In the past, UW-Madison has suffered from a lack of respect undeserving of an institution of its caliber. True, Wisconsin has, at least in the past 10 years, been considered one of the better public universities in the country. Yes, UW-Madison has many world-class departments containing faculty highly respected within their fields. We currently receive more research funding than all but two other universities and often raise the most money of any public university. UW-Madison, however, has played second fiddle to comparable private (Harvard, Stanford, Princeton) and public (Michigan, California, Virginia) schools that enjoy more prestigious reputations.
No longer.
UW-Madison has, in the course of one year, become one of the most talked about and powerful schools in the nation. How? Two words: stem cells. Congratulations, fellow returning and incoming students. Welcome to a university that has officially become a major player. The issue of stem-cell research, particularly embryonic stem-cell research, is academically, ethically and politically captivating. It has gripped a nation, made biomedical philosophers of us all and become one of the most heated scientific debates since the dawn of the nuclear age. To be a student on this campus at this time without having minimal historical knowledge of the issue is to deprive yourself of participation in a dialogue that will reach years beyond your education here. Therefore, I offer the Reader's Digest version of embryonic stem-cell research. Here's how it happened:
In 1998, James Thomson (of UW-Madison) and John Gearhart (of Johns Hopkins University) announced they had isolated and grown cells that could become any cell in the body from embryos left over during in vitro fertilization procedures. These newly found 'stem cells' caused individuals all over the world to proclaim the discovery on par with Nobel Prize-winning research'a breakthrough for research in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, spinal cord and heart injuries and diabetes. Critics associated it with abortion, declaring the destruction of embryos a moral travesty where researchers trade one human life for another.
UW-Madison founded a corporation to handle the distribution of embryonic stem cells to academic institutions. The U.S. Senate and House held hearings to discuss the research and whether it should, and could, be funded publicly. Former President Bill Clinton decided not to lift an existing ban on federally funded embryo research, closing off government money from embryonic stem-cell researchers. Then President Bush moved into the White House, naming former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, a pro-life stem-cell advocate, successor to former UW-Madison Chancellor Donna Shalala as secretary of the department of Health and Human Services. Republicans reminded Bush of his campaign promise not to fund embryonic stem-cell research. Powerful politicians began to push the president to fund the research, calling it 'life affirming.' Secretary Thompson pushed for the research to be funded. Top advisers again reminded Bush of his promise not to fund the research, fearing alienation on the right. Articles on embryonic stem-cell research began to appear in major newspapers and news weeklies, many featuring UW researchers and ethicists. Prominent pro-life senators like Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Bill Frist, R-Tenn., jumped on the pro-research bandwagon. Finally, Bush announced in mid-August that he would allow limited funding of embryonic stem-cell research. The UW-Madison media blitz ensued because it owns five of the 22 stem cell lines in the United States. Thomson's face landed on the cover of Time.
Voil??! You now attend the Dom Perignon of universities.
Stem-cell research, however, remains a volatile issue, and will continue to be during your education here. Many people remain passionately opposed to the origin of stem-cell research. Others believe it will forever change the way in which we receive health care. No matter which side of the debate you fall on, studying at UW-Madison gives you a tremendous opportunity that many others do not have: to be in a place full of individuals who impact and have been impacted by this issue. Take advantage of this opportunity on any level you can and feel proud to be a part of this strong, respectable university.
