Alumni coalition aims for statewide involvement

The Wisconsin Alumni Association has created a new coalition called “Alumni for Wisconsin” that will work to mobilize greater support for UW–Madison and provide a public forum for voicing opinions.

Its Web site — www.alumniforwisconsin.org — is a central place where friends of UW–Madison can access the economic data, learn the latest legislative news, read about the real-world impact of budget cuts, locate and contact their legislators, and sign a petition of support.

Continuing budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin System have prompted the need for new avenues that allow concerned alumni to get involved, says WAA President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Bonner.

“‘Wisconsin’ the state and ‘Wisconsin’ the school have almost become synonymous, and rightly so – the economic well-being of the state is inextricably linked to the strength and health of the University of Wisconsin,” Bonner says.

UW–Madison alone creates almost 75,000 jobs in the state, and the university’s presence generates nearly $347 million annually in state and local tax revenue. The impact of UW–Madison on the state’s economy is $4.7 billion, more than ten times the state’s annual investment. These and other important measures of UW–Madison impact will be incorporated into the site, Bonner says.

In conjunction with the creation of the new Web site, WAA is launching a new ad campaign called “Wisconsin. A State. A School. A Stand.” The first in a series of ads will appear on the back cover of the Winter 2005 issue of On Wisconsin Magazine. The ads will feature different alumni from around the state and why they are speaking out to take a stand for Wisconsin. The first ad will feature Kathy Costello ’71, MS’77, principal of Annie Jackson Elementary School in Green Bay.

The former advocacy arm of the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the Badger Action Network, a group of alumni interested in legislative issues, will now become part of the newly named Alumni for Wisconsin coalition group.