siness, Grainger Hall was built in 1993. In 2008 it underwent a major renovation and addition to assist the 12 MBA specialization programs that were housed there.[84] The addition occupies the corner of Park Street and University Avenue, projecting the school’s crest outward in a location that once housed a bank.[85] Grainger Hall also houses an array of student-run organizations, both undergraduate and graduate. There are major-specific organiz

he Rings film trilogy.[81]
At 241 feet and 19 stories, Van Hise is the second-tallest building in Madison (after the State Capitol) and one of the tallest educational buildings in the world.[82] Because of its placement atop Bascom Hill it towers over the State Capitol as the building with the highest elevation in the city. Van Hise Hall was constructed in 1967 and its destruction is slated for sometime around 2025 as part of the university's campus master plan.[83]
Grainger Hall[edit]


Grainger Business Hall and Conference center
Home of the Wisconsin School of Business, Grainger Hall was built in 1993. In 2008 it underwent a major renovation and addition to assist the 12 MBA specialization programs that were housed there.[84] The addition occupies the corner of Park Street and University Avenue, projecting the school’s crest outward in a location that once housed a bank.[85]
Grainger Hall also houses an array of student-run organizations, both undergraduate and graduate. There are major-specific organizations as well as organizations that welcome all students. Several of the clubs are Madison chapters of nationwide organizations, others are honor societies that require a minimum grade point average, while some exist simply to network with other students.
The Wisconsin Union[edit]


The Memorial Union as seen from the Library Mall on the UW–Madison campus
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has two student unions. The older, Memorial Union, was built in 1928 to honor American World War I veterans. Also known as the Union or the Terrace, it has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful student centers on a university campus. Located on the shore of Lake Mendota, it is a popular spot for socializing among both students and the public, who enjoy gazing at the lake and its sailboats. The union is known for the Rathskeller, a German pub adjacent to the lake terrace. Political debates and backgammon and sheepshead games over a beer on the terrace are common among students. The Rathskeller serves "Rathskeller Ale", a beer brewed expressly for the Terrace. Memorial Union was the first union at a public university to serve beer.[86]


Hoofer Badger Sloops on Lake Mendota behind Memorial Union
Memorial Union is home to many arts venues, including several art galleries, a movie theater, the Wisconsin Union Theater, and the Craftshop, which provides courses and facilities fo

Music Hall This Victorian Gothic building, built in 1878 and initially named Assembly Hall, was designed to house an 800-seat auditorium, a library, and a

pus
Located in Madison, about a mile from the state capitol, the university is situated partially on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The main campus comprises 933 acres (378 ha) of land, while the entire campus, including research stations located throughout the state, is over 10,600 acres (4,290 ha) in area. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum, a demonstration area for native ecosystems, is located on the west side of Madison. The main campus includes many buildings designed or supervised by architects J.T.W. Jennings and Arthur Peabody. The hub of campus life is the Memorial Union.
The UW–Madison has its own police force, food service, hospital, recreation facilities, botanical gardens, public artworks, power facilities, and an on-campus dairy plant.
Bascom Hall[edit]


Bascom Hall atop Bascom Hill at the heart of the campus
As one of the icons on campus, Bascom Hall,[77] at the top of Bascom Hill, is often considered the "heart of the campus." Built in 1857, a decorative dome that once sat atop the structure was destroyed by fire. The structure has been added to several times over the years. The building currently houses the office of the chancellor and vice chancellors. Bascom Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building within the Bascom Hill Historic District.[78]
Music Hall[edit]


Music Hall
This Victorian Gothic building, built in 1878 and initially named Assembly Hall, was designed to house an 800-seat auditorium, a library, and a clock tower. Dedicated on March 2, 1880, the building originally held conventions, dances, and commencement ceremonies, along with its primary purpose of a library. After the library moved to a different building on campus, a portion of the hall was assigned to the School of Music in 1900. Shortly after renovations in the early 1900s, the building was officially named Music Hall in 1910. It remains an important music venue and is home to the university opera.[79] This building also is home to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, with part of the building being used as office space and classrooms.
George L. Mosse Humanities Building[edit]
The George L. Mosse Humanities Building, located on Library Mall, was built in the late 1960s in the Brutalist style. Campus myth has it that the building (with its poor ventilation, narrow windows, inclined base, and cantilevered upper floors) was designed to be "riot-proof" in that it was inescapable by protestors and easily penetratable by a SWAT Team.[citation needed] Its seven floors house the History, Art, and Music departments. The most recent Campus Master Plan calls for it to be demolished and replaced with two other buildings.
Van Hise Hall[edit]


Van Hise Hall seen from Linden street
Van Hise Hall is home to most of the languages departments of the university[80] and the upper floors house the offices of the University of Wisconsin System's president and its Board of Regents. The building is often humorously touted by campus tour guides as the birthplace of the Elven language spoken in the Lord of t

off (Plant Life, Horticulture, and Economic Entomology), Prof. H.L. Russell (Bacteriology), Prof. J.A. Craig (Breeds: Breeding and Judging Live Stock), Prof. Wm. A. Scott (Economics of Agriculture), Prof. C.I. King (Practical Mechanics), Mr. R.A. Moore (Parliamentary Procedures and Book-keeping), Mr. A.B. Sayles (Farm Dairying), Mr. Fred. Cranefield (Assistant in Green House Instruction), and the previous instructor in Veterinary Science, W.G. Clark, V.S. The building that housed

onsin received 240,000 acres of allotted federal land.[75] In 1885 the university began offering a winter course for farmers, the Agriculture Short Course, which was greatly developed and enhanced by Ransom Asa Moore from 1895 until 1907 and continues today as the Farm and Industry Short Course. In 1889 the university put all of their agricultural offerings under a new College of Agriculture, with W.A. Henry as dean.[75] Professors listed in the 1896 Agricultural Short Course for the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison listed popular professors such the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Prof. W.A. Henry (Feeds and Feeding), Prof. S.M. Babcock (Agricultural Chemistry; Farm Dairying), Prof. F.H. King (Agricultural Physics, Agricultural Mechanics, and Meteorology), Prof. E.S. Goff (Plant Life, Horticulture, and Economic Entomology), Prof. H.L. Russell (Bacteriology), Prof. J.A. Craig (Breeds: Breeding and Judging Live Stock), Prof. Wm. A. Scott (Economics of Agriculture), Prof. C.I. King (Practical Mechanics), Mr. R.A. Moore (Parliamentary Procedures and Book-keeping), Mr. A.B. Sayles (Farm Dairying), Mr. Fred. Cranefield (Assistant in Green House Instruction), and the previous instructor in Veterinary Science, W.G. Clark, V.S. The building that housed the College of Agriculture was originally created in 1889 and was centered in South Hall on Bascom Hill until the fall of 1903 when the first classes were held in the brand new College of Agriculture and Life Sciences building, where it has remained since.[76] "The college has evolved and grown over the decades to reflect changes in the fabric of society and in the areas of knowledge that it studies. Practical studies related to crop and livestock production and farm life gradually delved deeper as scientists strove to understand the underlying biological processes. Today the college generates new knowledge about agriculture, natural resources management and protection, human health and nutrition, community development and related topics. Faculty and staff in 19 academic departments and a number of interdisciplinary programs carry out these lines of study.[75] "
Letters & Science Honors Program[edit]
The L&S Honors Program serves over 1300 students in the College of Letters and Science (the UW–Madison's liberal arts college) with an enriched undergraduate curriculum. In addition to its curriculum, the program offers professional advising services; research opportunities and funding; and numerous academic, social and service opportunities through the Honors Student Organization. The Honors Program also supports several student organizations, such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison Forensics Team.
Campus[edit]



North Hall, the first building on cam

ersities in 2009.[66] The University of Wisconsin is a participant in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the academic consortium of the universities in the Big Ten Conference and the University of Chicago. The initiative is a research partnership that involves faculty and staff networking, cooperative purchasing, course shari

 of the "Public Ivies," a publicly funded university considered as providing a quality of education comparable to those of the Ivy League.[6][7]
Research[edit]
UW–Madison was a founding member of the Association of American Universities.[63] In 2009, the school received $952 million in research funding, placing it third in the country.[64] Its research programs were also fourth in the number of patents issued in 2010.[65] The University's research programs were ranked fourth in federally funded research and second in nonfederally funded research among U.S. public universities in 2009.[66]
The University of Wisconsin is a participant in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the academic consortium of the universities in the Big Ten Conference and the University of Chicago. The initiative is a research partnership that involves faculty and staff networking, cooperative purchasing, course sharing, professional development programs, study abroad, diversity initiatives for students and faculty, and sharing of library resources and information technology.[67][68][69]
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of thirty sea grant colleges in the United States. These colleges are involved in scientific research, education, training, and extension projects geared toward the conservation and practical use of U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes and other marine areas.
The University maintains almost 100 research centers and programs, ranging from agriculture to arts, from education to engineering.[70] It has been considered a major academic center for embryonic stem cell research ever since UW–Madison professor James Thomson became the first scientist to isolate human embryonic stem cells. This has brought significant attention and respect for the University's research programs from around the world. The University continues to be a leader in stem cell research, helped in part by the funding of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and promotion of WiCell.[71]
Its center for research on internal combustion engines, called the Engine Research Center, has a five-year collaboration agreement with General Motors.[72] It has also been the recipient of multi-million dollar funding from the federal government.[73]
In June 2013, it is reported that the United States National Institutes of Health would fund an $18.13 million study at the University of Wisconsin. The study will research lethal qualities of viruses such as Ebola, West Nile and influenza. The goal of the study is to help find new drugs to fight of the most lethal pathogens.[74]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences[edit]
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences fulfills the UW-Madison’s mission as a land-grant university, which dates back to 1862, when Congress passed legislation to establish a national network of colleges devoted to agriculture and mechanics and Wisc

world universities from École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, based in part on the number of senior managerial positions occupied by alumni, placed UW–Madison 35th in the world.[45] National[edit] UW–Madison was ranked 11th among national universities (with three institutions tied) by the Center for Measuring University Performance in its 2007 report, with rankings based on objective statistics on research, faculty awards, student qualifications, and university assets. Of 38 programs at the UW–Madison that were included in the National Research Council's 1995 study, 16 ranked in the top 10 nationally.[46][47] In 2007

s in the Americas in Shanghai Jiao Tong University's 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities, which assesses academic and research performance.[42] In the G-factor International University Ranking of 2006, which is a re-analysis of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University data, the UW–Madison was listed 13th.[43] The Times Higher Education Supplement placed it 27th worldwide, based primarily on surveys administered to students, faculty, and recruiters.[44] Additionally, the professional ranking of world universities from École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, based in part on the number of senior managerial positions occupied by alumni, placed UW–Madison 35th in the world.[45]
National[edit]
UW–Madison was ranked 11th among national universities (with three institutions tied) by the Center for Measuring University Performance in its 2007 report, with rankings based on objective statistics on research, faculty awards, student qualifications, and university assets. Of 38 programs at the UW–Madison that were included in the National Research Council's 1995 study, 16 ranked in the top 10 nationally.[46][47] In 2007, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that 57 disciplines at the UW–Madison were in the top 10 in the U.S. in scholarly productivity, which placed it second after UC-Berkeley in the number of top ten programs.[48] The UW placed 30th among national universities in Washington Monthly's 2009 rankings, which consider community service and social mobility, as well as research productivity.[49] In 2009, UW–Madison was ranked 6th in the TrendTopper MediaBuzz rankings by the Global Language Monitor.[50] In 2011, the Global Language Monitor increased the ranking to 1st in Internet Media Buzz.[51]
Madison's undergraduate program was ranked 42nd among national universities by U.S.News & World Report for 2012 and 10th among public schools.[52] In both cases, UW-Madison is tied with another UW, University of Washington. The same magazine ranked UW's graduate School of Business 29th,[53] and its undergraduate business program 13th.[54] Twelve CEOs of S&P 500 companies hold degrees from the University of Wisconsin, putting it in a tie with Harvard and Princeton for first place.[55]
In 2011, USNWR ranked UW's Law School 35th,[56] while Vault listed it as 25th for 2008.[57] Other graduate schools ranked by USNWR include the School of Medicine and Public Health, which was 27th in research[58] and 13th in primary care,[59] the College of Engineering 16th,[60] the School of Education 12th,[61] and the La Follette School of Public Affairs 14th.[62]
Madison has been labeled one