UWM has created units with the express mission of communicating with, discovering, developing, and stimulating university-community partnerships. These include the Vice Chancellor for Partnerships and Innovations, and the Chancellor’s Deputy for The Milwaukee Idea. The University’s Board of Visitors, the Chancellor’s Cabinet, the Milwaukee Partnership Academy, the Neighborhood Association and community impressions group all connect UWM to the larger community. The campus hosts, co-partners with, or staff important events that provide opportunities to learn from the community: Community Brainstorming (Vice Chancellor for Partnerships and Innovation), Community Council (Vice Chancellor for Partnerships and Innovation), Chancellor’s Corporate Council, and the Fourth Street Forums (The Milwaukee Idea Office).

In addition,

• UWM is a leading institution of higher education in the state of Wisconsin supporting the national Campus Compact, an organization of university presidents supporting civic engagement. UWM also played a leading role in the creation of the Wisconsin Campus Compact.
• Programming on UWM’s National Public Radio affiliate, WUWM, spotlights activities at UWM that have community relevance. The station also promotes community attendance at UWM events.
• The Milwaukee Idea is one of UWM’s best-recognized initiatives for enabling effective university-community connections. The Action Teams for developing the first initiatives of the Milwaukee Idea were collaborations of faculty, staff, and students of the University working in partnerships with community leaders as team members. While community engagement certainly predates the Milwaukee Idea, most of these activities were the actions of individuals or single programs, not a coordinated effort of the University. The benefits of coordination are evident in the Milwaukee Idea’s tracking mechanisms. Each initiative is required to submit an annual report. The Annual Report Guidelines track resources (hires, budget, support for and from community partners); outcomes (assessed against each initiative’s predefined measures); extramural support; collaborative activity with advisory councils and other partners; and achievements and challenges.