A newly released series of reports from the University of Wisconsin–Madison showcases how the university connects with each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.
The Wisconsin Idea Database project, found at go.wisc.edu/counties, aims to detail the ways UW–Madison benefits the state through career preparation, economic development, innovative partnerships and workforce development.
The effort builds on a 2021 economic impact report showing that UW–Madison, UW-affiliated organizations and UW-related startups contribute $30.8 billion per year to the Wisconsin economy, supporting 232,000 jobs and generating $1 billion in local and state taxes.
Highlights from the reports include:
- The Wisconsin Teacher Pledge has placed more than 200 teachers in state classrooms and was recently extended through 2026-27.
- More than 177,000 UW–Madison alumni currently live in Wisconsin, in every county in the state. About 48,000 of them graduated within the last ten years.
- UW–Madison partners with more than 500 healthcare facilities around the state to provide critical on-the-job training to UW–Madison medical, nursing and pharmacy students.
- More than 18,000 alumni of UW–Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health, School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy currently live in Wisconsin — in every one of the 72 counties.
- Between July 2021 and June 2022, UW–Madison paid more than $292 million to 2,800 Wisconsin businesses, individuals and organizations through the formal purchasing process for goods and services.
- During the 2021-22 fiscal year, employees at more than 750 Wisconsin businesses and organizations benefited from course offerings from Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro), the UW–Madison College of Engineering’s advanced training center.
- In that same period, 265 businesses sent employees to the Center for Professional and Executive Development in the Wisconsin School of Business.
- Of the more than 100 cheese manufacturers in Wisconsin, 40 of them employ Master Cheesemakers as certified by the Center for Dairy Research.
- The UW Division of Extension has supported local leaders and volunteers all over the state for more than a century in areas that include agriculture, health and well-being, families and finances and natural resources.
- The unique UniverCity Year program, in which UW–Madison students and faculty partner with Wisconsin counties and local governments to help solve real-world problems has worked with 29 Wisconsin communities. Those include the city of Marinette and Outagamie County.
Find more examples of the links between UW–Madison and the state at https://wisconsinidea.wisc.edu/ and https://impact.wisc.edu/.
