Sunday, September 27, 2009

Mlwaukee County First Suggests Relocating UWM Engineering School

The grassroots advocacy organization Milwaukee County First, on its blog, proposes that UWM's new engineering school be built at a county site on 27th and Wells St., in Milwaukee, and not on the county grounds.

Details here.., though still separated from the rest of UWM

Pretty interesting idea though, as it saves the County grounds and keeps the school in the city, close to Marquette, on a transit line, etc.

MCF is attentive to the revenue questions, as well as the political history that should have made the site chosen by UWM and sold by the County Board off-limits, so I appreciate the position of the group and its effort to keep decision-makers accountable.

And I'm glad to see additional voices raised to convince UWM and the County that the bargain to convey the land was, overall, a poor one.

From my perspective, I still think the engineering school belongs in the downtown, or in Walker's Point closer to Allen-Bradley, Bradley Tech High School and UWM's Great Lakes WATER Institute, but I am glad to see thoughtful alternatives being advanced - - which should make the Tuesday and Wednesday UWM Campus Master Plan meetings all the more informed.

The schedule for those meetings appears in several recent blog postings, will reappear later in the week and are in the MCF item, too, at the link above.

3 comments:

Jason Haas said...

I will be staying late after work on Tuesday at UWM for their Master Plan meetings. I never had the feeling that they were terribly open to receiving actual comment or criticism, even of the constructive sort. But the circumstances have changed so much that I now feel a constructive criticism and well-built argument for an alternate location may be well received. If anything, my time at UWM has taught me how to think critically, and even how to build a better argument.

capper said...

Thank you for the link, and the shout out, James.

Personally, I would agree with your suggestion of putting the water school at the Institute, put the medical school in Columbia Hospital which they just bought (imagine, teaching medicine in a hospital), and the engineering campus.

For whatever reasons, Santiago et alia don't appear they will settle for anything that sensible. Park East and the Pabst area would also make good alternatives for the engineering building.

I hope to make it down on Tuesday after work, if this cold ever goes away. Otherwise, our secretary, Jason Haas, has stated he will be there.

control valves said...

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