Join colleagues from across UWM for Faculty Professional Development Day, a campus-wide opportunity to learn, connect, and grow. Designed to support faculty at all career stages, the event features three dedicated tracks: Teaching & Learning, Research, and Leadership/Student Success. Participants can explore innovative teaching practices, strengthen their research agenda, and develop leadership skills that support personal and institutional success. Through interactive sessions, practical strategies, and opportunities for collaboration, attendees will gain new insights, exchange ideas, and build connections with peers from across the university. Whether your focus is the classroom, research or student success, there is something for everyone.
Luncheon co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity and Academic Affairs.
Agenda
9:00 to 9:45 a.m. | OPENING GENERAL SESSION, EMS E180
Welcome from Chancellor Gibson
Provost’s Update: Academic Year Priorities and Strategic Initiatives. Interim Provost Tina Freiburger
Federal Student Aid Implications. Kay Eilers and Joel Spiess (SEMSS)
10:00 to 10:45 a.m. | CONCURRENT SESSIONS
EMS E180 | Teaching & Learning: Buzz-Worthy Engagement Strategies. Explore strategies to spark student curiosity, build topic relevance, and encourage excitement about learning. Sarah Riforgiate (Communication) and Ann Raddant (CHPS).
EMS E190 | Research: Grants and Contracts: Navigating Grants in a New Funding Landscape. A panel discussion and Q&A about new and challenging rules affecting federal grants, their impact on UWM researchers, and resources from the Division of Research available to support their work. Facilitated by Kate Mollen with panelists from the Division of Research, Keri Duce (Government Relations), and Jennifer Herzog (Legal Affairs).
EMS E145 | Leadership & Professional Effectiveness: Building Successful Academic Units. Faculty and academic leaders will share practices that have helped their units thrive, including understanding the roles of faculty, staff, and administrators; effective use of committees and administrative roles; workload management; course scheduling; curriculum development, and strategic planning. Facilitated by Jay Kapellusch (CHPS) with panelists Hobey Davies (Psychology), Amy Harley (ZCPH), and Pamela Harris (Math & OOR).
11:00 to 11:45 a.m. | CONCURRENT SESSIONS
EMS E180 | Teaching & Academic Programs: Strategies for Teaching and Supporting Online Students. Learn about instructional design services, the Online Growth initiative, federal regular and substantive interaction requirements, and campus resources available to support online teaching and learning. Natasha Jankowski (CASL) and Linnea Laestadius (ZCPH).
EMS E190 | Student Success: Strategies to Support Students in Distress. Learn to recognize signs of student distress, respond effectively to challenging situations, and connect students with campus resources that support well-being and academic success. Representatives from Counseling, the Dean of Students Office, and the Student Success Center.
EMS 145 | Research & Graduate Education: Supporting Excellence in UWM Graduate Education. Explore strategies for maintaining high-quality graduate programs through assessment, continuous improvement, enrollment management, program array planning, and practices that support student success and long-term program vitality. Bryan Porter (Graduate School).
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. | GENERAL LUNCHEON SESSION, EMS E190
Navigating Conflict in Higher Education. Conflict is a natural part of academic life. This session will explore strategies for addressing disagreements constructively and fostering a climate of support, care, and respect that enables individuals and units to thrive. Participants will also learn about campus resources available to help prevent and resolve conflicts. Chia Vang, Vice Chancellor for Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity, and Ben Schneider, Ombuds.
Luncheon co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity and Academic Affairs.
1:15 to 2:00 p.m. | CONCURRENT SESSIONS
EMS E180 | Teaching & Assessment: Good Assignments Make Good Assessments. Explore how assignment design can promote deeper learning, produce useful assessment data, and help faculty respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by AI. Natasha Jankowski and Lane Sunwall (CASL).
EMS E190 | Student Success: Navigating Challenging Behaviors. Explore approaches for responding to disruptive student behaviors while maintaining appropriate boundaries and supporting a positive learning environment. Representatives from the Dean of Students Office and the Student Success Center.
EMS E145 | Leadership & Professional Effectiveness: Promoting a Mentoring Culture and Research Excellence. Hear from faculty mentors and leaders as they discuss effective practices for supporting the success and advancement of faculty and graduate students while fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and research excellence. Facilitated by Bonnie Klein-Tasman (Psychology & Faculty Affairs) with panelists John Berges (Biological Sciences), Elizabeth Drame (Teaching and Learning & CEII), and Victoria Moerchen (Graduate School).
Registration Form
We’re sorry, this event has reached max registrant capacity. If you feel there has been a mistake, please reach out to advancing-learning@uwm.edu.
