Welcome one and all, whether this is your first year on campus or your 50th. Please join me in extending warm greetings to our new faculty and staff. I hope you have all enjoyed some down time with friends and family. The sights and sounds of late summer still surround us as we usher in the academic year, and beginning next week our three campuses will be alive with activity.
UWM continues to be a university on the rise. This is a direct result of your significant and vibrant contributions that enrich the lives of our students and communities. Your teaching, research, partnerships, engagement, and caring delivery of support services influence why our students chose UWM. You – and our students – are in the right place at this great university where everything you do has an enduring ripple effect.
You will find many opportunities in the coming weeks to actively welcome and interact with our new and returning students. I invite you to join me for some of the great events that celebrate our students and diverse campuses, including:
Fall Welcome offers an enormous range of activities. Starting next Tuesday students will move into Milwaukee residence halls and surrounding neighborhoods. Fall Welcome culminates with Panther Street Festival and Pantherfest featuring Kesha on Sept. 6, with students joining from our branch campuses in Waukesha and Washington County.
Activities that inspire debate and tolerance through the Aug. 30th Common Read of “I’m An American” series by WUWM’s Teran Powell.
As last year came to a close, I announced that a work group would examine proactive education and outreach to better address bias and hateful actions on our campus. Members of the Care, Respect and Expression teams have worked diligently over the summer studying resources, response plans, education, and support to bring about improvements and progress, and make UWM a better university. Initial progress reports are due Sept. 6 and final recommendations will be submitted to me in November, with implementation to follow.
The finale for the “Made in Milwaukee – Shaping the World – The Campaign for UWM” will be on Sept. 12 at the Panther Arena. In September 2017, we publicly launched the campaign with a goal to raise $200 million. The final amount raised to support UWM will be revealed at the finale event.
My annual Plenary Address will be Thursday, Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. in the Helen Bader Concert Hall of the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. The plenary will be livestreamed for those viewing from other locations. I’ll discuss our significant progress, how we are adapting – and often leading – change as the context of higher education continues to shift dramatically. I’ll also give updates on our strategic directions, which have evolved to better guide us and accelerate our momentum.
In its 15th year, the Panther Prowl 5K Run/Walk will be on Oct. 12 with 100% of proceeds supporting student scholarships.
Yes, summer is flying by and carrying us into the exciting whirlwind of fall on our campuses. We are entering this term with upward momentum thanks to the dedication and hard work of our faculty and staff. It’s a distinct honor to have you be part of our thriving campus community. Once more, I eagerly await what we can accomplish together in the year ahead.
Best regards,
Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee