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UWM celebrates a half-century
Events transport community back in time
By Dan Polley
The black and gold may be a little bit golden this year as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee celebrates its 50th anniversary — its golden jubilee.
The year full of festivities digging into the university’s past and looking ahead to the university’s future begins with Founder's Day on Sept. 25, said Tom Luljak, UWM spokesman.
The event is being coordinated to coincide with the anniversary of the first day of classes at UWM — Sept. 24, 1956. But Sept. 24 this year falls on Sunday, so the university plans to celebrate one day later, Luljak said.
“We’re fudging it a little bit,” he said.
“Our 50th year will be dedicated to celebrating our accomplishments and reflecting on where we have been and where we are going,” Chancellor Carlos Santiago said in an e-mail. “Following our mission, we have evolved into a large and comprehensive research university.”
As part of the yearlong celebration, a display of historic artifacts will be exhibited at the Golda Meir Library and will then rotate across campus during the course of the school year, Luljak said.
UWM will launch a 50th anniversary Web site in which visitors can view historical data about the campus, he said.
“Our goal is to create events that help students, faculty, staff, celebrate the pride of being part of the university. It’s also to help members of the public recognize the impact UWM has had on the lives of people in the state of Wisconsin every day,” Luljak said.
Santiago said that even though UWM will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, it is still a comparatively young college.
“It is important that we keep in mind that for a university we are not even ‘middle age.’ I like to look at us as a young, energetic, up-and-coming research powerhouse,” he wrote in an e-mail.
The library will have an archived yearbook, “Ivy,” which was published from the 1940s to the late ’60s, digitized to allow visitors to do word search, find pictures of parents, family friends or colleagues, Luljak said.
All of the various colleges and schools will also incorporate the 50th anniversary into their respective literature and information, Luljak said.
At commencement, UWM will bring back graduates from 50 years ago and the professors who taught 50 years ago, he said. There are at least 18 professors that UWM has contacted, Luljak said.
“We know that this is going to resonate with people in the region,” Luljak said.
The Union Bookstore will have a commemorative calendar, among other items, Luljak said. The calendar features photos from UWM’s history.
The Founders Day event will allow participants to “turn back the hands of time,” said Andrea Simpson, executive director of the Alumni Association and a representative on the committee for the event.
The event will be a flashback to 1956, complete with a DJ and ’50s music, Simpson said. She said students, faculty and staff will be encouraged to dress up in clothing from the ’50s. The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 25.
The Union also has several events planned to celebrate as part of UWM’s 50th year, said Scott Gore, Union director.
Among the events planned is a birthday party for the Union, which is scheduled to be held Sept. 7, during welcome week.
The party will feature a giant “Twister” game, larger-screen Atari and “PacMan” contemporary video games, and a “Star Wars” photo booth where students can dress up as “Star Wars” characters and have their picture taken while acting our scenes.
The event is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m.
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