UWM Chancellor Mark Mone to step down in 2025
MILWAUKEE - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone will step down after the Spring 2025 semester, he announced in a campus update Wednesday.
Mone was named the university's ninth chancellor in 2014. In his announcement, he said he plans to return to his professorship at UWM's Lubar College of Business in July 2025.
"I deeply appreciate the tremendous support you have provided in good times and throughout the challenges," Mone wrote. "I highly value how much you care, which is a hallmark of the spirit of UWM. Thank you for the privilege of serving as chancellor of this important institution."
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Mone's tenure
Mone said the decision to announce his decision now will allow timing for a smooth transition for the next chancellor. His 11 years at the helm will be twice the average tenure of a college president, he said, and longer than any UWM chancellor except for founding chancellor J. Martin Klotsche.
During his tenure, Mone has overseen a number of major campus developments. UWM opened its Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex. The university has also renovated its Student Union and nearly completed construction of its new chemistry building. The world's seventh Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab will be on campus, too.
"I personally think Mark Mone is one of the best indiviuals that I have ever worked with, he is all class, he does the best he can do by people," said Bart Lundy, UWM men's basketball coach.
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Mone's tenure has included a number of high-profile challenges as well. Most recently, he and other officials came under fire amid Gaza protest encampments on campus.
In March, the university announced it would close its Waukesha campus after the Spring 2025 semester; the Washington County campus closed in June. Though it was a directive from the Universities of Wisconsin, Mone said a drop in enrollment and funding were to blame for the Waukesha campus' closing.
Mone also battled cancer during his time as chancellor.
Official statements
Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann
I’ve come to know UWM Chancellor Mark Mone and his team well over the past years as we faced the regionalization and now impending closure of UW branch campuses, including our own UWM-Washington County. As Washington County searched for a student-focused solution, Chancellor Mone was a fantastic partner and provided guidance as we navigated the world of higher education. I commend him for forming a work group to examine the findings and potential solutions of our county Task Force on Higher Education.
The chancellor was faced with an impossible situation as declining enrollment demographics and a fiscally unsustainable model for the branch campuses converged, yet he continually listened and earnestly examined options to provide higher education opportunities. Our task force outlined a solution to consider a merger of resources of UW-WC into MPTC. Thanks to Chancellor Mone’s leadership, we have seen a historic move in the Task Force’s recommended direction. The recently signed articulation agreements between UWM and MPTC – an unprecedented 49 of them - will allow students to easily transfer from MPTC to UWM to complete a four-year degree.
Chancellor Mone is a great man who led UWM through an extremely challenging time, especially in the past four years. I thank Chancellor Mone for his incredible partnership and genuine kindness, and wish him all of God’s richest blessings as he returns to teaching next year. Let’s make the most of his final twelve months as chancellor for the students, businesses and community.