Chancellor Mnookin: A new semester begins — welcome back!
As we begin a new semester, I wanted to reach out to welcome you—whether you’re just returning to campus or have stayed local throughout Winter Break.
The following message was sent to all students, faculty and staff from Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin on Jan 20.
Dear Badgers,
As we begin a new semester, I wanted to reach out to welcome you—whether you’re just returning to campus or have stayed local throughout Winter Break.
I hope the past few weeks offered opportunities to rest, reconnect, and reset. January in Wisconsin can feel long, but the days are already growing lighter, and the start of a new semester brings its own kind of energy: new classes and projects, renewed collaborations, and the chance to approach our work with fresh perspective and intention.
We begin this term at a moment when national and global events continue to evolve quickly and, for many, feel unsettling or personal in different ways. In a community as large and engaged as ours, people are bringing a wide range of experiences, concerns, and hopes with them into the semester. One of the enduring strengths of UW–Madison is that we make room for that complexity—while staying anchored in our shared commitments to learning, discovery, and the free exchange of ideas.
That work continued even over Winter Break. UW–Madison researchers advanced promising new insights into disease prevention, carried out ambitious experiments that stretched from our laboratories into space, and continued efforts that strengthen communities in Wisconsin and beyond. Interest in the first round of Wisconsin Exchange seed grants exceeded expectations, with dozens of teams proposing bold, cross-disciplinary collaborations. And new national rankings placed UW–Madison fifth in the nation in research expenditures—our highest standing in more than a decade—reflecting the scale, ambition, and impact of the work done by our faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students.
The semester ahead will bring many opportunities to come together as a community: celebrating Winter Carnival (Kayak Ice Pulley Challenge, anyone?), preparing for the Undergraduate Symposium, engaging with speakers and interactive programs all over campus, including through the Wisconsin Exchange, and cheering on Badger athletes, including those competing on the world stage in the 2026 Olympics (we have more players on the U.S.A. women’s hockey team than any other school, and you’ll also spot Badgers playing for Canada and Czechia).
My hope for the months ahead is that each of you finds moments of connection and meaning, through a class discussion that stays with you, a collaboration that takes shape, or a simple act of kindness that makes this big campus feel a little smaller.
UW–Madison is a large and diverse institution, but we are deeply bound together by a shared purpose and a belief in the power of education and research to make a difference. We are strongest when we support one another and remain curious, engaged, and open to learning and to each other.
I wish you a semester filled with growth, discovery, and purpose. If there’s a way we can support you, please reach out. And to our students: consider sending a quick note, or even a selfie, home today to the people who are cheering you on from afar.
Have a wonderful first week of classes, and On, Wisconsin!
Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin
