WEST BEND, WI – County Executive Josh Schoemann issued the following statement following the announcement that Chancellor Mark Mone will end his tenure as chancellor at UW-Milwaukee next July:
I’ve come to know UWM Chancellor Mark Mone and his team well over the past years as we faced the regionalization and now impending closure of UW branch campuses, including our own UWM-Washington County. As Washington County searched for a student-focused solution, Chancellor Mone was a fantastic partner and provided guidance as we navigated the world of higher education. I commend him for forming a work group to examine the findings and potential solutions of our county Task Force on Higher Education.
The chancellor was faced with an impossible situation as declining enrollment demographics and a fiscally unsustainable model for the branch campuses converged, yet he continually listened and earnestly examined options to provide higher education opportunities. Our task force outlined a solution to consider a merger of resources of UW-WC into MPTC. Thanks to Chancellor Mone’s leadership, we have seen a historic move in the Task Force’s recommended direction. The recently signed articulation agreements between UWM and MPTC – an unprecedented 49 of them – will allow students to easily transfer from MPTC to UWM to complete a four-year degree.
Chancellor Mone is a great man who led UWM through an extremely challenging time, especially in the past four years. I thank Chancellor Mone for his incredible partnership and genuine kindness, and wish him all of God’s richest blessings as he returns to teaching next year. Let’s make the most of his final twelve months as chancellor for the students, businesses and community.
