“You’ve finished school, and now you want to go to grad school,” said Reid, explaining how the Wauwatosa site is about 12 miles from the current UWM campus. “You’re going to have to buy a house or a car.”

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, as part of his second term inauguration, signed a resolution Tuesday, April 15, that promotes the expansion of the University of Wisconsin– Milwaukee in the downtown area.

The Milwaukee Common Council had unanimously passed the resolution a week earlier, believing downtown Milwaukee is a better alternative for expansion than a previously proposed Wauwatosa location.

The resolution, passed on April 9, was co-sponsored by Ald. Zielinski, Ald. Bauman, and Ald. D’Amato, who was replaced on April 15 by Nik Kovac as the new 3rd district alderman.

Dave Reid, East Side resident and spokesman for UWMDowntown.org, presented a likely scenario for many students if UWM decides to expand onto Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa.

“You’ve finished school, and now you want to go to grad school,” said Reid, explaining how the Wauwatosa site is about 12 miles from the current UWM campus. “You’re going to have to buy a house or a car.”

UWM Chancellor Carlos E. Santiago has made clear his support for expansion on the Wauwatosa land. Santiago’s vision for building UWM into a respected research university focuses on the engineering and research-related incentives for expanding into Wauwatosa.

GE Healthcare, Froedtert Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin and others would make great research partners, according to supporters of the UWM Wauwatosa expansion.

All of those facilities are in close proximity to the land that would be purchased by UWM. However, the resolution passed by the Common Council and signed by Mayor Barrett emphasizes alternative research partnerships that exist in the downtown area of Milwaukee.

Marquette University, Milwaukee Area Technical College, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering all provide “a cluster of engineering, research and related fields,” according to the written resolution.

Furthermore, the proposal points out other advantages such as “ease of transportation” to potential downtown UWM facilities, already available student housing, and a focus on urban redevelopment rather than suburban expansion.

After all, as Reid pointed out, a statement on UWM’s Web site reads that part of their mission is to preserve the school as “a major urban doctoral university and to meet the diverse needs of Wisconsin’s largest metropolitan area.”

Reid, members of the Milwaukee community, the Common Council and Mayor Barrett all are hoping to change Santiago’s mind about expanding to the Wauwatosa site. According to Reid, the resolution “basically says ‘we want you to stay.’”

“The efforts are just beginning,” he said. “But clearly, there’s a lot more work to do.”

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