WED AM News: UW-Madison leadership considering new college focused on computing; Talking Trade with Sandi Siegel, ME Dey & Co.

July 30, 2025

— UW-Madison leadership is considering the creation of a new college focused on computing, reflecting the technology’s increasingly central role across other disciplines.

That’s according to Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, director of the university’s School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. He spoke yesterday during a Wisconsin Technology Council luncheon in Madison, where he said the new college is “under strong consideration” and could be officially proposed to the Board of Regents this year.

Arpaci-Dusseau said the idea is to elevate CDIS into a college that focuses on AI and other computing applications. Currently, he noted no one who’s working on these areas is currently involved in leading the campus.

“Campus leadership is like the chancellor, provost, there’s a bunch of deans that get together, make decisions about the future of campus. We’re not part of that,” he said. “And it feels like at this moment, computing, AI, all of those things are too central to so many things to not be part of that discussion.”

He said becoming a college within UW-Madison would help CDIS keep up with the changing demands on education and research, as well as fundraising “because colleges with deans are good at raising money.”

To ultimately be successful, the proposed college would need to integrate AI and related disciplines into education and research across the university, Arpaci-Dusseau argued.

“Instead of just being one in a stack, what we hope to be is something that’s just much more connected to all the other disciplines on campus,” he said, adding “colleges aren’t created very often on campuses, last one was 1979 … to my knowledge, so this would be the first one of this century. And that’s a really unique opportunity that we have.”

As much of the progress in AI is being made at the industry level by some of the world’s largest tech companies, Arpaci-Dusseau said universities need to be careful not to get left behind. He argued higher education “must lead in this space” as there’s much more work to do on AI, including new areas of research as well as entrepreneurship.

“There’s going to be so many companies sprouting up — there already are — that are taking advantage of something new you can do today that five years ago sounded like science fiction,” he said.

Meanwhile, student interest in the computer sciences has only grown in recent years. After the university’s data science major was introduced about five years ago, it has since risen to the second-largest major at UW-Madison after computer science.

Watch the video.

— The latest episode of “Talking Trade” features Sandi Siegel, president and managing director of ME Dey & Co., a Milwaukee-based customs broker.

Siegel, typically one of the show’s co-hosts, is interviewed by fellow host Ken Wasylik, managing director of E.M. Wasylik Associates. The discussion focuses on how Siegel’s company is advising clients on navigating the uncertain tariff landscape.

She shares insights on where tariffs stand on certain key commodities such as steel and aluminum, as well as how importers are being impacted under the current framework.

“Everybody’s in need of working with their suppliers, and even big importers are challenged, you know, to work with their foreign suppliers,” she said, noting ME Dey & Co. is urging its clients to work with suppliers to ensure they have critical sourcing information to avoid higher tariffs.

Siegel also pointed to the rising requirements from government agencies about supply chain transparency and the burden it places on importers, noting some of these tougher regulations are aimed at limiting the role of forced labor in supply chains.

“You want to be able to show due diligence, right, but again, now more than ever there’s a price tag for not being able to get that information,” she said.

The conversation underlines the importance of understanding each link in a given supply chain, as Siegel references rapid changes happening in U.S. policy.

“It’s very hard to have supply chain resiliency in today’s environment … because we don’t know what’s around the corner,” she said.

Watch the full episode here.

“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here.

— Lawmakers are calling on Gov. Tony Evers to sign a bill to create portable benefit accounts for contract employees of companies like DoorDash and Uber after both houses of the Legislature approved it last month.

Sen. Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin, and Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, D-Milwaukee, joined gig workers at a Capitol press conference yesterday organized by the Chamber of Progress. The group has several corporate partners, including DoorDash, Grubhub, Lyft and Uber.

Wisconsin AFL-CIO opposes AB 269, raising concerns about a provision stating gig workers aren’t considered employees. Opponents have argued that provision will shield companies from having to provide certain protections for employees and pay them fairly.

Bradley said the economy is changing and “our laws need to change to reflect that reality.”

“We’re grateful to have the support of individuals and groups from all across the political spectrum,” Bradley said. “And despite some union bosses having opposition, union households overwhelmingly support this legislation. We’re so close to meaningful reform; we’re just one pen stroke away.”

Ortiz-Velez said companies want to be able to offer portable benefits, “and the government should not stand in their way of doing what they know is right.” She said failing to enact the legislation would be a missed opportunity to help people who need extra income to make ends meet.

Rachel Smith, a DoorDash driver who lives in New Berlin, said she currently works as a yoga instructor and life coach after moving to Wisconsin from Chicago. She said doing deliveries helped supplement her income as she rebuilt her client base after moving.

“The reality is, like many entrepreneurs and independent workers, I don’t have access to traditional benefits. So this portable benefits legislation would change that,” Smith said. “Portable benefits would let me plan for my future without giving up the freedom that makes this work possible in the first place.”

Ortiz-Velez and Bradley said neither of them had spoken with Evers’ office about where he stands on the legislation. A spokesperson for Evers did not immediately respond to a WisPolitics inquiry about the guv’s position on the bill.

— Racine manufacturer Modine has announced plans to spend $100 million on expanding its capacity for producing data center cooling products.

This expansion effort is planned for the next 12 to 18 months, and will add manufacturing capacity at four sites. That includes a new facility in Texas and expanding in Mississippi, as well as “considering repurposing” existing sites in Franklin, Wis., and Missouri.

Along with boosting capacity, the plan is aimed at improving engineering, product development and testing while creating new jobs and shifting roles for some existing workers, according to the announcement.

Neil Brnker, president and CEO of Modine, says the U.S. market is “driving a significant portion” of data center activity around the world.

“With the increasing demand for our solutions and this investment in additional manufacturing and testing capacity, we believe that our total data centers revenue can approach $2 billion in our Fiscal 2028,” he said in a statement.

See the release.

— State officials have announced a $645,000 grant to the village of Dickeyville in Grant County aimed at helping a manufacturing business expand its presence in Wisconsin.

Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Transportation yesterday announced the grant funding, noting it will help the A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. open a new brass foundry and create 129 jobs in southwestern Wisconsin.

The company makes various products for the plumbing and natural gas industries, such as pressure tanks and valves. Andy Shea, director of the manufacturer’s new foundry team, says the company is “very pleased to see this investment through the TEA program which will aid in enhancing needed access to and from our new Dickeyville foundry.”

The village will use the grant funding to redesign and rebuild access points to a new industrial park, including widening one road, improving drainage and adding a new nearby intersection.

See the release.

— UW Health’s University Hospital has again been named the No. 1 hospital in Wisconsin by U.S. News & World Report.

The Madison-based health system says it’s now been rated the state’s top hospital for 14 years in a row.

In comments provided by UW Health, Chief Operating Officer Dr. Peter Newcomer notes the rankings place eight of the health system’s 12 specialties among the top 50 in the country.

“It reflects all the great work that happens here every day in this organization, from the standpoint of our advanced clinical care and all of the research and education that we do around it,” he said. “UW Health is leading the way, as we have for many years now, so it’s exciting.”

U.S. News & World Report specifically names UW Health University Hospital as the state’s top-ranked hospital. But the health system’s release notes it includes the 505-bed University hospital on the UW-Madison campus and the 83-bed East Madison hospital on the city’s east side.

UW Health also includes American Family Children’s Hospital, UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, the UW Health Carbone Cancer Center and the UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital, along with an affiliation with UnityPoint Health – Meriter.

Other top-rated Wisconsin hospitals include Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee at No. 2 in the state, Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee at No. 3, and Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Madison tied at No. 4.

See the rankings and see UW Health’s release.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is applauding state cheesemakers for landing a quarter of all awards at the 2025 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition event.

Three cheeses from Wisconsin were among the top 10 for North America, according to the group’s release. That includes Oak Creek-based Alpinage Cheese, Deer Creek Cheese in Sheboygan and Marieke Gouda in Thorp.

“Every award represents a story of excellence and dedication, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate Wisconsin’s wins,” DFW CEO Chad Vincent said in a statement. “This momentum will continue to inspire and drive our industry forward.”

See more in the release.

Data center planned for Beaver Dam part of transformation washing over the community

Another data center planned in Racine County

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