UW-Milwaukee: Zilber School of Public Health receives $2.5 million for scholarships

Contact: Kari Anderson-Pink, (414) 229-7413, anderskj@uwm.edu

MILWAUKEE — The Zilber Family Foundation has awarded the UWM Foundation $2.5 million to support scholarships at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health. This brings the Zilber Foundation’s total support for the school to more than $12 million since 2007.

“I am deeply grateful for the Zilber Family Foundation’s incredibly generous support of UWM and its devotion to making public health a priority within our community,” UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said. “Twelve years ago, the Zilber Foundation made a transformative gift to create the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health. This additional heartfelt gift reflects the Zilber Family Foundation’s ongoing commitment to our students and the communities they will ultimately serve.”

The Zilber School, located on the site of the former Pabst Brewing Co., is Wisconsin’s first accredited public health school. It offers master’s and doctoral programs in biostatistics, community and behavioral health promotion, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, and a master’s program in public health policy and administration. This year, the school also added a Bachelor of Science in Public Health program.

The Zilber Family Foundation’s recent gift will fortify the Vera Zilber Public Health Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2014 and has already helped more than 75 Zilber School graduate students. Going forward, the scholarship will be available to undergraduate students as well.

“The Vera Zilber Public Health Scholarships have been a critical force in attracting and retaining the best and brightest students,” Dean Ron Perez said. “With this significant addition to the fund, the school can expand the talent pipeline in population health for our region, and I anticipate that we will be able to double our enrollment in the next decade. I am very thankful to the Zilber Family Foundation for having the foresight to make this generous gift.”

The Zilber Family Foundation was founded by Milwaukee native Joseph J. Zilber. His business, Zilber Ltd., specializes in residential and commercial development and property management in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. The Zilber Family Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations, especially in the city of Milwaukee, to address basic needs, help ensure personal safety, increase access to social and economic opportunity, and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods.

“Joe and Vera Zilber wanted to leave a legacy in the city of Milwaukee, and this gift for scholarships is part of extending that legacy,” said Gina Stilp, executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation. “Joe had a passion for improving the wellbeing of our citizens, and he believed this school could play a critical role in the future of our city. We are proud to support UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health in advancing his vision for a healthier Milwaukee.”

The Zilber Family Foundation’s gift supports UWM’s comprehensive fundraising effort, Made in Milwaukee, Shaping the World: The Campaign for UWM. The largest in UWM’s history, this campaign focuses on student success, research excellence and community engagement.