Only nine people have been called chancellor at Milwaukee's biggest university, embedded on the east side.
Mark Mone knows the joys and challenges of leading UWM, but after 11 years, he's stepping away from the role.
In a Lighthouse report, Charles Benson talked with Mone about the headwinds facing higher education and his hope for UWM's future.
Take a walk on campus with Chancellor Mark Mone and you'll see he has the energy and excitement of a first-year student.
"This building is one of the new shining jewels of our campus," said Mone.
Whether it's the innovation opportunities at the Lubar Entrepreneurship and Welcome Center or reinventing classroom space and labs in the new Chemistry Building, UWM invested $354 million in campus improvement during Mone's time as chancellor. Of that, $282 million was spent on projects like the new Chemistry Building and Lubar facility.
Both speak to Mone's vision for UWM and a word he uses often and believes in—collaboration.
Legacy
Watch: Only nine people have been given the title and responsibility of chancellor at UWM as it approaches its 70th year. The university says since 2014, UWM has received $371 million from donors. That includes a big one-year fundraising total of $46 million in 2024.
Mone says his legacy comes down to one word: collaboration.
“Here we have a lot of collaboration through the entrepreneurial center," Mone said, "through chemistry, through physics—created stronger economic development that started businesses and employ people."
Benson: When you look at that history of who you are vs. the future you want to be, how did you navigate that? Was it a challenge?
Mone: It's always a challenge because you want to build on the legacy—you want to continue, but you have to be nimble. You have to recognize what got you here isn't the same thing that's going to get you there.
Nimble has been the name of the game for Mone and anyone leading higher education these days. During his 11 years at the helm, he encountered a decline in enrollment and budget cuts.
Headwinds:
Watch: From a decline in enrollment and state funding, higher education has faced many headwinds the past decade, and they are not going away any time soon. Chancellor Mone talks about the future of higher education and when the chancellor role includes being the chief executive revenue officer.
Were the headwinds stronger than he anticipated?
"They continue to be strong," Mone said during a long interview with TMJ4's Charles Benson in his office.
Throw in the 2020 pandemic and recent campus protests, and the headlines added up.
Benson: What was your, I guess, North Star through all of this?
Mone: A concern with humanity and really doing the right thing for the campus, but also very consultative.
But along the way, Mone's legacy includes record fundraising and philanthropic success. He launched Moon Shot for Equity for low-income or students of color and first-generation students—like himself—a chance of earning a college degree.
First-Generation Graduates:
Watch: Chancellor Mone shares a special bond with first-generation students and graduates. He is the first in his family to graduate from college. It is not lost on him that higher education needs to be an opportunity for students who might not see it as financially viable. It's why he started Moon Shot for Equity at UWM.
"Given that we have over 40% of our students who are first-generation, that really helps me understand the world they are in to create programs and support opportunities," said Mone.
Mone will eventually move from the chancellor's office back to the classroom after some time off. But the wheels are always moving for the avid cyclist as he thinks about ways higher education evolves.
"I call it the 'phygital university.' It's going to be a big part of the future," said Mone. "Take physical and digital—put them together and you get phygital."
Creative and collaborative, he rounds out his last semester as chancellor.
Cancer Curveball:
Watch: During his tenure, Chancellor Mone faced not one but two cancer curveballs. First, he battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma and more recently thyroid cancer. Mone talks about how his battle with cancer changed his perspective and "sharpens leadership."
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