At UW–Madison, the forces that propel students forward often arise from two very different sources: unexpected good fortune and steadfast determination. Few stories embody these forces more profoundly than those of Aris Alexander ’57, MS’59, PhD’62 and his late wife, Jenny MS’72, PhD’81 — two Badgers whose lives and legacies continue to open doors for future generations.
For Aris, a pivotal moment came during his senior year, when an attempt to transfer out of the UW College of Engineering was abruptly denied. Discouraged and imagining a future designing reinforced concrete, he left Bascom Hall only to cross paths with Assistant to the President LeRoy Luberg. Luberg ushered Aris into his office and made a single phone call that changed everything. Within seconds, Aris was officially admitted to the psychology program, setting him on a lifelong academic path built on a single, serendipitous encounter.
That moment shaped not only his career — eventually spanning bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in psychology, followed by 27 years as a professor of psychiatry — but also his philanthropic philosophy. Aris’s contributions often arrive as surprises for their recipients, designed to mirror the unforeseen kindnesses and opportunities that shaped his own life.
Jenny’s story showcases the extraordinary power of perseverance. A young single mother in the 1970s, Jenny pushed through financial strain, academic pressures, and the daily realities of raising her son, David, while pursuing her master’s and doctorate degrees in educational psychology. She relied on grit, fortitude, and vital mentorship. After nine demanding years, she earned her doctoral degree in 1981, an accomplishment her family remembers as both jubilant and deeply hard-won.
To honor Jenny’s resilience and the network that helped her along the way, Aris established the Jenny Alexander Perseverance Fellowship Fund in 2022, which supports a doctoral student in the UW Department of Educational Psychology. True to Jenny’s story and Aris’s philanthropic style, the fellowship does not require an application; instead, faculty quietly select a deserving student whose dedication mirrors Jenny’s own tenacity.
“Over the years, I’ve become more aware of serendipity and how good fortune can change the arc of one’s life,” says Aris. “My hope is that this support in Jenny’s name will help someone who is working hard and persevering.”
Complementing this is Aris’s serendipity-themed legacy in the Department of Psychiatry: The Serendipity Post-Doctoral Fellowship Fund, also created in 2022, to support early-career researchers whose paths may be shaped, much like Aris’s, by unexpected opportunity. Mirroring his undergraduate and graduate “serendipity awards,” the postdoctoral fellowship is intended to arrive as a surprise to its recipient, recognizing promising scholars at pivotal early-career moments and helping drive their research toward new possibilities.
Together, Aris’s and Jenny’s legacies reflect two forces that define the Wisconsin Experience: the unanticipated moments that change everything, and the steadfast resolve that carries students through even the toughest challenges. These gifts — rooted in gratitude, humility, and profound personal journeys — ensure that serendipity and perseverance will continue to remove barriers for Badgers for generations to come.