Join us for the opening keynote of Social Justice Week 2026 as we explore this year’s theme, "Community Healing & Collective Care." This keynote will invite participants to reflect on what it means to practice care as a shared responsibility and to engage justice work in ways that strengthen relationships across campus and community.

Through story, insight and practical reflection, this session will challenge us to consider how we show up for one another, how we address harm and how we build sustainable communities rooted in belonging and accountability.

More details about the keynote focus and speaker framing will be announced soon.

Attention students: Step onto the TEDx stage. 

We are seeking a UWL student speaker to deliver the opening welcome at TEDxUWLaCrosse 2026. This year’s theme explores the Driftless Area — a landscape that shapes our region, identity and sense of place.

Selected students will open the event with a brief welcome and introduction to the theme before our three featured TEDx speakers take the stage at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in The Bluffs. This welcome will serve to open the event and will not be part of the recorded videos submitted to the TEDx platform. 

How to apply: 

• Submit a draft of your proposed welcome address that defines “Driftless” and explores what it means to you in 300–700 words (approximately 2–3 minutes spoken aloud)
• Please submit in written format
• Finalists will be called in to read the script aloud to members of the TEDx committee.
• The winner should be prepared to attend one or more rehearsals in summer and September 2026 and deliver the complete address live at the event. 

Submit your draft by Wednesday, April 15 to Kjerstin Lang at klang@uwlax.edu. 

Applicants will be notified if they are selected before the end of the spring semester. 

Take the stage. Share your voice. Help us welcome the community to TEDxUWLaCrosse 2026. 

Are you a student interested in health education and social media? Are you passionate about wellness and looking for on-campus work? Apply to be a Peer Health Advocate on Handshake by April 3, 2026.

Are you faculty or staff with a student in mind? Share this post with them, visit the Wellness & Health Advocacy page for more information, or email wellness@uwlax.edu to recommend them for the position.

You're invited to join us in celebrating the 2026 UWL Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients! This special brunch & ceremony honors UWL alumni who exemplify excellence and have made a lasting impact on their professions, communities and our university.

Attendees will enjoy socializing, brunch, live music performed by a UWL student musician, inspiring remarks from Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, and the opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the UWL community.

For faculty and staff, please RSVP here to join us in celebrating. 
For alumni & friends, please RSVP here to join us in celebrating. 

2026 UWL Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients 

• Amy Oliver, ’05 & ’08
  Burt & Norma Altman Teacher Education Award
  
  
• Dan Kraeger, ’83
  Graff Distinguished Alumni Award
  
  
• Elizabeth Evans, ’05
  Morgan Improving Lives Alumni Award
  
  
• Tacara Lovings, ’12
  Parker Distinguished Multicultural Alumni Award
  
  
• Sarah Arendt-Beyer, ’07
  Rada Distinguished Alumni Award

What: 2026 UWL Distinguished Alumni Awards
When: 9 a.m. Sat, April 11
Where: The Bluffs Ballroom Student Union

Five alumni. Real industry insights. Your UWL legacy begins today.

Hear from UWL Distinguished Alumni Award recipients as they deliver brief insight talks on their industries, reflect on their UWL experiences and share advice as you begin shaping your own legacy.

Students who attend can also:

• Participate in a live, digital interaction and brief Q&A following the presentation
• Download a Legacy in Action Certificate of Participation for LinkedIn
• Enter to win a Build Your Legacy Kit
• Enjoy coffee and grab-and-go snacks

Register online by Monday, April 6. Space is limited for this interactive program.

Featuring the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients

Sarah Arendt-Beyer, ’07
Marketing Communications Manager | Nortek Air Solutions
AI Is Just the Beginning: Embracing Change Throughout Your Career

Elizabeth Evans, ’05
Community Impact Director | Great Rivers United Way
Community Impact: Turning Needs into Action

Dan Kraeger, ’83
Medical Director | Heartland Hospice–Central Wisconsin
Advancing Health: Through Service and Leadership

Tacara Lovings, ’12
Executive Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives | Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Leading for All: Education as a Common Good

Amy Oliver, ’05 & ’08
Principal | Hintgen Elementary School
Student Success: Expanding Support Beyond the Classroom

Gamma Sigma Sigma and the Leadership and the Involvement Center are excited to partner with the American Red Cross to host our next campus blood drive on April 7, 2026.

Did you know that while about 38% of Americans are eligible to donate blood, fewer than 10% actually do each year? Your donation can make a real and immediate impact. If you’re healthy and able, we encourage you to take an hour out of your day, book an appointment and help support the Red Cross’s lifesaving mission.

Not sure if you’re eligible? No worries. Just stop by, and the Red Cross team will help you find out.

Sign up or learn more on the Red Cross website. 

Roll up your sleeve, save a life and be part of something bigger than yourself!

Donors will receive a free T-shirt (while supplies lasts) and a free Culver's "Give a Pint, Get a Pint" coupon.

The event is from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, at the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center.

View this event on UWL MyOrgs.

How did people in Ice Age Europe stay connected over vast distances and across generations?  

Charles Egeland, director of the Archaeology Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will give a free, public lecture exploring the surprising ways in which art and artifacts helped ancient societies share ideas, signal identity and keep communities strong.  

The talk, “Small Things, Shared Worlds: Artifacts, Art, and Social Life in Ice Age Europe” will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in Skogen Auditorium, room 1400 Centennial Hall, at UW-La Crosse. 

Using archaeological evidence, social network analysis, and a little computer science, Egeland will uncover how even the smallest objects can tell big stories about human connection — and why connecting with each other has always defined us as a species. 

Egeland earned a doctoral degree from Indiana University-Bloomington. He is a professor of anthropology and director of the Archaeology Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is particularly fascinated by how ancient hunter-gatherers interacted with their environments — and how these interactions laid the groundwork for humans’ profound ecological footprint on Earth today. 

The Recreational Sports Department would like to share building/program hours for Easter weekend (April 3-5).  For more information regarding the Recreational Sports Department and the programs that are offered, visit the Rec Sports website or contact the office at recoffice@uwlax.edu. 

Friday, April 3
Recreational Eagle Center:  6 a.m.-8 p.m.
Fitness Center:  6 a.m.-8 p.m.
EZONE:  3 p.m.-8 p.m.
Outdoor Connection:  Noon-6 p.m.
Climbing Gym:  4 p.m.-8 p.m. 
Pool:  Noon-12:50 p.m.

Saturday, April 4
Recreational Eagle Center:  10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fitness Center:  10 a.m.-4 p.m.
EZONE:  Noon-4 p.m.
Outdoor Connection:  10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Climbing Gym:  CLOSED  
Pool:  CLOSED

Sunday, April 5
Recreational Eagle Center:  4 p.m.-11 p.m.
Fitness Center:  4 p.m.-11 p.m.
EZONE:  4 p.m.-11 p.m.
Outdoor Connection:  CLOSED  
Climbing Gym:  5 p.m.-8 p.m.  
Pool:  CLOSED
Hetzel Fieldhouse Open Rec:  CLOSED