The Wisconsin Alumni Association held ‘UW-Madison Day at the State Capitol‘ Wednesday providing attendees with opportunities to learn strategies for effective lobbying in light of how UW is affected by decisions made by the Wisconsin Legislature, according to the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s website.
The event began with a program called “Lobbying 101” at the Concord Hotel, heading over to the Wisconsin Capitol Building to meet with elected officials and staff.
The event happens every year — with 2024 marking the 13th time the association has hosted the event, Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association State and University Relations Director Mike Fahey said.
Fahey said the elected officials present to speak with volunteers included Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Rep. Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee).
Core initiatives that the WAA advocated for during the event this year were reducing delays in building projects and investing in Wisconsin’s key workforce areas, including disciplines in computer science, nursing, engineering and other professional practices that are in high demand, Fahey said.
“I will say too — we’re asking our alumni and our supporters to tell their story and to remind the elected officials why they care about UW–Madison,” Fahey said. “That’s the biggest ask of our alumni, students and faculty. As you well know, there are hundreds of thousands of stories about people’s experiences here.”
Fahey said WAA’s ultimate goal on Wednesday was to empower those attending the event with information pertaining to the impact UW has on the state and the nation, and to ensure they walked away with a firm understanding of key issues at the university.
Bringing the event to a close, WAA hosted a reception at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace where attendees and staff could mingle and further discuss what was unpacked throughout the day, Fahey said.
At the reception was Justin Lee, a PhD student at the UW Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. Lee said he came to the event to attend the lobbying presentation and to talk to the elected representatives about university initiatives and what resources are needed to make them happen.
“It’s mostly older folks from the Alumni Association participating today,” Lee said. “So I think it was nice to get a voice from a current grad student into the room with the representatives and community members advocating for UW, so they can get to hear perspectives from people who actually attend the university.”
