UWM’s strategic plan, embodied in the Investment Plan, reflects a sound understanding of the University’s current fiscal capacity, especially the need to secure resources for program enhancement. The Investment Plan looks to increased student enrollment in order to generate revenue for schools and colleges, requests additional funds from the state to support targeted initiatives, plans on research growth of approximately 15 percent annually, and anticipates a significant private gift campaign.

Beginning in the 2003-04 academic year, UWM engaged in a major enrollment planning process. The process was launched on December 2, 2003 at a joint meeting of the Academic Deans Council, Chancellor’s Cabinet, Academic Planning and Budget Committee, University Committee, and Academic Staff Committee.

UWM enrollment declined substantially between the mid 1980s and mid 1990s. These declines were costly to the campus in many ways, most significantly because they resulted in cuts to the base budget. Beginning in 1997, following campus investments in recruitment and retention activities, the enrollment began to recover. In adopting its investment plan in 2000, UWM committed itself to increase enrollments by 3 to 4 percent per year to build the breadth and strength of the University and to add to its resource base.

Enrollments did grow within this range to slightly under 27,000 students by fall 2004. While the budget infusion of $11 million in the 2001-03 biennium provided substantial support for UWM’s enrollment growth, subsequent budget cuts placed the burden of enrollment growth increasingly on revenues from tuition without additional state tax dollar support. Absent changes in processes and policies, enrollments are predicted to continue to increase, peaking at slightly fewer than 28,000 in 2010 and then dropping to approximately 27,000 (See Figure 8).