With a focus on the Great Lakes, UW faculty and staff reflect on the Wisconsin Idea

This year’s Wisconsin Idea Seminar highlighted the ancient waterways of Wisconsin and how they continue to sustain life and community across the state.

By Catherine Reiland

June 29, 2026

A woman takes a picture of the foliage using her phone. — Shan He, an assistant professor of botany whose research on photosynthetic organisms contributes to the understanding of global food security, pauses to take a photograph at Alice’s Garden, a two-acre urban farm near Fond du Lac Avenue on Milwaukee’s north side. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

In May, the 2026 Wisconsin Idea Seminar set off on a journey to follow a 900-mile circular path around Wisconsin focusing on the state’s great waterways. Three dozen University of Wisconsin—Madison faculty and staff, many of them new to campus, were on a mission: to meet fellow Wisconsinites in communities along the route and hear about their perspectives on the places that hold deep meaning to them.

More than 40 years ago, the Wisconsin Idea Seminar emerged out of the commitment to introduce UW—Madison faculty and staff to the people and places of Wisconsin with the goal of seeing how the Wisconsin Idea mobilizes collaborations across the state. Since then, the seminar has crisscrossed rivers, forests, rolling hills and prairies, creating an opportunity to reflect on the Wisconsin Idea and inviting those new to the state to extend their roots here.

More than 1,300 faculty and staff have participated in this five-day experience to focus on the social and cultural contexts that shape the lives of Wisconsinites, including current and future UW students. Seminar participants see firsthand the ways that the university’s work can be brought to life by respect, reciprocity and responsibility to the state’s people, land and water.

Throughout this year’s route, themed the Big Lake Journey, participants considered how the state is shaped by the Great Lakes and how people collaborate to care for the waters that define Wisconsin.

Koepke holds a shovel of dirt for tour members to touch. — John Koepke, who co-owns Koepke Farms with his wife, Kim, lifts soil from a field of winter wheat to explain how no-till farming impacts earthworm activity. Of their partnership with the university, Kim shared, “There’s a synergistic relationship that our family farm has with UW–Madison that has helped anchor the success of Koepke Farms as it exists today.” Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

Inside an international food store, Moua talks to a group visiting the shop. — Framed by multilingual signage, Nhiasher Moua, who operates Super International Food Store in Wausau with his parents, explains how their business has expanded since opening in 1996. The family-run store provides culturally relevant foods for Hmong and Southeast Asian communities in the area, along with staple ingredients used across a wide range of food traditions. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

Members of a group tour sit in a boat while getting a water tour of the sloughs. — Floating across the tranquil waters of the Kakagon River, Mike Wiggins Jr., a tribal member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, uses an illustration he sketched on the spot to explain the interconnectedness of fire and hydrology in the region. Linda Oforka, teaching faculty in the Department of Entomology, who sits to his left, said of the boat tour, “I feel deep gratitude to our host communities for allowing us to share their sacred spaces. It is now my duty to carry the experience forward to my teaching, service and community-engagement work.” Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

Cha points to one of many bright yellow incubation tubes holding walley eggs and Peters looks on. — Jackie Cha (right), assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering, and Christian Peters (left), assistant professor of accounting and information systems, view walleye eggs incubating at the Bad River Fish Hatchery. Guided by a philosophy that looks seven generations ahead, the hatchery designs its stocking efforts to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the region’s fish populations. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

A man stands with arms folded in an art gallery. — Nick Syrett, professor and chair of gender and women’s studies, views “Moviendo Agua” at Milwaukee’s Latino Arts gallery. The installation by UW–Madison MFA student and printmaker Christie Tirado is part of her exhibit, “Cosechando Historias.” The artwork reflects one of the seminar’s themes of maize and its interconnectedness with land, water and cultures across the Western Hemisphere. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

This year’s tour took faculty and staff to Koepke Farms in Waukesha County to hear about collaborative sustainability efforts between farmers, watershed managers, conservancies and residents. In Wausau, Hmong farmers at GreenGold Gardens shared their commitment to cultivate produce that nourishes local communities. And the tribal enterprises of Red Cliff Fishing Company and the Red Cliff Mino Bimaadiziiwin Farm discussed how they are helping to meet food sovereignty goals and to feed communities near and far. Additional stops also included a tour of the Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs and a lively performance by Milwaukee’s United Community Center’s Latino Arts Strings Program.

On the final day of the trip, UW–Stevens Point’s College of Natural Resources hosted the seminar and led a roundtable conversation about how the Wisconsin Idea informs their community engagement and the nationally recognized excellence in preparing the next generation of natural resource stewards.

Lange stands at the front of a classroom and talks to a group of people seated around the room. — Steph Lange, associate director of the Wisconsin Forestry Center, explains how the center, housed within the College of Natural Resources at UW–Stevens Point, serves the needs of Wisconsin’s forestry community and strengthens sustainable forestry practices. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

The members of the 2026 Wisconsin Ideas Seminar tour pose together in front of a large body of water with a sign that reads Hello Wisconsin. — The 2026 Wisconsin Idea Seminar cohort gathers on the shores of Frog Bay Tribal National Park. Located in the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation, Frog Bay is the first tribal national park in the United States. Photo: Bryce Richter / UW–Madison

UW–Madison alumni were present at nearly every stop, showcasing their commitment to service and strengthening relations between the university and their local communities to advance research, entrepreneurship and collaborations that are guided by community priorities.

Seminar travelers representing about 20 different divisions, schools and colleges with distinct academic and research interests, returned to campus with new ideas and collaborations to inspire their academic, creative and personal endeavors.

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