UWM has a national reputation for community engagement. Vice Chancellor Chia Vang and Ben Trager, director of community engagement and experiential learning, talk with Chancellor Gibson and David Lee about how UWM connects with the community it serves, and why that engagement matters.
Transcript:
This is the Chancellor's Report from 89.7 WUWM Milwaukee's NPR, featuring Thomas Gibson, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. And here's your host, WUWM General Manager, David Lee.
David Lee: Hello, and thank you for joining the UWM Chancellor's Report here on 89.7 WUWM. I'm David Lee, General Manager of the station, and I'm here today with UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson. Hi, Tom.
Thomas Gibson: Hello, David. How are you?
David Lee: I'm doing great. How are you doing?
Thomas Gibson: I'm doing wonderful. The spring semester just began. Students are back on campus, and I'm loving it.
David Lee: And you're loving it and it's cold, right? Like you were saying, it's disrespectful how cold it is. Right. Today we're talking about the many ways UWM is connected to our community. And I understand, Chancellor, this is something that's deep in your heart and something you're very close to. And we have something to celebrate in that regard. You want to break the news?
Thomas Gibson: Yes, David. I am so thrilled to share that UWM recently earned the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement for the third time in a row since 2015.
David Lee: That's incredible. If I had one of those annoying air horns, I would press it right now.
Thomas Gibson: I would welcome it. And this is a prestigious national honor, and it reflects our ongoing commitment to our city, region, and state for that matter. Community engagement is a cornerstone of our three-part mission of providing access to education, producing top-tier research, and engaging in meaningful ways with those around us. And by the way, UWM has been recognized nationally for three of these areas, which makes us one of only 32 in the nation that has been recognized for access, research, and community engagement. It's a very rare combination indeed.
David Lee: That's, it's not only a rare combination, but I think with all of those missions sort of working together to provide a unique value to our students and to our community, is such an incredible value.
Thomas Gibson: I couldn't agree more. And this is precisely the reason why I wanted to talk about our efforts with community engagement.
David Lee: So, who are our guests today? Who'd you bring along?
Thomas Gibson: I brought two colleagues with me today. The first is Chia Vang, Vice Chancellor of Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity, as well as Ben Trager, Director of Community Engagement and Experiential Learning in the Center for Student Experience and Talent.
David Lee: Welcome, Chia. Welcome, Ben. So, Chia, tell us, how did this latest recognition come about? I understand that you had a little hand in this process. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Chia Vang: Sure, David, thank you so much. I am so thrilled to be here. I think it's so wonderful that we are celebrating this accomplishment for the third time. And I want to say that, Ben, I was looking at my notes, and I think you and I, along with Lori Marks, the director of our Center for Student Experience and Talent, we met in fall 2023 to start planning for this. So, the process is long. It involved conducting a survey of community engage partners across the university. We also worked with deans and department heads to find colleagues to serve on the committee, gathering data, synthesizing additional data before we could submit it to Carnegie. So, the process is long. It was a collective effort. And I feel especially grateful for the Office of the Chancellor for some of the funding that you provided for staffing. So, the process is long. require a lot of people. It's A collective effort. But I do want to say that our staff in the Center for Student Experience and Talent did the heavy lifting.
David Lee: Three years. That is quite a process. We were talking in the pre-show that this application is also about 100, ends up being about 100 pages of content. Is that right?
Ben Trager: Yeah, it's 100 pages about.
David Lee: That is incredible. Three years and 100 pages. I mean, it is. And so, this continued repeated recognition shows that not only there's just this great community engagement. But even the engagement in getting the application in to earn the recognition, that's great.
Thomas Gibson: Yeah, it's truly a campus-wide effort driven by some key colleagues that are also committed to this important work.
David Lee: So, in that preparation, you all looked across the university for examples about what's happening in conjunction with community engagement and the surrounding community. Tell us a little bit about what you found.
Ben Trager: Oh, I mean, there is, it's so much. Where do you even start? Because I think at UWM, it's really embedded in the culture of the institution. So, sort of everywhere you look or every corner that you peer, someone is doing some type of community-engaged work, where they're working closely with community partners to make research happen or make a grant-funded project happen that has community impact. I think one place that I'll start is with our CDS: so Community Design Solutions, out of the School of Architecture or the College of Arts and Architecture. That program works with different nonprofit organizations and external partners to come up with needs-based solutions to design problems or building problems. And it engages students in the process as well. So, what I really like about it is that community partners, faculty and staff, and students are all involved in the process of making real impact.
David Lee: Chia, let's bring you in here on this. Like, I don't want to ask you what you think your favorite was, because I don't want to call out favorites, but what was maybe the most surprising that you found?
Chia Vang: Yeah, I'm gonna take a risk and just say a couple of things, because I do think it's important to highlight. There's so many, as Ben said, so just ditto to everything he said. But two that I really appreciate so, personally is the NSF-funded Flex Ride Milwaukee. I have, for example, one time we had a STEM Inspire student who was interning at Eaton, right? And so, I went out there to visit the student, and I was talking to some of the staff, about how the bus only gets Milwaukee residents to a certain place, and then they don't quite get to the company. So FlexRide Milwaukee, giving people on-demand transit service. So, so phenomenal. The other piece that I will highlight is nonprofit IT, right? The ability for our students to go out and provide IT solutions, digital marketing, media for nonprofit organizations. That's giving a service to nonprofit organizations, but then it's also allowing our students to have real-world experience. So those are the two that I will take a risk to highlight at the risk of not highlighting others, but that brings a lot of joy to my heart.
Thomas Gibson: Those two were fantastic, Chia.
David Lee: I mean, there are so many, and we're talking about 100 pages of content, right? We're talking about a lot of stuff. So, when you, when I think about community engagement, I think about something that we oftentimes talk about here at the Chancellor's Report, which is about employment of UWM graduates, but also generally more broadly about student internships, as you mentioned, Chia, the nonprofit service learning, clinical placements, continuing education, research projects. The list goes on and on and on. So, Chancellor, when you think about the magnitude of all of that impact that the university has on our region, our city, and our state, can you talk a little bit about that, what that looks like in raw numbers?
Thomas Gibson: Absolutely. So, when you think about the magnitude of the impact UWM has on the city, the region, and state, it's simply incredible. Consider the fact that UWM has over 215,000 living alumni, and approximately 80% stay in the state of Wisconsin, and nearly half remain in the greater Milwaukee area. They are indeed positively impacting communities and putting their good UWM education to work. Additionally, on our campus, we have more than 4,500 students a year engaging in experiential learning. So, that means that they are outside of our campus borders. They're in the community. They are having hands-on experiences that truly help to shape their future careers. You know, I like to think that college-going is more than solely being in the classroom. And furthermore, I like to say that the entire city of Milwaukee is our classroom.
David Lee: So, Ben, as the leader of the experiential learning program, how does that land on you, that Milwaukee's our classroom?
Ben Trager: I mean, I think that's like why I want to be here, right? UWM is an environment where we're focused on bringing students outside the classroom is a driving force of why I think this is such an important place to do this kind of work. Another reason too is the impact that we can have. You know, our student body comes from the city, they come from all over the state, and they stay here. And so, ensuring that those students are out in the community developing the skills that they need to work and the orientations that they need to be, like good, caring citizens for the communities that they're in, all at the same time, is a driving force for me and makes the work that much more rewarding.
David Lee: How did you come to this work?
Ben Trager: Oh, it's a winding road. Yeah. I started wanting to be an educator and ended up doing training and development. for a company called Crate & Barrel.
David Lee: Oh, small mom and pop shop.
Ben Trager: Yeah, just that small shop. And a few years into it, I was just like, you know what? I'm too far away from what I care about. I want to go back into higher ed. I got into UWM. I'm from, I'm a native of Wisconsin. I came back and got really lucky. And Lori took a chance on me and hired me to work at the former center. And I was really interested in the intersections of work-based learning and community engagement. And that's like what we're doing.
Thomas Gibson: Right.
Ben Trager: So, I just kind of seized the opportunity, and here I am.
David Lee: That's great.
Thomas Gibson: And we're glad that Ben is with us.
David Lee: Well, you know, I don't know how I feel about that small mom and pop shop that lost him, but I think we're doing okay. So, we talked a little bit about how UWM is engaged in the community and goes in the community, but there's also so many examples of how the community comes to campus. I'm thinking about concerts, basketball games, films, lectures, all kinds of stuff. Can you talk a little bit about the sort of, the engagement doesn't only go one way, right? It comes the other way too. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
Thomas Gibson: Absolutely. So, we offer learning opportunities for people all along life's age spectrum from those in kindergarten to those that are in retirement. Two examples include our College for Kids and Teens programs up to our Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. And in January, UWM launched Roar Ready, which serves as an umbrella for over 200 programs just for students from kindergarten through the 12th grade. We want to ensure that young people are able to envision themselves in college, to plan for it academically, and to know that they belong on our campus when they arrive.
David Lee: It's that sort of culture of welcome, right?
Thomas Gibson: Absolutely. And it's really our secret sauce, if you will, to helping more students succeed at UWM.
David Lee: That's great. So, I'm going to go back to this question about surprise. I know, Chia, I sort of like landed on you with that question about like, what surprised you? And I am really curious, right? Because I think when we This is the third time we've gone through this process. And so, despite the fact that there's a lot of content that you have to prepare, is there, did you find anything that really surprised you this third time through, Chia?
Chia Vang: Sure. I've been here 20 years. That's a long time. So, I was not personally involved in the 2015 directly, but I participated in some of the data gatherings. And so, I feel like I'm the elder here in this space. I didn't, I wasn't surprised, but for me, I was just so joyful about, how our story is that we serve the community in which we live. That UWM is actually part of the community. UWM is not an ivory tower where we're separate from the community. So, one of the things that it's not surprised, but I'm so grateful is that, as Ben said earlier, that the breadth and depth of our partnerships with the community It is so phenomenal. And I want us to tell this story even more strongly than ever before, because it is who we are. We serve the community.
David Lee: How about you, Ben? What was something that was surprising?
Ben Trager: Yeah, I mean, I'll echo Chia a little bit here, but I've been doing this at UWM for almost 10 years, now. And I guess what surprised me is the idea that in places where you maybe don't think this work is happening. And I thought I knew what was going on, right? I've been doing this work for 10 years, but there are, this work is happening in the business sector, in the STEM field, in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. And you may not think that right away, but it's happening. And there are people in every school and college who are really dedicated to this. And I don't want to offend anyone by saying that I'm surprised. But it's like a good surprise that, yes, this is truly an institution-wide way of being at UWM.
Thomas Gibson: And David, for me, it's validating, completing the application, and being recognized with the community engagement designation. It furthers reinforces the fact that we are indeed delivering on our mission. So, we have a community engagement mission. We pride ourselves on being a steward of a place, but to have so many artifacts, if you will, that serves as evidence is just reaffirming and validating at the same time.
David Lee: You know, hearing everybody talk about this, I'm really struck by this notion that like when you do something really well, it almost becomes invisible, right? I mean, Ben, to your point about like, it's sort of so integrated in the culture that like, you know, you just don't see it anymore. And I think it's applications like this, or not applications, I should say recognitions like this, that kind of, in some ways, like put the sheet over the ghost so you can see it, right? Like it gives it form, right? It gives it shape. And thank you for that reflection, Jen. So, I think that's absolutely right. The validation of it. So, I hinted at this a little bit earlier about like, about Ben asking you how you came to this work. But I also understand that you have a PhD in urban education. So, you're one of the smart ones, the advanced degree ones?
Ben Trager: I don't know how they gave that to me, but somehow, I got it.
David Lee: And Chia, you hold a doctorate in American studies. So, you all have been in the institution, been a part of it as consumers, so to speak. I guess from your perspective, why is the integration between a university and a community so important? Chia, let's start with you.
Chia Vang: It is so crucial, David, because it's interdependent, right? Both depend on each other socially, economically, intellectually. I also think that when universities and communities work together, it really strengthens the local economy. Students get real work, world experience, as we talked about earlier. We are helping to solve problems together and that helps to enhance our cultural and civic life. I really do think that a thriving university absolutely needs a strong community. And a healthy community benefits also immensely from an engaged university. So, integration to me builds on, really helps to build a foundation for shared prosperity, learning, and innovation. So, we can't do without each other.
David Lee: Ben?
Ben Trager: Yeah, I mean, this is the idea of universities being connected to communities is the Wisconsin Idea sort of in action. Yeah. I think, you know, I'm sort of obsessed with the idea of how education institutions interact with society, right? That's sort of like what got me back into grad school. And I think universities are a space where we can reify the things that are going really well, right? We can help people get ready for the economy that we have here. And we can also educate people to address things that maybe need to change and shift. And We can't do that inside a space that's closed off. We have to be out in the community teaching students and people how to engage with the communities that they're in. And just to reiterate, that has to happen outside. So, being connected and making those connections, I think is really crucial, not only to share information and to increase capacity of the organizations that we're working with, but also to prepare students to be I'll steal sets tagline, the place that I work, community minded and career ready. And we need to; we can't be an ivory tower if we're going to do that.
David Lee: I mean, you both, Chia and Ben, you both referred to the kind of notion of the ivory tower, right? The almost negative connotation of what, how some people may think of institutional learning as universities, colleges. Why do you think that has historically been a view of higher learning.
Chia Vang: I mean, I can start then Ben can chime in. But for me, I think so often that the university, right, I'll use a very specific example. As scholars, we study the community. We study problems in the community. We get a publication. We get tenure and promotion. And then we just leave, right? So that's the idea of, we take from the community, but we don't give back. And so, there's that kind of mentality that, we don't really, we're separate from the community, and we're not a part of the community. And I think that's exactly the opposite of what UWM has always tried to be, is that we are not an ivory tower. We are part of the community. The research we do should help to solve societal problems that the community who provide input and suggestions that the research we do should help to improve their lives.
David Lee: Ben?
Ben Trager: Yes, I mean, all of that.
David Lee: All those things?
Ben Trager: Yeah, for sure. And I think just the history of universities, right? You got to apply to get in. And you got to have an advanced degree to work there. People have that association, creates that separateness. But I think Chia said it really well and I agree with everything she said.
David Lee: It also just strikes me that, as Chancellor, you and I have talked about quite often here, that we're like the best-kept secret, that it feels like if people don't know how to interact with us, that just becomes sort of a reifying cycle, right? That like, oh, they're just the place on the east side that kids go to, and then they come out and they graduate, right? So, this conversation, I think, is a core and hopefully trying to change some of that.
Thomas Gibson: I hope so. And I like to describe UWM as an anchor institution, meaning we have an obligation to serve the communities in which we reside. We also have an access mission. So, we want to expand educational access to UWM. We want to invite more people, more voices in. And we cannot deliver on our mission if we are closed off to the various communities. So, I often also like to say that UWM isn't simply in this community, but rather we are of this community.
David Lee: Chancellor, I think it goes without saying that way. I should say, I think we can't say it enough that like the opportunity of being an R1 research university that has an access mission that's also a community engaged is Really unique.
Thomas Gibson: Very unique.
David Lee: And Chia, to your point about like the ivory tower, right? The historical association of the scholars learning and studying and there's like that sort of wall. The access mission really kind of breaks that down, doesn't it?
Thomas Gibson: Really does. Because again, we believe that we have a responsibility to help to educate Milwaukee's and the state for that matter, citizenry and we do that, again, by expanding access for all those who we know would benefit from a UWM education. We invite them in to start their educational journey and also complete their educational journey with us. We're here to support them along the way.
David Lee: We are not... separate. We are a part of the community. I think that's the bottom line of this conversation. What a great discussion. I really enjoyed this bouncy, fun discussion about community engagement. It's one of my favorite topics, and I know Chancellor is one of your favorite topics as well. Unfortunately, our time is coming to an end, but we have to end each show by talking about the coolest thing we've done this last month. We're going to get a music stinger for this section, hopefully one of these days. Chanellor, let's start with you. What's the coolest thing you've done this past month?
Thomas Gibson: Sure. So, I recently met with UWM alumnus Derek Harriel. He's also a professor of English at UWM. And he shared with me an excerpt of a poem that he had written. And boy, was it simply powerful. And I learned how he approaches writing and how he inspires his students to find their voices and not to be overly consumed with being the best writer in the room but being fearless in their ability to tell stories that are authentic to themselves. It was just fascinating.
David Lee: How fun. Chia, how about you?
Chia Vang: So, I just want to say that one of my proudest and fun and exciting things was that it has to do with the three people together here. Chancellor Gibson asked me, “What do we do for [Martin Luther King Jr.] Day?” And I said, “Well, our building is closed. The campus is closed.” And he said, “Well, what else can we be doing?” So reached out to Ben, we put our heads together, and we had this amazing, amazing collaboration of service opportunities in the community. Just fantastic. So, that was what I did.
David Lee: Thank you so much, Chia, for that reflection. How about you, Ben?
Ben Trager: Yeah, Chia, you stole my idea.
Chia Vang: Oh, we should have talked earlier.
David Lee: No, I love it.
Ben Trader: No, I'll add to that because it was a very cold day that day on Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But we went to an MPS school, Lloyd Barbie Montessori, a longtime partner, and we've always done this event. But the collaboration across campus, we increased the amount of engagement and volunteers there. So, it was very cool to see that really grow and see over 50 people connected to UWM go and do some service in that school to help beautify it.
David Lee: That's great. For me, I am going to take a little bit of a swerve here because I think it's important to note that a couple of weeks ago, but we got the news that Betsy Brenner passed away. Betsy was the former publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. And she was the last local publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before it was sold to Gannett. And I think the thing that really heartened me was seeing the outpouring of love and care that Betsy's news, the news of Betsy's passing received from members in the news and press community. But also just from the civic community, because she, after she retired, she stayed on and became a dedicated civic leader here in Milwaukee. Loved Milwaukee, loved its promise, and knew the role of strong local journalism, the role that strong local journalism played in a strong civic infrastructure. She will be missed. And she had reached out to me, actually, shortly after I joined WUWM and said that she had a long driveway moment, listening to one of these chancellor's reports, actually. And we were supposed to catch up, and we never did because life. And it just goes to show that you always think that there's always another chance to say hello or thank you. And that's not always a given, right? And so, Betsy, thank you. You're going to be missed. On that note, thank you all so much for joining us. This was a really lovely conversation. I really enjoyed learning a little bit more about this incredible designation and the community engagement of our university. Really, really inspiring. Thank you, David.
Thomas Gibson and Ben Trager: Yeah, thank you.
You've been listening to the Chancellor's Report, featuring Thomas Gibson, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. If you'd like more information, go to uwm.edu/chancellor.
