MILWAUKEE_The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will award more than 1,700 degrees at its 131st commencement on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave.
The university will present 1,092 bachelor’s degrees, 492 master’s degrees, 63 doctoral degrees, 75 associate degrees and 73 certificates. The oldest bachelor’s degree recipient is 63, while the youngest is 20. The oldest associate degree recipient is 49; the youngest is 19.
SEATING
Graduates do not need tickets to attend, but all guests over the age of 2 are required to have a ticket. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Guests can enter the UWM Panther Arena at the south entrance, along West Kilbourn Avenue.
Several items are prohibited, including weapons, backpacks, large banners and other items. The full list is on the Wisconsin Center District website.
The ceremony will be livestreamed. That stream can be seen on UWM’s website, where it will remain available for viewing afterward.
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER: David Crowley
David Crowley has been Milwaukee County executive since 2020, when he became the youngest county executive in Milwaukee County history, as well as the first Black leader elected to the position. He graduates at this ceremony from the UWM School of Education with his bachelor’s degree in Community Engagement and Education.
Since being sworn into office, Crowley has led the implementation of the first county-wide strategic plan in 20 years, focusing the county on a vision of achieving racial equity, and by doing so, becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin. Under his leadership, Milwaukee County has diversified positions, streamlined government services and is working to expand access to mental health services and address the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Crowley grew up in a working-class family in Milwaukee’s 53206 neighborhood. He attended Bay View High School and lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Ericka, and their three young daughters.
HONORARY DEGREE: Denis Kitchen
Denis Kitchen, a UWM journalism graduate in 1968, emerged as one of the original “underground” cartoonists in the late 1960s, self-publishing “Mom’s Homemade Comics #1.” Soon afterward he founded Kitchen Sink Press in Milwaukee and served as its publisher for 30 years. He founded the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in 1986, and since 1999 his three literary and art agencies have represented numerous artists and estates.
Kitchen has co-written biographies of other cartoonists, including Al Capp, Harvey Kurtzman and Harrison Cady. The most recent book of his own art was “Creatures from the Subconscious,” and three new books are expected in 2025.
Kitchen was a first ballot inductee into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2015, and he received a Life Achievement Award from the Museum of Wisconsin Art in 2012. Other recognitions include the Defender of Liberty Award (2005), the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award (2009), Comics Publisher of the Year (1996), Small Press Pioneer Award (1997) and a San Diego Comic Con Inkpot Award (1986), along with numerous annual Eisner and Harvey industry awards. Kitchen is the subject of an upcoming 2025 documentary film, “Oddly Compelling.”
MEDIA ACCESS
Members of the media wishing to cover the commencement ceremonies should enter through the Panther Arena’s main doors and ask for assistance from an usher. Media may shoot video or photos from the back or sides of the arena but should stay out of the middle aisles to avoid interfering with students. There is limited riser space behind the first section of seats. Media are asked to RSVP via email to [email protected].
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
The numbers of degrees awarded by UWM schools and colleges are below. The numbers include bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, associate and flex degrees.
Lubar College of Business: 397
College of Letters & Science: 360
College of Engineering & Applied Science: 190
School of Information Studies: 121
School of Nursing: 119
School of Education: 92
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare: 90
Peck School of the Arts: 78
College of General Studies: 75
Zilber College of Public Health: 65
School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Care Administration: 62
School of Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology: 38
School of Architecture & Urban Planning: 35
School of Freshwater Sciences: 4
