Dear Faculty and Staff,

Welcome to the start of the Fall 2017 term at UWM! Please join me in extending a warm greeting to our new faculty and staff. Each of you has the power to positively impact thousands of lives as we welcome our new and returning students to campus next week. We also have a new resource for you – a faculty and staff website – to help maneuver around our large campus.  

In this age of shifting higher education trends and attitudes about the value of a college degree, it is vital for us to thank our students for selecting UWM. Your contributions as faculty, advisors, researchers, custodians, program leads, accountants, health and wellness staff, administrators and more make the case for why our students chose us. Your conversations, teaching and guidance are of great value to our students.

As always, summer has been a dynamic time on and off campus with research and partnership advancements, budget advocacy and development of actions for ourstrategic opportunities work.  

There is also much ahead, with next month’s public launch of our capital campaign, Made in Milwaukee. Shaping the World. Thus far, we have raised $140 million in support of our three strategic drivers:  Student Success, Research Excellence and Community Engagement.   

Please also join me for a number of activities that celebrate our students and the vibrancy of our campus, including:  

• Fall Welcome, which begins today as we engage students moving back into residence halls and surrounding neighborhood and extends through the first week of the semester with an enormous array of activities for our students.
• Freedom of Expression series, which kicks off on Sept. 1 with the Common Read, sparking conversation about important issues of intellectual, social and moral significance. The series will include four activities throughout this academic year. Details will be available Sept. 1 when the Freedom of Expression webpage goes live.
• Fall Plenary Address on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m. in the Student Union, Wisconsin Room. My address will also be livestreamed.
• UWM Homecoming from Oct. 1-7, culminating with the Panther Prowl 5K Run/Walk to raise funds for student scholarships.
• Campus Safety Week which is Oct. 2-5. Keep an eye out for more details.  

We are starting the fall term with momentum in the form of a positive budget direction and support from our alumni, partners, friends, UW System and the Board of Regents. Much of this progress has been thanks to your hard work. I’m very grateful that you are part of our campus community this fall.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee