Connecting Campus and Community through Community-based Service, Learning, and Research
For Karissa Garcia, a fourth-year student studying chemical engineering, Badger Volunteers has been the most impactful way for her to engage with the Madison community beyond classes and campus.
The Wisconsin Idea Conference is an opportunity for community-engaged scholars across campus and the state to come together to network, share best practices and support each other’s partnerships.
Through community-based research, an Educational Policy Studies course partnered with Rocky Knoll Health Care Center during the fall 2025 semester to create a lasting curriculum that connects seniors and children.
With the year coming to a close, the Morgridge Center is grateful to look back on 30 great years of community engagement. Through pillar programs such as Badger Volunteers, impactful Community-based Learning courses, and the annual Wisconsin Idea Fellowship only continuing to grow, the Morgridge Center looks forward to the next 30 years to come.
Journeying to the U.S. awakened something inside her and taught her that in America, she isn't just a Black woman — she is an Afro-Latina woman. Looking forward, Kristhel Maholy Vernaza Sanchez is steadfast and dedicated to becoming a politician back in Ecuador and holding public office where she could make real change.
The Wisconsin Idea Fellowship (WIF) program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in long-term, community-based projects that explore diverse approaches to public service and research.
Join us on the GridgeFridge for a spooky walking tour through UW–Madison’s haunted history, from Science Hall’s rumored “cadaver chute” to the ghosts buried beneath Bascom Hill. These chilling tales demonstrate how tragedy and rumor shape campus memory, prompting us to ask whose stories are preserved — and whose fade away over time.
2025-26 Wisconsin Idea Fellow Amy Liang develops a health literacy curriculum for Dane County residents learning English as a second language.
With help from a community-based learning grant from the Morgridge Center, Sue Robinson works to create meaningful relationships between student reporters and community partners while providing journalism students with hands-on, real-world experience.
The Morgridge Center for Public Service is currently seeking submissions for proposals and student posters for the Wisconsin Idea Conference.