A group of students posing for a photo while making the letter "W" with their hands

Spark Learning Community

How to Join

All items must be completed by your due date (May 1 for most admitted students). You can be assigned to any learning/theme community even if you did not preference it.

  1. Sign your University Residence Halls contract and submit your advance payment in My UW Housing.
  2. Rank the Spark Learning Community first when you submit your hall preferences in My UW Housing.
  3. Prioritize learning communities over residence halls when you submit your hall preferences in My UW Housing.
  4. Indicate if you want a random or preferred roommate in My UW Housing, and create/join a roommate group if you have a preferred roommate(s). Make sure all preferred roommates have matching preferences.

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Seminar

A group of people listen to another person talking with trees and grass around them and a lake in the background

Spark Seminar
Inter LS 158 | 1-credit

The Spark Seminar is an interdisciplinary course designed to introduce students to the rich history, diverse perspectives, and community engagement principles that define the Wisconsin Idea. Through a series of modules including faculty presentations, hands-on activities, and small group discussion, students will explore the metaphor of building and sustaining a fire, drawing parallels to their academic and personal journeys at the University of Wisconsin. By the end of the course, students will understand the historical and cultural context of the university, recognize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, develop skills in research and community engagement, and propose Wisconsin Idea projects that leverage their unique strengths and interests. Course emphasis is on building community for new students while leveraging multiple viewpoints and strategies to support creative problem-solving.

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Programming

Community Goals

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Events & Activities

Examples of typical Spark activities include:

  • Fall kickoff lunch
  • Field trip to Devil’s Lake State Park (Tee Wakącąk)
  • Sky lantern celebration
  • Spark & s’mores social bonfire
  • Field trips to key local sites (Wisconsin State Capitol, Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin’s New History Center coming 2027)
  • Field trips to Milwaukee and the Menominee Reservation
  • Alumni networking nights
  • Public policy workshops
  • Presentations by graduate students working on their dissertations
  • Small group excursions with Spark Peer Mentors
  • Volunteer days
  • Community socials

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Spark Professional Staff

Lowell Brower portrait

Lowell Brower

Position title: Faculty Mentor
Spark

Email: labrower@wisc.edu

Tom Dubois

Position title: Faculty Director
Spark

Ron Harris portrait

Ron Harris

Position title: Faculty Mentor
Spark

Email: rwharris@wisc.edu

Mackenzie Hess portrait

Mackenzie Hess

Position title: Program Manager
GreenHouse & Spark Learning Communities

Email: mhess3@wisc.edu

Cindy Holzmann portrait

Cindy Holzmann

Position title: Residence Life Associate Director

Email: cindy.holzmann@housing.wisc.edu

Jasmine Ridler portrait

Jasmine Ridler

Position title: Residence Life Coordinator

Email: jasmine.ridler@housing.wisc.edu

Sharon Thoma portrait

Sharon Thoma

Position title: Faculty Mentor
Spark

Email: slthoma@wisc.edu