Chancellor’s Update: UWM’s Affirmed Commitment to an Inclusive and Anti-Violent Environment for All

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Today I write to affirm UWM’s stance as a welcoming and inclusive campus.

The news both locally and nationally has been disturbing. Beyond the daily updates about COVID-19, we have seen reports of racism and xenophobia aimed toward the Asian community, anguishing news about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and the future of DACA before the U.S. Supreme Court. Given these unsettling issues, it’s important to emphasize that UWM is an inclusive and welcoming institution to all. We are opposed to, and will not tolerate, mistreatment, violence or negative behavior or actions directed towards individuals or groups within our UWM family.

It is also important to state, unequivocally, that for which we stand. I fervently hope that you join me as part of the UW-Milwaukee family in protecting, supporting, and celebrating the diversity, equity, inclusivity and openness that make ours a special institution. These ideas are captured well in UWM’s Guiding Values, which include:

• A caring, compassionate, and collegial community characterized by mutual respect and safety.
• Diversity in all of its definitions, including who we are, how we think, and what we do.

Every member of our community should feel safe and valued, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration or other status. These beliefs and our enactment of them is what makes UWM an uplifting and safe university at which to learn, research, live and work. Let us together build upon our positive environment and uphold our guiding values. Thank you for all you do to contribute to our community.