A view of modern day Bascom hall at dusk The university had its of

8.2.1 MTV's College Life
9 Notable alumni and people
10 See also
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links
History[edit]



Fire at Bascom Hall which destroyed the dome in 1916[14]


A view of modern day Bascom hall at dusk
The university had its official beginnings when the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature in its 1838 session passed a law incorporating a "University of the Territory of Wisconsin", and a high-ranking Board of Visitors was appointed. However, this body (the predecessor of the U.W. board of regents) never actually accomplished anything before Wisconsin was incorporated as a state in 1848.[15] The Wisconsin Constitution provided for "the establishment of a state university, at or near the seat of state government..." and directed by the state legislature to be governed by a board of regents and administered by a Chancellor. On July 26, 1846, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin's first governor, signed the act that formally created the University of Wisconsin. John H. Lathrop became the university's first chancellor, in the fall of 1849.[16] With John W. Sterling as the university's first professor (mathematics), the first class of 17 students met at Madison Female Academy on February 5, 1849. A permanent campus site was soon selected: an area of 50 acres (20.2 ha) "bounded north by Fourth lake, east by a street to be opened at right angles with King street," [later State Street] "south by Mineral Point Road (University Avenue), and west by a carriage-way from said road to the lake." The regents' building plans called for a "main edifice fronting towards the Capitol, three stories high, surmounted by an observatory for astronomical observations."[17] This building, University Hall, now known as Bascom Hall, was finally completed in 1859. On October 10, 1916, a fire destroyed the building's dome, which was never replaced. North Hall, constructed in 1851, was actually the first building on campus. In 1854, Levi Booth and Charles T. Wakeley became the first graduates of the university, and in 1892 the university awarded its first PhD to future university president Charles R. Van Hise.[18]
The Wisconsin Idea[edit]
Research, teaching, and service at the UW is influenced by a

Madison (also known as University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, or regionally as UW–Madison, or Madison) is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison is the official state university of Wisco

Location    Madison, Wisconsin
Campus    Urban
936 acres (379 ha)
Sports    Wisconsin Badgers
Colors    Cardinal and white           
Mascot    Bucky Badger (Buckingham U. Badger)
Website    wisc.edu
UW-Madison logo.svg


An early illustration of the campus, from the 1885 edition of the Wisconsin Blue Book.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (also known as University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, or regionally as UW–Madison, or Madison) is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison is the official state university of Wisconsin, and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It was the first public university established in Wisconsin and remains the oldest and largest public university in the state. It became a land-grant institution in 1866.[4] The 933-acre (378 ha) main campus includes four National Historic Landmarks.[5] Madison has been labeled one of the "Public Ivies," a publicly funded university considered as providing a quality of education comparable to those of the Ivy League.[6][7]
UW–Madison is organized into 20 schools which enrolled 29,153 undergraduate, 8,710 graduate, and 2,570 professional students and granted 6,040 bachelor's, 3,328 graduate and professional degrees in 2008.[8] The university employs 2,054 faculty members. Its comprehensive academic program offers 135 undergraduate majors, along with 151 master's degree programs and 107 doctoral programs.[9]
The UW is categorized as an RU/VH Research University (very high research activity) in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[10] In 2010, it had research expenditures of more than 1 billion dollars.[11] In 2008, the University's R&D expenditures were ranked the third highest in the nation.[12] Wisconsin is a founding member of the Association of American Universities.[13]
The Wisconsin Badgers compete in 25 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA's Division I Big Ten Conference and have won 28 national championships.
Contents  [hide]
1 History
1.1 The Wisconsin Idea
1.2 World War II
1.3 Expansion

vUSC campus include Cold Case, Entourage, 24, The O.C., Beverly Hills, 90210, Moesha, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, House M.D., CSI: NY, Undeclared, The West Wing, Alias, The Office, Monk, The United States of Tara, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, and The Roo

Fountain outside of Doheny Library with the Von KleinSmid Center; both buildings were used in the film The Graduate as stand-ins for UC Berkeley.
Because of USC's proximity to Hollywood, close ties between the School of Cinematic Arts and entertainment industry, and the architecture on campus, the university has been used in numerous movies, television series, commercials, and music videos. USC is frequently used by filmmakers, standing in for numerous other universities.
Movies filmed at USC include Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, Road Trip, The Girl Next Door, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Love & Basketball, Blue Chips, Ghostbusters, Live Free or Die Hard, House Party 2, The Number 23, The Social Network and The Graduate.[143] Television series that have used the USC campus include Cold Case, Entourage, 24, The O.C., Beverly Hills, 90210, Moesha, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, House M.D., CSI: NY, Undeclared, The West Wing, Alias, The Office, Monk, The United States of Tara, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, and The Roommate.[144] The USC campus also appears on the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles on its "South Central Map Expansion".[145]
The campus has also served as a backdrop for television game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.[citation needed] Other television series that have been filmed on campus include a 2004 Democratic Party presidential candidates' debate,[146] Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Scholar, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and College GameDay.[citation needed]
NotesUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"University of Wisconsin" redirects here. For other uses, see University of Wisconsin (disambiguation).
University of Wisconsin – Madison
NumenLumen.svg
Motto    Numen Lumen (Latin)
Motto in English    "God, our light" or
"The divine within the universe, however manifested, is my light."[1]
Established    1848
Type    Public university flagship
Endowment    $1.81 billion (2012)[2]
Chancellor    Rebecca Blank
Academic staff    2,054
Students    42,595 (Fall 2010)[3]
Undergraduates    28,897 (Fall 2010)[3]
Postgraduates    9,358 (Fall 2010)[3]