Message from the Chancellor

As our UW-Parkside community closes another semester, we do so with an eye on the future and furthering a campus-wide commitment to supporting the evolution of innovation in our region and beyond. Innovation is all around us. Yet innovation is nothing new.

UW-Parkside has played a key role throughout the decades in supporting innovation technologies in business and industry. Moving forward, our bold goals to increase the graduate rate by 50 percent by 2025 while improving accessibility and diversity in our university community haven’t changed that role as a higher education leader in innovation. In fact we see innovation and engagement with multiple sectors as crucial to meeting university goals. In this issue of PARKSIDE: The Magazine, you’ll hear from innovation leaders about their work to keep Parkside at the forefront of this effort.

That includes highlighting people like Dr. George Vukotich, founding director for the UW-Parkside Center for Research in Innovation and Smart Cities. Dr. Vukotich and the CRISC are key additions to an already impressive legacy of UW-Parkside faculty research and innovation. We’re also showcasing the research of Dr. Francis “Frannie” Mann, an associate professor of chemistry who was honored by WiSys with the Carl E. Gulbrandsen Innovator of the Year for 2020, and by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents with a 2021 Regent Scholar Award. Finally, you’ll hear from recent alumni and from an alum, Daryl Sauer ’84, who has built a career on innovative work and mentorship.

The stories of UW-Parkside alumni distinguishing themselves as innovators, trendsetters, and entrepreneurs abound. Let us know about the strides you’re making! We invite you to share your stories of innovation with us at alumni@uwp.edu. We also welcome your information or referrals for our Alumni Business Directory, currently in development to showcase and help connect others to alumni-owned businesses in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.

The energy on campus for innovation and our alumni’s successes give me confidence that UW-Parkside will continue as a valued resource providing talent development, new ideas, and important perspectives for our communities. If you or someone you know has an idea or project where UW-Parkside might help, please contact my office at chancellor@uwp.edu or call 262-595-2211.