The 2004-05 year is an important juncture for UWM. Here are a few of the significant events taking place:

• Chancellor Carlos E. Santiago, UWM’s seventh Chancellor, has taken the helm and clarified to the campus and community the goals of enhancing UWM’s research base and scholarly strengths, limiting future enrollment growth, and enhancing the quality and diversity of the student body and its success in attaining educational goals.
• UWM is nearing the end of the six-year Investment Plan
• The Milwaukee Idea “First Ideas” have built momentum for three years despite not being fully funded.
• Most of the Milwaukee Idea “Action Plans” funded with 2001-03 biennial budget funds have been launched fully or in part.
• Black and Gold Committees have defined issues and are implementing initiatives to meet the student success and satisfaction goals of the Investment Plan.
• Research expenditures increased by 63 percent from 1998-99 through 2002-03, reflecting UWM’s renewed commitment to becoming a premier research university.
• Program development has resulted in the addition of three new Ph.D. programs—bringing the total to 20—with others in planning stages.
• The University has been very successful over the last three years in meeting its financial goals by expanding its resource base. Critical to that expansion was a sizeable increase in new state funds. But UWM has also been affected by the serious budget deficits facing the state and the nation, and needs to look to an immediate future of ‘flat-line’ state support, and likely reductions in financial support, for its initiatives.
• Budget conservation strategies were implemented to absorb budget cuts in ways that would protect to the greatest extent possible the instructional, research and student service missions. The campus needs to examine both the impact and the effectiveness of those strategies.
• Given that tuition revenues increasingly make up a major portion of potential new revenues, UWM has begun a critical examination of its enrollment capacity and profile.
• Conversations on “taking UWM to the next level” have begun by critically evaluating those selective programs to lead UWM into greater recognition as a premier research university.
• Investments have been made in selected programs.
• New Ph.D. programs will be developed in areas of faculty strengths

The campus priorities as reflected above are continuing as defined in UWM’s current strategic plan—its Investment Plan. But there is a clear call for more definitive choices that will need to be made. Collectively, UWM will need to decide which programs will lead UWM in becoming a nationally recognized public research university. The University must also determine how to manage enrollment, integrating access and excellence to increase academic success for all students.