Good morning, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.
New UWM Distinguished Professors
I’m happy to announce that we have three members of the UWM faculty who were named UWM Distinguished Professors beginning last fall. Join me in congratulating Simon Bronner (General Studies), Karyn Frick (Psychology), and Stuart Moulthrop (English) on this prestigious honor, which recognizes their significant impact on, and contributions to, their fields of study.
Kudos
Margaret Noodin (English and American Indian Studies) co-edited a book entitled, “Enduring Critical Poses: The Legacy and Life of Anishinaabe Literature and Letters,” which also contains a chapter written by her on Anishinaabe author Jim Northrup, whose manuscripts and ephemera are part of the UWM Archive Collection. Congratulations, Margaret!
Nikole Bouchard (Architecture) is one of two educators nationally to win the 2021 Creative Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The judges lauded her Waste Matters project as a creative approach to advancing architectural education. Well done, Nikole!
UWM’s Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation (IPIT) received a $73,763 award from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to evaluate the local bridge improvement assistance pilot program and make recommendations for possible modifications and expansion to other areas of the local assistance program. Researchers on this project include Habib Tabatabai (PI, Civil and Environmental Engineering), Xiao Qin (Co-PI, Civil and Environmental Engineering and IPIT Director), and Mark Gottlieb (IPIT). Congratulations, Habib, Xiao, and Mark!
Thomas Hubka’s (Professor Emeritus, Architecture) new book, “How the Working-Class Home Became Modern, 1900-1940,” was based on research conducted during his 30-year tenure at UWM. Well done, Tom!
Robert Schneider (Urban Planning) and Xiao Qin (Civil and Environmental Engineering) worked with co-authors Andrew Schmitz (MUP alum) and Greg Lindsey (University of Minnesota) to produce a paper entitled, “Exposure-Based Models of Trail User Crashes at Roadway Crossings,” which received the Best Paper Award – Highest Score for Publication for the 2021 Annual Meeting from the Transportation Research Board’s Bicycle Transportation Committee. Congratulations, Robert, Xiao, Andrew, and Greg!
In the News
G. Kevin Spellman (Lubar School of Business) was interviewed by three separate Milwaukee media outlets regarding the recent GameStop and Koss stock price surges:
TMJ4
WISN12
Milwaukee Business Journal [account required for access]
Navigate Update
The start of the spring semester and the recent launch of the Moon Shot for Equity initiative make this an ideal time to provide an update on some new developments related to the Navigate digital platform. Advisors and instructors use Navigate to communicate with students about academic progress and to connect students to resources across campus. Read the Spring 2021 update at UWM’s Navigate website for more information.
Milwaukee Athletics
Highlighted by 24 home games, the Milwaukee baseball team unveiled its full schedule for the upcoming 2021 season. The Panthers kick off the campaign at Southeast Missouri State on February 19 and then will play their first home game at Franklin Field on March 26 with Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Horizon League announced that the Horizon League Swimming and Diving Championships will now take place during the week of April 4 at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI. The diving championships will be held April 5-6, followed by the swimming championships, April 8-10. The championships were originally scheduled to take place this month.
The Week
Monday
I start the week with the Coronavirus Management Team (CMT) Leadership meeting, followed by my weekly meeting with Robin Van Harpen, a CEMAT meeting, a 2030 meeting, my weekly staff meeting, and my weekly check-in with Dev Venugopalan and Laura Pedrick.
Tuesday
In the morning, I have standing meetings with Scott Emmons, Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska, Brett Peters, and Kyla Esguerra. In the afternoon, I have one-on-ones with Nancy Frank and Jennifer Abele, my weekly meeting with Chancellor Mone, I’ll provide an Academic Affairs update to the Academic Staff Senate, and I have my monthly meeting with Joely Urdan.
Wednesday
Today, I have the Deans Morning Meeting, my monthly meetings with Tina Freiburger and Simon Bronner, my bi-weekly meeting with Paul Klajbor, my monthly update with Mark Harris and Dietmar Wolfram, my one-on-one with Kaushal Chari, an EAB/UWM Research Partnership meeting, and an Online Growth Initiative meeting.
Thursday
In the morning, I have another CMT Leadership meeting, the Academic Planning and Budget Committee meeting, my standing meeting with Tom Luljak, Dave Clark, and Kay Eilers, and my one-on-one with Trudy Turner. In the afternoon, I have my monthly meeting with Jen Doll, a Campus Budget Planning meeting, my monthly meeting with Purush Papatla, and a Student Experience and Talent (SET) discussion with Brett Peters.
Friday
Today, I have the bi-monthly UW System Provost Council meeting, an SET discussion with Dietmar Wolfram, and I’ll attend to administrative tasks.
Announcements
M3 Professional Development Day
The fourth annual M3 Professional Development Workshop, which brings MPS teachers together with MATC and UWM faculty and staff to learn with and from each other about best practices to promote student success, will be held on February 16. Registration.
Preparing Your File for Indefinite Status
The Non-teaching Academic Staff Review Committee (NTASRC) will offer a workshop designed for non-teaching/non-research academic staff in probationary appointments on Thursday, February 18 at 10 a.m. via Teams. The workshop will cover the ins and outs of preparing for indefinite status, including record keeping, documentation, and other requirements. Please contact Kate Ganski (ganski@uwm.edu), NTASRC Chair, with any questions regarding the workshop.
2021 Diversity Career Fair
Faculty and staff, please encourage your students to attend the 2021 Diversity Career Fair that will be held on Wednesday, February 24 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. via the virtual platform Handshake. Students must register to participate.
From the UWM Libraries
- All three libraries are open although access is limited at the Golda Meir Library to the Daniel M. Soref Learning Commons. Online services continue at usual levels. More information.
- Under a new publishing agreement between the Public Library of Science (PLOS) and the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), UWM authors are eligible to publish in PLOS Biology and PLOS Medicine between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023 with waived or reduced fees. More information.
UWM Planetarium Series
The UWM Planetarium is excited to offer a new cultural series, Asian Celebrations, in spring 2021 featuring four guest speakers who are UWM faculty or students. More information.
Online Program Council
The Online Program Council will meet this Friday, February 12, from 10:30 a.m.-noon in Teams. Agenda items include marketing a new program launch (featuring the online MS in Computer Science), OBTP Commons with exemplars for engaging and supporting online students, an update on the UDOIT accessibility tool, and a new data report on online enrollment nationally and in Wisconsin. Meetings are open to all. If you haven’t attended an OPC meeting in the past, please email Laura Pedrick (lpedrick@uwm.edu) for a meeting invitation.
Festival of Films in French
The 24th Festival of Films in French is rolling out as a pandemic-safe event this February, with 5 feature-length films and a short available for streaming from the UWM Union Cinema. The Festival runs 9 a.m. Friday to midnight Sunday on the weekends of February 12-14 and February 19-21, and 9 a.m. Wednesday to midnight Thursday February 17-18.
Latin American, Caribbean, and US Latinx Studies (LACUSL) Speaker Series
Please join us for the first LACUSL Speakers Series of the year, with Dr. Pilar Melero’s lecture, “Madness as a Space of Ontological Resistance in Latinx Women’s Writing,” on Monday, February 15 at 3:30 p.m. via Zoom. Register in advance.
Culture of Racism, Recovery, and Resiliency (CR3) Series
The Culture of Racism, Recovery, and Resiliency (CR3) series is designed to equip you, our community change agents, with the tools and resources necessary to address racism and manifest change. More information.
Spring Commencement
In light of health and safety concerns, the May 16 UWM Commencement Ceremony will be a virtual celebration.
Other
Is this the smallest reptile yet discovered? And Scotland did it for the first time in 38 years!
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs