A very special thank you to the 111 alumni and other donors who contributed to the La Follette School during UW–Madison’s second Day of the Badger. With a generous $10,000 incentive gift from Michael (MA ’82) and JoAnn Youngman, the School raised nearly $24,600 to support under-represented students in its graduate degree programs.
Congratulations as well to the Class of 2018 for winning the Day of the Badger Class Competition with 35 percent of 2018 graduates participating. Second place went to the Class of 2019, with 26 percent participating, while the Class of 2014 was close behind at 24 percent. The Class of 2018 also won in 2019.
Alumni from 1971 to 2020 contributed, and about one-third of all donations came from those graduating within the past five years.
Led by the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA), Day of the Badger 2021 began at 10:12 a.m. CDT April 6 and concluded April 7 at 5 p.m. CDT (1,848 minutes to commemorate the year of UW–Madison’s founding).
“We were thrilled to see so many alumni come together to support our students,” said Associate Director Steve Kulig (MPA ’14). “These gifts are instrumental in recruiting the best graduate students to the La Follette School.”
The Youngmans’ gift—given after the School received 100 donations—was critical to the School’s Day of the Badger success, said Director and Professor Susan Webb Yackee.
“Michael and JoAnn are among our most generous donors, and we greatly appreciate all they do for the School and our students,” Yackee said. A retired executive at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Michael Youngman has served on the School’s Board of Visitors since its inception in 2015.
In 2019, the La Follette School raised more than $6,300 during the inaugural Day of the Badger. WFAA canceled 2020’s day of giving due to the COVID-10 pandemic.