Alumni Park hopes to inspire students inside and outside the classroom

Park is set to open October 6

September 5, 2017

To further intensify the University of Wisconsin’s commitment to the Wisconsin Idea, the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the Wisconsin Foundation partnered with UW to create the Alumni Park.

The Wisconsin Idea was officially coined in 1912 by Charles McCarthy. Previously, the Wisconsin Idea represented UW’s legislative innovation. Currently, it represents UW’s commitment to public service.

The park serves as a way for students to be constantly reminded of the Wisconsin Idea, Mary Carbine, director of the Alumni Project said. She hopes students will utilize it and be impacted both inside and outside the classroom.

Advertisements

The park is set to open October 6 and will be located between The Red Gym and Memorial Union. It will be open and free to the public, Carbine said.

Because the park cost $8 million and was funded entirely by private donors, there will still be donations taken to support the maintenance and any further additions to the park, Carbine said.

“Our aim is to create a really special place on campus that is about alumni, for alumni and by alumni,” Carbine said.

Wisconsin Idea seminar gives UW faculty opportunity to collaborate, be inspired

There will be a variety of exhibits in the park centering around multiple academic areas, Carbine said. In each area, there will be a mixture of different styles of tributes to 123 alumni chosen by WAA.

To ensure a wide range of backgrounds, the exhibits honor alumni from a wide range of backgrounds who have made significant contributions to their respective academic area. Carbine said they made sure to have a “diverse group” from every generation of UW graduates.

The exhibits themselves come in different shapes and sizes as well, Carbine said. They range from short quotes and information about the alumni carved into the steel to large plaques in full color.