Good Morning, Colleagues.
Here are this week’s updates from Academic Affairs:
Inauguration of Chancellor Mone
Congratulations again to Chancellor Mone who was inaugurated as our 9th Chancellor on Friday. It was a very special event and Mark, we just want to wish you all the very best in leading UWM!
Homecoming
UWM’s Homecoming is now under way (held from October 2-10). There are many ways to get involved.
Kudos
– A correction to an item from last week: Kris O’Connor, Kinesiology, and Brian Armstrong, Electrical Engineering, will be the main PI’s on a $1.4M multi-institution National Institute of Health grant, “An Innovative Tool for Assessment of Gait Dysfunction in the Clinical Setting”. UWM also received a subaward ($200K), and work on that will be led by Stephen Cobb (Kinesiology).
– Mark McBride, Biological Sciences, received $620K for three years from the National Science Foundation to explore two fundamental bacterial processes, cell movement and protein secretion, and the interactions between them. Congratulations, Mark!
– Gyaneshwar Prasad, also from Biological Sciences, received an award from the Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) program ($286K for 2 years) from the National Science Foundation to study nitrogen fixation by bacteria. EAGER supports “high-risk-high payoff” transformative research. Well done, Gyaneshwar!
– Clark Evans, Atmospheric Sciences, has been awarded $164K as part of a larger $2M multi-institution National Science Foundation grant entitled, “Big Weather Web: A Common and Sustainable Big Data Infrastructure in Support of Weather Prediction Research and Education in Universities.” The goal of this research is to develop and implement a distributed numerical weather forecasting system, the output from which will be used to study the predictability of high-impact meteorological phenomena. Congrats, Clark!
– Beth Schaefer, Director of UITS Client Services, has been awarded the EDUCAUSE 2015 Community Leadership Award. She will be honored at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, October 27–30 in Indianapolis. More information. Congratulations, Beth!
– UWM’s award-winning Panther Academic Support Services (PASS) is featured at the National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) 30th Conference that is being held in Milwaukee this week. Over 30 college learning center professionals are touring the PASS Centers and campus this afternoon. PASS Director Johanna Dvorak is one of three NCLCA past presidents delivering a keynote address. Conference details are at www.nclca.org
– We learned last week that UW-Extension received a request from White House staff to provide profiles of UW Flex students for a presentation to White House senior staff (including the Chief of Staff) on competency-based education. Profiles of two UWM Flex graduates in Nursing and Information Science & Technology were included in the briefing materials. Kudos to the entire Flex team!
– UWM is ranked #501-600 in the recently released Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2015-16. Now in their 12th year, the THE World University Rankings are arguably the world’s most prestigious and widely referenced university rankings. UWM’s highest rating is in the citations category.
New Appointments
– Ronald Perez, Mechanical Engineering has been named Interim Dean of the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, effective October 1. Ron has extensive administrative experience, both in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Zilber School where he has ably served as Interim Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs. Congratulations, Ron!
– Dr. Karen Parrish Baker was appointed as the Director of the Student Support Services Program (SSS), effective October 1 (this is federally funded). Her experience as a former Program Director for Student Support Services and years of evaluating multiple TRIO program proposals for the US Department of Education provides an excellent transition for the next Director for the Student Support Services at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Because she is a first-generation college graduate from a low-income family, she has overcome the types of barriers faced by project-eligible students. Congratulations on this very important appointment, Karen.
– Scott J. Strath, Kinesiology, has been named Director of the UWM Center for Aging and Translational Research. Scott has served as the founding interim director for the Center since 2013, and has been pivotal to its growth, with a mission to synergize campus on the topic of aging, and escalate education, research, and community translation for impactful work to benefit an aging society. Welcome, Scott, to this “new” role!
New Faculty
As I mentioned in an earlier update, a number of new faculty have joined UWM. This week we highlight the College of Engineering and Applied Science and welcome them to campus:
Jie Yu, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
Yongjin Sung, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
The Week
Monday
I begin the day with my weekly meeting with VC Van Harpen and then VC Laliberte. The Chancellor’s Cabinet meets and I have meetings with some of my direct reports. The Chancellor’s Enrollment Management Action Team (CEMAT) also meets; agenda items include reports on learning communities, advising work group, and scattergram data on criteria for admissions. Vice-Provost Phyllis King and I end the day by making welcoming remarks to National College Learning Center Association conference attendees.
Tuesday
The Deans have their morning meeting where we will discuss the recommendations from the Work Group on Undergraduate Advising. Gesele Durham will lead the discussion. I have a regular meeting with VC Borger, followed by lunch with Phyllis King and Hunter Boyland, Director of the National Center for Developmental Education, who is in town for the NCLCA conference. I’ll attend the University Committee meeting in the afternoon. Gesele Durham and I will also meet with the College of Health Sciences to discuss the College’s enrollments and retention planning.
Wednesday
Today is Black and Gold [spiritdays.uwm.edu] Spirit Day. There is a Budget Planning Task Force meeting (Chaired by Robin Van Harpen and me) and I also have a monthly meeting with Secretary of the University Trudy Turner. I continue my monthly meetings with the deans – today it is with Alan Shoho and Rodney Swain. The Academic Leadership Council meets (agenda items include Kognito, UWM Merit Guidelines, and UW System Travel Policy Changes). I’m also attending a reception celebrating the renewal of funding for the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), a National Institutes of Health-funded collaboration between UWM and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Thursday-Friday
I’m attending the Board of Regents meeting in Madison. UWM has no items for the Education Committee. The full agenda is available online. I’ll also be attending a luncheon celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Outstanding Women of Color in Education award.Friday, Gesele Durham and I also meet with Social Sciences to continue the discussion on enrollments and retention.
Saturday
I’ll be participating in the 11th annual Panther Prowl. I hope to see you there! Register at pantherprowl.net.
Announcements
From the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
– The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is pleased to announce the 2016 UWM Teaching and Learning Symposium to be held on January 13. Please consider submitting a proposal by October 30 to present, demonstrate, or discuss any topic that concerns teaching and student learning.
UWM Benefits & Wellness Fair
– The annual Benefits & Wellness Fair is being held on Wednesday, October 7 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Student Union Wisconsin Room.
From Global Inclusion & Engagement
– Nominations are being accepted for the UW System Board of Regents Diversity Awards in three categories: Individual, Team, and Institution/Unit. Up to $5,000 will be awarded to up to three winners (one in each category system-wide). Information and submission guidelines. Completed nomination materials should be emailed to award-submission@uwm.edu by October 30.
Ombuds Council
– The Ombuds Council is available as a resource to all UWM employees. Ombuds Council members are independent, informal, neutral, and confidential resources who provide assistance in exploring options to resolve problems, complaints, and conflicts at a preliminary and informal level. Individuals or departments/units may request assistance via a confidential website: https://uwm.edu/ombuds/contact/.
UWM Campus Week: 25 Years German Unity (October 5-9)
– The UWM German program and UWM Institute of World Affairs will commemorate 25 Years German Unity with a series of events, including films, lectures, a soccer match, as well as contests and prizes. Contact Jonathan Wipplinger at wippling@uwm.edu.
From the Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research
– The UWM/MPS Civic Engagement Working Group will hold its fall meeting on Tuesday, October 6 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Hartford Avenue School cafeteria. Please join UWM and MPS faculty, staff, and administrators for a quarterly discussion about how to create stronger partnerships related to civic engagement between our two large educational institutions. Please RSVP.
From Urban Studies
– Urban Studies Programs Fall Social Lecture, “Beyond Katrina: Strategies for Achieving Urban Flood Resilience,” with speaker Dr. Eoin O’Neill from the University College in Dublin, Ireland will be held Wednesday, October 7 in AUP 110 at 2 p.m.
From the UWM Libraries
– The fall 2015 issue of the UWM Libraries Newsletter is now available.
From Equity/Diversity Services
– Title IX Training will take place on Wednesday, October 7 from 10-11:30 a.m. in the UWM Union, Room 191. Open to all campus employees and students, the training will address issues such as sex-based discrimination and harassment. Registration.
Online Training Opportunity to Support UWM’s Student Veterans
– This 25-minute online interactive training program is designed to help faculty and staff learn more about military-to-college transition challenges, and offers helpful tips and resources for supporting student veterans.
To take the course, follow the instructions below:
* Go to: https://www.kognitocampus.com/login
* Create a New Account (create a login and password)
* Use enrollment key: uwm414
* Follow the on-screen instructions
* Choose your course and click “LAUNCH”
UWM Speakers Bureau
– UWM External Relations is excited to announce a new initiative, the UWM Speakers Bureau. The Speakers Bureau pairs UWM faculty, staff, and alumni with community organizations to share their expertise and spread the good work of UWM. Interested speakers should “become a speaker” on the Speakers Bureau website. Then community organizations can contact you to arrange a presentation. Sign-up today! Contact Keri Duce at klduce@uwm.edu with any questions.
From the Office of Research
– On Friday, October 23, UWM’s Second Annual Summer Opportunities in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine) Fair will be held in the Kenwood IRC building from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The fair will provide an opportunity for undergraduate STEMM students to learn about summer opportunities for learning outside the classroom, and to learn about career pathways in some interdisciplinary fields. Numerous booths will provide information on research and internship opportunities both within the University and in our community and business partners. Three panel discussions on water, health, and energy-related career pathways will address how students can prepare to work in these areas. Both the information booths and panel discussions will provide students an opportunity to talk with faculty, staff, and community partners about STEMM opportunities.
University Staff Conference
– Jaclyn Stoczanyn, the Chair of this year’s University Staff Conference, reminded me that the 2nd Annual Staff Conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 29. More details will follow.
Other
– South Africa won the first T20 against India and Arsenal 3 – Manchester United 0!
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs