
Impact 2030 is an ambitious initiative that is designed to dramatically strengthen our already highly regarded School of Education. Thanks to generous donors who are backing these efforts with $40 million in gift funds, Impact 2030 is helping us push the boundaries of innovation, research, and creativity over the next decade.
We are bolstering opportunities and significantly increasing financial support for our faculty, staff, and students so they can thrive — with the ripple effects of their work better serving our communities, the state, and the world. We are especially focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion work that reduces barriers to access; increases the demographic diversity of our faculty, staff, and students; and encourages scholarship and service that embraces all members of society.
This work is more important now than ever. We’ve got our eye on four big goals leading up to the School of Education’s centennial celebration in 2030. Join us on the leading edge of redefining what’s possible.
Learn more about Impact 2030 in this video.
Annual Report
Learn more about Impact 2030, and how it’s changing lives for faculty, staff, and students across our School.
View the 2022-2023 Annual Report as a PDF
Four Big Ideas
Investing in Wisconsin’s future teachers
In order to provide schoolchildren with the best possible education, the School of Education is dedicated to strengthening and diversifying Wisconsin’s teacher workforce. To accomplish this goal, we are pledging to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing and licensing costs for all of our teacher education students. For students with greater financial need, the Teacher Pledge can also provide funds to cover costs beyond tuition, such as books or living expenses. In return, our students pledge to work at a Wisconsin pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school for three to four years after graduation. The Teacher Pledge is open to all participating teacher education students — and is the first program of its kind offered by a public university. This will help the School attract and retain diverse cohorts of students who are dedicated to becoming future educators across Wisconsin.
Transformational and innovative learning experiences
Our goal is to provide the very best, high-impact educational experiences for our students. In addition to strengthening these efforts across the arts, health, and education, we’re also innovating beyond our classroom walls by putting new resources into developing the highest quality online and hybrid learning experiences possible. The School is committed to helping undergraduates become involved with cutting-edge research projects, and is creating and expanding valuable in-person and virtual paid internship options. We’re refocusing our vital global engagement strategies and, once it’s safe again to travel internationally, growing the number of study abroad opportunities tied to one’s major. The School is also dedicated to educating and empowering our students to be equity-oriented agents of change and productive citizens who embody the Wisconsin Idea.
Bolstering faculty support
Faculty members are central to the School’s success as dedicated educators, groundbreaking researchers, and vital mentors to the next generation. We are committed to recruiting top academics with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to scholarship, teaching, and service that embraces and engages the full measure of the diversity of our society. We are also making substantial new efforts to support faculty doing outstanding work by committing significant resources over the next decade to a new faculty fellowship program. These new fellowships provide flexible funding over five years to further a faculty member’s research and scholarship. We announced the first nine fellows in the summer of 2020, with even more to be awarded by 2030. We similarly anticipate establishing new professorships and chairs through Impact 2030.
Significantly strengthen student scholarships
We challenge our students to change the world. However, they need support to do so. The School of Education is significantly increasing its scholarship and fellowship packages, and utilizing a new strategic plan for equity, diversity, and inclusion to better attract and serve students from groups that are historically under-represented at UW–Madison. These supports, in the form of scholarships and fully funded doctoral and master of fine arts programs, make us competitive with highly ranked peers across the nation. In addition, we launched a new Bridge to Success scholarship program for students during the 2020 summer term and 2020 fall semester who were facing financial need due to the pandemic. Combined, these bold efforts are an investment in our students — and in our future.
"Why I give"
The Dean’s Leadership Circle is a group of generous individuals who have donated to the School of Education. Explore who they are and why they want to make an impact.