I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on the impact of our School. Attempting to wrap my mind around the enormity of the past, present, and future work of our community and all of the lives it touches is humbling, to say the least. We are artists, educators, and health care providers in many forms and, as we know, each of those fields holds the promise of almost limitless impact. In the pages of this issue of Learning Connections, we make another attempt — as we always do in this magazine — to meaningfully convey a handful of the many ways our School is reaching into lives and helping individuals realize their true potential for growth, joy, connection, and meaning.
Speaking of growth, it is an honor to be the dean of this exemplary School as it marks the 100th anniversary of our Dance program — the first academic dance degree program in the United States. Over the past 10 decades, our Dance program has grown from an innovative upstart initiative to a groundbreaking and inspiring hub of creativity and singular expression across performance and scholarship. I hope you enjoy a dance through the decades of the program (page 12), a look at how the department is bringing dance into Madison schools (page 16), and information about its next new frontier: a Master of Fine Arts program that is sure to be another way our Dance Department leads in its field (page 19).
Bringing dance into Madison schools that wouldn’t otherwise be able to provide it to students is a truly wonderful achievement — and certainly an opportunity for a ripple effect of impact across students’ lives. Who knows how many lifelong lovers of dance are taking their first spin as a part of our program? Similarly, this issue shows how a faculty member is bringing her cutting-edge research on artificial intelligence in the classroom to support teachers in rural Arcadia, Wisconsin (page 8). Her work is laying the foundation for students and teachers there to learn and grow in exciting new ways that will serve them for years to come. This work’s impact is seen in a middle school science teacher who feels more supported to do her best work. That is such a beautiful thing.
Other moments of impact highlighted in these pages include a remarkable gift to our School from an alumnus who has made his name creating blockbuster video games (page 20) and a profile of two lovely School of Education supporters whose scholarships have made it possible for several students to become Badgers (page 23).
As always, I appreciate your engagement with our community. Thank you for all you do to champion our School and expand our impact every day, in so many ways.
— Marcelle Haddix