as the vice provost for teaching and learning, he provides leadership and support for UW–Madison’s teaching and learning mission across campus. Previously, Zumbrunnen served as faculty director of the Chadbourne Residential College and co-chaired the UW Teaching Academy. Zumbrunnen’s academic work examines the history of political thought, democratic theory and American political thought. In this episode of GridgeFridge, we will talk with Zumbrunnen about his work in the political science department, the challenges and responsibilities of his role as the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, and how students can become civically engaged leaders on campus and beyond.