Take part in the 2025 a2ru conference with this special panel – open to all! This panel explores how the arts function as engines of innovation, belonging, and economic vitality, showing up fully in areas like health, education, design, and creative thinking. With the creative economy contributing significantly to Wisconsin’s earnings, leaders from advocacy, policy, higher education, and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery will share cross‑sector strategies to strengthen this impact and lead the state’s future. Speakers include one of the founders of the Wisconsin Science Festival and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Arts Board, George Tzougros.

The a2ru national conference is an opportunity for practitioners and researchers from across higher education to share innovations and perspectives in the arts. a2ru advances the full range of arts- and design-integrative research, curricula, programs, and creative practice to acknowledge, articulate, and expand the vital role of higher education in our global society. a2ru’s work, in partnership with an international network of leading higher education institutions, allies, and partners, envisions a world in which universities—students, faculty, and leaders—explore, embed, and integrate the arts in everyday practice and research.

This special panel is open to everyone – no conference registration required – and will take place in the DeLuca Forum at the Discovery Building. To attend all the a2ru events, register for the full conference here.