It is a profoundly challenging and demoralizing moment as the Gender and Women’s Studies community, and the values we affirm, are under attack. But our community is wide and deep. Let us stand together at this difficult time.

While 2025 has started off as a wildly challenging year, 2025 is also the 50th anniversary of gender and women’s studies on the UW-Madison campus. The importance and the impact of the GWS classroom, scholarship, and community have never been more explicit.

If you’re reading this right now, I sincerely hope that you will let your shoulders drop, let your jaw unclench, do a few nice head rolls, and take a couple of deep breaths. These days a big old sigh and taking a moment to notice the sensation of our feet meeting the ground can do wonders. Because grounded we must be! There is much to do! But the good news is, we must do it together; we get to do it together. I know I have felt some significant moments of isolation lately, but I have also felt energized, channeled, enraged, and ever-so inspired by our incredible students, staff, faculty, and our wonderful alumni.

The Stories Between is an alumni reading group that meets virtually each month to discuss shared texts. As we dive into each reading, we connect with each other, build community, and explore important themes of feminist theory, speculative fiction, past/present/future, bodies, identities, autonomy, and much more. Stay tuned for more information & dates to sign up for our fall club. Space is limited but full of joy! Check out our website for access to our upcoming & past readings, updates, and our new “staff picks” section which is updated monthly. We are better together and stronger than ever in our vibrant GWS community!

We have officially launched our GWS IN ACTION podcast! Join us as we explore the work that alumni, faculty, students, and staff cultivate in the branches of Gender & Women’s Studies. As we unpack in-depth stories from our guests, GWS IN ACTION brings to the forefront the expansive and intersectional reach of a Gender Studies degree in and beyond the walls of academia. More information and our latest episodes can be found here.

A fire is brewing, GWS! You are formally invited to our GWS alumni, staff, faculty, and student spring campfire at Picnic Point on April 25th from 5-8:00pm! Join us for a night of community, music, and connection. Now more than ever we need laughter, light, and a place to support one another. Scan the QR or RSVP here to reserve your spot!

Jordan Hatcher (she/her) graduated in 2012 with an International Studies major and certificate in Gender and Woman’s Studies. She currently serves as the Program Director for Implementing Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!), a nonprofit organization working to de-silo, de-stigmatize, and normalize birth control as basic healthcare. Aidan McDonough (he/they) graduated in 2024 with a major in Psychology and a certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies. They are a first generation college student who recently finished his application for a Counseling M.S. program with UW-Madison. Alex Garcia (she/her) graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a certificate in Women’s Studies, followed by a Master’s in Social Work in 2010. In 2024, she was recognized as the School Social Worker of the Year in Wisconsin.

Our current GWS and LGBTQ+ students come from across campus and from around the world. Read about some of them here. Jenna Bohnsack is double-majoring in Gender & Women’s Studies and Communication Sciences & Disorders. Their plan after graduation is to pursue a doctorate in GWS, and their end goal is to become an educator and/or researcher in the field. Camren Livermore is double-majoring in Gender & Women’s Studies and Biochemistry and getting a certificate in LGBTQ+ Studies and Biology Core Curriculum. Camren wants to advocate for folks that are most disenfranchised, both by continuing their education and as a physician. Molly Hunken is double-majoring in History and Journalism and getting certificates in Gender & Women’s Studies and European Studies. Their GWS classes have shaped their approach to their various research projects!

Meet Dr. Hanan Al-Alawi, who is a Visiting Assistant Professor in GWS. Her research is humanities-based, where she explores representations of the body in marginalized texts and visual art by women and queer, stateless, and Indigenous communities in Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). Get to know more about her research and what she likes to do in her free time here. 

The Center for Research on Gender & Women is proud to present the marvelous professor, activist, and scholar Dean Spade! Join us on Friday, April 4th at 12pm in Sterling Hall 1310 for his upcoming talk, Sticking Together in Hard Times. Here, Spade will explore his latest book Love in a F*cked Up World and ever present questions of how we have each other’s backs while doing hard work in harrowing times. Free and open to the public!

It’s party time! Day of the Badger 2025 is “The Party to Pay It Forward” and we know our Gender and Women’s Studies Department will soon be celebrating 50 years of paying it forward too! The Day of the Badger (DoTB) is a campus-wide online day of giving. This year’s DoTB event will take place on April 8th-9th. Join the fun!

Visit our website or our NEW Linktree 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.