Good afternoon, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.
Kudos
Arijit Sen (Architecture) received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award from the Department of Education and will lecture at the Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kerala as part of his Urban Field School project. Congratulations, Arijit!
Jian Zhao (Civil and Environmental Engineering), in collaboration with Konstantin Sobolev (Civil and Environmental Engineering), was awarded a $135K NSF grant to test and evaluate a dry-stack masonry construction technology. Well done, Jian and Konstantin!
Gwyn Wallander (Letters and Science) received the 2020 Dean Gerald Lee Wilson Award for Excellence in Pre-Law Advising, which recognizes an outstanding individual who greatly contributes to the advancement of the pre-law advising profession and services delivered to pre-law students. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Gwyn!
TRIO & Pre-College Programs received two five-year grants ($261,888 and $364,535) from the Department of Education for Student and Support Services. Well done!
Jennifer Abele (Strategic Partnerships) was appointed to the Milwaukee Ballet Board of Directors. Congratulations, Jennifer!
Yin Wang (Environmental Engineering) and Ryan Newton (Freshwater Sciences), along with a collaborator from Marquette University, received a $420,000 NSF grant to study the impact of corrosion inhibitors and corrosion products on antibiotic resistant bacteria in drinking water. Well done, Yin and Ryan!
The American Psychology Association’s Commission on Accreditation has reaffirmed the PhD in Counseling Psychology. Kudos to the faculty and staff in Educational Psychology!
Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair and Center for Water Policy Director
I am pleased to announce that Melissa Scanlan has accepted the position of Director of the Center for Water Policy and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair in UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences and will begin her new duties on January 8, 2021. Melissa earned a joint JD and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management MS from UC Berkeley and is the founder of Midwest Environmental Advocates. She comes to us from Vermont Law School where she was the Co-founder and Director of the New Economy Law Center. Most recently, she served as a Visiting Law Professor at Boston College School of Law and a U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Alicante in Spain. Welcome, Melissa!
In the News
The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography® (ARDMS®) shared a story about the UWM CHS Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program.
Matthew Friedel (School of Information Studies) was a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio, where he was invited to talk about Artificial Intelligence.
Kirk Harris (Urban Planning) was interviewed by the American Planning Association on Voices of Equity in Planning.
Milwaukee Athletics
- Congratulations to Andrew Basler and the Milwaukee men’s track and field team, Kyle Rechlicz and the Milwaukee women’s basketball team, and Jason Potthoff and the Milwaukee tennis team for receiving the NCAA Public Recognition Award. This honor is bestowed on teams with an NCAA Division 1 Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports based on the APR data released in May 2020.
- Milwaukee student athletes continue to score high marks in the classroom and during the Spring 2020 semester, posted a collective 3.581 grade-point average, despite dealing with an unprecedented learning environment following the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the 40th consecutive semester – now spanning 20 years – that Milwaukee student athletes have recorded a GPA of 3.0 or better, as well as the 11th straight with a 3.20 GPA or higher!
- Former Milwaukee baseball player Daulton Varsho was called up yesterday and made his Major League debut July 30 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Varsho became the highest-drafted player in MKE program history when Arizona took him with pick number 68 in the 2017 MLB Draft. He now becomes the first Panther to appear in a Major League game after pinch-hitting in the ninth inning, walking on a 3-2 pitch in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Week
Monday
I start the week with my daily Crisis Management Team (CMT) Leadership meeting, followed by my weekly meeting with Robin Van Harpen, a meeting on our System-wide freshwater collaborate, the Academic Staff Committee meeting, the Chancellor’s Cabinet meeting, a Campus Budget Planning meeting, a meeting with the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, an enrollment management meeting, my monthly meeting with Kaushal Chari, and an end-of-day check in with Dev Venugopalan and Laura Pedrick.
Tuesday
In the morning, I have the CMT Leadership meeting, an M3 meeting with Chancellor Mone, a Renewable Energy briefing, my standing meeting with Jennifer Abele, and my monthly meeting with Purush Papatla. In the afternoon, I have my monthly meeting with Dave Clark and Kay Eilers, a meeting to discuss the UWM Home Page, and my weekly meeting with the Chancellor.
Wednesday
Today, I have another CMT Leadership meeting, followed by a Wisconsin Policy Forum meeting, my monthly meeting with Alan Shoho, and the UW System Provost’s Council meeting.
Thursday
In the morning, I have my final CMT Leadership meeting for the week, a live-streamed Board of Regents Education Committee Meeting (our BS in Freshwater Sciences is on the agenda for approval), and a meeting with Rockwell Vice President for Connected Enterprise Consulting Lyman Tschanz. In the afternoon, I have another virtual Board of Regents meeting.
Friday
Another furlough day for UWM.
Announcements
Toward an Anti-Racist Campus: A Call for Action Mini Grants for Faculty and Staff
The Office of Research and the Division of Global Inclusion and Engagement are allocating funds for action mini grants aimed at ideas and specific actions to address systemic racism on our campus. Applications due by 5 p.m. on September 14. More information.
Graduate School Orientation
The UWM Graduate School will host the New Graduate Student Orientation on Thursday, August 20 from 1-4 p.m.
New TA Orientation
Chairs, please encourage your incoming teaching assistants to register and attend CETL’s New TA Orientation on Monday, August 24 (to be held online). Registration and additional information.
UWM Libraries Re-Open
The UWM Libraries will reopen on Monday, August 24 and pick-up service will conclude on Thursday, August 20. More information.
Distinguished Professors
The Divisions of Global Inclusion and Engagement and Academic Affairs invite all faculty to “A Conversation with Distinguished Professors” on Friday, August 28 from 9-10:30 a.m. Panelists include Paul Roebber, Nadya Fouad, Kathy Dolan, and Fred Helmstetter.
Campus Technology Support
- The UWM Help Desk phone line (414-229-4040) is getting an upgrade thanks to Teams Calling. Callers can now choose from three options for connecting their calls to either the Help Desk, Classroom Hotline, or Desktop Support. You’ll now have just one number to call for all your IT support needs!
- UWM instructors are asked to take a survey regarding instructional technology needs for the fall semester.
Responding to Students
Students will often reach out to someone they know instead of digging through all of the FAQs or going to the relevant office. How we respond to these queries matters! A new tool is available to help each of us develop general consistency and promote UWM as a caring and respectful campus. The guide, compiled and edited by the Dean of Students Office, contains some easy methods and quick reminders of how to work with and respond to students when they come to us with questions or concerns.
UWM Food Center and Pantry
This summer, the UWM Food Center and Pantry has served more than 2,000 patrons impacted by the pandemic. To keep up with this increased need, we are hiring a student assistant for the 2020-21 academic year. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please share widely and email kissack@uwm.edu if you have any students to recommend. Applications available online.
Panther Prowl 2020
UWM students need our help more than ever before! Show your support by joining us for the 2020 Panther Prowl “Don’t Prowl So Close to Me” nationwide virtual tour! Whether you register, purchase a tour tee (includes free Milwaukee Magazine subscription), or make a donation, 100% of proceeds benefit UWM students experiencing unprecedented need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs