Leaders debate UWM expansion
School to determine whether to move to downtown or Tosa
By Christopher Placek
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- Discussions taking place on location of future UWM engineering campus
- University wants Wauwatosa, linking it with existing businesses at county research park
- Advocacy group and aldermen want downtown, establishing partnerships with Marquette, MSOE and city businesses
- UWM in negotiations with county on deal for Wauwatosa
The future of Milwaukee's other major college—the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee—includes expansion plans leaders hope will yield dividends to students and residents alike in southeastern Wisconsin.
Where that expansion will take place is up for debate.
UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago proposed locating the school's new engineering and research facility at the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa. But a small group of residents have suggested UWM expand to downtown Milwaukee.
East Town resident and business owner Dave Reid is behind opposition to Santiago's plan, which would place UWM research facilities close to GE Healthcare, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and Medical College of Wisconsin in the Milwaukee County Research Park. Reid said locating downtown would encourage partnerships with businesses like Rockwell Automation and Johnson Controls, and with other universities.
He pointed to Marquette's planned engineering building and the Milwaukee School of Engineering as potential linkages.
"You could create a real core of engineering to go after research and development dollars and grants," Reid said. "They could really become a force."
UWM has been in negotiations with Milwaukee County to purchase the Wauwatosa site for the last several months. Officials would like to finalize an agreement for acquiring the 82.7 acres of land before the end of the year, said UWM spokesman Tom Luljak.
Published: 4/24/08 Section: News
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