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December 2021 Highlights
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- New Pride Scholarship
- Vaccination Rates High on Campus
- Advisor Ellen Jacobson's Retirement
- Undergraduate Research Scholars Mentorship
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- Alumna Improving Gender Diversity in Academia
- New Program to Increase Diversity in Population Research
- Wisconsin Idea Book Wins Award
- Day of the Badger 2022 Approaches
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Decency. Excellence. Diversity.
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New Pride Scholarship
We're excited to announce the Alex and Demiana Hanna Pride Scholarship, a new fund started by alumna Alex Hanna (PhD 2016) to support undergraduate students majoring in Sociology who are actively committed to and engaged in activities which advocate for and support the LGBTQ community.
Demiana Hanna was one of 11 children growing up in rural Upper Egypt. She excelled in her exams and was the first woman in her family to attend college. When she moved to the U.S. in the 1980s, she did the lion's share of the childrearing, concentrating on raising her three children, of which Alex was one. Despite her training and education, she could not continue her accounting practice in the U.S.
Alex majored in computer science and math. She came to sociology later, after realizing that people were more interesting than computers, and that social justice is not simply a matter of moving zeros and ones around. She focused on researching social movements, computational social science, and the social impacts of technology.
During her time at UW, Alex also came out as a transgender woman, and she was supported by her colleagues and comrades. Queer and transgender people of color are often not given the care and grace to succeed, to fail, to feel loved, and to flourish. Alex established this scholarship with her mother to help support sociology undergraduates at the intersection of these identities.
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Vaccination Rates High on Campus
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This fall, many students and instructors returned to classrooms on campus for the first time since March 2020. The air filled with excitement to see one another face to face again, though the pandemic is not over yet.
Vaccination rates are high on campus; 94.8% of students and 95.6% of employees were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of November 22, 2021. Booster doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are also available at UHS to UW–Madison employees and students.
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Advisor Ellen Jacobson's Retirement
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You can help us wish Ellen Jacobson a long, happy retirement by sending her an email at ejacobso@ssc.wisc.edu.
Ellen retired in January 2021 after decades of dedicated service advising our undergrads. Says Ellen about her love of advising, “I got to be the first person to tell a student to follow their heart and to be mindful of choices, because they each are in the driver’s seat of their own lives. Student after student received this as a revelation and a delight.”
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Undergraduate Research Scholars Mentorship
By training and mentoring students through their research and creative practices, URS Mentors contribute to the University’s ability to produce graduates who demonstrate a breadth of knowledge in their field as well as global and cultural competence, become engaged leaders, and develop a depth of independent thought that is analytical, passionate, and creative. For students, URS mentoring positively contributes to students’ overall academic experience and makes post-graduate opportunities more desirable and accessible. URS data show clear evidence of increased retention and graduation rates, particularly for students from underrepresented populations.
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Alumna Improving Gender Diversity in Academia
UW-Madison's Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as one of 10 winners among U.S. universities that have demonstrably helped close gender gaps in academia.
Jennifer Sheridan (PhD 2001) is the Executive & Research Director at WISELI and has been a key part of their success. Her publications cover topics such as measurement of occupational standing, long-term effects of childhood abuse, and her current line of inquiry, the status of women in science and engineering.
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New Program to Increase Diversity in Population Research
Marcy Carlson (with UW Soc alum Kelly Musick) was awarded an NIH grant for NextGenPop, a new undergraduate summer education program designed to increase the pipeline of scholars from underrepresented backgrounds entering the field of population research.
The first undergraduate cohort will be hosted at UW-Madison, May 31 - June 14, 2021.
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Wisconsin Idea Book Wins Award
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Day of the Badger 2022 Approaches
Mark your calendars for Day of the Badger 2022! Join us for an online celebration of all things UW on April 5, 2022 at 10:12 am CDT - April 6, 2022 at 5:00 pm CDT.
Badger alumni from around the world will wear red, share their favorite memories and celebrate being a part of the Badger family. More details to come.
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This newsletter was created by Erin Skarivoda, Christine Schwartz, and Tina Hunter.
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