1. Biddy Martin steps down, Ward steps in as interim chancellor
As former UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin bid Wisconsin farewell after the New Badger Partnership failed in the state legislature, former Chancellor David Ward stepped up to the university's top position.
After her plan to give UW-Madison public authority status was met with resistance on campus and, ultimately, failure at the Capitol, Martin announced she was leaving the university to become the president of Amherst University in July.
Soon after, university officials announced David Ward, who served as UW-Madison's chancellor from 1993-2001, would fill in the role until a new chancellor would be selected in May 2012.
"It's a very emotional kind of thing," Ward told The Daily Cardinal upon being appointed. "To come back out of retirement to a place you love so much, even for a year, is a very moving experience."
In October, faculty, staff and student governing organizations requested UW System President Kevin Reilly extend Ward's term for another year to have consistent leadership as the university adjusts to the new flexibilities given to the UW System from the state.
Reilly agreed, and Ward is now serving until a new chancellor is selected in May 2013.
-Anna Duffin
2. UW-Madison loses $25 million to help balance state budget
In light of a biennial state budget calling for $250 million in cuts to the UW System, the announcement of an additional $65.7 million loss of funding for the system over the next two years has put educators statewide on edge.
Thirty-eight percent of the $174.3 million lapse, the withdrawal of funding for state agencies to balance the budget, is levied on the UW System, putting educators and officials up in arms defending hard-hit institutions.
The lapse withdraws $25 million of UW-Madison funds over two years, prompting faculty and academic staff organizations to denounce the cuts as "disproportionate."
Amidst faculty fears for departments and jobs, the lapse's objective of balancing the state's books spells out consequences for students and the quality of education offered across Wisconsin.
"It's our obligation to deliver a high-quality educational experience, but oversized funding cuts make it difficult to fulfill those promises," UW System President Kevin Reilly said.
3. Walker recall efforts kick off
After the collective bargaining limits that passed in March deeply divided the Wisconsin electorate, organizers launched a massive effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker, who could become the first governor in state history to face a recall election.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin and United Wisconsin kicked off the recall drive Nov. 15. They must collect over 540,000 signatures by Jan. 17 to prompt a recall election that would likely take place after May.
After 12 days of circulating petitions, United Wisconsin announced it had obtained more than 300,000 signatures.
State Sens. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, and Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, expressed interest in running, but no Democrat has officially entered the recall race.
Organizers are also circulating petitions against four Republican state senators.
4. CEO: UW admissions discriminatory
Passionate student-led demonstrations and enraged university officials arose in September as UW-Madison faced "attacks" from a conservative think tank that claimed the university discriminates against whites and Asians in its admissions process.
Center for Equal Opportunity President Roger Clegg said his group conducted a study that showed "unfair" admission of black and Hispanic students to the university despite lower test scores and high school ranks compared to white and Asian students.
Responses included students storming a press conference held by Clegg as well as marching to a debate over affirmative action at Union South between Clegg and a UW-Madison law professor.
5. Disputed new law changes housing policies
State legislators passed a bill standardizing housing laws statewide, prohibiting cities from placing certain restrictions on landlords.
Critics said the bill interferes with tenant-landlord policies the City of Madison passed to actively protect citizens, especially students, from predatory landlord practices.
The bill allows landlords to enter a property with 12 hours notice, charge more than one month's rent as a security deposit, show a unit at any point during the lease and deny tenancy based on past conviction records, employment history or income level.
State Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, author of the bill, said it allows property owners to screen "problem tenants" before renting to them.
6. Concealed-carry law takes effect
Depending on how you look at it, Wisconsin is now a safer or more dangerous place after a law passed allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons.
As of November, people can carry a concealed weapon in public as long as they are 21 years old, have a concealed-carry license and have taken the proper training courses. Wisconsin is the 49th state to pass such legislation.
But UW-Madison has taken a strong stance on the issue, prohibiting concealed weapons in its buildings, at athletic and campus events and where appropriate signage has been posted.
7. Renovations to Memorial Union approved
The wave of construction and building projects across campus met resistance at the Memorial Union with reinvestment plans to renovate the theater lobby with a glass-walled lounge that would extend onto the Terrace.
Advocates for the remodeling point to the increase in accessibility and functionality the project will give the Memorial Union; opponents worry it detracts from the building's historic architecture and iconic views of Lake Mendota and Picnic Point.
Community resistance to the original proposal sent designers back to the drawing board. A newer, subtler design that better reconciles innovation and legacy is still looking for final approval, but could find a place along Lake Mendota.
8. MCSC denied funding
The Multicultural Student Coalition will not receive funding from student segregated fees next year after the Student Services Finance Committee ruled the group does not meet funding requirements.
MCSC initially applied for $1.27 million in funding, but was forced to reduce it to $250,000 after submitting required forms late.
According to SSFC bylaws, in order to receive funding, student groups must spend at least 51 percent of their time "directly serving" students. Committee members determined MCSC did not meet this prerequisite.
The group appealed the decision before the Student Judiciary, arguing SSFC has an inconsistent process for defining a "direct service" and that the committee is fundamentally flawed, but SJ upheld SSFC's decision.
9. UW scientists make stem-cell breakthroughs
UW-Madison scientists discovered two possible breakthroughs in stem-cell research: one that could alter the ethical debate over such science and another that could help treat illnesses, including Parkinson's and Huntington's disease.
The first study discovered an alternative stem cell that does not require harvesting human embryos to function.
These "induced pluripotent cells" are 99 percent functionally equivalent to embryonic stem cells' ability to generate into any cell in the body, according to Joshua Coon, director of the study.
Another study found neurons derived from embryonic stem cells can successfully activate to transmit and receive signals when implanted into the brains of mice.
10. Chazen Museum addition opens to public
The opening of the Chazen Museum of Art's $43 million expansion on Oct. 22 not only gave University Avenue a sleek, modernist facelift, but it added 86,000 square-feet of exhibition space, nearly doubling the amount of art the museum can showcase.
The temporary exhibit unveiled with the addition showcased the Chazen's improvements. Artist Sean Scully's paintings measure up to nine feet high and 13 feet across, sizes that would have made them impossible to display in the old building.
Parts of the new space are dedicated to permanent collections as well, helping the Chazen earn its reputation as the home of the second-largest art collection in Wisconsin.
