Photo by Tom Jenz
UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson
UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson
A year ago, when I talked with Thomas Gibson about his new job as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he said something that has stayed with me.
“I am UWM’s primary storyteller,” he said. “I want to make sure we are producing a pipeline for workforce talent needs in Wisconsin and beyond.”
That was then. Now Gibson, 52, has been on the job for more than a year, long enough to discover that being the person responsible for telling UWM’s story is only part of the job. There is also the matter of running the place.
And UWM is a big place.
Nearly 23,000 students attend the university. More than 3,000 professors, faculty and staff members work there, along with hundreds of student workers. The campus stretches across Milwaukee’s East Side, with 52 buildings that include classrooms, dormitories, laboratories and administrative offices. Its annual operating budget is around $649 million.
But size may not be Gibson’s biggest challenge.
Like universities across the country, UWM is entering a period of changing demographics and declining college enrollment. The enormous generation of Americans born in the years when the college-age population was growing is beginning to pass through the system. Enrollment declines have already begun in parts of the Midwest. National projections call for a significant drop in coming years.
For Gibson, those numbers are more than statistics. They represent the future of an institution with an enormous role in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
So then, after a year on the job, how does Gibson think things are going?
I asked him.
A year ago, I asked you to define your job was as UWM’s chancellor. So how do you see your job now after a year on the job?
Last year was really all about learning the outsized impact that UWM has on the city and region. But a lot has changed since we spoke last time. There are certainly more pressures impacting the higher education sector, so I still see my role as to create more opportunities for our students, faculty, staff, and for employers, as well as for Milwaukee in the state of Wisconsin. I see it as ensuring that our students have access to the appropriate tools, curriculum and skills to prepare them for life after UWM. That includes the workforce. I also see my role as ensuring that the institution has the resources it needs to continue to deliver on its mission of access, research and community engagement.
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What do you mean by a lot has changed in the last year? What are you referring to?
That change has to do with some of the administration policies at the state level, the shift that has implications for the higher education sector. That includes the demographic shift of the declining number of students in the near future. We need to make sure that we are keeping pace and still continuing to provide opportunity for our students and faculty.
Regarding your leadership responsibilities, last time we talked, you mentioned the importance of being a good listener. So what qualities are important to be an effective leader?
I still would argue that being a good listener is critically important, but I would also add being accessible, relational, being able to adapt and build coalition as well as trust to help move initiatives forward. These traits and characteristics are extremely important to anyone who is endeavoring to lead.
You once told me you will be a champion of UWM's dual missions of research and education access for all students but that you expected funding to be a challenge. How has it been going for fundraising this past year?
Actually, we had exceeded our fundraising goals, and I think that's largely in response to a significant number of people taking note of the outsized impact that UWM has. Funding challenges are present not only for UWM but for institutions across the higher education sector that are also feeling significant pressure
Besides the normal income you get from student tuition, you need to go outside the institution and seek funding from other sources, right?
This is correct. Some of the funding sources come from the federal government through research grants, and also from private foundations, business and industry, as well as through state and other partnerships. These are all good funding sources to help us deliver on our mission.
Well then, has UWM been delivering on its mission?
I believe so. In fact, I know so. Last year, we welcomed our largest incoming freshman class in 16 years, and this year we bested that banner enrollment with increases in our overall enrollment, particularly with transfer students and new first-time students. We continue to be active and productive in our research and problem-solving pursuits, and we continue to engage the Milwaukee region and statewide communities to help meet their employment needs.
From my research, I found that you oversee a budget of about $649 million this school year. Does that sound right?
UWM’s total FY27 Operating Budget is approximately $678M
Then, how is that coming along, the management of your budget? Is that responsibility easy, hard? What is your opinion on that?
We're currently in the process of a partnership with Universities of Wisconsin administration on planning for the 2027-2029 biannual budget. We are preparing to engage in an advocacy support of the Universities of Wisconsin budget in which UWM would benefit from additional investment.
What do you mean by “advocacy support?” Can you explain that?
At this very moment, we are speaking with the stakeholders across the state, and that would include business and industry, residents and lawmakers. We’re engaging with the media to help tell the story about how important the Universities of Wisconsin is to the state. In fact, we’ve been making a number of different promises to help advance the state of Wisconsin if we receive appropriate and adequate investments.
A year ago, you mentioned completing the Health Sciences renovation project to help produce more healthcare workers in the state. What's happening on that front?
Well, just recently, the UW Board of Regents voted affirmative to provide funding in support of phase 2 of completing the Health Sciences renovation project. That will be a part of our major capital budget. We have already received that funding, and we look forward to beginning that project this year, I believe in November.
Is that a Health Sciences building you will be renovating? Is that what you're talking about here?
Yes, it's a renovation of an existing building in the northwest quad. It is the former site of the Columbia Hospital. You know, healthcare is the fastest growing employment arena in the United States. UWM is well aware of that trend. We have awarded more than 2,000 Health Sciences degrees each year.
What are the biggest problems lying ahead for you in the coming years, as you see it?
While we are certainly bucking national trends of enrollment decline, I still worry about that competitive landscape, particularly when I think about international students within graduate education. That remains a concern. I also worry about the overall demographic cliff, which suggests there will be less students in the K through 12 pipeline leading to our doorsteps from 2026 through 2030.
That there will be less potential students?
Less, absolutely, which creates more competition and pressure.
Last time we spoke, you emphasized the importance of research.
Yes, I want to make sure that I focus on undergraduate research because we are seeing more and more students coming to UW Milwaukee because of the research led by faculty opportunities that we provide. We are also recognizing students who participate in undergraduate research are persisting at greater levels than those who do not participate. Undergraduate research is becoming increasingly important as part of our students’ undergraduate experience, and also graduate experience, for that matter.
And that covers all fields of research?
Yes, absolutely. We're providing opportunities for undergraduate research and experiential learning opportunities across a plethora of disciplines.
You will have been officially inaugurated as the 10th UWM Chancellor on September 25, during the university's 70th year. What does that feel like?
I’m just extremely proud.
