State Relations is the university’s connection to legislative and governmental partners. This page provides information for the campus community including information about UW–Madison’s legislative priorities, where to find information about your representatives and ways you can get involved in statewide outreach efforts and advocacy.
This year’s UW–Madison Day at the Capitol will be held on April 30, 2025.
Learn more.
Get Involved
Outreach
In addition to supporting the university as public citizens, many at UW–Madison employees bolster the image of the university through outreach. Each day, members of our campus community extend the knowledge, expertise, and resources of campus through outreach activities held throughout the state:
- Read stories of statewide outreach activities.
- Learn about and log your own upcoming statewide outreach events through the “statewide outreach” tag in the UW Events calendar.
UW Connects
As part of UW–Madison’s statewide outreach efforts, UW Connects creates opportunities for Badgers to engage beyond the borders of campus, as well as create opportunities for Wisconsinites to connect with the university. The programs include:
- Badger Talks – connects you to UW professors and other experts by bringing them to your community for talks on topics important to you. Explore the options with Badger Talks.
- Bucky’s Classroom – connects K-8 students in Wisconsin with UW helping to promote the value of higher education.
- Badger Ambassadors – are UW students you can invite into your community, to engage with your organization and to share the impact of UW promoting the value of higher education.
Advocacy
There are many ways to be an advocate for UW–Madison. Staying informed and aware is key to advocacy efforts:
- Know the university’s unique story. UW–Madison has made it our mission to benefit all citizens of the Badger state. Read about our impact.
- The Wisconsin Alumni Association has a dedicated group working to create a public dialogue about the importance of higher education in our state and generate support for UW–Madison. Learn more about these efforts.
There are important advocacy guidelines for state employees, faculty and staff, including a general rule that advocacy activities must be done separately from work time or work locations, and employees must use only personal resources. Learn more about guidance for UW employees.
Resources
Campus Resources
- UW–Madison and the State Budget — Provides ongoing news, context and other information on the budget process
- Overview of the State of Wisconsin Biennial Budget Process
- Budget in Brief — Illustrates UW–Madison’s revenue sources and how they are distributed. Provides information about funding sources, expenditures, student financial aid, fund balances, and the university’s economic impact.
- Data Digest — comprehensive quantitative information on the major dimensions of the UW–Madison, including students, faculty, staff, and budget
Legislative Resources
- Find legislators by address
- Wisconsin State Government
- Office of the Governor
- Wisconsin State Legislature
- Joint Finance Committee
- Joint Legislative Council
- Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities
- Senate Committee on Universities and Revenue
- Legislative Fiscal Bureau
- Legislative Reference Bureau