The University of Wisconsin Medical School got its wish Friday as the Board of Regents unanimously agreed to approve the renaming of the school to the "University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health," effective Nov. 11 this year.

The name change is not without conditions, however. As part of the resolution the regents directed the medical school to immediately commence a "good faith dialogue" with the City of Milwaukee and the chancellor of UW-Milwaukee on specific strategies to address the public health issues facing portions of the impoverished city.

"I think at the end of the day our ability to have a UW-M school of public health is still out on the table and I think that's very good," UW-M Chancellor Carlos Santiago said after the regents meeting. "Overall, I think it's been a good discussion for the state and I think a good discussion within the UW System."

The resolution came after Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, appeared before the regents Thursday and passionately lobbied not to approve the renaming of the school. They said a public health school in Madison hurts the chances of one being built in Milwaukee, a location they argued is more appropriate.

"If you believe that changing the name dooms the school in Milwaukee forever, you better vote not to change the name," Regent President David Walsh said. "To me this simply is not about a name — it's about being responsive to a city that has reached out to us for solutions and told us about their problems in a very articulate way."

Much of Friday's discussion about the public health school centered on what was meant by the final line of the resolution, which stated the name change is "subject to a review" of a report from the medical school on their mandated dialogue with Milwaukee officials.

"Letting this hang around for a month is not a good idea," Regent Thomas Loftus said.

Regent Gerard Randall said history indicates the medical school may not make an honest effort in its dialogue with Milwaukee, and was the only regent to vote in support of a phrase necessitating an approval of the medical school's review in order for the name change to take effect.

"I have seen far too many times when Madison has been asked to collaborate with Milwaukee and it has not happened," Randall said. "Frankly, if I'm going to have to rely on another 'trust me' on this, I'm not going to be so trusting if it comes back and the fruits of those conversations aren't compelling enough for me to believe that there was sincerity in those conversations."

The language of the resolution passed by the regents, Walsh said, still leaves room to void the name change if a member of the board deems a good faith effort was not made.

"I don't for a minute doubt that this group, if they get a report that they don't like, there will be a motion on the floor not to make a name effective," he said. "In my view this body will respond to whatever report takes place and if they don't like what happens we'll be revisiting the name change."

Regent Michael Spector, who proposed the phrase "good faith dialogue" as opposed to "formal dialogue," said however he does not anticipate any further debate on the name change at the November regents meeting.

"It doesn't mean we're necessarily going to be evaluating this [report] but sends a signal to those involved in the dialogue [of] what our expectation is," Spector said.

Medical School representative Patrick Remington said after Friday's meeting the medical school would engage in sincere dialogue with Milwaukee officials over the next month.

"Our job now is to begin the dialogue and certainly our report to the Board of Regents is going to be a roadmap but it's not going to be the answers to the questions, we'll just begin to answer the questions," Remington said.

Walsh said the sole reason he supported the resolution was his "great faith and trust" in what the medical school has developed and what the regents have previously approved.

"I know Milwaukee is going to be responded to by them," Walsh said. "They came and gave us a great message and I personally for the next couple of years will make sure that we respond."