Department of Gender and Women’s Studies 50th Anniversary Celebration: “Forward Together!”
October 24 and 25, 2025
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison 53703; and The Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, 475 North Charter Street,
Madison 53706
Join us for dancing, dining, and dialogue! It is time to celebrate the accomplishments of the Gender and Women’s Studies Department at UW-Madison throughout its 50 years of rich and powerful history! The 2025 golden anniversary celebration, “Forward Together!” is an important event that brings people together from within and beyond UW-Madison to a setting for celebration of the department’s history and the field’s future. This event will highlight the contributions of speakers, scholars, faculty, and students who will share their experiences surrounding the department. At a time when GWS departments across the nation are under threat of defunding and disbanding, uplifting voices within GWS calls attention to the need for these difficult dialogues and hard-won celebrations. This website acts as both a tribute and an information center.
Location and Hotel
The 2025 anniversary will take place at two consecutive locations: Friday October 24th events are at the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies itself in the Center for Research on Gender and Women Sterling Hall rooms 3331 and 3401, and Saturday October 25th events are at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center adjacent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Please reserve your rooms in advance to guarantee lodging near the convention center.
We have a block of state rooms available at the Sheraton Madison Hotel. In order to reserve your room, please use this link or call 608-251-2300 and reference the Gender and Women’s Studies 50th Anniversary. Please note that these rates begin at $149.00/night.
Registration
Registration opening in July 2025!
We hope that all can attend the golden anniversary celebration and we will have our registration page accessible soon.
Schedule
At-A-Glance Schedule Friday, October 24: (Sterling Hall) 3:00pm-3:45pm: “Celebrating GWS Undergraduates” 4:00pm-5:15pm: “The Enduring Power and Potential of GWS 103” 5:15pm: Celebration Reception
Saturday, October 25: (Monona Terrace) 8:30am: Breakfast Buffet opens 8:30am: Opening Panel: “Caring for Each Other: A GWS/Community Engagement Panel” 9:30am-10:45am: Morning Panel 1: “Building Fields of Excellence within GWS” Morning Workshop 1: GWS Morning Maitri 11am-12:15pm: Morning Panel 2: “Emeritus Panel” Morning Workshop 2: GWS Maker’s Table 12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch on your own 1:30pm-2:30pm: Afternoon Panel 3: “GWS Graduate Studies: Past, Present, and Future” Afternoon Workshop 3: GWS Community Quotes Collection & GWS Archival Collection 2:45pm-3:45pm: Afternoon Panel 4: “Forward Together: Teaching, Research, and Community Engagement” Afternoon Workshop 4: GWS Networking Room 4:00pm-5:15pm: Keynote 5:15pm-6:30pm: Cash Bar, Reception, Small Plate Dinner 6:30pm: Dance!
Merchandise
History of GWS
FAQs and Contacts
For any immediate questions, please email the Communications and Operations Coordinator, Dr. Tracy Lemaster, at tlemaster@wisc.edu