Good morning, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.
School of Freshwater Sciences Dean Finalists and Request for Feedback
We wrapped up campus interviews this morning with the final School of Freshwater Sciences Dean candidate, Carol Stepien. Earlier this week, we hosted candidate Rachel Havrelock, and last week we hosted our first candidate, Rebecca Klaper. Thank you to everyone who participated in the interview process with our three finalists for this position. Your time and effort in this important matter are truly appreciated.
To submit feedback for the three School of Freshwater Sciences Dean candidate finalists, please use the online feedback form. Candidate information and links to the open forum recordings are posted on the finalists’ page; you’ll find feedback details posted there as well. The feedback survey will be available until 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14 (NOTE: extended to Thursday, March 16). Feedback will be collected and presented to me in a format that does not reveal identity. Thank you in advance for your participation.
2030 Feature of the Week
As part of the Becoming Student Centric efforts, the M-Cubed Professional Development Day was held on February 17. This event brought together MPS teachers, as well as faculty and staff from MATC and UWM in math, English, and science to examine best practices to connect learning.
Kudos
Shana Ponelis (Information Studies) was awarded a fellowship through the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program. She will collaborate with the Department of Information Studies of the University of Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Congratulations, Shana!
Kudos to the seven UWM undergraduates who presented outcomes of their research collaborations to Wisconsin legislators and UW System administrators at the annual Research in the Rotunda event in Madison on March 8. The students (and their mentors) are Alexandra Kaja (Lisa Hager), Lily Pemble (Philip Owens), Alex Nelson (Seok Hyun “Joshua” Gwon), Claire Bolda (Dawn Erb), Weiling Xia (Xiaoling Ma), Dhivyashree Senthil Murugan (Xiaohua Peng), and Marina Slawinski (Priya Premnath). Well done!
In the News
Dan Egan (Center for Water Policy and Brico Fund Journalist in Residence) has been featured in multiple major media outlets to discuss society’s delicate relationship with phosphorus, which is the focus of his newest book, “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance.”
Bart Adrian (Atmospheric Science and Mathematics) was interviewed at length by WTMJ Radio’s (AM620) Libby Collins about his transition from TV to UWM.
The Week in Retrospect
I started the week interviewing our second candidate for the School of Freshwater Sciences Dean position and also attended a small meeting with some UW System Provosts and Office of Research staff to discuss next steps of the research aspects of the System strategic plan. There will likely be a large meeting in June with representatives from across the System to develop ideas aligned with achieving the research goals of the strategic plan. On Tuesday, I met with the UC and provided updates and discussed status reporting on mandatory training. Wednesday, I joined a meeting with Milwaukee Public Schools leadership focused on a new, case-based curriculum that is being launched at two high schools in the fall—it has had excellent success in 40 other schools across the country. I also had a chance to meet with the Distinguished Professors to talk about research and scholarship at UWM. On Thursday, I interviewed the last candidate for the School of Freshwater Sciences Dean position and had the pleasure of attending an event at the Golda Meir Library honoring UWM authors. I finished the week with an update from the campus space optimization group.
Announcements
- Schedule Change for Mandatory Training
Effective this month (March 2023), current UW System employees (not UW-Madison) will be required to complete reoccurring Mandatory Employee Training (MET) courses in March. Information Security Awareness training will be required annually in March; Sexual Harassment (Title IX) training will be required every three years in March; and Mandated Reporter training is required just one time with no requirement for retraining.Employees will receive email notifications when they are due to take the MET courses. To check for the status of your mandatory training, log into the MyUW Portal and click the Mandatory Training tile. Be aware that it may take up to 48 hours for status to display as complete. For questions, contact serviceoperations@uwss.wisconsin.edu.
- Campus Connect Suicide Prevention Training
UWM provides training to faculty and staff to help them learn to identify and support students experiencing crisis and distress. Employees are invited to attend in-person and webinar training sessions throughout the semester. Find more information and register at the Campus Connect webpage. For questions or to request a training session for your office, contact Lori Bokowy (labokowy@uwm.edu).
- TIAA On-Site Counseling Sessions
Meet one-on-one with a TIAA financial specialist on-site at UWM. Review your overall retirement savings portfolio; evaluate your investment choices and asset allocation; and discuss strategies to help protect your assets and future income. Information and registration. UWM Wellness page.
- Student Financial Services Survey
In early December, it was announced that UWM’s new Student Financial Services Center was open. The Center is the students’ go-to place for information and questions about scholarships, financial aid, and billing. Please share this with your students: Take a few minutes to complete a short survey on your experiences with UWM’s new Student Financial Services Center, as well as how you would prefer to receive information moving forward.
- C21 Wants to Know
The Center for 21st Century Studies is planning out the next three years of programming and wants to hear from you! Please take the time to share your work, research, and your thoughts on the pressing issues of our time in this survey.
- Panther Transition Leaders
Panther Transition Leaders (PTLs) will support students through their Panther Transition Experience in the week leading up to classes this coming fall. The PTL role is a short-term employment experience with high impact on both the students serving as PTLs and for our new students! It’s a great first/second step for students to build their leadership skills AND they will be paid $11/hour and move in early if they are living in university housing in fall 2023. Please take a few moments to nominate two or three students you think would be strong Panther Transition Leaders.
- Joanne Lazirko Award
Please consider nominating, or self-nominating, an exceptional teacher for the Joanne Lazirko Award, which recognizes innovation in the effective integration of learning technologies to promote student engagement and collaboration, active learning, and critical thinking. More information.
- Sad News
Environmental Services is sad to announce that one of UWM’s custodians, John Otis, passed away on February 21 after many health complications. John just celebrated 34 years working in Environmental Services on January 8. Throughout his years at UWM, John served several buildings on campus. His most recent assignment was in the Physics building, where he was part of a three-person crew. You couldn’t miss John when he was working in his area. He had an outgoing personality and made friends with everyone he met. John took a lot of pride in his work and was always willing to help out when asked. He will be greatly missed by one and all.
Campus Events
- Biometric Health Screenings
HR is partnering with Well Wisconsin to bring health screenings for employees to UWM’s Student Union. A biometric screening is a great way to get a snapshot of your current health status. The screenings are free with employees’ State Group Health insurance. Register at: webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin. Search by zip code to find a screening event near you. For additional questions, email benefits@uwm.edu.
- April 4th Supreme Court Election
Will this be Wisconsin’s most important contest ever? Congresswoman Gwen Moore explains what the Wisconsin State Supreme Court does and why it matters to you on Monday, March 13 from 1 – 3 p.m. in the UWM Union Fireside Lounge. Jeffrey Sommers (African and African Diaspora Studies) will provide opening remarks. Free and open to the public. Contact sommerjw@uwm.edu for more information.
- $20/hour Student Internships!
The College of Engineering & Applied Science is hosting a clean energy and clean water internships kickoff meeting for students on Thursday, March 16 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Representatives from 10 companies will be sharing information about the opportunities. Registration required for complimentary breakfast and lunch. More information.
- Online Program Council
The OPC meets on Friday, March 17 from 10:30 a.m. – noon via Teams. Agenda items include incorporating writing in your online courses to promote engagement, online tools for engagement, and interactive video. If you haven’t attended an OPC meeting in the past, please email Laura Pedrick (lpedrick@uwm.edu) for a meeting invitation.
- Master Chat
Stacey Nye (Director, UWM Psychology Clinic) sheds light on our fascination with real-life crime on Wednesday, March 29 from 10:30 a.m. – noon in the Golda Meir Library. Free and open to all. Information and registration.
- Cultural Competency Training Seminars
As part of the UW System Student Behavioral Health Initiative, this year’s Cultural Competency Training will be a three-part series titled, “Understanding, Connecting, and Supporting Autistic College Students.” All sessions will be conducted virtually, and recordings will be posted on the event website after the series is complete. Information and registration.
Something Different
On March 10, almost 150 years ago, Bell made his first phone call to Watson.
Take care,
Scott
Scott Gronert
Interim Provost