Chancellor’s Update: UWM Welcomes and Supports All

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Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Milwaukee has long been known as a city of immigrants with waves of people coming to our community from around the world. I am proud that UWM reflects that diversity. Today we enroll students from 89 countries and more than a third of our students are people of color. We are the most diverse campus in the UW System and this is one of our greatest strengths.

That is why I am so concerned with the administration’s recent executive order to limit immigration to our country. Learning and research at UWM are enriched by the presence of students from around the globe. Our recent promotion to the top tier of research universities in America was made possible, in part, by the work of faculty and students from some of the seven countries included in the immigration ban. We are in solidarity with the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities and Association of American Universities statements that support international entry.

All of us want our country and community to be safe from terrorism, but in a manner that respects and protects the rights of individuals regardless of their religion or country of origin. In coming weeks and months, the political debate over the immigration ban will likely continue. As it does, I want to reassure the many international students at UWM that we stand beside them in support of their rights, and we will provide updates as well as resources and support. Our Center for International Education (CIE) continues to closely monitor the quickly changing situation and will keep our international students informed of any updates. I am also sending a message directly to our international students.  

Going forward, I ask that everyone in the UWM community remain committed to our Guiding Values, especially those that call for:

  • A caring, compassionate, and collegial community characterized by mutual respect and safety.
  • Diversity in all of its definitions, including who we are, how we think, and what we do.

As I said earlier this fall, we all belong here. UWM is and will continue to be a campus that welcomes and supports people of all races, religions, genders, countries of origin, sexual orientation and identities, and other statuses that add to the diversity of our community. Just as the city of Milwaukee has done for generations, UWM will remain a campus that opens its arms to people everywhere.

Best Regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee