- Welcome
- Calendar
- For Prospective Students
- For Students
- Degree Programs
- Faculty and Staff
- Research
- Public Service and Outreach
- Career Development
- For Alumni and Friends
- News
- Contact Us
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
Terry Shelton
Outreach Director
Office: B6 Observatory Hill Office Building
Phone: (608) 262-3038
Fax: (608) 265-3233
E-mail:
Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs
University of Wisconsin–Madison
1225 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1211
As outreach director of the La Follette School, Terry Shelton is the person most responsible for implementing the Wisconsin Idea – the notion that the boundaries of the university reach to the boundaries of the state and beyond. Since 1993, Shelton has connected legislators, local government leaders, tribal officials, businesses, non-profits and citizens with research interests of faculty and affiliates in solving governance issues.
During his time at La Follette, Shelton has also been appointed executive director or chief of staff for three governor’s blue ribbon commissions: Commission for the Study of Value and Administrative Efficiency (SAVE) in 1993; the Commission on Campaign Finance Reform in 1996; and the Commission on State-Local Partnerships for the 21st Century in 2000. He also served on the 10-Year University of Wisconsin–Madison Reaccreditation Committee from 2008-09.
Prior to joining La Follette, Shelton practiced journalism for 20 years, including stints as city editor of the Wisconsin State Journal and the La Crosse Tribune, where, under his leadership, the papers received numerous awards from the Inland Daily Press Association, Milwaukee Press Club, the Associated Press and Lee Enterprises. He was a casewriter and participant at the American Press Institute and the Poynter Institute. He also taught journalism for three years at Viterbo University and University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.
Selected as a fellow by the Bush Leadership Foundation in 1986, Shelton used the position to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He received a master’s in journalism from Marquette University in 1975. The native of Tennessee also has a bachelor’s degree in English from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.
Shelton serves or has served on a variety of boards, including Applied Tech Solutions (1999-present), Wisconsin Leadership Institute (1995-present), Environment and Public Health Network of Chinese Students and Scholars (2006-present) and the Daily Cardinal (2000-2010). He has headed the Madison chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Public Administration.