College of Letters & Science
The L&S Honors Program’s annual Go Big Read Luncheon was a resounding success, filling every seat in the Pyle Center’s AT&T Lounge on November 4, 2025. Students, faculty, and staff gathered for an engaging conversation with Percival Everett, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel James, this year’s campus-wide Go Big Read selection. From the moment …
The L&S Honors Program welcomed Dean Eric Wilcots to the historic Washburn Observatory on October 15, 2025, for a memorable Wednesday @ Washburn event. Attendance was strong, with students eager to hear from the Dean about his personal journey, his leadership of the College of Letters & Science, and his passion for astronomy. True to …
The L&S Honors Program’s Fall 2025 First-Year Dinner brought together the newest members of the Honors community for an evening of connection, celebration, and inspiration. Held on September 30, 2025, the event filled the room—every seat taken—as first-year students gathered to meet one another, Honors staff, and some of the most outstanding UW faculty and …
The L&S Honors Program’s first Wednesday @ Washburn of the semester, held on September 17, 2025, was such a success that it exceeded capacity and prompted a second session. Hosted in the historic Washburn Observatory, the event featured Professor Daniel Kapust, the Director of the L&S Honors Program, who is also a professor of political …
A visitor to the Philosophy Department in Helen C. White will encounter a beautiful work of art just outside the door to the main office. The piece, pictured below, features a range of terms central to the study of philosophy; some involving matter and its nature, others involving psychology and ethics, and others involving epistemology …
On April 11, 2025, the Honors Program hosted the 2025 Senior Honors Thesis Symposium—a hallmark event recognizing the culmination of years of research by undergraduate Honors scholars at UW–Madison. Held at Union South, the day-long symposium featured student presentations spanning disciplines from astrophysics to art history, spotlighting the intellectual curiosity and dedication that define Honors …
Beginning this spring 2025 semester, the L&S Honors program will debut a new series titled “Research @ Washburn.” This series was created by L&S Honors Director Daniel Kapust. He describes the series as “four different faculty and student panel discussions, during which honors students will have the opportunity to learn about what research looks like …
On October 8, 2024, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s College of Letters & Science Honors Program hosted its annual First-Year Dinner at the Alumni Lounge in the Pyle Center. The event attracted over 100 first-year students and nearly 40 faculty members from an array of academic disciplines. The evening commenced with a buffet dinner, offering …
Dan Kapust (Photo by Isabelle Delfosse) The L&S Honors staff is excited to welcome our new faculty director, Dr. Daniel Kapust, Judith Hicks Stiehm Chair in Political Theory. He assumes the role previously held by Dr. Jenny Saffran. While welcoming Dr. Kapust, the Honors staff would also like to thank Dr. Saffran for her three …
The L&S Honors Program would like to congratulate Axell Boomer on receiving the nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship, which provides $35,000 for graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences. We encourage you to read more about Axell, his research, and this award. Axell is a Comprehensive Honors student and in the process of completing …