Chancellor Mark Mone highlighted the impact of UWM’s unique three-part mission in a presentation Thursday to the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
Titled “Celebrating Our Tripartite Mission of Access, Research and Engagement,” the presentation emphasized the unique role UWM plays in the higher education landscape.
Mone compared UWM to a unicorn, noting that it is one of only 32 universities in the nation to be recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education for providing high access to education and conducting top-tier research, as well as promoting community engagement.
He said there is no better change agent than a university that provides talent, solves problems and applies know-how to real-world problems. Stressing the importance of change, Mone explained, “It’s a little-known fact that learning is generally defined as relatively permanent change in behavior, skills, knowledge or attitudes resulting from psychological or social experiences.”
Partnerships help students
To illustrate the impact of UWM’s three-part mission and the changes the university has brought about, Mone told several stories about students, alumni, faculty and community partners.
He mentioned partnerships that provide more people with access to education, including M-Cubed, which encourages Milwaukee Public School students to pursue higher education opportunities at Milwaukee Area Technical College and UWM, as well as agreements UWM has made with area technical colleges to ensure transfer students will have at least 60 credits accepted in the process.
Noting that UWM has earned the Carnegie Research 1 designation four times in a row, Mone said the university’s commitment to research was one of the reasons Microsoft chose UWM to host its AI Co-Innovation Lab, the first in the nation to focus on manufacturing. Research projects are already underway at the lab, which will officially open on UWM’s campus on June 25. Mone credited the UWM Research Foundation with helping faculty and students obtain 215 patents and 47 active license and option agreements.
Focusing on UWM’s community engagement mission, Mone emphasized how experiential learning – in the form of co-ops, internships, clinical work placements and student teaching experiences – helps prepare more than 4,500 students per year for the job market. Students are also engaged in more than 50,000 community service hours per year.
Addressing health care worker shortage
Wisconsin has a growing shortage of health care workers, and Mone encouraged the Board of Regents’ support for UWM’s Health Sciences Renovation project, adding, “How often do you hear a chancellor say, ‘We are turning students away’?” The proposed renovation would allow UWM to enroll 300 more health care majors per year. These additional health care workers would help reduce patient wait times, decrease costs and increase access to care.
The chancellor shared two videos. The first was a TMJ4 news story about Cindy Bentley, an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who was given an honorary degree at UWM’s May 18 commencement ceremony. The second video featured statements from alumni who told of the long-term impact UWM faculty and staff had on their lives.
Mone concluded by calling for support for the university.
“Through our unique tripartite mission, UWM changes lives and strengthens families because education is the great equalizer,” Mone said. “These qualities help us attract and retain key talent in Wisconsin. After all, what is a successful economic region in the world that doesn’t have an access, research and engaged university at the heart of it? We need talent, research and engagement, and I implore you to keep that going.”
