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Post by PantherU on Mar 20, 2011 13:39:44 GMT -6
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kcwhite
Redshirt
Relocated to Texas, still try to keep up with the black and gold.
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Post by kcwhite on Mar 21, 2011 11:12:00 GMT -6
With all this talk on the UW-BU thread its got me to thinking. HOW do you get people interested in UWM? Not just basketball, but the university as a whole. We have a wonderful university with great research, very respectable academics, and, yes, an exciting basketball team.
Obviously we dont live up to UW-dane county in any of these respects, but that doesnt make us a "second-tier" university. It just means we have some work to do. We need to change the image of this university. But we obviously cant do that just as members of a discussion board.
Nonetheless i always like hearing people's ideas on the topic. How do we make our university more desireable both for those judging us from the outside, but also to many of our own students who couldnt give two sh*ts?
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Post by uwmfutbol on Mar 21, 2011 11:22:37 GMT -6
There are two things that affect the "reputation" of a school like UWM:
1. University Rankings (both undergraduate and graduate)
2. Athletics
We are all well-familiar with the role that athletics play in helping to create a true college atmosphere in large state schools (for the love of God, please get us an on-campus arena), so instead I'll focus on the demons that UWM must slay on the academic side:
1. Build enough dorms so that every single student who wants to live on campus can do so. I've been critical of this for years, as I was a student who was unable to live in the university dorm. Honestly, I had much more fun on Marquette's campus with my wife than I did on UWM's. I didn't make too many friends on campus, and several of my best friends transferred to other UW schools. UWM continues to have a less-than-stellar retention rate, and I believe one of the chief components of this is getting the students excited to be on campus. This simply doesn't happen with commuter students.
2. Bring up the University retention rate by any means necessary. This reflects VERY poorly on the school (see number 1 for one of my theories). I don't remember the exact numbers, but last I read UWM was in the low 70s. Conversely, Madison and Marquette are in the 90s.
2. Continue to encourage more programs that bring the campus community together. Schools like Lacrosse and Madison excel at this. The Campus Kickoff was an excellent idea.
3. Continue to expand graduate programs. University rankings (as much as I hate them) continue to rate schools like UWM and Madison primarily on their contributions to graduate and independent research. Not surprisingly, Madison gets by just fine in this regard. UWM does not, though they're getting better. The three new graduate centers (Freshwater Sciences, The Innovation Park, Health Sciences) are crucial to UWM's expansion in the region. University rankings primarily look at three factors: peer review (which is a joke and fuels the solid rankings for schools like Madison), faculty and graduate contributions to research (perhaps some new buildings would help? See my previous comment), and endowment. Unfortunately, endowment tends to be the last thing affected, yet it's arguably the most important. As Jimmy has pointed out, athletics certainly affect endowment, but academics do just as much, if not more.
So here's what I've got to start with. What do you guys think?
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Post by uwmfansince1997 on Mar 21, 2011 13:07:21 GMT -6
The day this university gets serious is the day we stop losing law and med students to yes UW-Dane Co. or FU, I mean MU  We all know that large donors stem from this lifeline....etc. |
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Post by PantherU on Mar 21, 2011 13:26:52 GMT -6
The day this university gets serious is the day we stop losing law and med students to yes UW-Dane Co. or FU, I mean MU We all know that large donors stem from this lifeline....etc. And the business school, which is where we count our current big donors. |
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Post by skrapheap on Mar 21, 2011 13:32:17 GMT -6
The day this university gets serious is the day we stop losing law and med students to yes UW-Dane Co. or FU, I mean MU We all know that large donors stem from this lifeline....etc.
Now if Marquette suddenly decided to get rid of their law school, or the Medical College of Wisconsin offered to merge with UWM, then you might see it happen. The possibility of either of these occurring is remote...but not as remote as the possibility that UWM would be allowed to open a school to compete with either or both institution(s).
i wouldn't hold my breath...
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Post by BBFran on Mar 21, 2011 13:51:05 GMT -6
There are a lot of exciting things happening academically at Milwaukee, but I agree that short of a merger with the MCW we'll never have a med school. That seems like an extremely remote possibility.
And after Marquette just spent $85 million to build a new law school, there will be no appetite locally for another. Nor is there any need. I was asked to speak at a class at MULS last spring about the practice of law. Damn near every kid in the class asked me the same question: "I'm 100K (or more) in debt and I can't find a job. What should I do?"
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mwu
Sophomore
I am U-Dub U-M
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Post by mwu on Mar 21, 2011 22:19:34 GMT -6
Damn near every kid in the class asked me the same question: "I'm 100K (or more) in debt and I can't find a job. What should I do?" Tell them to become Architects. Oh wait, we don't have any jobs either. |
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Post by repoman on Mar 22, 2011 10:39:04 GMT -6
As much as I loathe Scott Walker, his proposal to let UWM spin off the UW system might be a good thing. It would give them more autonomy and control over the school instead of dealing with the board of regents. It would also go a long way in shedding the hypenated school tag that so many people on this board get their undies in a bundle over.
It would be nice to see the school just rebranded as Milwaukee or the University of Milwaukee.
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Post by BBFran on Mar 22, 2011 10:46:35 GMT -6
The idea of a spinoff has some attractions, but understand that we would be trading the board of regents fora board of control. And not only that, but a board of control packed by Walker. He specifically wants the right to name the majority of its members. Translation: they would be under orders to bleed the budget out.
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Post by PowerCrazy on Mar 22, 2011 12:34:59 GMT -6
As much as I loathe Scott Walker, his proposal to let UWM spin off the UW system might be a good thing. It would give them more autonomy and control over the school instead of dealing with the board of regents. It would also go a long way in shedding the hypenated school tag that so many people on this board get their undies in a bundle over. It would be nice to see the school just rebranded as Milwaukee or the University of Milwaukee. I'd rather not have my tuition double |
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Post by nohopspanther on Mar 22, 2011 15:06:31 GMT -6
As much as I loathe Scott Walker, his proposal to let UWM spin off the UW system might be a good thing. It would give them more autonomy and control over the school instead of dealing with the board of regents. It would also go a long way in shedding the hypenated school tag that so many people on this board get their undies in a bundle over. It would be nice to see the school just rebranded as Milwaukee or the University of Milwaukee. I'd rather not have my tuition double Tuition doubled under Doyle as spending went out of control while I was a student. Now when the increase in spending is not as large, my colleagues in education scream bloody murder about it being a cut. To that all I can do is say hogwash, an increase is an increase. When the tax dollars are pulled back, then the budget must be adjusted. |
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Post by PantherU on Mar 22, 2011 16:29:00 GMT -6
Thread hijack complete!
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kcwhite
Redshirt
Relocated to Texas, still try to keep up with the black and gold.
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Post by kcwhite on Mar 22, 2011 17:01:05 GMT -6
I'd rather not have my tuition double Tuition doubled under Doyle as spending went out of control while I was a student. Now when the increase in spending is not as large, my colleagues in education scream bloody murder about it being a cut. To that all I can do is say hogwash, an increase is an increase. When the tax dollars are pulled back, then the budget must be adjusted. That budget adjustment will just be another tuition increse for us students. We will always be the ones who get screwed. and theres not a damn thing we can do about it. Sorry about the thread hijack jimmy. these things make me angry. |
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Post by milwsport on Mar 23, 2011 13:25:53 GMT -6
Doyle inherited a 3.4 billion deficit. He left a deficit about the same size. The rotten economy has hurt everyone. When tax collections are down, tuition goes up.
I don't know if the spin off idea is a good thing or not. Will UWM get as much in state funds if it's on its own? Is this an extension of the tea party/club for growth philosophy that government (and schools) can and should be run like a business?
I don't think anyone has the answers to these questions right now. Therein lies the problem. This idea came out of the blue. Whether or not the state and it's Universities will be better off under this proposal needs careful study. It will be very hard to undo this later if things don't turn out the way everyone would like them to.
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