Q&A with UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson
In an interview with Chancellor Gibson, which took place the week before his inauguration, the UWM Post spoke with him about politically relevant issues affecting students such as Flock cameras and protests on campus. Other topics include research at UWM and takeaways from his first year as chancellor.
UWM Post: What was the most rewarding part of your first year as Chancellor?
Chancellor Thomas Gibson: Well, certainly, really understanding the outsized impact of UWM for its students, faculty and staff; For the greater community, for business and industry. Just really understanding the capabilities of the university and the expectations that so many people have for us. And then I would say getting to know the people of our university, meeting with students, learning about their journeys and how they came to choose UWM. And then speaking with our colleagues, some of whom have served UWM for 40 years or more, and just learning about why they’re so dedicated to UWM and what keeps them energized and doing this work. That has all been just really fantastic to know and learn.
UWM Post: What is something that you have found the most surprising part of the UWM community?
Chancellor Gibson: I didn’t realize, well, I knew that we had a little more than 218,000 alumni. What I didn’t know was that approximately a little more than 80% of them reside right here in the region. So everywhere I go, regardless of the industry, I’m meeting UWM alumni, and they’re telling me about their experience on campus, how they met their partners in Sandburg residence hall. They’ve talked about how UWM positively impacted their lives and the lives of their families. And for me, that’s validating that we are delivering on our mission.
Flock Cameras
UWM Post: Recently, UWM announced the discontinued use of Flock cameras. How much were you involved in that decision? How do you think the removal of the cameras potentially could affect student safety?
Chancellor Gibson: The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and all members of our university community is a top priority for UWM and for me as Chancellor. I received a recommendation to discontinue the Flock camera usage, and I supported that recommendation.
UWM Post: Where did the recommendation come from?
Chancellor Gibson: The recommendation came from our UWM Police Department, and I think it was largely in response to some of the unresolved issues surrounding privacy and data collection.
UWM POST: There are other types of these cameras that are called ALPRs, which stands for Automated License Plate Recognition. Are there going to be other versions of these cameras used on campus? And if they are, how will the university be using those?
Chancellor Gibson: Right. So, I think that remains to be seen. Currently, as you noted, the only license plate reader technology we have is within our university’s transportation department and they utilize that technology just to determine whether or not vehicles are authorized to park in certain garages. And it’s also important to know that the ALPR technology is not connected to our police department at all.
Protests on Campus
UWM Post: Recently, there were some protesters on campus near the library. How do you recommend that students react when a bunch of different groups are coming on campus to protest in the middle of the school day?
Chancellor Gibson: I didn’t see the protests, but generally speaking, I believe that college campuses should be a marketplace of ideas. I think that we can learn from different perspectives, whether we agree with them or not. I think that members of our student body should be open to hearing different opinions about a number of different topics. And I think that collectively we should be supportive of freedom of expression.
UWM Post: In these situations, it can get tense or highly emotional. What is the UWM policy, and how do you take care of student safety in these situations? Should students be engaging in things like this, or should they just be ignoring something like that?
Chancellor Gibson: As I noted, student safety is a top priority for me and for UWM. I think healthy debate is fine and should be encouraged and allowed. I think when debate crosses the line and perhaps if it becomes threatening or physical in any way, I think the line is drawn at that point, and folks have likely violated the university’s code of conduct and perhaps even state laws. So, I would encourage students to be mindful of campus conduct policies as well as state policies when they’re engaging with voices of dissent.
Research and Resources
UWM Post: As the university continues growing with record-breaking admissions of new students, I think we see less frequent hiring of professional or teaching staff, at least not as frequently as we see this influx of students. How do you plan to adequately handle the needs of all these students?
Chancellor Gibson: UWM is thrilled to have experienced our second consecutive year of enrollment growth. But that’s not true. Around the state and around the country, higher education as a sector is being confronted with what’s called the demographic cliff, which means that there is a decline of students coming through K through 12 and who would be college students showing up at our doorsteps. So, while we have this moment of growth, I cannot predict that it will continue over the next decade. While I’m optimistic, there are birth trends that suggest that challenges will be in place. But given that we are experiencing enrollment growth, we do ensure that we invest in support services for students, which can come in the form of hiring additional staff. What we must do is assess what we believe to be continued trends so that we can make the best-informed decisions and not do so in a rather short-sighted way.
UWM Post: What steps have you taken in your first year to advance the university’s research-driven mission?
Chancellor Gibson: I don’t know if you are aware, but just a few weeks ago, we were proud to learn that the university received a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support our UWM TRANSLATE initiative. And this is an initiative that brings together faculty and industry leaders to work on some of Milwaukee’s business and industry challenges, as well as the city and the region’s thorniest problems. So, I’ve supported the research enterprise by supporting the Office of Research; I most recently elevated our leader in the research area to the vice chancellor level, and we’re ensuring that we are dedicating resources to see more of our students participate in undergraduate research. In fact, I would love, and I’ve been having conversations with colleagues about this, and that is to create an undergraduate or experiential learning guarantee program. So, what that would mean is that for students who are interested in studying abroad, undergraduate research specifically, service learning, there will be opportunities available to all those who desire such experiences.
UWM Post: Is it something that would be separate from the SET office we already have?
Chancellor Gibson: This would actually build on some of the existing services and experiences students are afforded.
UWM Post: I saw you last night at the C21 open house. And I think research a lot of times gets thought of in the STEM sense, but we have a large humanities community of students here, and why do you think it’s important that they also be supported?
Chancellor Gibson: I think that, to your point, sometimes folks don’t understand the humanistic opportunities for advancing research. They may not understand the social scientists that are pursuing research to improve not only the human condition, but the world in which we live. So, I think we have an opportunity to continually advance undergraduate research opportunities across all disciplines. That’s why I’m really excited about building a guarantee program to ensure students understand that opportunities exist beyond the STEM disciplines.
UWM Post: What are you most excited to experience during your inauguration? There are a lot of fun activities going on.
Chancellor Gibson: I heard that there will be an inaugur-roll. As a teen, I have fond memories of roller skating on Saturday mornings with my family. I don’t know how successful I will be next week. I haven’t put on a pair of skates in quite some time. Perhaps I may just cheer you guys on the sidelines. I don’t know, but I’m really excited about that activity again because it’s a moment from my childhood. But for the actual day, I look forward to marking this moment in UWM’s history with me being the university’s new leader. I hope to share a little bit about my story and what led me to UWM, as well as share some thoughts on where we’re headed in the future.
This was included in MKZine!
“MKZine: Student Voter Guide” – Volume 1, Issue 2 – October 2026
“MKZine: Student Voter Guide” is available for viewing online here: https://uwmpost.com/special-projects/mkzine/mkzine-student-voter-guide
