<p>Sure, Madison has a world-class academy environment, one of the best college atmosphere, one of the most beautiful campus, top sport teams, a loyal alum base, and the list goes on. </p>
<p>How can it get even better? Let's take the glove off... what's some of the pain points students, parents and alums see?</p>
<p>I'll start one - no enough need-based scholarships & grants to help lower middle class students. UW Foundation should put more proceedings into a need-based scholarship fund.</p>
<p>I agree 100% with that. I would also keep the improved attention to undergrads going with some profs appointed more for teaching and helping ugs than research. They need to hire about 100 more profs to replace those cut in the last budget. They should focus on continuing to build the business and engineering schools and improve the Law School markedly.
Some weaker small depts should be closed down with the money assigned to making the strong stronger. They just can't afford 160 great depts. I'd continue the focus on biosciences.
The honors program could be made a bit more structured and integrated with a new dorm.</p>
<p>I'm glad the Honors Program is not separate from the rest of the campus, I would hate to see segregation of honors students.</p>
<p><em>agrees completely with Wis75's last post</em></p>
<p>I think honors dorms have proven to be very attractive to top students who want to be in a serious environment. I think UW loses many of these to other schools in part because there is no such housing--especially OOS students already concerned with the party image.</p>
<p>Maybe, but I chose Madison partly for that reason. In High School I always hated the segregation between honors/IB/AP students... most of my friends were just regular kids. The unspoken air of superiority seems to follow the segregated honors dorms. The ones at my instate universities (ASU, U of A, NAU) are no fun at all, and the people think they're so far above the rest of the kids. </p>
<p>I'm not saying you're wrong, that's just my personal prerogative. :)</p>
<p>Another reason to not have an honors dorm is the problem of where to locate a new dorm, or which existing dorm to use- there are so many different locations and types to fit all sorts of personalities -there's no way the most favored dorm could be taken away from the rest of the students. Eons ago friends and I shared a major and in honors, but there was no way we would live in each other's dorms- Barnard/ Lakeshore. You can meet your honors friends in class and then associate with them. Son hasn't seemed to mind being with everyone else... </p>
<p>Remember the "study hard/party hard"- you don't have to party. There are plenty of serious students who choose UW. Also, the engineering students etc mix with the L&S students, I wouldn't want to miss out on being exposed to them as a freshman. You can also learn a lot about what average means at a selective school, and not all students eligible for honors choose it.</p>
<p>Finally, some of the schools that segregate honors students need to do it to attract the honors caliber students. With more funds I would offer more honors sections/separate courses in survey level courses.</p>
<p>I think they should admit more internationals!!!!</p>
<p>dda, I agree with you. Be sure to check out the BRIDGE program that brings together domestic and intl students - plus they also have a lot of events for you to meet other intl students. <a href="http://www.intstudents.wisc.edu/bridge/gallery.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.intstudents.wisc.edu/bridge/gallery.htm</a></p>
<p>Intl undergraduate population has been hovering about ~1000 +/- 10% for the last decade, notably less than the previous decade. The increasing cost of attendance and limited financial aids have increasingly priced UW and many other US colleges out of reach for many well qualified foreign students. Of course, security and general anti-US sentiment don't help. </p>
<p>In that regards, I like to see the university more actively pursuing transfer agreement with two-year colleges outside U.S. That will reduce the enrollment pressure on the freshmen class as well as total cost of attending for foreign students, making UW more attractive. By the same token, UW should bring in more foreign exchange students which only add to campus diversity.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm glad to see that there are at least a few internationals on this board coming to Wisconsin :)</p>
<p>Hopefully they'll increase the amount at the school, because it's nice to have the diversity in the classroom/activities/dorms/friends/parties/etc</p>