While winter is the season of holiday gatherings and good cheer, WAA members have reason to celebrate every month of the year. From Founders’ Day festivities and Alumni Travel trips to Grandparents University and UW Homecoming, spirited member gatherings throughout 2025 created memories to last a lifetime.
January: Badger of the Year
To start the New Year off strong, WAA members with WAA’s Milwaukee Chapter presented Mayor Cavalier Johnson ’09 with a 2024 Badger of the Year Award for his lifelong service and steadfast leadership of Wisconsin’s largest city.
February: Founders’ Day Fun
February 5, which the Badger community celebrates as Founders’ Day, marks the anniversary of the first classes held at the University of Wisconsin in 1849. It also marks the beginning of a nationwide season of events held by Badgers to honor their alma mater. The Orange County Badgers celebrated Founders’ Day in April with a beer tasting and guest talk by UW associate professor and WAA member Robin Shepard PhD’93. In May, the Lakeland Chapter celebrated Founders’ Day in Minocqua, Wisconsin, by learning about the UW research happening in their own backyard at the Kemp Natural Resources Station. They also marked the occasion by presenting WAA member Joe Mastalski ’67 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
March: Behind the Scenes at Babcock Dairy
In March, WAA members enjoyed a discounted registration rate to attend Made at the UW: Dairy Sciences. During this immersive experience, attendees toured the UW’s state-of-the-art dairy science facilities, including the new Babcock Dairy Plant, the Center for Dairy Research, and even the Dairy Cattle Center. Of course, no visit to campus’s dairy destinations is complete without a scoop of Babcock ice cream.
April: Member Appreciation
As signs of spring emerge on campus and Sunburst chairs migrate back to the Terrace, WAA does it up the Badger way for Member Appreciation Month! We’re grateful for our members all year long, but nothing says “thank you” quite like an entire month dedicated to, well, YOU! At our Member Appreciation Event in Madison, members came from near and far to celebrate Badger spirit with this special community.
May: Bucky Goes to Bhutan!
Sporting a nifty new exosuit from this spring’s “Movement Issue” of Badger Insider, Flat Bucky joined WAA member Peggy Schuemann on a hike to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan.
June: Up North at Alumni College
Nothing says “summer” like going back to school. In June, WAA members gathered at Red Crown Lodge in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin, for Alumni College, a celebration of lifelong learning and Badger community. Attendees enjoyed UW faculty presentations about Alzheimer’s research, U.S. history, artificial intelligence, and Indigenous philosophies. When class wasn’t in session, they kicked back and relaxed, reminiscing with old friends and making new connections in the beauty of Wisconsin’s Northwoods.
July: Grandparents University
Class was in session at Grandparents University, where WAA members shared the UW experience with their Badgers-to-be. Grandparents and grandchildren lodged in UW residence halls and attended courses in limnology, physics, broadcast journalism, music, art, Chinese language and culture, computer science, dance, entomology, and more, learning from eminent UW faculty while making lifelong memories.
August: All Aboard the Bucky Boat!
Between complimentary pontoon boat rides during Badger Meet-Ups and the immersive educational experiences of the Teejop Waterscapes Boat Tours, WAA members enjoyed ample time on Lake Mendota in 2025.
September: Greetings from Canada!
Bucky and Bucky accompanied WAA members Laura Strehlow MS’77 (left) and Valerie Krejcie MS’78 (right) to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, where they took in the views of glacial Peyto Lake (pictured) and Lake Louise.
October: Happy Homecoming!
Is there any UW tradition more nostalgic than Homecoming? Crisp air and crunchy leaves harken back to autumns past as generations of Badgers in cardinal and white descend on the place where, when you say “Wisconsin,” you’ve said it all. Before the pageantry of the parade and the bustle of Game Day, WAA members kicked off a weekend of Badger spirit at the VIB Homecoming Reception, the latest addition to WAA’s traditions.
November: Bucky! on the Big Screen
WAA members in the Fox Valley Chapter were treated to an early screening of Wisconsin Public Television’s Bucky! documentary, complete with an appearance from the badger himself!
December: Welcome to Alumnihood, Class of 2025.
On Sunday, members of the UW–Madison Class of 2025 will cross the stage at the Kohl Center and commence their next adventure: alumnihood. We’re thrilled to welcome these new grads into this special community. Thank you, members, for all you do to help make WAA the place where Badgers belong.
