University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone announced Wednesday he will be stepping down next year.
In a letter addressed to the UWM community, Mone said his time as chancellor will end effective July 1, 2025. At that time, Mone will return to UWM’s Lubar College of Business as a professor.
Mone became the UWM chancellor in 2014 after serving as a faculty member since 1989. He was previously a professor of management.
“This timing allows for a smooth transition to a new leader,” Mone said in the announcement.
He said this decision comes “after careful thought and discussion with my family and close colleagues.”
By the end of his chancellorship, Mone will have held the position for 11 years, which he said is longer than any of UWM’s previous chancellors besides founding Chancellor J. Martin Klotsche.
“With our momentum on many fronts, now is the right time,” Mone said.
Mone highlighted some of the university’s achievements, renovations and signs of progress during his tenure. He pointed to recognitions like the university’s 2016 promotion to Carnegie R1 status and the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Award in 2016, as well as the largest donation in UWM history last year.
He praised “a decade of strong fiscal management” and a balanced fiscal year 2025 budget.
He also noted the openings of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex and Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Center as “remarkable capital and operational successes.” A new Chemistry building is also near its completion, he said.
“We also have withstood a global pandemic and managed ongoing budget cuts and enrollment challenges, all white creating vital and novel partnerships in data science, connected systems, heath care, water and more,” Mone said.
Mone said he is “committed to finishing strong” as the university launches new partnerships with Microsoft, TitletownTech and technical colleges in the area. He also noted the advancement of a student success initiative and the construction of Maggi Sue, a new research vessel at the university.
Mone thanked the UWM community for its support and “for the privilege of serving as chancellor of this important institution.”
“As one of the longest-serving chancellors within the Universities of Wisconsin, Mark has earned the respect of his colleagues and the Board of Regents,” said UW System Board of Regents president Amy B. Bogost in a statement on Wednesday.
Universities of Wisconsin president Jay Rothman said in a Wednesday statement that he is “pleased” to have Mone as chancellor for another year before returning to the faculty.
“We owe Mark a debt of gratitude for his service and look forward to his future of ongoing service at UWM,” Rothman said.
