Dear Colleagues:
I hope you found time to rest and recharge this summer. As students return to campus and we finalize preparations for our new academic year, I wanted to share some successes from our collective efforts – giving us momentum to build on.
- Research momentum is growing. In FY26, 72% of our faculty served as PI or co-PI on a research proposal. This shows in our results – our research expenditures continue to climb, with significant new NSF awards announced just this month.
- A record-breaking freshman class is joining us, surpassing last fall’s record class. More than 1,000 first-year students are enrolled in engineering or computer science courses, giving us an excellent opportunity to engage and inspire them from the very start.
- We continue to expand opportunities for students, including new GER courses (with over 350 students already enrolled for fall) and Accelerated Graduate Degree pathways across all our programs.
- Our financial position is on track with campus expectations. While final numbers are pending, we expect to have exceeded the university’s FY26 financial expectations for the college.
These accomplishments reflect your work – in research and teaching, in developing new programs, and in advising a record number of incoming students this summer. Thank you.
There is important work ahead and much still to come. We have critical ABET accreditation visits this fall. We must continue our upward trajectory in research and enrollment to stabilize our budget and begin making reinvestments in key growth opportunities. Marketplace shifts and federal immigration policies are injecting significant uncertainty and are impacting our graduate student population.
Through all of this, it is imperative to find innovative ways to engage and retain our growing student body and help students connect what they learn with their career aspirations.
That begins with creating a strong sense of connection and belonging right from the start. To that end, I encourage you to join our students at fall welcome activities happening across campus, but especially our college’s fall welcome:
- CEAS Fall Welcome Fest + Lunch: 9/24, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., EMS Plaza
- UWM Class Photo: 9/1, noon–1 p.m., Spaights Plaza
- UWM Panther Tailgate: 9/3, 4–6 p.m., Engelmann Stadium Parking Lot
- UWM Belonging & Networking: 9/8, 3:30–5:30 p.m., Pangaea Mall
- UWM Block Party: 9/11, 3–6 p.m., Fountain Courtyard
We have real momentum. Now we have the opportunity to turn it into lasting progress. Every interaction with a student, every new idea you test, every research proposal you submit and every contribution to our college matters.
Thank you for all you have done to bring us to this point – and for your continued efforts as we advance.
I wish you an excellent start to the academic year.
Best,
Brett