Rose Bowl benefits accrue across campus
 Los Angeles high school senior Bryce Moore (center) and his mother Darlene Moore (left) talk with university admissions representative Roxanne Alison at the prospective student recruiting fair. Photo: Jeff Miller For more stories and photos, visit the Rose Bowl 2000 Web site.
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Three trips to the Rose Bowl in a decade have done a lot to warm the hearts of legions of long-suffering, half-frozen Badger fans.
But beyond giving fans a few days in paradise and a chance to shine in the national spotlight, how much circumstance is there amid all the Rose Bowl pomp? What’s in it for UW–Madison, an institution that’s been among the academic heavyweights for most of this century?
In fact, the bowl appearances have boosted the university’s overall reputation, helped attract private support and recruit more top-notch students. For example, Director of Admissions Robert Seltzer, says the university’s Rose Bowl appearances in the last decade have enhanced the university’s efforts to be a diverse, national-scale campus.
People often see athletics and academics as an either-or proposition for universities. But in this case, the relationship has been complementary.
“Clearly now, we are seen as one of the most desirable ‘publics’ in the country,” says Keith White, associate director of admissions. “Our position in the food chain has been dramatically enhanced in recent years.”
Wisconsin Alumni Association leader Paula Bonner is careful not to overestimate the marketplace benefits of athletic success – after all, you don’t see too many Harvard grads begging for job interviews because they lacked a big-time football program.
“But being in the Midwest, I think it has helped our graduates be more competitive in the East Coast and West Coast job markets,” Bonner says.
The football team’s about-face this past decade from conference doormats to regular Big Ten contenders has been matched by a similar turnaround of the university’s undergraduate experience. The development of residence-hall learning communities, a revamped honors program, more undergraduate research opportunities and wired classrooms such as the School of Business computer lab have raised the bar for success.
“Athletics has its place, but it doesn’t drive the school. We’ve shown in the ’90s that we can win, and win big, and we can do it right,” White says.
The academic advances have drawn some of the most academically talented freshman classes ever at the university. Nearly half of fall 1998 freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes.
And with each Rose Bowl appearance this decade, the Office of Admissions has seized the golden opportunity to recruit some of the Los Angeles-area’s highest-achieving students.
Attending the most recent West Coast admissions event were about 150 people: a mix of alumni, UW staff, UW regents, prospective students and their parents. Some students showed up in suits and formal dresses; others sported name-brand T-shirts and weathered jeans.
And many of the high school seniors who walked through the merry throng of Badger fans say the scene conveys a strong message about the place.
“I like that pride – having pride in your school,” says Ross Wittman, a senior at L.A.’s Aquinas High School. “Seeing all these Wisconsin colors out here in the middle of California, it really attracts me to the place even more.”
Meanwhile, WAA runs a student-alumni matching service called “Career Connections,” which gives students insights and career advice from alums around the country. Alumni volunteerism has been strong on both coasts, with 120 volunteers from California, 165 from the West Coast, and 240 from the Northeast and Washington, D.C.
Bonner says WAA membership, currently topping 45,000 alumni, has reached its highest mark in history.
“People are excited about the university, there’s an increase in pride – and it’s all connected to this increased visibility.”
For more stories, photos and relation information about the Rose Bowl, visit: http://rosebowl.news.wisc.edu/.