Kudos

Michael Doylen (UWM Libraries) has been appointed Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect to the Wisconsin Association of Academic Libraries (WAAL), a division of the Wisconsin Library Association. Congratulations, Michael!

Melinda Kavanaugh (Social Work) has received a three-year award from the Federal Administration on Community Living (ACL) with the United Community Center, Alzheimer’s Association, Milwaukee County Department on Aging, and the Milwaukee Center for Independence. This is truly a community partnership with a total award of $984,899. Well done, Melinda!

Allison Kotowicz (Anthropology) has been awarded dissertation research funding from the Fulbright-Hayes program to conduct her fieldwork on conservation, tourism, and development in Tanzania. This is the first time we have had a student apply to this prestigious extramural fellowship in several years. Congratulations go to Allison and her advisor, Bill Wood, and thanks again to Sharon Gosz for her critical support to the application process. Anthropology (and UWM, of course!) is extremely proud of Allison, who is also a McNair scholar.

Integrated Support Services (ISS) update

As an Executive Sponsor of the ISS project, I regularly receive progress updates from the leadership team, including how Hub 1 and the Campus Technology Services or CTS (the IT component of ISS) operations are going, as well as planning for Hub 2. I am reminded that we cannot expect Hub 1 or CTS to reach their full potential for some time. Having said that, we are already seeing positive developments. Hub 1 and the Hub 1 schools and colleges have made it through confirmation of the October 1 paycheck, the busiest time of the year for HR work, which is a major accomplishment. ISS leadership are continuing to work through smoothing out HR processes and concerns in a few divisions. Nearly all customers of CTS who completed surveys have rated their experiences interacting with CTS as good or excellent. Three of the participating schools have received upgraded IT systems impacting file sharing, printing, and classroom services. Also, the loss of a couple of IT staff resulted in backfilling by other CTS staff that would not have been possible before ISS. Many thanks to all the Hub 1/CTS staff and the participating schools and colleges for their hard work and collaboration to date!

Milwaukee Athletics
Congratulations to Kelli Swenson of the Milwaukee women’s soccer team, who was named a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award® in NCAA Division I soccer. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Andrew Basler has been hired as the new head coach of the Milwaukee track & field and cross-country programs! Basler comes to Milwaukee following five years as the assistant men’s and women’s track & field coach at Central Michigan University.

Gary D’Amato, the longtime sportswriter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has joined the Panther staff as the feature writer for the Roar Report. D’Amato and his work will debut in the Fall 2018 Roar Report.

The Week

Monday

I start the week in the Library 4^th Floor Conference Center where I will make welcome remarks for the Justus Liebig University delegation from Giessen, Germany. The Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet has a deep dive meeting and the CEMAT Executive committee meets. I have my regular meeting with Mark Harris followed by my weekly staff meeting. This evening, I’ll have dinner with the Justus Liebig delegation.

Tuesday

I have the Deans’ Morning Meeting, a Campus Budget Planning meeting, a UW-Colleges Restructuring meeting, and my standing meeting with Peter Sands. In the afternoon, I’ll attend the University Committee meeting, a quarterly meeting of the Chancellor’s Committee on Hispanic Serving Initiatives, my monthly meeting with Ray Fleming, and the IT Advisory Council meeting.

Wednesday

I’ll meet with Brian Thompson, attend part of a space planning meeting, and then travel to UW-Parkside for the UW-System Provosts’ meeting.

Thursday & Friday

I’ll be in Kenosha for the Board of Regents meeting.

Announcements

Security Training

Just a reminder that the annual Information Security Training for faculty, staff, and student employees begins today (October 1).

Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies

Neal Pease (History) will present his lecture, “The Good Name of Poland: The Polish ‘Holocaust Speech’ Law and Its Historical and Contemporary Meaning,” on Wednesday, October 3 at 7 p.m. in Curtin 175.

Glory Road

On Thursday, October 4, the Office of Global Inclusion and Engagement, Milwaukee Athletics, and the School of Education will co-sponsor a viewing of “Glory Road” at 2:30 p.m. and a talk by Nevil Shed entitled, “Overcoming Adversity to become a Champion,” at 9 a.m. Both events will take place in the Union Fireside Lounge.

Korea Day

Korean American Faculty & Staff Association at UWM and Korean American Association of Milwaukee are hosting the 2018 KOREA DAY (한국의 날) Celebration on Friday, October 5 from 4:30 – 10 p.m. at the Helen Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. The celebration includes various Korean cultural events such as a taekwondo demonstration, K-Pop, traditional Korean percussion performance, and a chance to taste Korean food.

Fall Cleanup and Food Drive

The UWM Neighborhood Housing Office and UWM Food Center and Pantry will be hosting a Neighborhood Cleanup and Food Drive on Friday, October 5 from 12 – 4 p.m. Students will pick up garbage around the neighborhoods surrounding UWM. Cleanup participants are invited to bring items to donate to the UWM Food Center and Pantry. Rent College Pads will provide a prize to the student organization, or group of people, that brings the most items to donate!

On the Table

UWM is proud to serve as “super host” of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s On the Table event. The Office of Global Inclusion and Engagement is seeking attendees and table hosts for campus conversations from 8 – 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 9. Email V/C Joan Prince to confirm your participation.

When Your Word Becomes Law

The Non-Instructional Academic Staff subcommittee is proud to sponsor its annual Academic Staff Learning Breaks workshop for UWM faculty and staff. Join Patricia Clason (Center for Creative Learning) on October 10 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in NWQ G570 as she presents from her Successful Living Seminars, “When Your Word Becomes Law.”

Free Flu Shot Clinic

UWM will be offering an on-site clinic for free flu shots through the Well Wisconsin Program. This event is for employees and their spouses who are currently enrolled in a State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Plan. Pre-registration through your StayWell portal is required. No walk-ins, cash payments, or insurance payments can be accepted. For full details and registration, please visit the Flu Shot Clinic information page. If you need accommodations, please contact the Benefits Office at benefits@uwm.edu or 229-5353.

Recruiting New Ombuds Council Members

Are you interested in helping other UWM faculty or staff informally resolve conflicts?  The UWM Ombuds Council is currently seeking 10 volunteers from faculty and staff to serve on the UWM Ombuds Council. All UWM Faculty, Academic Staff, and University Staff are eligible to apply. You can learn more about the Ombuds program and current members and watch current members talk about the Council. Applications are due October 12. To apply, please send a letter of intent and a resume to Dr. Nadya Fouad at nadya@uwm.edu. Interviews will be scheduled after all applications are reviewed.

TIAA Financial One-on-One Counseling

Get additional answers about investing at no additional cost as a part of your retirement plan. Register for one of the free UWM sessions now or call 800-732-8353. RSVP today as space is limited. For more information or to request accommodations, contact Barbara Willkomm at 229-5353 or willkomm@uwm.edu.

Employee Appreciation Day

November 1 is Employee Appreciation Day at the UWM TechStore! Special offers include an additional $50 OFF MAC education price or $25 OFF IPAD education price. Add AppleCare to your iPad/Mac purchase for a FREE UWM logo sleeve. Purchases must be made on November 1. Pre-order by October 19 to ensure availability. Offer available for personal sales to UWM employees and students. The UWM TechStore is located in the UWM Panther Shop in the Student Union. Sign up for our newsletter!

New Leadership for Global Studies and International Studies

Caroline Seymour-Jorn (French, Italian, and Comparative Literature) is now serving as Director of Global and International Studies. Christine Wolf is currently serving as Assistant Director of both programs. Jeremy Booth will be working with the programs as Associate Administrative Specialist and is located in Pearse 163; his email is jabooth@uwm.edu. Global and International Studies, and its certificate programs are now housed in the College of Letters and Science (L&S), and students in both programs will be advised by the L&S advisors in Holton Hall.

Global Studies and International Studies students will continue working with Christine in organizing their overseas internships and study abroad course evaluations/planning. Please contact her directly at cawolf@uwm.edu for more information on the internship or study abroad portions of the Global Studies degree program or for study abroad course evaluations and planning for International Studies. Christine’s office is now located in Pearse 173.

Other

Boeing 747 celebrated its 50^th anniversary on Friday. It’s a fascinating story!

Even though I know John Reisel is a big Cubs fan, I still say, “Go, Brewers!”

Take care,

Johannes