Good morning, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.
Kudos
Winson Chu (History) was elected to the executive board of the Central European History Society, an affiliated organization of the American Historical Association. He will serve on the board until 2026 (serving successively as Vice President Elect, Vice President, President, and Past President). Congratulations, Winson!
Shangping Xu’s (Geosciences) project, “The Use of Pore-Scale Contaminant Transport Simulation Framework to Facilitate the Development of Next Generation Water Filters,” was selected for funding under the 2022-23 Ignite Grant Program for Applied Research. A total of $50,000 was allocated for use in this project. Well done, Shangping!
Junjie Niu’s (Materials Science and Engineering) project, “Recycling and Re-Manufacturing Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries Using a Green Technology, was selected for funding under the 2022-23 Ignite Grant Program for Applied Research. A total of $50,000 was allocated for use in this project. Congratulations, Junjie!
Bettina Arnold (Anthropology) presented an invited lecture entitled, “European Celtic Identity: Made in Greece?” at the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies in Athens, Greece on Thursday, April 28. Bravo, Bettina!
Lisa Hager (Arts and Humanities) was awarded a 2022 NEH Summer Stipend in support of their book project, “Transgender Victorians: Reconceptualizing Gender Identities in Nineteenth-Century British Literary Culture.” Congratulations, Lisa!
Leslie Vansen (Professor Emeritus, Peck School of the Arts) was named Educator of the Year by the Museum of Wisconsin Arts, recognizing her outstanding 42-year leadership in arts education at UWM and for her many contributions to the arts community. Well done, Leslie!
UWM placed second, along with UW-Madison, in the New Housing Division of the 2022 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. Mark Keane (Architecture) was the UWM faculty mentor. Kudos to Mark and the talented Architecture students!
Amy Olen (Translation and Interpreting Studies), Ermitte Saint Jacques (African and African Diaspora Studies), and Erin Winkler (African and African Diaspora Studies) are the recipients of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies’ 2022 CLACS Faculty Fellows. Their projects will focus on this year’s theme, Stories, Voices, and Perspectives. Congratulations, Amy, Ermitte, and Erin
Michael J. Mikos (Foreign Languages and Literature) read a paper, “The Motif of Water in Adam Mickiewicz’s Poetry,” at the II International Congress of Polish Literature in Cracow, Poland last week. Michael also received a Silver Medal Gloria Artis from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Cracow. Well done, Michael!
In the News
Maria Novotny (English) was interviewed for Real Milwaukee about National Infertility Week.
Milwaukee Athletics
Jake Williams has been named assistant coach for the Milwaukee men’s basketball team. He comes to Milwaukee following a successful two-year run as the head coach at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas.
The Week
Monday
I start the week with my standing meeting with Robin Van Harpen, followed by a Chancellor meeting, a UW System meeting, a BOR Education Committee planning meeting, and my weekly staff meeting.
Tuesday
In the morning, I have my one-on-one with Scott Gronert. In the afternoon, I’ll attend the University Committee meeting, then I have my weekly check-in with Dave Clark and Kay Eilers, my one-on-one with Chancellor Mone, and my standing meeting with Tim Behrens.
Wednesday
Today, I have the Deans Morning Meeting, a Board of Regents planning session, my monthly meeting with Jonathan Hanes, my standing meeting with Michael Doylen, a Dual Enrollment meeting, my one-on-one with Melissa Scanlan, and my monthly meeting with Kim Litwack.
Thursday
In the morning, I have a CEAS meeting and my biweekly meeting with Paul Klajbor. In the afternoon, I have a Campus Budget Planning meeting and a meeting with Regents.
Friday
Today, I’ll make welcome remarks at the Honors College Conference, then I have the WCTC/UWM Spring Partnership meeting, meetings with direct reports, and I’ll attend to administrative matters.
Saturday
This evening, I’ll attend the PALM (Promoting Academics in Latinx Milwaukee) Dinner and Graduation Gala in the UWM Ballroom.
Announcements
End-of-Semester Memo
My end-of-semester memo is available online. We’ve also condensed the information into a one-page summary.
Online Program Council
The OPC will meet on Friday, May 6 from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Teams. Agenda topics include Experiential Learning in Online Programs, Canvas Certified Educator Highlights, Cool Tools: Power Automate, and an announcement about academic integrity tutorials developed for Flexible Option programs that can be used in other online programs as well. If you have not previously attended an OPC meeting, please email Laura Pedrick (lpedrick@uwm.edu) to be added to the meeting.
Lunar Eclipse
Witness a total lunar eclipse on Sunday, May 15 at the UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium. Telescopes and binoculars will be set up near Engelmann field starting at 10 p.m., with the full eclipse occurring at 11:11 p.m. Free planetarium shows will also be offered every 15-20 minutes.
<Volunteers Needed for Commencement
The Secretary of the University’s Office is looking for volunteers to assist in getting guests quickly and safely to their seats during the May commencement ceremonies. We need assistance from 7-9 a.m. for the morning ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m.; and from 12-2 p.m. for the afternoon event, which starts at 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided between ceremonies for those willing to assist with both ceremonies. Please contact the Secretary of the University’s Office at secofunv@uwm.edu if you’re willing and able to help on Sunday, May 22.
Take a Moment with Students
Ask students how they’re doing—do an introduction for the entire class, acknowledging the challenges of the time—it’s a stressful time of the semester.
Transportation Services
- Transportation Services’ customer service desk will temporarily be relocated to the Peck School of the Arts Box Office (Theatre 130) while the Student Union is closed during the summer. Please see our website for details.
- Faculty/Staff parking permits and bus passes (both summer and 2022-2023) will be available for purchase starting today. Please check our website for details and pricing.
Reduce Your Chances of Being Robbed
The UWM Police Department would like to remind you that there are several things you can do to reduce your chances of being a victim of robbery. Remember, criminals tend to target those who appear to be easy marks. If they have to work too hard to steal your stuff, they’ll probably move on to something else.
Other
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs