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

Black lives matter: Acting on our commitment

It is important for all of you to know that I believe black lives matter. In recent days, many of us have paused, reflected, and said the names of those who suffered, including George Floyd, Dontre Hamilton, Joel Acevedo, Tony Robinson, and so many more. As educators, we must come together and face a reality that requires change. In his recent Time for Change message, Chancellor Mone expressed UWM’s “strong and clear solidarity in support of black lives.” It is critically important that our commitment is expressed through our actions. Our faculty and our instructors offer many relevant courses to help students understand the historical context of race and the country we live in, including: Black Reality (AFRIC 100), Psychological Effects of Racism (AFRIC 265), and #BlackLivesMatter: An Analysis and Critique of the Movement (SOC WRK 380). Next week, I plan to have a meeting with all the deans of our schools and colleges and Global Inclusion and Engagement leaders Joan Prince and Chia Vang to ensure that action is being taken in every unit within Academic Affairs. I will monitor progress on these actions and share the results with you on an ongoing basis. I also encourage our faculty and other instructors to connect your own courses and research to the topics that are so relevant and challenging in the times we are living through today.

Kudos

Emmanuel Ngui (Public Health) received a grant from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to expand Maternal and Child Health (MCH) education/training and establish a certificate program in MCH at the Zilber School of Public Health. The program will also seek to increase the number of racial/ethnic and underrepresented minority students with graduate training in MCH. Congratulations, Emmanuel!

Owen LeBrun (UWM English Education Teacher Candidate) earned the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English Outstanding Student Teacher Award for the 2019-2020 school year. Well done, Owen!

In the News

Jeff Sommers’s (African and African Diaspora Studies) opinion piece, “America’s Mis-Police State,” was published in Project Syndicate. He joins a list of impressive authors in this prestigious online publication, including Joe Stiglitz, Mike Spence, and other Nobelists.

Milwaukee Athletics

Last week, the Milwaukee Athletics Department teamed up with its partners at Next Door Foundation and other local companies to help reach the goal of 1,400 miles walked virtually during the foundation’s Walk for Children.

The Week

Monday

I start the week with my daily Crisis Management Team (CMT) Leadership meeting and my weekly meeting with Robin Van Harpen. I will then provide welcome remarks at the New Honor Student Orientation, followed by standing meetings with direct reports, a CMT Coronavirus Crisis Management meeting, my weekly staff meeting, my monthly meeting with Tim Behrens, and my daily meeting with Dev Venugopalan and Laura Pedrick.

Tuesday

In the morning, I have another CMT Leadership meeting, my monthly meeting with Nancy Nelson, and a virtual meeting with UW System President Finalist Jim Johnsen. In the afternoon, I have monthly meetings with Scott Emmons and Alan Shoho, my weekly meeting with Chancellor Mone, and my daily meeting with Dev and Laura.

Wednesday

Today, I have my usual CMT Leadership meeting, the Deans Morning Meeting, a meeting with CEMAT Leads, a meeting with the Chancellor and Alan Shoho, my weekly UW System Provosts Council meeting, a Strategic Partnerships meeting, my monthly meeting with Michael Doylen, and my “end of day” meeting with Dev and Laura.

Thursday

In the morning, I have my daily CMT Leadership meeting, a Campus Budget Planning meeting, a Future of Education webinar, Executive Cabinet check-ins, and my bi-weekly meeting with Tom Luljak. In the afternoon, I have my monthly meeting with Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska, my one-on-one with Dave Clark, my monthly meeting with Trudy Turner, a meeting with LabMidwest’s Matt Kirchner, my daily meeting with Dev and Laura, and a meeting with Chancellor Mone, Robin Van Harpen, and Sue Weslow to discuss the 2030 Think Tank report.

Friday

Today, I have the final CMT Leadership meeting for the week, I’ll attend to administrative matters, and I have my usual “end of day” meeting with Dev and Laura.

Announcements

Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research

• The CCBLLR will be holding virtual office hours starting this week in Collaborate Ultra. They will be held Monday through Friday from 1 – 2:15 p.m. Feel free to stop by with any questions you may have about getting involved in your community.
• We are happy to announce that our Online Tutoring Program will have a summer session! In response to the changing educational landscape caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaborative of universities implemented online tutoring services to K12 students across the state of Wisconsin and beyond during the spring of 2020. UWM is continuing to support an online virtual tutoring program, which is a volunteer opportunity for all UWM affiliates: students, staff, and faculty. Register before June 8 for priority placement.

Electa Quinney Institute

The Electa Quinney Institute is working with a generous donor and the Harbor District Inc., to create sites for celebrating and reflecting on our connection to the place where we live. This will take the form of a Fire Circle on campus located on the green between Chapman and Enderis Halls and a Water Installation near the School of Freshwater Sciences. We are asking for input from all members of the UWM community. Thank you in advance for taking time to share your thoughts.

Library Services

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic closure, the UWM Libraries have continued to provide a high level of service to the UWM community in many ways, including the electronic fulfillment of requests for journal articles and book chapters through interlibrary loan (availability and delivery times have sometimes been affected by other libraries’ closure). More information.

Teams Tip

Using pop-out chat.

Take care,

Johannes