28-02-2025
UWM has weathered cuts, delivered research to improve health and commerce
You're probably reading this on your phone or computer. Did you ever think about the trial and error that led to the invention of this magical device?
Those medications you take each day were developed by testing many different approaches, with each rendition more sophisticated than the last.
And the beach you walk along was cleaned up thanks to scientists who hunted down the sources of contamination and eradicated them.
Guess what? Research surrounds us.
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Everything we use, touch, drive, eat and watch has been shaped by research.
But the concept of research is bigger than the products we buy. It's at the heart of our economy. It protects our national security. It yields health benefits. It shows us how to keep our land fertile and our food system thriving.
Following World War II, our federal government realized the best research was being conducted at American universities. They also found it was much more economical to leverage existing scientists, equipment and resources at research universities than to do it all themselves. Providing indirect support to maintain the research infrastructure needed to carry out the funded projects became a bargain for the government.
The strength of our economy today is a direct result of those investments. Research helps fuel the region's economy and develop its talent pipeline. UW-Milwaukee alone holds over 200 patents developed with its researchers and nearly 50 active license and option agreements through the UWM Research Foundation. Over 25 startup businesses have formed from UWM innovations.
Beyond this, basic research conducted by universities — which focuses on making discoveries for the intrinsic purpose of learning — provides a foundation for advancing public knowledge that can be shared to benefit humanity.
Lately, news headlines tell of efforts to cut research funding and reduce 'bloat' at universities across the country. As chancellor of a university that is supported in part by taxpayer dollars, I am keenly aware of the importance of not overspending.
And frankly, after facing years of state budget cuts coupled with a decade-long tuition freeze, my colleagues at UWM have long been stewarding our research funding so that it is used for essential expenses that support the research itself.
Pulling the plug on research funding by government agencies, such as the National Institutes for Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA, etc., would have a dire effect on research universities.
But the ramifications of choking off research will be felt far beyond the borders of our campuses.
Productivity will drop when industry partners can't count on academia to perform the basic scientific research that underpins and helps grow their businesses.
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Our national competitiveness across manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and many other fields will be stymied.
Infrastructure will continue to crumble when studies on concrete and bridges and roads are paused.
New cures and medical treatments will evaporate, forcing struggling individuals to continue to suffer and wait.
And our curiosity will be stunted when we are not encouraged to explore new ideas or wonder at what we might accomplish next.
Research is part of the core mission of UWM, which for the fourth time has earned the highest research status ('R1') awarded by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UWM and UW-Madison are the only universities in Wisconsin to hold this prestigious distinction; fewer than 200 universities in the nation are rated R1.
Our faculty, staff and students are looking at how to counteract epilepsy and chronic pain and how to reduce shoulder pain among wheelchair users. They are studying how social media affects suicide rates among vulnerable youth. They are working to keep our wastewater free from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. And their efforts are aimed at helping those with early-stage dementia be more independent.
As a survivor of multiple cancers, I'm proud that we just launched our third cohort of 15 UWM undergraduates studying cancer with faculty mentors at the Medical College of Wisconsin. This is the generation that will cure cancer—and that objective is now at risk of not being reached. With one in three people in this country having cancer at some point in their life, is this the direction we want to go?
Today, I ask you to think about how research has touched your life.
Everything is research. Let's not shut it down.
Mark A. Mone, PhD, is chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After 11 years in this role, he will return to the faculty of UWM's Lubar College of Business in July.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Everything is research. Let's not shut it down. | Opinion
