March 23, 2015  |  News & Events, Provost's Updates

Good morning everyone. For those who took time off, I hope you had a relaxing break. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs

Budget update – in the Wisconsin Room

– UW System President Ray Cross will be attending our next Campus Budget Forum this Wednesday in the Union Wisconsin Room. It will take place from 10-11 a.m. As in the past, this meeting will also be live streamed at https://uwm.edu/streamingvideo/universityrelations/.

For updated information on the budget and related issues see also: https://uwm.edu/ucnews/ and https://uwm.edu/budget.

Director of Financial Aid Finalist Open Forums

– Student Affairs is hosting three finalists for the Director of UWM Financial Aid starting today through Wednesday. All Open Forums are scheduled for 1 p.m. and will occur today, tomorrow, and Wednesday and will take place in the Wisconsin Room. Additional information about the candidates, resumes and itineraries, and information on providing feedback are located at https://uwm.edu/studentaffairs/finalists/.

Kudos

– Tanya Joosten, Academic Affairs and Communication, highlighted UWM’s history of blended pedagogy in an Inside Higher Ed column: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/secret-blend.

– The BestSchools.org rated UWM’s online Psychology major fifth best in the nation.

– Kristin Woodward, UWM Libraries, has published an article reflecting on the Libraries’ role in Flexible Option development at UWM: http://crln.acrl.org/content/76/3/118.full.

New Website for Academic Affairs

– The Division of Academic Affairs redesigned our web site and it is now live at https://uwm.edu/academicaffairs/. I invite you to take a look and send any comments or suggestions about the website to acadaffweb@uwm.edu.

Synopsis of the week

Monday
I’m attending a Chancellor’s meeting with Distinguished Professors, followed by a video conference on the UWS Common System Review Group to review the budget for system-wide IT infrastructure (I am a member of this budget committee). The Chancellor’s Cabinet meets, as does CEMAT (Chancellor’s Enrollment Management Action Team). The agenda includes the Scholarship Task Force report and a discussion on strategies to increase graduation rates. I also have a regular meeting with Secretary of the University Trudy Turner.

Tuesday
A day of meetings with direct reports and in the afternoon I will attend the University Committee meeting.

Wednesday
The Budget Planning Task Force meets, followed by the all-campus budget meeting with UWS President Ray Cross (see above for details). I also have regular meetings with deans Magda Peck, Paula Rhyner, and VC Robin Van Harpen, plus a space planning meeting.

Thursday
I’m attending the APBC meeting, and I’m speaking at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Educational Luncheon at the Italian Community Center on ethics and social media. Once back on campus, I continue with meetings and end the day with the weekly meeting with the Chancellor.

Friday
The Budget Communication Task Force meets, and I have regular meetings with deans Stan Stojkovic and Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska.

Announcements

From the Academic Staff Awards Committee
– The Academic Staff Committee and the Academic Staff Awards Committee are now accepting proposals for the 2015-16 individual and group professional development awards to support academic staff. Full and partial funding will be considered for individual activities ($1,500 maximum individual award). Group Professional Development Awards ($3,000 maximum) will extend beyond one department or a very small group of individuals. Winning proposals will have a campus-wide or profession-wide impact. The application deadline is May 1, 2015. For full description and submission details see https://uwm.edu/secu/acad_staff/standing_com/as_awards_com/call-for-nominations.cfm.

SOIS Social Studies of Information Research Group Speaker Series
– Tetiana Matychak and Olga Yurkova, Stopfake.org, present, “Fighting for Truth Against Kremlin Disinformation,” on Wednesday, March 25 in Greene Hall at 1 p.m. Stopfake.org is an independent Ukrainian website launched by young journalists on March 2, 2014, that counters false information about Ukraine, especially in pro-Kremlin media.

Related event:
– Friday, March 27, Ukrainian journalists Olga Yurkova and Tatiana Matychak from Stopfake.org give a presentation, “Unraveling Ersatz Facts: Methods for Online Fact Checking,” at 10 a.m. in the DH Lab. More information at https://uwm.edu/libraries/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/2015/03/StopFake.org_.Milwaukee.visit_.March_.2015.poster.pdf.

UWS Office of Professional & Instructional Development (OPID) 2015 Spring Conference
– The OPID Spring Conference is being held April 16 – 17 at the Heidel House in Green Lake, Wisconsin. More information, including a link to register (deadline of April 3), can be found at the conference website: https://sites.google.com/site/opid2015/.

From the Center for 21st Century Studies (C21)
– Etienne Benson (University of Pennsylvania) will give a talk on, “The Environment: Pasts and Futures of an All-Encompassing Idea,” on Friday, March 27 at 3:30 p.m. in Curtin 175. For more information: http://uwm.edu/c21/pages/events/abstracts/15spring/benson.html.

Institute of World Affairs
– Raul Galvan, Milwaukee Public Television, and Michael Martin, UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning, present, “Eyes on Cuba: Last Gasp of the Cold War or the Evolution of a Revolution,” on Thursday, March 25 at 3:30 p.m. in Lubar S231. With the thawing of relations between Cuba and the United States after half a century, and a generational change among Cubans and Cuban Americans, UWM Institute of World Affairs is pleased to bring you two seasoned Cuba watchers to discuss what has and has not changed in the relationship and how the emerging policies might impact citizens of both nations. Free and open to the public.

On Public Health Lecture Series
– Curtis Hedman and Paula North present, “Evaluation of Environmental Health in Developing Rural Peru: Novel Translational Approaches,” on March 24 at 12:00 pm at Zilber School of Public Health, Room 590. See https://uwm.edu/publichealth-news/event/on-public-health-dr-curtis-hedman-and-paula-north/.

MPS Research Agenda Presentation
– Deb Gurke and Kristin Kappelman from the Department of Research and Development (R & D) at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will give a brief presentation regarding MPS’s Research Agenda and the research application process this Friday from 12-1 p.m. in Enderis 107.

UWM Libraries
– This Tuesday, Matt Russell, co-director of the UWM Digital Humanities Lab, will offer a presentation, “Methods in Digital Humanties: Imageplot,” at 11 a.m. in the DHL Lab, second floor east wing, Golda Meir Library. More information at https://uwm.edu/libraries/dhlab/events/.

– Thursday, Nathan Humpal, UWM Libraries, will give an informal talk, “Re-releases, Remakes, and Remembrances: Preserving the Cultural History of Videogames,” in the Serious Play series at 3 p.m. in the DH Lab. More information at https://uwm.edu/libraries/dhlab/events/.

– Friday, Sahar Hosseini, PhD candidate in Architecture and Urban Planning and a recipient of the 2014-15 Chancellor’s Golda Meir Library Scholar Award, will present a talk, “Maidan, from Polo Ground to Multi-Functional Urban Space,” as part of the Scholar and the Library series, at 2 p.m. in Room E281, second floor east wing, Golda Meir Library. More information at
https://uwm.edu/libraries/event/the-scholar-and-the-library-3/.

UWM Alumni Employee Appreciation Lunch
– A celebration for UWM alumni employees, in appreciation of all they give back to UWM, will be held on Wednesday, April 1. The program starts at noon. The event is free, but registration is required. The deadline to register is March 27. For more information, see https://alumnidirectory.uwm.edu/appreciationlunch2015.

Call for Nominations
– The Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research is hosting UWM’s annual Community Engagement and Leadership Awards on Tuesday, May 5. To take a look at this year’s nomination categories and gain access to the nomination form, please follow this link: http://uwm.edu/community/nomination.cfm. Please note that all nominations are due by Monday, April 13.

From UITS

Other

– World cup cricket: the semi-finals will be played this week.

I wish you all a great week and take care.

Johannes

Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs