Welcome!
This is an exciting time to be at UWM! Chancellor Santiago has set an ambitious agenda for growing the campus research enterprise over the next decade. This builds on the excellence in research and scholarship of UWM's faculty. Not only will the accomplishment of the agenda add to the reputation of UWM but also stimulate economic development in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area and improve the quality of life for people. The vision encompasses the following:
- Developing regional academic and research campuses. The Innovation Park at Wauwatosa (some 10 miles from the main campus) will focus engineering and biomedical sciences. A second site in downtown Milwaukee will address community and public health. These will be critical interfaces between UWM researchers and both spin-off and partners companies.
- Initiating and nurturing strategic partnerships with educational institutions, government agencies and private corporations to impact on the region's economic development.
- Enhancing research clusters with national reputations to build on our current and emerging strengths.
- Recruiting 100 additional research active faculty members. A major component is to grow the College of Engineering and Applied Science to at least 100 faculty members.
We are undertaking a broad approach to enhance our research. The Graduate School is ensuring that Research Support Services to faculty, graduate students and staff are effective and responsive providing timely information on funding opportunities, tips on "grantsmanship" and help with preparing budgets. In 2006-'07, we conducted the second round of our Research Growth Initiative, a program that makes several million dollars of seed funding available for new research projects. An external review process helped us select 86 proposals for funding over the first two years of the program. It is anticipated that many of these research projects will be successful in attracting external funding.
To be successful in reaching our goals for research and to address the aspirations of the young people from our State and elsewhere, UWM must attract, nurture and educate a strong and diverse body of graduate students. Excellence in graduate education is central to our campus's growth in research and scholarship. The Graduate School is working with the dedicated faculty from all the schools and colleges to continue to strive for excellence in academic programming, to foster a student-centered approach to student services, and to increase student financial support.
—Colin Scanes
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
and Dean of the Graduate School