Good Morning, Colleagues.
Here are this week’s updates from Academic Affairs:
Chancellor’s Inauguration
Friday, October 2 is the Chancellor’s Inauguration. All are encouraged to attend.
Homecoming
This weeklong celebration will be held October 2-10. There are many ways to get involved.
Kudos
– Kris O’Connor, Kinesiology, and Brian Armstrong, Electrical Engineering, have been awarded $200K as part of a larger, $1.4M multi-institution National Institute of Health grant entitled, “An Innovative Tool for Assessment of Gait Dysfunction in the Clinical Setting.” The genesis for this project came from the very first round of the Research Growth Initiative. This is the third (and largest) NIH grant they have received for the work from that original RGI project. Well done, Kris and Brian!
– Emily Latch, Biological Sciences, received a $450K National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Her work, in collaboration with the San Diego Zoo, will use genomic technologies to integrate DNA data into Species Survival Plans, to make better breeding recommendations for captive populations and, ultimately, to improve conservation of the world’s most endangered species. Congratulations, Emily!
– Laura Pedrick, Academic Affairs, has been elected to serve on the Executive Council of WCET, a national organization focused on advancing excellence in technology-enhanced teaching and learning in higher education. Congrats, Laura!
– Phyllis King, Academic Affairs and College of Health Sciences, has been named a Fellow in the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP), acknowledging her important contributions to ASAHP and her many efforts to promote excellence in teaching, research, service, and leadership in allied health. Well done, Phyllis!
New Faculty
As I mentioned in an earlier update, a number of new faculty have joined UWM. This week we highlight Lubar School of Business and welcome them to campus:
Aaron Mandell, Assistant Professor, Accounting
Laura Swenson, Assistant Professor, Accounting
Donghyun Kim, Assistant Professor, Finance
Travel Policy Changes – take note of some major changes!
Effective October 1, there will be major changes to UW System travel policies. Of primary interest to UWM travelers are the increased mileage, lodging, and per diem allowances. Review the new policies. Calculate per diems.
The Week
Monday
First thing on the agenda for today is a meeting with the co-leaders of CCOET (they will meet with the Chancellor, Robin Van Harpen, and me). Following this meeting, I have my weekly meeting with Robin Van Harpen. The Steering Committee for the Chancellor’s Enrollment Management Action Team meets (we normally set the agenda for the next CEMAT meeting). The Chancellor’s Extended Cabinet (including governance leaders) meets and I have meetings with some of my direct reports. I am also meeting two Consuls from the Mexican Embassy.
Tuesday
I’m attending the Chancellor’s meeting with Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Scott Neitzel. I have a weekly meeting with the Chancellor, plus regular meetings with the deans from the College of Health Sciences and the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. The rest of the day is filled with meetings with several direct reports.
Wednesday
There is a space planning meeting (Chaired by Robin Van Harpen and me) and also a graduate student fellowship celebration in the Library 4th Floor Conference Center. I continue my monthly meetings with the deans – today it is with Brett Peters, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. There are also a number of meetings with direct reports and I have my bi-weekly meeting with the Director of Legal Affairs Joely Urdan. In the afternoon, Gesele Durham and I will meet with the Peck School of the Arts to discuss the school’s enrollments and retention planning. (Gesele and I will meet within the next couple of weeks with all the schools and colleges to strategically discuss their respective recruitment, enrollment, and retention planning).
Thursday
I’m attending a meeting of the Working Group on Undergraduate Advising, and I have meetings throughout the day with the following deans: Kanti Prasad (Lubar School of Business); Tom Lipinski (School of Information Studies); and Scott Emmons (Peck School of the Arts). Gesele Durham and I will end the day when we meet with the School of Education to discuss their student recruitment, enrollment, and retention planning.
Friday
I will be attending inaugural events (see above). Congratulations to UWM’s ninth Chancellor, Mark Mone! We also have the grand opening of the KIRC, an important milestone for campus.
Announcements
From Global Inclusion & Engagement
– Nominations are being accepted for the UW System Board of Regents Diversity Awards in three categories: Individual, Team, and Institution/Unit. Up to $5,000 will be awarded to up to three winners (one in each category system-wide). Information and submission guidelines. Completed nomination materials should be emailed to award-submission@uwm.edu by October 30.
Ombuds Council
– The Ombuds Council is available as a resource to all UWM employees. Ombuds Council members are independent, informal, neutral, and confidential resources who provide assistance in exploring options to resolve problems, complaints, and conflicts at a preliminary and informal level. Individuals or departments/units may request assistance via a confidential website: https://uwm.edu/ombuds/contact/.
From the Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research
– The UWM/MPS Civic Engagement Working Group will hold its fall meeting on Tuesday, October 6 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Hartford Avenue School cafeteria. Please join UWM and MPS faculty, staff, and administrators for a quarterly discussion about how to create stronger partnerships related to civic engagement between our two large educational institutions. Please RSVP.
From Student Support Services – retirement of Dan Patnode
– Dan Patnode, Project Director for the Student Support Services (SSS) program, is retiring after 30 years of service to the University. During his tenure at UWM, Dan also administered the federal TRIO grant for 23 years. As a result of his leadership, the SSS grant was refunded for the next five years. Dan – on behalf of the campus, I just want to thank you for your dedication and hard work over so many years here on campus.
From Urban Studies
– Urban Studies Programs Fall Social Lecture, “Beyond Katrina: Strategies for Achieving Urban Flood Resilience,” with speaker Dr. Eoin O’Neill from the University College in Dublin, Ireland will be held Wednesday, October 7 in AUP 110 at 2 p.m. More information.
From the UWM Libraries
– A workshop on Open Refine – an open source desktop application for data cleanup and transformation to other formats – will be held on Thursday, October 1 from 4-5 p.m. in the Digital Humanities Lab on the second floor east wing of the Golda Meir Library.
From Zilber School of Public Health
– Zilber School of Public Health faculty, Dr. Renee Walker, presents the first On Public Health lecture of the academic year on Thursday, October 1 at 4 p.m. Dr. Walker will discuss disparities in neighborhood food access and the implications for health outcomes.
Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
– The 2015-16 LACUSL Speaker Series begins on Wednesday, September 30, with Ellen Poeschel (Spanish and Portuguese), “100 Days in El Salvador: A Compelling Journey among Salvadoran and Chilean Military Forces,” at 3:30 p.m. in the American Geographical Society Library.
Women’s & Gender Studies Fall 2015 Brown Bag Series
– Associate Professor Noelle Chesley, Sociology, presents, “Can Gender-Atypical Work/Family Arrangements “Unstall” the Revolution?” on Thursday, October 1 at noon in NWQ-B 7578. For more information contact WGS at (414) 229-5918.
Online Training Opportunity to Support UWM’s Student Veterans
– The UWM Military and Veterans Resource Center (MAVRC) thanks you for supporting UW-Milwaukee student veterans. UWM has adopted an online training session, Kognito’s Veterans on Campus for Faculty & Staff, aimed at helping faculty and staff better support and understand our student veterans. This 25-minute online interactive training program is designed to help faculty and staff learn more about military-to-college transition challenges, and it offers helpful tips and resources for supporting student veterans.
To take the course, follow the instructions below:
* Go to: https://www.kognitocampus.com/login
* Create a New Account (create a login and password)
* Use enrollment key: uwm414
* Follow the on-screen instructions
* Choose your course and click “LAUNCH”
UWM Speakers Bureau
– UWM External Relations is excited to announce a new initiative, the UWM Speakers Bureau. The Speakers Bureau pairs UWM faculty, staff, and alumni with community organizations to share their expertise and spread the good work of UWM.
Interested speakers should “become a speaker” on the Speakers Bureau website. Then community organizations can contact you to arrange a presentation. Sign-up today! Contact Keri Duce at klduce@uwm.edu with any questions.
Black and Gold Spirit Day – Volunteer to be a Spirit Liaison!
– Coming October 7 – see spiritdays.uwm.edu.
UWM Alumni Association’s Panther Prowl 5K Run/Walk
– Join the 11th Anniversary of the Panther Prowl 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, October 10. For questions, contact Rachel Flessner at 229-3018 or flessnr@uwm.edu. Register at pantherprowl.net.
TedXUW-Milwaukee
– On October 3 from 1-7 p.m. in the Union Wisconsin Room TEDxUWMilwaukee 2015 presents React Differently. Fifteen speakers will present a single idea that prompts the audience and the cameras to react differently. Learn more and purchase tickets.
Research Mentor Training
– Sign up for four 2-hour Research Mentor Training sessions to strengthen your mentoring skills for building stronger mentor-mentee relationships. Information and registration. For questions, please contact Michelle Lopez-Rios (trainer/facilitator) at lopezi@uwm.edu.
Other
– …and Wales beat England in the Rugby World Cup.
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs