51猎奇

28th听Annual Student Research Forum, Spring 2026

Bench Ansfield
Bench Ansfield, author

This year’s keynote speaker is Bench Ansfield (Assistant Professor of History, Temple University and an urban historian of racial capitalism), author of  (W. W. Norton, 2025).

This year’s event also includes a juried senior capstone and graduate student poster session following a buffet lunch, a USP alumni panel where students can hear from and connect with practitioners working in Milwaukee across a variety of fields in the public and private sector, an awards ceremony, and a reception following the keynote presentation.

Event Details:
Date: Friday, May 8, 2026
Time: 11:30 鈥� 4:00 PM
Location: 51猎奇 Student Union Alumni Fireside Lounge (2200 E. 51猎奇., Milwaukee, WI, 53211)

Program:

  • 11:15鈥�11:30 AM:听Registration
  • 11:30鈥�12:00 PM:听Buffet Lunch
  • 12:00鈥�1:30 PM:听Juried Poster Session
  • 1:30鈥�2:30 PM:听Alumni Panel
  • 2:45鈥�3:00 PM:听Awards Ceremony
  • 3:00鈥�4:00 PM:听Keynote Speaker Presentation
  • 4:00鈥�4:30 PM:听Reception and Refreshments

Focus on Jordan Villegas and His Work

Read the story on urban studies major BA alum Jordan Villegas and his work at Acts Housing in this month鈥檚 In Focus magazine.

What can you do with an urban studies major?

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New e.polis Issue Out: 鈥淩esistance, Justice, and Belonging in the City鈥� (Fall 2025)

The 2025 fall issue of e.polis, Resistance, Justice, and Belonging in the City, is out. This issue brings together writing on how people contest power and inequality in urban life 鈥� and how resistance, collective action, and everyday practices shape justice and belonging in the city.

Read the issue here: 

Kudos to all the contributors and the e.polis editorial team. Thanks to Tatiana Danilova (this year鈥檚 Production Editor), Yuchen Zhao (last year鈥檚 Production Editor), and the rest of the editorial board for putting together a significant issue.

Issue summary:

  • Scholar Profile:听USP鈥檚 newest faculty affiliate,听Andrew Kincaid听鈥� a literary journey on the meaning of urban space and place.
  • Articles:
    • Jack Rongstad听(USP MS student) on public subsidies in stadium construction in Milwaukee and the discourses surrounding them.
    • Jamee N. Pritchard听(PhD Candidate, African and African Diaspora Studies) on Nalo Hopkinson鈥檚听Brown Girl in the Ring, using liberation psychology to explore speculative fiction as transformative liberation for Black women.
  • Best Undergraduate Capstone Paper:听Isabella Wineke听(Urban Studies BA alumna) on tree canopy disparities across Milwaukee neighborhoods.
  • Book review:听Derek G. Handley鈥檚听Struggle for the City: Citizenship and Resistance in the Black Freedom Movement听(reviewed by听Russell Star-Lack, MS-MLIS alumnus).

Congratulations, Prof. Amanda Seligman

Congratulations to USP faculty affiliate Prof.听Amanda听Seligman听(History and Urban Studies) and Jaclyn Kelly (51猎奇 History Department alum and Executive Director of the听) who have won the American Historical Association’s William and Edwyna Gilbert award for articles on teaching. The article receiving recognition is听Amanda听I.听Seligman听and Jaclyn J. Kelly, 鈥�,鈥澨�The History Teacher听(Vol. 57, no. 2, February 2024): 179-209.

Congratulations, Assoc. Prof. Derek Handley

Congratulations to USP faculty affiliate听Assoc. Prof.听Derek听Handley听(English and Urban Studies) who has won the 2025 Outstanding Book Award from the Coalition for Community Writing for Struggle for the City: Citizenship and Resistance in the Black Freedom Movement (Penn State University Press, 2024).

Congratulations, Kat Kocisky and Prof. Ryan Holifield

Congratulations to USP alumna, Kat Kocisky听(PhD ‘ 24) and USP faculty affiliate听Professor听Ryan Holifield听(Geography and Urban Studies), for their recently听published article,听How Equitable are Urban Rail-Trails: A Review of 11 Development Plans that appears in the journal, Local Environment.

Fall 2025 Issue: e.polis

The 2025 fall issue of e.polis, Resistance, Justice, and Belonging in the City is out now. View the latest issue here:

Amanda Seligman (History and Urban Studies), presented research from her recent project examining the history of North Shore governance in Milwaukee County

USP Affiliate, Amanda Seligman (History and Urban Studies), presented research from her recent project examining the history of North Shore governance in Milwaukee County, The Town of Milwaukee, Glendale, and the North Shore: Exploring the History of Suburban Governance in Wisconsin.

Presentation explores the evolution of governance on Milwaukee's North Shore from the 19th century Town of Milwaukee into the present. It focuses especially on the emergence of cooperation in service provision that is taken for granted in contemporary suburban government practices. Map of North Shore suburbs and Town of Milwaukee.

Jamie Harris, was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Teaching Award for academic staff at the 51猎奇 Employee Excellence awards ceremony

Urban Studies Teaching Associate Professor and Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Director, Jamie Harris, was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Teaching Award for academic staff at the 51猎奇 Employee Excellence awards ceremony.

Congratulations to Jayne Kilander (Urban Studies MS – MLIS student)

Congratulations to Jayne Kilander (Urban Studies MS – MLIS student) as this year’s California Map Society & David Rumsey Map Center Student Exhibition Competition winner at Stanford University!

ayne Kilander (Urban Studies MS - MLIS student)