Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

The University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee has a profound impact on our state. We are one of America’s top 115 research universities and our faculty, staff and students enrich more Wisconsin residents than any institution. We also educate Wisconsin’s workforce, with 74 percent of our 177,000 alumni remaining in the state to live, work, and play.

What we do together impacts thousands of lives – and it deserves investment.

Today, the Joint Finance Committee will hold its first meeting to deliberate the proposed 2017-2019 state budget. Committee members and other legislators need to hear it is time to reinvest in UWM and the UW System. State support for operations at UWM have dropped 22 percent in the last decade. We have faced five rounds of cuts over the last six biennial budget cycles. Because of this, our ability to invest in UWM has been deeply challenged.

We are now seeing some potential hope for reinvestment in UWM and the UW System, and are working hard to advocate for increased investments from the state. I have had many meetings with legislators, and recently testified before the Joint Finance Committee with UW-Parkside Chancellor Deborah Ford. We are working closely with the business community, alumni, and other constituents to advocate on our behalf. Tomorrow, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank and I will co-present to the Milwaukee Rotary on the need to reinvest in our universities, and we’ll repeat that presentation at the May 3rd Madison Rotary meeting.

I encourage you to contact your local state legislators to tell them about the positive impact UWM has had on you, your family and our community. Ask them to reinvest in us. And, ask your friends and family to join us in speaking out on our behalf. As part of UWM’s budget communication efforts, we encourage you and others to share on social media channels this “We are UWM video” and these UWM state budget talking points.

You can find information about how to connect with your legislator on our Panther Advocates website. You can also learn more about the work we are doing to address the budget challenges on our 2017-19 State Budget Information website.

Faculty and staff should not use university resources to contact legislators; please take care to use your personal e‐mail and resources.

UWM has kept its promise and has been responsive to the needs of the state while providing higher educational opportunities in an economical fashion. Our dual mission of research and access is one of Wisconsin’s greatest assets that keeps on providing value in the form of our graduates who contribute beyond measure to our region, state and wider world. Our people and their life-changing contributions are clearly worth investing in.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee