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Robert M. La Follette
School of Public Affairs
1225 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: 608.262.3581
Fax: 608.265.3233
Last updated:
August 18, 2011
© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
Alumni and Friends: La Follette Notes: Fall 2008
From the Director:
La Follette School marks 25th anniversary
One of the benefits of an anniversary is it gives us occasion to measure how a relationship or an institution has evolved. Another benefit is that we also look to the future and think about where we want to be in the next 10 or 25 years.
This academic year we are celebrating the La Follette School’s 25th anniversary.
Looking back, we mark the growth of our program from the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration, established in the late 1960s under the directorship of Clara Penniman. Another important milestone was academic year 1983-84, the first for which the Wisconsin Legislature allocated money to establish the La Follette Institute. Dennis Dresang, then head of the center, became director of the institute.
In the ensuing 25 years, the institute grew to become a highly regarded school, nationally and internationally, with 23 faculty. This growth we owe in part to Dennis Dresang’s vision 25 years ago and his leadership of the center and the institute for most of the 1980s. Dennis is retiring at the conclusion of this fall semester, and I join our alumni and friends in thanking him for his 39 years of service to the university and the state.
This year we welcome to our faculty Timothy Smeeding, who is serving as director of the Institute for Research on Poverty. He is founder of the Luxembourg Income Study, a research center and cross-national wealth and income data archive. Sweden’s Stockholm University gave Tim an honorary degree in September to recognize this important contribution to research. We also welcome former University of Wisconsin–Madison chancellor John Wiley to our faculty and the expertise he brings in higher education studies and leadership.
Looking ahead, our priorities continue to be providing more support for graduate students, further strengthening our international program, enhancing the vitality of the Wisconsin Idea and raising funds for a new campus home for the school.
Our alumni and friends help us toward these goals not only through financial donations but also by giving their time to our students. This fall, 2005 international public affairs graduate Bill Schmitt shared with our students his experiences as an area coordinator with Catholic Relief Services in West Darfur, Sudan.
We encourage our alumni who will be visiting Wisconsin to contact us about meeting with our students.
All our alumni and friends practice the Wisconsin Idea by extending the reach of the university worldwide as they analyze problems, devise alternative courses of action and select the best solutions. The success of our graduates and quality of our faculty and staff show why the La Follette School’s reputation for excellence has grown nationally and internationally. We have a demonstrated impact on the residents of Wisconsin and their government, as well as the federal government and international programs.
I hope that our anniversary or the news of Dennis’ retirement prompts you to take further stock of your relationship with the La Follette School. Some of you find that your experiences here helped you achieve your career goals. Others witness the differences sound public policy can make in people’s everyday lives. Some alumni and friends stop by our receptions, help our students in their job searches or send financial contributions. This issue of La Follette Notes recounts some of these stories.
We look forward to hearing from more of you and to strengthening our relationship with you in the years to come.