UW-Milwaukee is celebrating philanthropist and environmentalist Lynde B. Uihlein’s new $10 million gift to benefit freshwater sciences research and education.
Chancellor Thomas Gibson made the announcement Thursday morning, standing in front of the UWM research vessel Neeskay, with Lake Michigan’s inner harbor serving as an appropriate backdrop. He was joined by Uihlein, the Brico Fund’s Karen Schapiro and School of Freshwater Sciences Dean Rebecca Klaper, as well as a crowd of about 100 people that included faculty, staff, students, civic officials and friends of UWM.
“This gift is truly a game-changer,” Gibson said, “not only for its sheer size, but also in the many ways it will enhance the school’s mission and work.”
The endowment, among the largest received in UWM’s history, will bolster the School of Freshwater Sciences and its Center for Water Policy. It will also provide operating funds for the school’s research vessels, including the Neeskay and the forthcoming Maggi Sue.
‘Safeguard for our Great Lakes’
“UWM’s freshwater researchers are such an important safeguard for our Great Lakes, which provide irreplaceable resources for nature and humanity alike,” Uihlein, a two-time UWM alumna, said in a statement.
“They provide drinking water for our children, jobs for the regional economy, recreation for our communities, habitat for wildlife and marine life, and so much more. They are an essential part of our cultural heritage. We must do all we can to protect and understand them, and there is no place better to invest in this cause than UWM and the School of Freshwater Sciences.”
Of the $10 million, $4 million will support the core mission of the school. These flexible funds will be used to underwrite many areas, including research operations, faculty and research staff, equipment in laboratories, advising and mentorship, community outreach, and scholarships and fellowships for students.
Center for Water Policy funding
Another $4 million will continue funding the Center for Water Policy, which brings together teams of experts from multiple disciplines. This allows, for example, people in environmental law and economics to work closely with research scientists to develop science-based water policy solutions to local, regional and global water issues.
The final $2 million will be used for year-round maintenance and operation of UWM’s freshwater research vessels. Upon construction, the R/V Maggi Sue will be the most technologically advanced research vessel ever designed for the Great Lakes, capable of long-range missions and cutting-edge research.
Endowments are powerful tools because they last in perpetuity, so they provide an immediate and permanent source of funding, which benefits long-term planning.
“It’s impossible to overstate just how important this investment is for our students, faculty, staff and work in so many areas,” School of Freshwater Sciences Dean Rebecca Klaper said. “It will resonate in the discoveries we make, the management solutions we provide, the future leaders and educators we teach, and the countless people who rely on our Great Lakes in their daily lives, now and into the future. For that and so much more, we can’t thank Lynde B. Uihlein enough.”
