MILWAUKEE — On July 26, 1848, then-Wisconsin Gov. Thomas Dewey established the University of Wisconsin. The former territorial legislature had started the process 10 years earlier.
Wednesday marks 175 years of UW-Madison. The university is planning to celebrate its birthday in style.
"It's going to be a great day [Wednesday]," said Charles Hoslet, UW-Madison's Vice Chancellor for University Relations. "We're having a big event at the Memorial Union Terrace ... We're going to have live music and fireworks at the end of the evening."
Hoslet, who has served with UW-Madison in a number of roles, said it's been a team effort to help make UW-Madison one of the most respected public universities anywhere in the country. It didn't happen overnight either, he said, but rather the school is successful because of multiple generations of work.
"The university is one of those places where I get up every morning and say, 'I'm proud to work here,'" Hoslet said. "What we do is create knowledge; we create innovation; we exist to improve the lives of people, not just in Wisconsin, but literally around the world."
Watch the full interview above.