UWM Chancellor Mark Mone asked members of the UW System Board of Regents on Thursday to work with chancellors and the Legislature to “help preserve the value of our degrees.”

Calling it “one of the most important addresses I’ve ever given,” Mone asked the regents to protect faculty tenure, indefinite status for academic staff and shared governance. He also warned of the profound effects that significant budget cuts could have on higher education at UWM and in Wisconsin.

“Your explicit support will go a long way to ensure there are opportunities for these supportive actions,” Mone said. “I cannot emphasize enough the seriousness of the situation.”

Mone welcomed the regents during their annual visit to campus. He emphasized the importance of the university’s role in students’ success, meaningful national and international research and more than 2,100 partnerships with community organizations and businesses.

Mone’s presentation listed a number of reasons why he believes that “UWM is absolutely vital to southeastern Wisconsin,” including:

• UWM is the only public urban research university in Wisconsin, with a strong reputation for community engagement, economic revitalization and entrepreneurism.
• It is an economic driver in the Midwest, with an annual $1.5 billion impact in Wisconsin alone since 2012.
• The university has the state’s only accredited School of Architecture and Urban Planning, the only graduate school in the United States dedicated to the study of freshwater, and the only American Sign Language/English interpretation program in Wisconsin.
• UWM is the leading educator of military veterans in Wisconsin and the surrounding six-state region.

Mone said UWM benefits the entire state by graduating successful students and alumni, bolstering partnerships in education, business, healthcare and nonprofits, and contributing to Wisconsin’s long-term economic health.

He warned that changes to tenure, shared governance and indefinite status endorsed by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee could jeopardize UWM’s ability to excel in teaching and research.

“It will be difficult to motivate and retain our exceptional faculty and attract new faculty if there is uncertainty regarding their status and roles,” Mone said. “Without our faculty and staff, we cannot teach, we cannot conduct research and we cannot engage with the community.

“Many other universities are only too eager to poach our talent,” he added, noting that significant portions of UWM’s research funds are generated by a relatively small number of faculty members.

Mone also addressed the Joint Finance Committee’s recommendation to cut $250 million from the UW System budget over the next two years, saying it could hurt students – with fewer classes, larger class sizes, longer times to graduate and greater student debt.

The budget and tenure issues will be taken up by the full Legislature in coming weeks. Gov. Scott Walker must still approve the final budget.