UW–Madison Libraries Opens the Michael A. West Graduate Room
When Michael West reflects back on his childhood, he recalls hearing of the University of Wisconsin–Madison during visits to his grandparents and tuning into WHA radio on at home growing up. The ripple effects of living connected to the university was central in his upbringing.
“UW–Madison has been a north star in my life,” says West, who received his master’s in business administration from UW–Madison in 1977. “It’s the institution that’s shaped me from day one.”
West is now giving back to the campus that shaped him with a generous $1 million gift to the UW–Madison Libraries, launching the newly named Michael A. West Graduate Room in Memorial Library. A private celebration was held on Monday Sept. 29, 2025, to unveil the room’s new name among family, friends, and colleagues.
Located on the fourth floor of Memorial Library, the room is intended for use by graduate students across campus and was designed with input from librarians, faculty, and graduate students to create a thoughtfully curated space that encourages concentration as well as discussion and collaboration.
West’s support will deepen the Libraries’ focus on knowledge generation, academic excellence, and multidisciplinary collaboration at one of the nation’s leading research universities.
“Mike has a unique appreciation for the excellence of this campus and the greater good it can produce,” says Erla Heyns, Dean and Vice Provost of UW–Madison Libraries. “These are the qualities that we all hope our graduate students and those coming through the ranks of UW-Madison develop from their time here.”
After receiving his master’s from UW-Madison, West launched a career in architecture and engineering, where he focused on a variety of public-facing projects in the region, including aptly – Memorial Library’s main staircase.
Photo by Hannah Gasper
“It is fitting that Mike’s ability to ‘architect’ his own journey at UW–Madison is an inspiration to others coming into spaces like the Graduate Room where they can truly reflect, focus, and collaborate at the highest level,” says Heyns.
West has dedicated the new Graduate Room with a plaque to honor his parents, Jay L. and Elizabeth West, “…who passed on their love for UW-Madison to him. They personify the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea and its importance to our state and all Wisconsinites.”
West shared that his love for books has made his desire to give back to Libraries a natural fit.
“As a reader, starting in earnest in fifth grade, my affection for libraries had practical roots,” West says. “ ‘That’s where the books were.’ I didn’t start buying books until my forties because I couldn’t schedule my reading around the due date. And so it goes,” he says jokingly.
The Michael A. West Graduate Room is open to all graduate students with a Wiscard during Memorial Library’s business hours.
