UW-Milwaukee to graduate more than 2,100 students Dec. 17

MILWAUKEE _ The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will award more than 2,100 degrees at its 117th commencement on Sunday, Dec. 17, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave.

The featured speaker will be Ricardo Diaz, executive director of the United Community Center, a comprehensive social services agency serving Latinos in Milwaukee.

Regent Tracey Klein will provide a greeting from the UW System Board of Regents.

The university will award 1,425 bachelor’s degrees, 575 master’s degrees, 127 doctoral degrees and 28 flexible option degrees.

The average age of graduates is 26 years old. The youngest is 20; the oldest, 68.

The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Doors to the arena open at 9 a.m.

Parking is available at several nearby lots, including the Wisconsin Center District parking lot, 500 W. Wells St., and the Federal Plaza parking garage, 747 N. Old World Third St. Note: Construction of the new Milwaukee Bucks arena has resulted in street closures near North Fourth Street and West Juneau Avenue.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Ricardo Diaz has built a long history of service to the community. He’s known for his commitment to improving education, as well as his work for community and economic development.

Diaz’s more than 30 years of nonprofit management experience includes leading the United Community Center since 2003. Under Diaz’s leadership, the UCC has expanded several times, including a geriatric center to serve the elderly with Alzheimer’s disease, a new senior housing complex and activity center, and several additions to the Bruce-Guadalupe Community School.

He serves on the boards of the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation, Milwaukee Charter School Advocates, Alverno College and the Green Bay Packers. Diaz previously led the Milwaukee Department of City Development and the Milwaukee Housing Authority.

STUDENTS HONORED

Three UWM students will be featured in videos (linked below) during commencement. Reporters who wish to interview them should contact Michelle Johnson at (414) 229-7490.

Ameena Yusuf (global studies) was almost knocked off her path to graduation early in her college career when her father got sick and then died of cancer. Support from her teachers and fellow students at UWM comforted her and got her back on track. “I have kind of built a family here,” she says. While at UWM, she landed an internship in Nigeria, her father’s homeland and her childhood home, where she worked with people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency. She hopes someday to work for the United Nations.

Sam Gardner (electrical engineering) got involved in research as an undergrad at UWM. Through that, he got the opportunity to travel to Antarctica to install his software on neutron monitors that were part of a research project. That led to an internship at Magnetek, and then to an internship with the Department of Defense. That paid off as graduation approached, when the Defense Department offered him a job as a signal analyst in Colorado.

Brittyn Calyx (conservation and environmental science) had to withdraw from school because of a hospitalization and depression. She found some purpose in joining the Wisconsin Army National Guard and returning to UWM. Eventually, she came out as trans and was discharged from the military under “don’t ask, don’t tell.” She felt alone and isolated, but UWM’s LGBT Resource Center provided crucial support. A birding group at the Urban Ecology Center brought further solace, and pointed the way to a new path in life.

All three stories are collected in one video that will be shown at graduation.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

The numbers of degrees awarded by UWM schools and colleges are below. The numbers include bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and flex degrees.

College of Letters and Science: 532

Lubar School of Business: 403

School of Education: 183

College of Engineering & Applied Science (CEAS): 235

College of Health Sciences: 145

Peck School of the Arts: 113

College of Nursing: 160

Helen Bader School of Social Welfare: 173

School of Information Studies: 137

School of Architecture & Urban Planning: 50

Zilber School of Public Health: 6

Global Studies Interdisciplinary: 5

School of Freshwater Sciences: 8

Joint Programs L&S and CEAS: 5

MEDIA ACCESS

Members of the media wishing to cover the commencement ceremonies should enter through the Panther Arena’s main doors and ask for assistance from an usher.

For more information, contact Michelle Johnson, (414) 229-7490, john3453@uwm.edu.

About UWM

Recognized as one of the nation’s 115 top research universities, UW-Milwaukee provides a world-class education to 25,000 students from 91 countries on a budget of $653 million. Its 14 schools and colleges include Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health, and it is a leading educator of nurses and teachers. UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, offer student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2018 “Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews, and the Sierra Club has recognized it as Wisconsin’s leading sustainable university.