From Welcome Week events to career conversations and graduation celebrations, the fall 2025 semester was once again filled with numerous opportunities for students, scholars, and the UW–Madison community to engage in global learning and collaboration. Throughout the semester, division programs and initiatives created spaces for learning both locally and abroad.
AUGUST
International Student Services (ISS) held their International Student Welcome and Information Fair (ISWIF) to welcome new international students.
SEPTEMBER
The Center for East Asian Studies ‘East Asia Now’ series brought AI pioneer Corey Jaskolski to campus to talk about the global surveillance implications of the 2023 Chinese spy balloon and how a Wisconsin-based AI company successfully tracked its movements.
1,187 students attended this year’s Study Abroad Fair!
The Wisconsin International Scholars (WISc) program announced a new direction for the program. The new faculty fellows model is expected to enrich the WIScholar experience by connecting them with faculty, including teaching professors, who are committed to global work across a wide range of academic fields.
Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) and Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) joined the Sala Thai Festival, celebrating Thai food, music, dance, and culture. Dean Vavrus also gave remarks on behalf of the university. 
OCTOBER
The International Studies (IS) Major hosted its International Career Conversations series, connecting students directly with alumni in high-impact global careers. Students were excited to learn from the speakers’ extensive backgrounds and consider their own future impact in their international careers.
International Student Services participated in the annual Homecoming Parade. 
Over 1,000 scholars gathered for the 53rd Annual Conference on South Asia. The four-day conference offered a massive platform for discussion, spanning 15 symposia, 141 panels, and 32 roundtables.
NOVEMBER
The 2025 Open Doors report ranked UW–Madison #6 among U.S. universities for total study abroad participation in 2023–2024 and #18 for international student enrollment, thanks to our students from more than 120 places of origin.
International Academic Programs (IAP) hosted their annual Study Abroad Photo Contest. 1st through 3rd place winners were printed and displayed in the Red Gym where Dean Vavrus visited and selected her pick.
DECEMBER
16 students in 14 different countries completed takeovers of IAP’s Instagram and Facebook stories (@iapstudyabroad). Check them out on IAP’s Instagram highlights section.
International student Jeeva Premkumar was selected as the Winter 2025 Commencement Student Speaker.
