Through a partnership with Dane County, University of Wisconsin–Madison students are gaining policy analysis experiences and building a stronger connection to their community.
Four students worked with the Dane County Board of Supervisors as policy analysis interns during the 2023-24 academic year, addressing expansive topics like sustainability measures at the Alliant Energy Center, financing and social services delivery models, and water recreation.
“It’s very easy to be a student at UW and be in your own campus bubble,” said Cuauhtemoc Guizar, who graduated in May 2024 with degrees in community and nonprofit leadership and political science with certificates in Chicano and Latino studies and public policy. “This experience gave me more of an understanding of the political landscape of Dane County, the people who live here, and the policies and programs that impact them.”
Guizar, Vanessa Gardner, Samantha Givich, and Anna Jonckheer worked for Dane County as policy analysis interns through UniverCity Alliance – a network of community and campus partners working to improve local governments and foster innovation in local communities – and the Department of Political Science.
The Dane County Board of Supervisors was a UniverCity partner from 2017-19, and starting in 2022, UniverCity has supported the county by pairing two students each semester to work on policy analysis projects. Dane County Board Chair Patrick Miles said the partnership provides an opportunity for the county and UW–Madison to learn from and support one another.
“The County Board uses innovative ideas in policymaking, and the partnership with UniverCity Alliance supports this effort while also providing a chance for students to learn from experienced public policy analysts and understand the impact of local county government,” Miles said.
For Guizar’s project, he analyzed two programs — Pay for Success and Social Impact Bonds — that are considered methods for tackling complex social issues with the backing of private capital, outcomes-based financing, and comprehensive evaluation.

Gardner, who graduated in May 2024 with degrees in community and environmental sociology and a certificate in gender and women’s studies, and Givich are putting together the beginning pieces to survey county residents about their water recreation use. Their work will provide the first steps in future analysis and inform the update of the existing water recreation plan from 2012.
Givich plans to graduate in December with degrees in political science and environmental studies and certificates in public policy and gender and women’s studies.
Givich and Gardner described feeling more confident creating surveys after their experience and being excited to work with real dataset and not sample information for coursework. Additionally, Gardner said the experience connected her more to her local community.
“As a transfer student, it was hard to get involved,” Gardner said. “It’s been really nice to find something that I can get involved in and feel really at home and really welcomed by (Dane County and UW–Madison staff). It’s been really fun.”

Jonckheer, who graduated in May with a degree in political science, explored sustainability and community engagement strategies for convention centers that the Dane County Alliant Energy Center could implement to become an appealing venue for event planners and to become a better neighbor.
“It was exciting for me to have the opportunity to explore the local governance here a little bit more,” Jonckheer said. Being from California, this experience also fostered a closer tie to the place she’s called home for the past four years. “Being able to actually connect with the people who have lived here all their lives who are really doing great work in the community made me feel a lot more connected to Madison in a greater capacity.”
Amy Gangl, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Political Science, emphasized the value in students engaging in applied research and on-the-ground policy problems.
“Students are always looking for hands-on opportunities and research, and this was applied research where you actually can feel like you are making a difference,” Gangl said.
—Abigail Becker