UWM Chancellor Mark Mone delivered a clear picture of UWM’s integral value to the region during the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting Thursday at the UWM Student Union.
In his hourlong presentation – titled Transforming for Tomorrow, Together – Mone explained UWM’s direct approach to overcoming the challenges facing all of higher education. This includes providing the support and expertise that students desire while training them in skills that the real-world marketplace demands.
Mone also shared examples of how current and future investment in UWM will pay dividends for students, industry, the community and the state’s economy. He spotlighted two crucial projects that would resonate long into the future – the Health Sciences Renovation project and the Engineering & Neuroscience project. Investing in them will boost enrollment in the ever-growing fields of health care and STEM. And because more than 80% of UWM graduates in the last decade have remained in Wisconsin, the state’s employers will get more of the highly skilled professionals they desperately need.
UWM’s reputation in these areas is a big reason why Microsoft chose UWM’s Connected System Institute to house the nation’s first manufacturing-focused AI Co-Innovation Lab as part of its $3.3 billion investment in southeast Wisconsin. In addition to strengthening UWM’s education and research missions, the new lab will connect Wisconsin companies with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence experts and developers.
Mone also told regents about two of UWM’s forward-thinking initiatives to streamline and bolster enrollment. In partnership with Milwaukee Area Technical College and Milwaukee Public Schools, UWM recently implemented a direct admit program that allows MPS juniors to apply for free to both higher education institutions. Students who apply and graduate from high school are guaranteed admission to at least one of the institutions. UWM has also forged groundbreaking agreements with regional technical colleges that will guarantee admission to UWM for their graduates and streamline the credit transfer process.
“We need a successful urban research and access university,” Mone said. “Our alumni… they are the talent base. With further investment, we can do even more. If we don’t have that investment, we’re hobbled. A lot depends on this. We do value your support.”
