Good morning, colleagues. This is my final weekly update; with the pending transition in Academic Affairs, the Provost’s weekly update will be on a short hiatus. It’s been a terrific and momentous year in Chapman Hall, and I look forward to my return to the College of Letters and Science. We’re ending the year on a high note, and I wish you all a happy and relaxing holiday weekend!
2030 Feature of the Week
Several teams provided updates to the Faculty Senate this spring. Websites are now live for the College of Community Engagement and Professions, the College of Health Professions and Science, and the Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health. Student Affairs, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management/Student Success are working toward centralizing retention/emergency grants as well as increasing training and improving internal operations to better serve students. The Revising Curriculum Action Team has been regularly meeting as they continue to incorporate feedback in a revised proposal for General Education Reform.
Enrollment Management Feature of the Week
Small grants or other kinds of economic assistance can help students who may not be able to register for classes because of a financial hold. Students who leave UWM because of holds often do not return to pay bills. UWM began offering retention grants in the 2020-21 academic year as part of the Moon Shot for Equity initiative. The retention grants program, now overseen by the Office of Student Scholarships (OSS), has experienced an overall retention and graduation rate of 77% for grant recipients since the program’s inception, with more than 2600 students awarded an average award of $913 per student.
The most recent administration of retention grants occurred at the start of open enrollment earlier this month with intentions to positively impact course registration for Fall 2023. Grants were issued to more than 300 recipients, with student eligibility determined by a campus advisory group comprised of faculty and staff. A total of $500,000 was available for awarding, and all eligible students with 90 or more credits (senior standing) were able to be awarded. Course registration activity for the retention grant recipients is closely monitored with official outcomes for this round of grants available in fall. This work will continue in 2023-24 thanks to the recent $2.1M philanthropic gift to support key grant programs tied to the Moon Shot for Equity initiative.
Kudos
Bettina Arnold (Anthropology) presented and led a graduate-level seminar entitled, 7th Theoretical Seminar on the “Multifaceted Aspects of Ritual,” at the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens, co-hosted by University College Dublin, Department of Classics, last week. The title of her talk was, “Frequent Hearses: The Archaeology of Funeral Ritual in Early Iron Age West-Central Europe.” Well done, Bettina!
Congratulations to the second cohort of incoming freshmen who will receive the full-ride, Anu and Satya Nadella Scholarship. Ten recent graduates from Milwaukee high schools comprise the second cohort to be awarded full-ride scholarships to UW-Milwaukee to study computer science, data science, and information technology through a gift from UWM alumnus and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and his wife, Anu Nadella. Meet the young scholars!
Colleen Galambos (Social Work) was invited to participate in the 6th Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day (OAMHAD) Symposium’s spotlight session on Social Cohesion and Intergenerational Connections to Address Social Isolation. She presented with U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, as well as the Executive Director of Lori’s Hands, Maggie Ratnayake. The National Council on Aging and the U.S. Administration on Aging sponsored the program. Well done, Colleen!
Sandra McLellan (Freshwater Sciences) has received the first Lynde B. Uihlein Professorship in Ecosystem Health. The four-year appointment will allow Dr. McLellan to expand her lab’s exploration into new research on the evolution of bacteria living in urban water infrastructure. Congratulations, Sandra!
In the News
Rebecca Klaper (Freshwater Sciences) was featured on WUWM’s Lake Effect, in which she spoke about her new role as dean of the school and how the school continues to evolve.
The effort to ensure UWM students have access to meaningful, paid internships was highlighted in a news story on InsideHigherEd.com and included a photo of a UWM student intern working with a mentor at Molson Coors.
Milwaukee Athletics
The fifth episode of the “PounceCast” – the newest feature that provides more content and helps tell the stories behind Milwaukee Panther Athletics – is now available.
The Week in Retrospect
I began the week on a joyous note with the Black and Gold graduation ceremonies on Sunday. It is such a happy day for all, and we should be very proud of what we accomplished in helping these students to meet their goals and graduate. On Monday, I had my regular Academic Affairs staff meeting and followed up on Tuesday with Kay Eilers and Dave Clark discussing our recruiting and student success efforts. On Wednesday, the Chancellor and I met with leadership from the Medical College of Wisconsin to discuss our student-based partnerships. The highlight of Thursday was the Fall 24 Enrollment Kickoff event. The Enrollment Management team did a great job pulling the campus together to focus on recruiting and retaining students, with an eye on the start of recruiting for Fall 2024. The attendees came from across our campuses, highlighting how recruitment and retention touch everyone’s job at UWM. I end my week with a short meeting of UW System Provosts on Friday.
Campus Events
- Inclusive Teaching Toward Justice
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL) invites instructors across all disciplines to participate in the three-part Inclusive Teaching Toward Justice workshop series this summer to learn inclusive teaching practices in course design and classroom facilitation. Please register to reserve your space for these workshops: in person with lunch on July 11, 18, and 25 from 12 – 2pm OR virtually on July 12, 19, and 26 from 10am – Noon. Information and registration.
Something Different
As we roll into summer, check out some of the happiest places in the world.
Take care,
Scott
Scott Gonert
Interim Provost