Earlier this month we celebrated UWM again achieving Research 1 (R1) status as designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UWM’s R1 status ranks us in the top 131 out of more than 4,300 eligible universities for this prestigious recognition.
On April 5, we were delighted to host a dual celebration in partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Research’s (OUR) annual Undergraduate Research Symposium where over 300 students presented research findings. We also celebrated the OUR winning the Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments (AURA), granted to only two U.S. universities. For those of you who were unable to join us, I encourage you to read the uplifting remarks in this transcript, and I share some inspiring highlights from our speakers here.
“It’s not just that [the R1 designation] has real meaning in this community, this city, this state. I am going to make this statement very slowly; Milwaukee and Wisconsin will progress and grow in direction and proportion to your growth and progress. You are inextricably linked to this community and this state. Inextricable, inseparable—that is how important this is.”
Raymond Cross – President, University of Wisconsin System“[The AURA award] recognizes the extraordinary efforts of the faculty and staff at this university, as well as the students, and the commitment of the university to really make undergraduate research part of its infrastructure. We are incredibly honored to have received this award, and everybody should be thrilled.”
Nigel Rothfels – Director, Office of Undergraduate Research & Associate Professor, History“Maintaining R1 status confirms our commitment and drive towards excellence in research, teaching and service. This would not have been possible without the administrative support at the UW System level and at UWM, the commitment of faculty, staff and post-doctoral researchers and talented students.”
Wilkistar Otieno – Associate Professor & Chair, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Dept.
“Because our research is innovative and important, we can provide both undergraduate and graduate students courses and laboratory and applied experiences that are the most recent and most advanced concepts in our fields… This, in turn, makes students competitive for not only the jobs available now, but they will create jobs that have not even been developed yet.”
Rebecca Klaper – Professor & Director, Great Lakes Genomics Center
“R1 is a code-word for the level and quality of preparation that students and future citizens will need to be successful and effective in the enormously challenging global future that we are facing. In this context, R1 UWM is key to a thriving Milwaukee, metropolitan region, and State of Wisconsin.”
David Petering – Distinguished Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The R1 designation is recognition of what we already know – UWM research addresses significant and important societal challenges, answers pressing issues, creates new knowledge, feeds systems of discovery in products and advancements, and has a significant impact on our region, state and the world. I am extremely grateful for everyone’s efforts that contributed to the R1 designation and look forward to continuing to strengthen UWM’s research profile.
Best regards,
Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee