The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee is one of 26 campuses that form the University of Wisconsin System. A 17-member Board of Regents sets policy for all UW institutions, and System President Kevin Reilly guides operations. Each individual university in the System has an advisory Board of Visitors; the UWM Board is composed of 20 individuals who focus on legislative and community relations.
The University of Wisconsin–System Administration is based in Madison. Membership in the statewide system allows UWM to participate in extensive cooperative arrangements that independent institutions can rarely replicate. Many resources are available for System campuses to share, including the Office of Learning and Information Technology, the Office of Professional and Instructional Development, the Multicultural Center for Educational Excellence, PK-16 Partnerships and Initiatives and the Center for Learning Innovations. The 13 two-year colleges feed undergraduates to all of the four-year campuses in the system. UWM also has a unique collaborative program (UWM College Connection) that delivers a full bachelor’s degree to place-bound students at numerous two-year campuses and technical colleges throughout the state.
The most prominent feature of the culture of the University of Wisconsin System, including UWM, is shared governance, a system unique in U.S. higher education that is formalized in state law. Chapter 36 of the Wisconsin Statutes specifies that the faculty, academic staff, and students have significant responsibilities for the formulation of policies, activities and personnel matters that affect each of these groups within the University community. This system of governance depends on collaborative, consultative, and inclusive relationships among the University’s administrators, faculty, academic staff, and students.
