College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Collaboration and innovation flourish in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Through outreach, research and education, the College meets the challenges of a changing landscape marked by

• an exploding knowledge of fundamental biology,
• increasing challenges and opportunities in agriculture, and
• mounting concerns about how to protect farms, preserve natural resources, promote good health and secure a more sustainable energy future.

At its core, the College fosters communities of expertise – among researchers, faculty and students in cooperation with business, industry and government. It has a rich history of finding practical answers to everyday challenges, from breeding hybrid crops to revitalize the state’s agricultural markets to identifying vitamins essential to human health.

CALS remains committed to discovering the means to improve the lives of Wisconsin’s citizens: Building environmentally friendly homes economically and identifying the effects of urban sprawl, supporting Wisconsin’s flourishing cheese industry and producing energy from wood chips and plant stalks.

Private support helps CALS build on its 120-year tradition to ensure a future of excellence, innovation, accountability and practicality. Working with the CALS development team, the College has identified five funding priorities as it tackles 21st century problems.

• Wisconsin Rural Youth Scholarships
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  Wisconsin Rural Youth Scholarships help qualified, talented students from Wisconsin’s more than 220 rural high schools (defined by the census bureau) realize their dream of a world class education and allowing them to enroll in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

• The Forward Fund
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  The fund allows the dean to provide undergraduate aid, establish graduate student fellowships and research assistantships, recruit and retain faculty, and respond to opportunities related to food, energy, health and the environment.

• Meat and Muscle Biology Lab/Building
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  The UW-Madison’s meat science and muscle biology program has improved meat quality and safety for almost 70 years. A gift to the new Meat and Muscle Biology Lab is an investment in a new era of meat research, education and outreach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

• Babcock Hall/Center for Dairy Research
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  The Center for Dairy Research, which also makes its home in Babcock Hall, enhances dairy quality and competitiveness, and runs the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Program that has changed the face of the state’s dairy industry. You can help Babcock Hall food and dairy researchers continue to find new ways to feed the world, educate the next generation of food scientists and improve health.

• Grow magazine
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  Inaugurated in 2007, Grow magazine has been answering these questions for College of Agricultural and Life Science (CALS) alumni and students, industry leaders and the general public. Gifts to Grow allow CALS to continue producing the award-winning magazine to disseminate the latest science and promote science education and science literacy for a wide audience.

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