IN 1994, The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee was designated as a Research II University (now Doctoral/Research Extensive) by the Carnegie Commission. UWM continues advancing its stature as a research university while also recognizing its important role in Milwaukee, the state’s ethnic, international, cultural, artistic, manufacturing, financial, and population center. In 1998, the campus adopted a bold initiative—the Milwaukee Idea—to expand and maintain focused engagement with community partnerships and collaborations that are built on a solid foundation of research and scholarship. In 2000, the campus began an ambitious plan—Investing in UWM’s Future—to achieve dramatic increases in funding, enrollments, and faculty and academic staff positions. Building on its existing momentum and enhanced visibility, the University is poised to advance its status as a research university.
UWM is one of two doctoral institutions in the University of Wisconsin System. It was founded nearly 50 years ago in the belief that Milwaukee needs a great public university to become a great city. The themes of quality education, excellent research, and community service guide the University’s activities.
The formal mission of UWM is defined on three levels:
- All institutions in the University of Wisconsin System share the System’s mission “to develop human resources, to discover and disseminate knowledge, to extend knowledge and its application beyond the boundaries of its campuses, and to serve and stimulate society by developing in students heightened intellectual, cultural, and human sensitivities; scientific, professional, and technological expertise; and a sense of value and purpose.”
- UWM shares with UW–Madison, the other doctoral campus in the System, the core mission “to offer degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels; offer programs leading to professional degrees; conduct organized programs of research; promote the integration of the extension function; encourage others in the System to seek the benefit of the unique educational and research resources of the doctoral institution; serve the needs of women, minority, disadvantaged, disabled, and nontraditional students and seek racial and ethnic diversification; and support activities designed to promote the economic development of the state.”
- UWM, finally, has a distinctive select mission “To fulfill its mission as a major urban doctoral university and to meet the diverse needs of Wisconsin’s largest metropolitan area, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee must provide a wide array of degree programs, a balanced program of applied and basic research, and a faculty who are active in public service.”
UWM was created in 1956 as the result of a merger between Wisconsin State College–Milwaukee (which was the successor to the Milwaukee State Normal School and the Milwaukee State Teachers College) and the University of Wisconsin Extension Center–Milwaukee. The 93-acre main campus is located in a vibrant residential neighborhood on Milwaukee’s east side that offers its faculty, staff and students a wide range of cultural, athletic and entertainment opportunities. UWM is a short walk from Lake Michigan, near historic areas of interest, and is easily accessible via public transportation from downtown Milwaukee, which is just three miles away.
