Each year, University League plans four to six large group programs for its members and friends. Our programs are open to the public. Reservations are required. More information is detailed in appropriate issues of the League Letter. Reservation forms are posted as they become available.
Contact Information
Program Chair: Rich Leffler (leffler@wisc.edu)
Assistant Program Chair: Elaine Rosenblatt (elainer49@gmail.com)
Reservationist: Betty Zeps (bszeps@wisc.edu)
Calendar of Events 2025-26 (PDF)
2025–2026 Programs
- Spring Luncheon 3/18/26
- Stay at Home Scholarship Benefit
- Luncheon and Annual Meeting 5/6/26
- Fall Coffee 9/24/25
- Candlelight Concert and Dinner 12/18/25
Spring Luncheon
Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 11:00 am
Maple Bluff Country Club
On March 18, we will be celebrating the end of the meteorological winter (I hope; it’s 6 degrees F. as I write this) with our Spring Luncheon. The Maple Bluff Country Club, which provided us with a beautiful Candlelight Dinner in December, will once again be the location.
Our guest speakers, Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, will speak about their latest novel in the Barnes-Sandler mystery series, The Bones of Bascom Hall. Based in part on the bombing of Sterling Hall in August 1970, the story begins with a discovery by the UW Police of human remains in the attic of Bascom Hall. Visiting Professor Nora Barnes, an amateur detective, links the bones to the bombing. She is promptly the near-victim of a murderous attack while bicycling. This is soon followed by an episode in the Art Library stacks as the motorized shelves attack and nearly crush her.
Pulitzer-Prize-winning author David Maraniss, a native Madisonian, said of this book that it “captures my hometown and the University of Wisconsin . . . with joyous verisimilitude—and even more than that in the sophisticated hands of Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, the particulars of this Madison mystery have great universal appeal.”
Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden are co-authors of the Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler mystery series. Michael (the husband of Betsy) taught modern drama in the UW English Department and literature and the arts in Integrated Liberal Studies. He chaired the ILS Program at the time of its rejuvenation in the 1980s and served as Associate Dean of International Studies (1991–2003). He is the author of Long Day’s Journey into Night: Native Eloquence (1990) and many scholarly articles. Betsy was chair of Women’s Studies (1989–1992) and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (1992–1999). She taught courses in modern British fiction and wrote a book on Doris Lessing (1983).
Betsy and Michael will have copies of The Bones of Bascom Hill available for sale for $20 after their talk. If you already own a copy, please bring it along and they will be happy to sign it.
[Photo credit: Hari Rorlich]
Spring Luncheon Reservation (pdf)
Reservation form and payment must be in hand by March 9, 2026.
Questions? Call Rich Leffler at (608) 345-7782
Stay at Home Scholarship Benefit
February and March, 2025
University League’s main Scholarship fundraising effort is from February 1st through March 31st.
Luncheon and 2026 Annual Meeting
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 11:00 am
Blackhawk Country Club
Quasquicentennial Celebration!
Join League members and friends to celebrate the 125th
anniversary of The University League, Inc. which started on May 4, 1901.
Program Information to come
Annual Meeting Luncheon Reservation (pdf) to come
Fall Coffee
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 9:30 am
Blackhawk Country Club
Talk about your frequent flyer miles: In his broadcasting career, NBC-15 News Anchor/Reporter John Stofflet has traveled on assignment to 40 countries on all seven continents—including Antarctica. He has even flown to The White House for a one-on-one interview with President Obama.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has awarded Stofflet 25 Emmy Awards, including two Best News Anchor Emmys in the Chicago/Midwest Region. He has also received Edward R. Murrow Awards for his reporting, and “Best Live On-Scene Reporting” and “Best News Writing” Awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. In addition, Stofflet’s story about an artist with cerebral palsy who creates paintings using a typewriter has gone viral, and has been viewed by nearly 23 million people (and counting) on YouTube.
Known to have an appetite for adventure, Stofflet has flown through a hurricane, been in the middle of an avalanche, ventured inside a developing tornado, and jumped off the 72nd story of a building in New Zealand, suspended from a thin cable. He has also dived with sharks & killer whales, and has put his hand in a live polar bear’s mouth. (Okay, the bear was tranquilized).
In addition to President Obama and Governors Tony Evers and Scott Walker, Stofflet has also had one-on-one interviews with dozens of celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, George Clooney, Will Smith, and Jodie Foster, and has also hosted several specials that aired nationally on HGTV.
After reporting for 16 years at KING-TV (NBC) in Seattle, and working as a freelance correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, Stofflet jumped at the chance in May of 2005 to return to his home state of Wisconsin to anchor and report for NBC-15 News.
Stofflet serves on the board of directors of the Badger Childhood Cancer Network and the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin. He is actively involved in NBC 15’s “Share Your Holidays” campaign for the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. In addition, he regularly speaks to area organizations and schools about his experiences as a broadcast journalist, and serves as an emcee for charitable organizations and events. In recognition of his service to community, the Janesville Noon Rotary named Stofflet a Paul Harris Fellow.
A Middleton native and UW-Madison Journalism School graduate, Stofflet has two children—son Taylor and daughter Kaia.
Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communications
Awards
25-time Regional Emmy Award winner
Three-time Regional Edward R. Murrow Award winner
Numerous AP Awards
Multiple Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Awards
Numerous Best of the West Awards
Reservation Form (pdf)
Candlelight Concert
Thursday, December 18, 2025, 5:30 pm
Maple Bluff Country Club
Reservation form and payment ($40) must be in hand by December 10. The dinner menu offers a choice of King Salmon, Chicken Pesto, or Eggplant Parmesan.
After dinner, there will be a performance by The Avanti Piano Trio: Alissa Freeman (piano), Hillary Hempel (violin) and Hannah Wolkstein (cello). The Trio is driven by a passion to enrich the piano-trio repertoire. These superb musicians bring energy to their performances, along with fine musicality. Formed in Madison in 2018, the Trio has performed across the state in concert series, festivals, live on Wisconsin Public Radio, and on PBS broadcasts.
Although they are well known for their exploration of underperformed gems and works by female composers, their music is rooted in tradition. For our Candlelight Dinner and Concert on December 18, the Trio will perform a classical music program with an exploration of additional musical styles, including tango, jazz, and holiday songs. This promises to be a beautiful seasonal dinner and concert. You may wish to invite family and friends for this memorable evening of great and beloved music performed by skilled artists.
Reservation Form (pdf)