On Feb. 5, 1849, the first class of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with 17 students, met in a Madison school building under the direction of Professor John Sterling.

The university, a public, land-grant institution, traces its roots to a clause in the Wisconsin Constitution, which decreed that the state should have a prominent public university.

Today, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is part of the Universities of Wisconsin. The system comprises 13 universities around the state. The Universities of Wisconsin serve more than 164,400 students with 840-plus programs, providing unlimited opportunities to explore, learn, and thrive.