UW–Madison at 175: VC Ackerman reflects on a legacy of discovery and looks to the future
July 10, 2023
This month, UW–Madison launches its 175th anniversary with much to celebrate.
I look forward to joining you on the evening of July 26—175 years to the day since the state’s first governor and legislature created the University of Wisconsin— for the kickoff. Expect fireworks, live music, free ice cream and the lively conversation that comes from a summer night on the Memorial Union Terrace.
Anniversaries like this one often inspire us to reflect. For me, I’ve been thinking about what an honor it is to be the Vice Chancellor of Research and Graduate Education entering this celebratory year. UW–Madison has been my career home since I arrived in 1987 as an associate researcher in the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. In 1992, I became a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and I have served in a number of additional leadership roles since. Each step has introduced me to curious and committed colleagues.
UW–Madison is a special place where the deep tradition of the Wisconsin Idea underscores the importance of how what we do impacts communities throughout the state and across the globe. UW–Madison also ranks among the top research universities in the world with research expenditures of nearly $1.4B—an impressive figure, especially in a hyper-competitive environment.
But what I most appreciate about UW–Madison is the vibrancy and creativity that infuses all areas of campus life from research across our four divisions (biological, physical, social, and the arts and humanities) to the classroom, service, sports, and entertainment. All these aspects of campus life will be showcased during the 175th anniversary celebrations.
I am proud that UW is a research training ground supporting the next generation of innovators, where world-class faculty work alongside graduate students and post-docs in our labs and in the field to keep our research enterprise humming along.
This anniversary is a great time to step back and ask ourselves, who has my back? It’s a time to say thank you to research support staff, librarians, students and other colleagues, partners both internal and external, and our patient families who allow us the privilege to be able spend the hours and commitment it takes to do this important work.
Thank you.
To recognize this milestone, my office has produced a 175th anniversary research webpage including timelines that honor achievements in research from 1848 to the present. To report additional research highlights, please email vcrge@research.wisc.edu.
Our office is also taking time this celebratory year to champion future leaders in innovation with an inaugural award to recognize four early career innovators. These innovators have exemplified the Wisconsin Idea by translating scientific findings into applications, products, and services that can change the world. The awardees were selected by my office from a list of finalists provided by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
For 175 years, research at UW–Madison has positively impacted every corner of the state and improved the lives of people around the world. UW–Madison researchers are continually developing game-changing innovations. We celebrate their work and thank them.
Where will the next 175 years of research take us? What will the world look like? It’s a fun and interesting exercise to think about how “different” it might be and what we might need to do to get there. What our history shows us is that researchers rarely follow a pre-determined path to progress; they stumble onto it. They are often even surprised by their own discoveries.
Whether it be incremental progress or a big breakthrough, today’s scientific advancements are setting the stage for our researchers to solve the problems of our rapidly changing world. Those solutions will spring from the ideas and talents of people from many backgrounds and skill sets.
UW–Madison is a special place – and has been for 175 years. And that’s a great reason to celebrate!
Steven A. Ackerman
Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education
Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences