The UW-Milwaukee is improving outcomes for its students, conducting vital research, and growing its links with the community and employers, Chancellor Mark Mone said in his presentation to the Board of Regents on campus Thursday.

“We have poured more than 30,000 graduates into the workforce in the last five years,” Mone said. “It proves the saying that, ‘As goes UW-Milwaukee, so goes the State of Wisconsin.’”

Through a multifaceted cluster of services, UWM students have more opportunities to get coaching and mentoring, learn as interns, explore entrepreneurial skills and complete their coursework faster.

The results of these efforts are materializing, said Mone, noting that student retention has increased 1 percent in each of the last four years.

“The achievement gap is one of our most important challenges, and we’re facing it head-on,” he said. “We are making strides with English and math reform. Our students are completing their credit-bearing gateway courses faster,which allows them to earn a degree in less time.”

In the area of research, Mone told the audience that discussions he has had with alumnus Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, led to that company’s involvement in UWM’s new statewide Connected System Institute. Through the institute, researchers will collaborate with industries such as Rockwell and Foxconn to find solutions that will revolutionize smart manufacturing and prepare students for the digital jobs of the future.

UWM is also developing a sizable entrepreneurial ecosystem. Construction on a new facility, made possible by private donors, for the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center is progressing, and occupancy is expected in early 2019. Through UWM’s training programs, 16 startup companies have launched,attracting another $1.6 million in follow-on investment.

“UWM is positioning students and employers for what lies ahead,” he said. “We are building well-rounded students who will benefit from the entrepreneurial skill set no matter what career path they take.”