Good morning, colleagues. Welcome back to the faculty, and here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.
Chancellor’s Plenary
Chancellor Mone will present his annual plenary address to the UWM community on Thursday, August 26 at 2:30 p.m. in the Bader Concert Hall of the Zelazo Center at the Milwaukee Campus. The Chancellor invites all faculty, academic staff, university staff, students, and friends to join him. While everyone at UWM is invited to attend this presentation, it is important that supervisors and employees work together to ensure that office operational needs are met while allowing as many people as possible to attend. A live webcast of the plenary will be available to those unable to attend the presentation in person. The URL for the webcast is: http://uwm.edu/streamingvideo/plenaries/.
Instructor Resources for Fall 2021
In preparation for the fall 2021 semester, we hope the following documents will help answer questions and provide valuable resources for you and your students:
- Instructor and Academic Support Staff FAQs
- COVID-19 Syllabus Statements
- Guidelines for Classroom Conflict Transformation
While there is a lot of information contained in these documents, I hope that you will spend time with and benefit from them. We understand that your class or circumstance may have unique considerations not addressed in these documents. Should that be the case, please contact your dean or Adam Jussel (jussel@uwm.edu) in the Dean of Students Office.
Important Message from the Registrar’s Office
The Registrar’s Office has provided an update on the services offered by the Testing Center. COVID accelerated some operational changes that affect exam scanning services provided by the Testing Center. If you are planning on using the scanning services, please read the full message here.
Kudos
Qian Liao (Civil and Environmental Engineering) was awarded $275,000 from the National Science Foundation for a five-year Phase III project to expand the research being conducted through the Water Equipment and Policy Center (WEP), where he is the director. WEP helps the world manage stressed water resources through research and technology transfers that address critical technological needs in clean water delivery and inform water policy makers. Congratulations, Qian!
Rob Cuzner (Electrical Engineering) will receive up to $310k over three years in sub-contracted funding from Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems (FSU-CAPS). The funding is part of a $31M contract that FSU-CAPS received from the National Sea Systems Command for research and development of shipboard electrical power and energy systems. Well done, Rob!
John Berges and Erica Young (Biological Sciences) will head UWM’s involvement in 27-institution alliance, headed by Auburn University, that received a $10M award from the National Science Foundation. The collaborative, five-year research effort is aimed at increasing the number of disabled students entering college and completing a degree in a STEM-related field. Congratulations, Erica and John!
Josh Delahan (Social Work) published a children’s book entitled, “A Special Place in My Brain,” that is intended for parents/caregivers and children to read together to help reduce stress-related somatic symptoms and develop more emotional regulation. Well done, Josh!
Maria Haigh (Information Studies) is partnering with Alation, Inc. on a pilot project to Train the Next Generation of Data Leaders through the Data Intelligence Project. Congratulations, Maria!
Motivated to save UWM students money, Susan McRoy (Computer Science) published a textbook on natural language processing with a Creative Commons license. The UWM Libraries assisted in creating digital and print versions, now free or low-cost to students and others. Well done, Susan and UWM Libraries staff!
In the News
Jenny Brownson (Teaching and Learning) discussed getting students ready to return to in-school learning on Wisconsin Public Radio.
Milwaukee Athletics
The Milwaukee Athletics Department is excited to announce that fans will be allowed at all home fall 2021 Panther athletics events this year. In a decision that was made by Athletics and University leadership, no capacity limits will be in place, but adherence to the current Milwaukee Public Health and CDC recommendations will be followed.
The Milwaukee Athletics Department has released all ticket options for the upcoming 2021 fall season. This includes season memberships, single-game tickets, and more. Fans can review ticket options for all Panther events at MKEPanthers/tickets. Tickets can be purchased online, by calling the Milwaukee Ticket Office (414-229-5886), or via email (uwmtix@uwm.edu).
The Week
Monday
I start the week with my standing meeting with Robin Van Harpen, followed by the Teaching Assistants Orientation where I’ll provide remarks, the Associate Dean’s meeting, the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet meeting, a meeting with Simon Bronner and Dave Clark to discuss Washington County Technical College collaboration, my weekly staff meeting, and my weekly check-in with Dev Venugopalan and Laura Pedrick.
Tuesday
In the morning, I have a Coronavirus Management Team (CMT) Leadership meeting, the Federal Program Review Entrance Interview, my monthly meeting with Student Association leadership, the monthly Moon Shot for Equity check-in, and I’ll provide remarks at the annual Department Chair Retreat. In the afternoon, I have a Plenary rehearsal with the Executive Cabinet, my weekly meeting with the Chancellor, and my standing meeting with Peter Sands.
Wednesday
Today, I have the Deans Summer Retreat, my bi-weekly meeting with Paul Klajbor, a meeting regarding DEI recruitment and selection protocols, my standing meeting with Jennifer Abele, and the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute Core Team meeting.
Thursday
In the morning, I have another CMT Leadership meeting, and a Campus Budget Planning meeting. In the afternoon, I have a Campus Space Planning meeting and the Fall Plenary.
Friday
Today, I’ll provide remarks for the College of Health Sciences kick-off, I have the bi-monthly UW System Provosts meeting, and my standing meeting with Phyllis King.
Announcements
Start of Semester Memo
My start of semester memo is now available online.
UWM BIPOC Gathering
All BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) graduate students and faculty are invited the UWM BIPOC Gathering on Tuesday, August 24 from 4-6 p.m. This meet-n-greet is an opportunity to get introduced to colleagues in other graduate programs and connect with a UWM community of support in research and professional development. Information and RSVP.
Calling MPS Alumni
If you’re an alum of Milwaukee Public Schools, please join us at our MPS Student Welcome event on Wednesday, September 1 on the Welcome Center lawn. Stop by any time between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to meet our newest MPS Alumni students as they start their college journey at UWM. If you’d like to help out with the event, please email Colin Daly (daly@uwm.edu).
New Academic Support Tools
UWM Libraries have invested in a new series of tools to support teaching, learning, and research in an online environment where faculty, staff, and students are increasingly working and learning off-campus. Third Iron’s LibKey Suite and BrowZine tools will simplify and accelerate access to full-text content. More information.
2021 Panther Prowl 5K Run/Walk Returns – Early Bird Registration Now Open!
It will be DEF PANTHER PROWL-STERIA as this beloved tradition returns to campus on Saturday, October 9 at 10 a.m. Early bird adult registration is just $30 through August 29, while students and Kids’ Dash are $15. All proceeds benefit UWM student scholarships. Register today!
Other
A welcome addition to the Oak Leaf Bike Trail.
Take care,
Johannes