The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has joined the ranks of the nation’s most active research universities.
UWM was re-classified as a Tier 1 Research University in the Carnegie Foundation’s most recent Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which was published Feb. 1.
The foundation releases classifications once every five years.
There are 115 Tier 1 research institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale, Duke and Johns Hopkins.
“When I found out yesterday, I was just really excited,” said Mark Harris, UWM’s interim vice provost for research. “In the research world, this is a huge step in terms of recognition. It should help us when we are out recruiting faculty, for example. Once you get them, that’s really the key to attracting really good students. It’s just the kind of overall recognition that really signals to everyone that we’ve moved into the big time.”
The new classification came just weeks after UWM Chancellor Mark Mone reaffirmed his commitment to research amid what he said were $30 million in budget cuts and a structural deficit.
Harris said the university is making an effort to build partnerships with private institutions to fund and facilitate research efforts, especially in engineering, applied sciences, public health and fresh water research.
“We define ourselves as an urban public research facility,” Harris said. “It’s what we do. We’re committed to continuing along that pathway.”
Harris said the new designation won’t necessarily make it easier to qualify for grants to fund continued research, but it does raise the university’s national and international profile.
“This is a recognition of where the university is positioned,” Harris said. “Most projects you can always do, but it just means we’re getting better and better at it. It increases our visibility in the research community.”
