The Fred Risser Excellence in Engaged Undergraduate Student Award

UW–Madison has a rich history of student activism. The 1969 Black Student Strike that resulted in the creation of what is now the Department of Afro-American Studies, as well as protests throughout the 1990s focused on UW’s treatment of LGBTQ+ students are just a few examples of this rich history that has continually propelled us forward as an institution. For decades, students have advocated for policy change and resource allocation to ensure UW is a campus that lives up to it’s values and fosters an inclusive community and equitable educational experience.

Student activism is crucial to our campus’ growth and it is highly deserving of recognition. Indeed, activism is a key pathway of public service and allows students to engage in multiple methods of civic engagement through activities such as organizing, policy change, or advocacy. As such, the Morgridge Center for Public Service is pleased to offer this newly developed award that seeks to recognize student activists and their impact on our campus in the current moment — not just years later in a historical reflection, as is often the case.

This award honors the efforts of individual students or student groups who pursue activism as a means of improving the campus community in some way, shape or form. Activism can look like many things, from calls for policy change, to awareness raising, and community building.