Once again, greetings from UWM Geography! The spring semester is now in full swing. Although there have been no major changes to the department since my last letter, we continue to adjust to a changing landscape for UWM and for higher education more generally. As I mentioned in the fall, Chancellor Mone will step down from his role as Chancellor at the end of the year, and we’re anticipating interviews for his replacement later this spring. Meanwhile, the closure of the College of General Studies at the end of this year will bring big changes to the College of Letters and Science, including the absorption of the highly successful First-Year Bridge program, which is helping UWM expand and deepen its access mission. We’re also all working hard to adjust to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, which is generating rich conversations across campus (and beyond) about how to restructure assignments and course objectives to best prepare our students for a changing job market.
We were encouraged to see a significant rise in enrollment in our department’s classes this semester, relative to last year, with especially high demand for our online courses. Our new, more flexible major and GIS minor requirements are now fully in effect, and we’ve begun the work of getting the word out (with the help of a new website design). It’s challenging to grow the major at a time when overall campus enrollments continue their declining trend, but we’re doing everything we can to make it happen. To offer one example, I’m thrilled that later this month, we’ll have a terrific panel of alums coming to share wisdom about their careers with our capstone class.
One of the most exciting announcements from the beginning of 2025 has been the recognition of our Alpha Mu Chapter of the GTU Geographical Honor Society as a 2024 Honors Chapter! This marks the first time that UW-Milwaukee’s chapter has achieved this honor, and our amazing student leaders are aiming even higher this year, seeking to become only the third geography department in the country to receive the Presidential Honors Award. We’ll keep you posted!
Another exciting announcement is that in October 2025, thanks to the leadership of Professors Hyejin Yoon and Woonsup Choi, our department will host the annual meeting of the West Lakes Regional Division of the American Association of Geographers. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students and faculty to share their research, connect with geographers across the region, and showcase UWM and Milwaukee. We hope that many alums can come join us as well! In the meantime, we’ll also be well-represented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting in Detroit this March.
In closing, I’ll note that this will be my last “letter from the chair,” since my term as department chair will come to an end in August. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the department during the past four years, and it has been rewarding to see us work together to strengthen our undergraduate and graduate programs in the face of challenges ranging from COVID to a leaner budget and a smaller student population. Thank you for your support, and please keep in touch!
Ryan Holifield
Chair, Department of Geography
