Glass shares expectations with Search Agency -

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Milwaukee Professionals Association
Neighborhood-Level Recommendations
January 21, 2011

To: Chuck Bunting and Lesley Boyd, with Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates

Re: NEW Chancellor – University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

We support our highest public school, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. We will work non-stop to help it grow. A Call for Inclusiveness – engagement and representation on ALL levels

Background and Expectations
The City of Milwaukee is at a “fork” in the road and decades of laws, policies, funding are being put in place or revisited. Milwaukee hired-appointed-elected representatives and citizenry have allowed the largest city in the state of Wisconsin to become and remain for “decades” a city of poverty. In 2008, the Brookings Institution and Federal Reserve dubbed it one of 16 cities in America with “Enduring Concentrated Poverty”. Countless studies are available on the internet that bear out the disconnect and DISREGARD.

Year-after-year studies are given of the perpetuating decline, yet there are no major changes in the “infrastructure” for systemic paradigms to take place. No hands-on engagement in Education and Technology attainment to ensure a Bottom-Up economy – NO REAL efforts to inform and connect students, staff to community for increase in per capita income and growth in Milwaukee. Even though UW-Milwaukee have gotten gang-buster millions for programs.

UW-Milwaukee has the name of the “City of Milwaukee”; however, Milwaukeeans have been disregarded – left out. This must change.

Development of The “island” on the east side, downtown and outside of Milwaukee is unacceptable.

It is unacceptable for many reasons, especially since state legislation and our tax dollars are used to underwrite and gather budget funding; but, we are excluded in development of our people and land space in the neighborhood – this is taxation without representation.

It is important to note that the gains made by downtown and the eastside have had mega funding through the public’s gift. We want to spread the wealth, partnerships, degrees, certifications and growth. We want the ARRA-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding and partnerships to “include” African American, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged (under-, un-employed and re-entry).

We notice that the position Description/Announcement for the Chancellor failed to mention the People of Milwaukee or the census tracts west of Humboldt Avenue. This is an example of EXCLUSION that is unacceptable. It sends the wrong message.

The past Chancellor, Carlos Santiago, refused to meet with, engage in and consider issues representing the neighborhood. This includes Affirmative Action, the Master Plan, discussion of issues that affect on-campus behaviors, staff and student disconnects and a true engagement of the Equity Scorecard. This can-will not be the case with the incoming Chancellor.

Also, the fact that President Kevin Reilly, Chairman Charles Pruitt and the Board of Regents have chosen to not respond to the complimentary copy of the Brookings/Federal Reserve case study given by my office for EACH Board of Regents, inquiries and to connect in a working relations with members at the neighborhood-level (including MPA) to address and solve transparency, best practices and accountable issues; this will be a point of contention for the NEW Chancellor.

He/She should be aware of real issues facing his/her administration, roles, responsibilities and overall success at the voting box.

Leadership, Not Abandonment
The next Chancellor of University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee will have an opportunity to make a difference and fulfill the state mission as well as the “full plate” of deficits left by Santiago. He/She will have the demands of the voters/taxpayers at the neighborhood-level to support or reject his/her leadership regarding engagement of the people that live, work, invest, grow families and businesses in Milwaukee. We seek leadership and engagement that brings the university to/in the 190 neighborhoods via the stakeholders around the table from the neighborhood.

It is not enough to put platitudes and high-paid consultants on the website with today’s jargon of Equity or website claims of “diversity”. The incoming Chancellor will have major challenges if he are she have just the university recommendations – board regents, staff, budget – for it is the budget that we will stand firm on and lobby hard on whether it is coming from the federal , state, local government and/or private and philanthropic foundations. We must have ALL HANDS on DECK, WE, Not Me sum gain. Specifically, African Americans, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged must be an active customer base for UW-M in recruitment, hiring, procurement, leadership, student recruitment, refining the Master Plan, Senate Bill 514 policy and funding, as well as MOU – Memorandum of Understanding pledges that are on the table and/or projected in the future.

Additionally, clear-cut policies for NEW CONNECTION and engagement of the 605,000 population in Milwaukee is our first step. This includes massive Academic Research in the City of Milwaukee for removal of disparities in quality of life and business development for economic growth and sustainability. It includes linkages, partnerships and collaborations at the neighborhood-level to grow neighborhood-level businesses and a healthy engagement of stakeholders - voters/taxpayers as well as with Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Area Technical College to lead the way in broad-based education and technology attainment called for by President Barack Obama.

Therefore, the NEW UW-Milwaukee Chancellor will need the following priorities at the neighborhood level. They are:

• Clear understanding of needs of the residential and commercial population at the neighborhood-level of the City of Milwaukee – this starts with block clubs, neighborhood associations, neighborhood strategic planning groups and business improvement districts of the 605,000 population within the 96 square miles of Milwaukee.

• Demonstrated neighborhood-level orientation with African Americans, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged population to help advance the $300 million expansion as well as the six items in the UW-Milwaukee Initiative – School of Freshwater, Kenwood Integrated Research Complex Phases, Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Purchase and Redevelopment, Replacement for the Neeskay Research Vessel, Innovation Park Land Purchas and engineering Research Facility Public, Community and Clinical Health Phases that now exclude African Americans, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged.

• Demonstrated efforts in promoting Affirmative Action for all people, especially African American, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged – includes re-entry workforce, first- and second generation college attendees and re-entry citizens from prison.

• Demonstrated efforts in connecting and pursuing buy-in of the neighborhood surrounding and contiguous to a university with evaluations.

• A vision of INCLUSIVENESS, that includes scholarly Extramural funding with joint-neighborhood projects.

Our proactive efforts will call on ALL to help make a difference, especially the newly organized NAACP/National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

It is important that the point staff, Chuck Bunting and Lesley Boyd, with Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates are aware of our concerns and to address the issues in this document prior to referrals for consideration.

It is also important to note that my office requested additional neighborhood hearings with the Search Committee, Professor Mark Schultz declined to have them.

Mary Glass – Chair/CEO
Milwaukee Professionals Association – [MPA]
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