University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: School News

Dance Department’s Walker named new director of Division of the Arts

By Käri Knutson, University Communications Chris Walker, an artist and an experienced and influential leader in the arts on campus, has been named the new director of the Division of the Arts. Walker is a professor in the School of Education’s Dance Department and founding artistic director of First Wave, a nationally prominent scholarship program known for pushing the …

Anna Halprin, UW–Madison alumna and ‘transformational force’ in dance, dies at age 100

UW–Madison alumna Anna Halprin, “a dancer and choreographer who sought to move beyond what she saw as the constraints of modern dance,” died on May 24 at age 100. Halprin earned her bachelor’s degree from UW–Madison’s Dance Department in 1942. “Ms. Halprin knew her family wanted her to attend college,” explains an obituary for Halprin …

Abdu’Allah’s ‘The Barber’s Chair’ featured in ‘Artists Without Borders’ exhibition

The work of UW–Madison’s Faisal Abdu’Allah is featured in the exhibition, “Artists Without Borders: Reflections on Art and Place,” presented by the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA). Abdu’Allah holds UW–Madison’s Chazen Family Distinguished Chair in Art, and is a professor with the School of Education’s Art Department. The exhibition opened on April 24 at MOWA’s main building in …

The Discussion Project: Improving classroom discussion across disciplines

For instructors, a great discussion produces the teaching equivalent of a runner’s high.  But as most realize, while it’s relatively easy to get students to talk in class, getting them fully engaged in an intellectually productive and satisfying classroom discussion is much harder. “Having a teacher set up an organized and functional discussion greatly improves the …

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen to headline WIDA eConference

Viet Thanh Nguyen, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Sympathizer,” will deliver the keynote address at the WIDA eConference on October 14, 2021. During his address, Nguyen will talk about his experience as a refugee in America and his work to advocate for Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). WIDA is housed in the UW–Madison …

UW–Madison alumnus O’Connor named ‘Indian Educator of the Year’

UW–Madison alumnus David O’Connor has been named the 2021 “Indian Educator of the Year” by the Wisconsin Indian Education Association (WIEA). O’Connor earned a master’s degree in 2013 from the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. He is currently an education consultant with the American Indian Studies Program in the Wisconsin Department of Public …

UW–Madison’s Kaplan accepts visiting professorship in Heidelberg, Germany

UW–Madison’s David Kaplan has been named the Max Kade Visiting Professor at the Institut für Bildungswissenshaft (Institute for Education Science) at the University of Heidelberg for the fall 2021 semester. Kaplan is the Patricia Busk Professor of Quantitative Methods in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology. Kaplan has held numerous visiting scholar positions and …

UW–Madison alumnae awarded Spencer Foundation grant

UW–Madison alumnae Saili Kulkarni and Sunyoung Kim were awarded a Racial Equity Special Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation for their project, titled “Playing Together: Using Learning Labs to Reduce Exclusionary Disciplinary Practices for Young Children of Color with Disabilities.” Both Kulkarni and Kim earned their PhDs in Special Education from the School of Education’s Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and …

UW–Madison alum is finalist for national award for math and science teaching

UW–Madison alumna Erin Schroeder is one of six Wisconsin educators named as finalists for the 2021 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Schroeder is a mathematics teacher at Waunakee Community High School, and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The awards, presented …

Dance graduate Kopchinski to present senior honors concert May 22-23

Recent UW–Madison graduate Courtney Kopchinski (BFA Dance, 2021) will present her senior honors concert, “(begin)ning,” at two locations on Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23. “(begin)ning” is a collaborative concert consisting of five works created with varying artists and audiences. The collaborative aspect of the works stemmed from a desire to understand the true nature of the …