August 9, 2021  |  News & Events, Provost's Updates, Timely Announcements

Good morning, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.

Moon Shot for Equity Update

The Moon Shot Best Practice Teams continue to make good progress. This fall, teams are engaging in focus groups and a campus climate survey to understand campus needs and prioritize next steps. Cross-institutional team meetings are occurring to share strategies, barriers, and updates. The Milwaukee Region has launched Equity Mindedness professional development. See the August Newsletter and the website for up-to-date information.

Enrollment Management

Enrollment Management is excited to have two more candidates for the Executive Director of Recruitment, Marketing, and Admissions visiting campus this week:

More information, as well as links to the open forum sessions and candidate feedback forms are available on the Enrollment Management Finalists site. Please contact Becky Grandone (grandonr@uwm.edu) with any questions.

Kudos

Konstantin Sobolev (Civil and Environmental Engineering) accepted an invitation to join the editorial board of Scientific Reports, a journal from the Nature family. It is the sixth most-cited journal in the world. He was also awarded a $20K NSF planning grant to map the creation of the UWM-led Concrete Advancement Network that will provide long-term solutions for the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure by helping to meet the demand for improved materials for roads, bridges, and buildings. Well done, Konstantin!

Jennifer Mueller (UWM double alum) was elected President/Chair-Elect on the Board of Directors of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), where she is currently serving as treasurer. She begins her new role in 2022. Congratulations, Jennifer!

Kimberly Blaeser’s (English and American Indian Studies) poem, “Wellspring: Words from Water” is featured in an audio poetry installation at Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana. A project of Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation and Tippet Rise, the project features a stickwork sculpture, “Daydreams,” and eleven poems, including Blaeser’s. In conjunction with the installation, a clip of her poem is also included in Yellowstone Public Radio’s, “Resounds: Arts and Culture on the High Plains,” on today’s show. Well done, Kim!

The Week

Monday

I start the week by joining a meeting with Regent Ashok Rai, followed by my weekly staff meeting, and I end the day with a SOIS meeting.

Tuesday

I start the morning with a CMT meeting followed by another Regents meeting, then I have my bi-weekly meeting with Paul Klajbor, and the CEMAT Leads meeting. In the afternoon, I have my weekly meeting with Chancellor Mone, and I’ll provide an Academic Affairs update to the Academic Staff Senate.

Wednesday

Today, I have the Deans Morning Meeting, followed by an Enterprise Directions Council orientation meeting, a follow-up meeting on online programming across the UW System, and my monthly meeting with Purush Papatla. I then meet with Principal Yalonda Graham, the new principal at Hartford University School, and have an interview with Executive Director of Recruitment, Marketing, and Admissions finalist, Kylee Heyerdahl.

Thursday

In the morning, I have another CMT Leadership meeting, a follow-up meeting on enrollment management, and my standing meeting with Tim Behrens and Jen Doll. In the afternoon, I have my one-on-one with Kaushal Chari, a Campus Budget Planning meeting, and the Connected Systems Institute Executive briefing.

Friday

Today I meet with direct reports, attend to administrative tasks, participate in the bi-monthly UW System Provosts Council, and have an interview with Executive Director of Recruitment, Marketing, and Admissions finalist, Jonathan Feld.

Announcements

Pandemic Stress and Return to Campus Dialogue Sessions

The global pandemic has affected us all. We expect the transition to the fall 2021 semester to be marked by countless emotions—joy and excitement, but also apprehension. Together, we can and will continue to meet these challenges. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged and invited to join leaders from Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Global Inclusion and Engagement during some informal dialogues, to share and process feelings relating to the past year and our return to campus. The informal dialogues will be held on Teams on August 10 from 4-5 p.m. and September 15 from 4-5 p.m. During these dialogues, groups will gain insight into experiences and deepen our connections as a community by sharing feelings, being in a brave space, and being present together.

Virtual Speaker Series

The UWM Digital Humanities Lab presents a virtual speaker series on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 24-25 on, “Collections-as-Data,” to celebrate the wrap of the Mellon-funded LGBTQ+ AV Archive Mining project. The DH Lab will also host a virtual R for Humanities workshop on Friday, August 27. Information and registration.

New Graduate Student Orientation

The UWM Graduate School will host its virtual New Graduate Student Orientation on Thursday, August 26 from 1-4 p.m. Orientation is designed to serve as a general overview of topics related to graduate student life at UWM for new graduate students who started this past spring or summer, or who will start this fall. The Graduate School’s orientation is different from any new graduate student orientation that may be offered by the academic programs. Please check with your department for program-specific information. Graduate students should register before 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 26 to receive a link to the event.

University IT Services

If you are returning to campus for work, please review our technology checklist to help with readying your devices.

Other

Take care,

Johannes

Johannes Britz

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs