I write to you from the Gender and Women’s Studies Chair’s Office in Sterling Hall, an office I have now occupied for not quite three months. Let me first introduce myself: my name is Nick Syrett and I am new both to being chair of GWS and to the University of Wisconsin. I come to UW-Madison from the University of Kansas, where I was chair of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department for five years and then an associate dean in KU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for three years. Before that I taught at the University of Northern Colorado for eleven years. I’m very excited to be joining the thriving community that is Gender and Women’s Studies here at UW-Madison!

As I write this, it is a stunning fall day here in Wisconsin. The wind is encouraging the remaining leaves to loosen their grip from the trees, fall to the now-dormant grass, and curl up for the winter. The smell of late autumn is in the air. We put away the remnants of spooky season and gear up for the season of little light. It’s a time of taking stock.

We got just such an opportunity a few weeks ago when we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Gender and Women’s Studies on the weekend of October 24th and 25th at Sterling Hall and Monona Terrace here in Madison. The morning of the 24th dawned brilliant blue and gold. One of those days that feels anticipatory. A welcome chill. The kind of day that invites deep breaths and exhalations filled with gratitude. 

Recently Gender and Women’s Studies proudly celebrated our 50th anniversary as a department here at UW Madison. Over a few exciting days, students, faculty, staff, and alumni came together to share in the memories of critical program building, feminist thought, and the potential of a degree in GWS. From a profoundly moving panel of Teaching Assistants throughout the years of Gender, Women, Bodies, & Health 103, exciting discussions led by GWS faculty & graduate students on the state of GWS today, to a provoking key-note address by Dr. Brittney Cooper, GWS’ 50th was a time to reflect on the places we’ve been as a department and the pressing work that we must continue to pick up together. 

50 years as a department is not only a landmark achievement worthy of celebration, it is a continual reminder to us all that the work in Gender & Women’s studies has been a constant, propelling us further in conversation and action towards the futures we imagine. As we step through the threshold of this anniversary and towards what is to come, we are reminded that 50 years of doing this work together is simply the beginning; our greatest triumphs still lie ahead to be uncovered.

In delivering Saturday’s keynote address on the 50th anniversary of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, Dr. Brittney Cooper gave a powerful speech. After being introduced by Professor Nicholas Syrett, chair of GWS, Dr. Cooper addressed a diverse audience of professors, students, and activists from UW Madison. In her talk, Cooper used the metaphor of the storm to explore resilience, Black feminist praxis, and the power of collective action in the face of structural oppression. She traces the historical context of GWS back to radical feminist movements in the 1960s and 70s. As she recalls, the GWS program was created when radical projects, which had been violently suppressed by the government, ran for “safe haven into the university.”

Check out the latest episode of GWS IN ACTION! In our most recent release, Dr. Kate sits down with GWS Librarian, Karla Strand. In this profound conversation, Karla shares her journey to becoming the Librarian of UW Madison’s GWS department, a position she has now held for 12 years. Together,  Dr. Kate and Karla dig into the importance of library sciences and information in this present moment, her work reviewing books, and the potential of information empowerment as a means of liberation work. As Dr. Kate and Karla step into the story of this episode together, they emphasize the value of lifting up the people in one’s life toward their goals & potential and being open to where the road ahead takes you. Keep an eye out for our upcoming releases this season! More information and our latest episodes can be found here.

Looking for a feminist community? In need of some great readings or insights on pressing questions of identity, politics, and oppression? The Stories Between reading group is a book-club hosted monthly by Dr. Kate and graduate assistant Amber Everhart that is available to alumni from GWS! Join us today as we continue to meet, grounding the uncertainties of our present world into the pages of stories that propel us forward together. We can’t wait to see where we end up next, and we’d love to have you along for the journey.

Looking for more ways to connect, network, or get to know other GWS alumni from UW Madison? Check out our password-protected Alumni Connect page! Simply enter your information here, and the GWS alumni team will reach out with more information on how to log in! Let’s keep building this community together!

Rodlyn-mae Banting (they/them) is a Filipino American poet, journalist, and cultural critic writing at the intersections of the arts, race, gender, and empire. They graduated with an MA in Gender & Women’s Studies from UW-Madison in 2022. They also earned a BA in English & Writing with a minor in Gender & Sexuality Studies from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore in 2019. Learn more about them here.

Meet Dr. Molly M. Henderson, who is a Visiting Assistant Professor in GWS. She studies the role of reproductive health and politics in shaping the environmental history of the late 20th century United States, and she is interested in tracing how reproduction and children’s futures came to be critical sites of concern and intervention within environmental politics. Get to know more about her research and what she likes to do in her free time here. 

Dr. Henderson is also teaching our course titled, "Reproduction Before, Since, & Beyond Roe" which is our course spotlight! Reproduction Before, Since, & Beyond Roe is a course on the history of reproductive health, labor, and politics in the United States. Learn more about it here.

Visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to hear about current department happenings! You can also fill out this survey to connect with Alumni Engagement Coordinator, Kate Phelps, to share your ideas about alumni programming.