Alums Dennis and Susan Webb (’71 BS Materials Engineering and ’74 BA Art History, respectively) have made a generous gift that will provide financial support to graduate students enrolled in the College, with a preference for those pursuing a degree in materials engineering.
The $100,000 donation creates a fund that may be used for tuition, fellowships, assistantships, stipends, research, or any other purpose that furthers their education.
Making the gift was important to the Webbs, said Dennis, because of the couple’s love of the city and the particular needs of UWM students.
“It relates back to something Chancellor Mone said, that Milwaukee needs UWM,” Dennis said. “It’s a community college and a lot of students are either not able to finish their whole degree or, after they graduate, they can’t go on to graduate school because they don’t have the money.”
The Webbs have given to several other UWM causes, including support for the Panther Women’s and Men’s Basketball programs and backing for the UWM Research Foundation’s WEDC Bridge Program. That program benefits UWM’s entrepreneurs and their ventures with matching funds from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
As a board member of both the UWM Foundation and the UWM Research Foundation, Dennis Webb, who is also an entrepreneur, said he donated to the program with the aim of encouraging others to support it.
“I wondered if people understand that the WEDC is going to match gifts up to $100,000?” he said. “And so, I decided that I’d put my money where my mouth is.”
Dennis is president and owner of Sage-Water, LLC, and operates a lab at the UWM Innovation Campus Building, where he enjoys working with UWM engineering students on research.
Previously, he spent the majority of his career at Badger Meter, retiring as a senior executive.
For information on making a philanthropic donation, please contact Jean Opitz, director of advancement, at opitz@uwm.edu or (414) 229-5603.