“Today, I have the honor of participating in a celebration at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, marking its recent designation as one of the country’s top-tier research universities. This honor is the result of and a tribute to years of hard work, innovative thinking, collaborative partnerships and the commitment of so many people. This is the kind of University of Wisconsin story that we should be talking about.

“Instead, we are left responding to heated rhetoric and deliberately misleading information that does nothing but distract from what should be a day of celebration for UWM, the City of Milwaukee and the entire state.

“Over the last year, we worked with the legislature to significantly reduce the size of a budget cut and to secure the authority to award merit pay to our faculty. The Board of Regents adopted a responsible tenure policy that is comparable to our peers and the UW System developed and released an accountability dashboard and enhanced financial reporting that make us one of the most transparent higher education systems in the country.

“In the coming months, we will finalize an ambitious strategic plan that was developed with the engagement of thousands of citizens through over 50 listening sessions. This new plan, and our upcoming budget, will help set a course for a bold new future for our system and our state.

“I am working to get the legislature, the UW community, the Governor, and all statewide stakeholders to come together – because the future of the UW and the future of this state are too important. I know our faculty, our elected leaders and the public share these goals and I look forward to our working together to move us forward.”

Media Contact

Alex Hummel UW System (608) 262-4463 ahummel@uwsa.edu