The new and evolving design entrepreneurship curriculum in the Design & Visual Communication Program is directed and written by Associate Professor Kim Beckmann and Lecturer Amy Decker. In 2012 Kim Beckmann was selected by Dean Wade Hobgood to represent the Peck School of the Arts at the Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Spring of that year launched her sabbatical and research focus on design entrepreneurship pedagogy and creating a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem at UW-Milwaukee with colleagues in business, engineering, art, architecture, and information studies. She is truly dedicated to creating new career opportunities and jobs for her students and the City of Milwaukee.
November 2015, she joined UWM Freshwater Science research team investigating the habitat of the the inner and outer Milwaukee harbor and connectivity to adjoining rivers. In consultation with the Milwaukee Estuary AOC Fish and Wildlife Technical Advisory Committee and Harbor District, Inc., the team will assess existing fish forage and spawning habitat and develop a map informing strategic development. This two year project will lay the groundwork necessary to create a diverse and productive ecosystem in the heart of Milwaukee, supporting ecological recreation while maintaining vital economic activities such as shipping and neighborhood development efforts. January 2016 the team was awarded a 190K grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan for the project.
Kim Beckmann is currently an Associate Professor in Design and Visual Communication at the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has served as the Co-Area Head for the Design and Visual Communication Program (2009-2011 and 2014-2016), and as Associate Chair for the Department of Art and Design (fall 2011).