Visits and Delegations

The International Division welcomes international visitors to the UW–Madison campus. Whether visit goals are to explore opportunities for collaboration, enhance partnerships, formalize agreements, share expertise, initiate programs, or engage with campus leadership, the International Division seeks to assist visitors and hosts in making the visit as productive as possible. We encourage opportunities to meet with representatives of higher education institutions, government agencies, private enterprises, and more and to connect them to the university’s administration and academic departments.

The International Division is charged with tracking and facilitating international visits and delegations to the UW. This work involves ensuring visit and hosting requests are correctly and efficiently routed through UW units, that visit protocols and strategic priorities are met, and connecting visitors and departments with the most relevant personnel. Below you will find more information specific to external or internal requests. Please note: we ask that all visitors and campus hosts complete a Visit Request Form, which is linked in the sections below.

FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

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International Division Involvement

The International Division is a central resource leading campus internationalization efforts. The International Division is directly involved in visits that require high-level coordination across multiple campus units and meetings with upper-level administrators.

If you are not in contact with a specific campus unit or department or are interested in meeting with multiple units, we require the submission of a Visit Request Form to initiate planning.

If you are already being hosted by a campus unit or department, we will be a resource for them as they plan your visit. We encourage you to complete a Visit Request Form so we know who you’re working with and can reach out to them.

Priorities and Outcomes

A key role of the International Division is to assess visit objectives and how they align with institutional priorities. We encourage opportunities that are of mutual benefit to both parties and present clearly articulated anticipated outcomes.

The Visit Request Form covers these points, but we welcome specificity in what units you hope to meet with and the purpose of the visit. If the visit is exploratory and/or introductory, highlighting topics of interest and visit scope will help us make the visit as productive as possible.

Timelines

We ask that visitors submit a Visit Request Form at least 4 weeks before the visit. This ensures that campus administrators will have sufficient availability to meet and will provide enough lead time to organize required protocols.

We also recommend requesting meetings during the academic semesters (fall and spring) when faculty and administrators are most likely to be on campus. Summer visits are possible, but many faculty, staff, and upper-level administrators are away from campus and not all requests can be accommodated. This may also be the case during Winter and Spring Breaks. Take a look at the university’s academic calendar for the start and end dates of each semester.

Meeting Requests

The International Division is charged with facilitating meetings between international delegations and campus. Our office will work to connect visitors with faculty, staff, and administrators. We highly recommend delegations include specific meeting requests and objectives in their Visit Request Form.

Upper-level administrators have limited availability so we cannot always accommodate meeting requests. For this reason, we strongly suggest submitting a Visit Request Form at least 4 weeks prior to your visit. All requests to meet with the offices below should be directed to the International Division.

  • Office of the Chancellor
  • Office of the Provost
  • Office of the International Division Vice Provost and Dean
  • School/College Deans

If you are interested in or planning to meet with other groups or individuals in Madison that are not affiliated with the university, please indicate this when you submit your form. This will help us to properly schedule your visit, which is especially important if your meetings take place off-campus. While our office may coordinate with off-campus partners, we are not involved in planning any meetings with those not affiliated with UW–Madison.

Visit Request Form

We request that visitors submit a Visit Request Form at least 4 weeks before the visit.

VISIT REQUEST FORM

FOR CAMPUS HOSTS

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International Division Involvement

Depending on the timing, stated purpose, and intended outcomes of the visit, campus hosts may need to coordinate with International Division staff when planning visits of international colleagues. Coordination may take the form of Division staff fully facilitating the visit or simply offering guidance and resources as you plan.

Please involve the International Division in the planning process when:

  • You would like your visitors to meet with senior campus leadership, e.g., the Chancellor, the Provost, School/College Deans, the International Division Vice Provost/Dean, etc. See “Meeting Request” for more details.
  • Visits include discussion or signing of International Agreements
  • The purpose of the visit is to explore engagement opportunities with any International Division units, student and/or faculty mobility, capacity building projects, or funded collaboration that involves more than one campus unit.

Requests for the International Division to help facilitate the visit can be submitted via the Visit Request Form.

Timelines

It is easiest to accommodate visits when requests are received by the International Division at least 4 weeks in advance via the Visit Request Form. This ensures that campus administrators will have sufficient availability to meet and will provide enough lead time to organize required protocols. We will consider requests on a shorter timeline, but schedules may be limited.

Meeting Requests

The International Division is charged with facilitating meetings between upper-level administrators and international delegations, which are primarily reserved for government officials or institutional leaders (Provost, Chancellor, President, etc.). If your visitors meet these criteria or if you have questions about whether such a visit might be possible, please make a note of this in the Visit Request Form and also reach out via email to externalrelations@international.wisc.edu with dates, times, and meeting objectives.

  • Office of the Chancellor
  • Office of the Provost
  • Office of the International Division Vice Provost and Dean
  • School/College Deans

Resources for Hosts

The International Division has developed a toolkit for campus hosts to assist in visit planning. Access templates and sample documents via Box.

  • Template for visit schedule/itinerary
  • Sample visit schedule/itinerary
  • Selected campus policies, procedures, protocols, etc.

Visit Request Form

The International Division can assist in facilitating visits most effectively when campus hosts submit a Visit Request Form at least 4 weeks before the scheduled visit. The Visit Request Form is geared toward international visitors, not campus hosts, but we appreciate our campus partners nevertheless completing the form. This will not only help the International Division in assessing the level of our involvement but also serves to track international engagement across campus more broadly.

VISIT REQUEST FORM

Learn more about international engagement at UW-Madison.

VISITOR RESOURCES

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Parking

Parking on or near campus is limited. Visitor parking is available in City of Madison ramps and lots, and in university garages and ramps. Street parking near campus is usually restricted to two hours.

Based on your itinerary, the International Division may be able to reserve restricted parking spaces for visitors.

On campus

The campus map displays parking lots on campus, including real-time data on parking space availability. Transportation Services also tracks lot vacancy.

Some building have space reserved for visitors. However, if your campus host is not able to reserve parking for your visit, you may also purchasing a visitor permit ahead of time. Please allow at least two weeks for processing.

Learn more about on visitor parking on campus.

Near campus 

The city parking garage nearest to campus is the State Street Campus Ramp, with entrances on Lake St. and Francis St.

Lodging

On campus

UW–Madison offers some lodging options for guests attending university-related functions or conducting university business. Take a look below for current rates and guest eligibility guidelines.

In Madison

There are a wide range of hotel offerings near campus, all of which are listed by the city’s tourism board, Destination Madison. Please note that availability is often limited when there are large events and conventions being held in the city or on campus, such as football weekends, commencement, Crossfit Games and the World Dairy Expo.

Campus Resources

Below are a handful of links that may be useful as you plan your visit to campus.

City of Madison

For comprehensive information on visiting the City of Madison, including events, restaurants, hotels, etc., visit the Madison Visitor’s Bureau website.

For information on public health guidelines, review the information provided by Public Health Madison & Dane County.