University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Thursday, February 5, 2026
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BADGERS DROP SIX STRAIGHT
PIZZA DOUGH BOY
Men’s hockey extends losing streak to six in Minnesota series sweep.
Republican bill would allow minors to operate pizza-dough rollers at work.
+ SPORTS, PAGE 8
+ NEWS, PAGE 4
Students, faculty split on Mnookin’s legacy By Annika Bereny & Zoey Elwood CAMPUS & COLLEGE NEWS EDITORS
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s decision to leave the University of Wisconsin-Madison for Columbia University has drawn mixed reactions from campus, varying from bittersweet goodbyes from campus leaders to celebratory farewells from Badger sports fans, labor leaders and student activists alike. Mnookin’s time as chancellor included major accomplishments that increased the university’s global standing, creating new financial aid programs, academic hiring initiatives and campus infrastructure. However, some took issue with
her inaccessibility to students and organized labor, along with the decline of Badger football. In early 2023, Mnookin launched Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which covers tuition and fees, alongside other expenses, for Pell Granteligible Wisconsinites and has benefited more than 7,800 students. She also introduced the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise later that year, which guarantees scholarships and grants to cover undergraduate tuition for students who are members of federally recognized Wisconsin American Indian tribes. Under her leadership, Wisconsin rose to a top-5 research institution in the country and
debuted the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative, a hiring project focused on human health, artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability. Mnookin also courted record-breaking philanthropy bringing campus buildings like Morgridge Hall through to the finish line. In late 2025, Mnookin announced the Wisconsin Exchange program, another privately-funded initiative which aims to spur conversation between students who may differ politically. For campus leaders like Glenda Gillaspy, dean of College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Mnookin was a friend and treasured
UW professors incorporating AI despite lingering concerns By Addison Dama STAFF WRITER
As students return to campus this semester, professors are once again evaluating how artificial intelligence can, and cannot, be a tool for learning in their classrooms. Despite concerns about generative AI impeding learning, some professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are choosing to address and even integrate AI into their course syllabi. The rapid development of AI technology has left professors and students alike grappling with the uncertainties of what constitutes proper use of AI in the classroom. While just a few years ago many courses explicitly banned AI, the technology is now becoming increasingly embraced. New courses like “AI and strategic communication” in the journalism department are even structured around how students can apply AI in their strategic communication careers. According to instructor Tom Beckman, the question of whether students are over reliant on AI is the wrong question altogether. Instead he asks: “Are we teaching students properly to think with AI?” Nicholas McConnell, an astronomy professor, told The Daily Cardinal the novelty and rapid development of AI opens an opportunity for students and professors to collaborate and discover these new technologies together. “There will be better outcomes if we’re talking to each other and being honest instead of trying to outsmart each other,” McConnell said. Across campus, different departments are coming up with unique approaches to the advent of AI. Without a strict universitywide policy, professors and departments are allowed to develop rules and procedures that make sense for their disciplines. In Stacy Forster’s Journalism 202 course, an entry-level reporting class required for all journalism students, students compare AI-written news briefs against their own real-world news briefs. Later in the semester, students will collaborate on a presentation that addresses the different ethical implications of AI use. “Its going to be a group learning exercise because I don’t really know what to teach, and we all have to kind of figure it out together,” Forster told the Cardinal. According to a Nov. 2025 survey of U.S. university faculty conducted by Elon University, 95% of the faculty said generative AI will increase students’ overreliance on AI tools, with a majority also saying
colleague. Gillaspy reflected on traveling with Mnookin across Wisconsin and gave her credit for encouraging new experiences. “Together, we visited cranberry bogs, farms and cheese factories, and talked with stakeholders about how UW-Madison can better serve Wisconsin. She is the person who finally convinced me to try Limburger cheese — an experience that I’ll never forget,” Gillaspy said in a statement. “I’m grateful for her partnership over the years and wish her all the best at Columbia.”
+ Mnookin page 3 SPORTS
UW Athletic Board declines to extend Fickell, per coach’s request By Nick Bumgardner & Noe Goldhaber MANAGING EDITOR & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CAMERON SCHNEIDER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
AI will reduce critical thinking skills and decrease attention spans among students. “I wouldn’t say yet that students are over reliant on [AI],” McConnell told the Cardinal. Instead, he expressed concern that students will use AI responses “transactionally” for grades, rather than as an aid in their development. He believes students “have a lot of agency to recognize that they can still be prioritizing their own growth.” In an op-ed, University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman acknowledged AI’s role in the workforce, but still emphasized the importance of students’ ability to make informed decisions outside of the technology. “AI is transforming the workplace, but durable skills like critical thinking, effective communication, adaptability and problemsolving that our 13 universities cultivate remain the foundation of success,” Rothman said. “When paired with AI literacy, these skills make our graduates ‘future ready.’” A 2025 survey of 1,000 hiring managers found that 81% of hiring managers now consider AI-related skills a hiring priority, with employers looking for candidates with problem-solving or critical thinking skills regarding AI challenges, along with an overall proficiency in AI tools. To Beckman, teaching AI for students’ careers doesn’t just mean teaching students how to use a specific AI tool — one that may not even be around in 10 years given how rapidly AI is progressing. Rather, he focuses on teaching students the executive
functioning skills necessary to master any tool, whether they’re tools available today or those that will emerge in the future. Beckman said he and other colleagues in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication focus on the applications of generative AI and large language models, from analyzing large datasets to monitoring customer behavior. Despite the growing prevalence in both the corporate world and academia, concerns about the ethical use of AI remain among students. Forster said even in assignments where students are allowed or encouraged to use AI, some refuse to do so, either out of environmental concerns or a general ethical opposition to AI. She expressed that most students are mindful of how they use AI tools and that a foundational understanding of the material is needed to use AI effectively. Forster previously conducted a survey on students’ AI use and found that “all students said they really want to do the thinking for themselves.” She, along with Beckman and McConnel, is optimistic about how students will continue to use AI. Forster also said she believes professors and students are agreeing more than she initially anticipated. Regardless of concerns about overreliance or ethics, AI is a tool that is likely to stay. As more attention and university resources are diverted to AI technology, the future can reshape higher education.
Wisconsin head football coach Luke Fickell’s contract was not extended by the University of Wisconsin Athletic Board Wednesday at his request. A formality, the university annually renews contracts for top coaches in a longstanding effort to maintain stability and discourage outside buyouts. Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh said Fickell requested his contract extension not be up for consideration in December shortly after the season ended, one where the Badgers finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game for the second-straight year. “Luke is completely focused on a successful 2026 campaign. There is no one more competitive than Luke, and he holds himself to the highest standards,” McIntosh said on Wednesday. Fickell agreed to a seven-year contract with a $7.8 million average annual salary when he started at Wisconsin in 2022. Not extending Fickell’s contract means he is working under a six-year contract that runs through 2032, having received oneyear extensions in 2024 and 2025. McIntosh announced that Fickell would return for the 2026 season in November despite a disappointing fall season, committing to “more Athletics-funded investments” to solve Badger football’s issues. “He continues to have our full support and, as we shared widely at the end of last year, Luke is making the necessary changes in the program, our department is increasing our investment and we are aligned with campus leadership in our commitment to football success,” McIntosh said. In the offseason, Badger football has put that money to use, compiling a top-20 transfer class that includes quarterback Colton Joseph, running back Abu Sama and cornerback Bryce West. The UW Athletic Board approved oneyear contract extensions for volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield, women’s soccer coach Paula Wilkins and men’s soccer coach Neil Jones, extending each through Jan. 31, 2031.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”