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Iron Shield Society

Strength Without Ostentation

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Welcome to the website of the Iron Shield Society, one of UW-Madison's oldest and most prestigious honor societies.

The Iron Shield Society exists to recognize UW-Madison juniors and seniors who have improved the campus community through their past leadership and service, and to bring those outstanding students together as a single and diverse group that works to further improve the university.

The nomination window opens each spring, usually in April and lasts through May.   Watch this space for more information. 

More About Iron Shield

  • The Iron Shield Society, formerly the Iron Cross Society, was founded in 1902 to honor seniors who had dedicated themselves to serving the University community and managed to achieve personal excellence. Over the last 100 years, the face and the makeup of the Society has changed, but the purpose has not. Election to the Society has been considered the highest honor an undergraduate could achieve at this university. Those inducted are all accomplished and talented individuals, and they sign their names into a book full of individuals known for their great achievements.

    The most visible accomplishment of Iron Shield is the founding of the Wisconsin Union. In 1907, the University president asked Society members to convert the failing Madison YMCA into something that students would use. Iron Shield turned it into the second student union to exist in the United States and the first student union to serve beer.

    The Wisconsin Union’s first director said the genius of the Society is that “...it provides a medium through which student leaders who are service-motivated can readily consult with each other, and at times with the university administration, on any University or student problem that concerns them, and then proceed to do something about it, in concert working through their respective organizations, or individually, but always with the knowledge that there are others who understand and are lending active or moral support - the thing that helps give one confidence to go ahead."

    In 2020, The Iron Shield Society, formerly the Iron Cross Society, made the decision to remove iron cross from its name due to its association with acts of hate and violence by other groups and individuals outside of the Iron Shield that are in stark contrast to the values of the Society.

  • 1 1902-1909

    2 1910-1919

    3 1920-1929

    4 1930-1939

    4 1940-1949

    5 1950-1959

    6 1960-1969

    7 1970-1979

    8 1980-1989

    9 1990-1999

    10 2000-2007

    11 2010-2020

  • Alpha by Family Name:

    (Asterisk (*) indicates those members known to be deceased)

    A–G Names beginning with letters between A and G

    H–M Names beginning with letters between H and M

    N–Z Names beginning with letters between N and Z
     

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