UWM faces unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our top priority is the health and safety of students, faculty and staff as we plan fall classes, ramp up research activities and continue to engage meaningfully with the community.

But the pandemic also has had a major impact on our budget, which will require difficult decisions in the months ahead. Here is an update on the campus’s current financial situation as the start of the Fall 2020 semester nears.

For the fiscal year that ended on June 30, UWM has been anticipating an operating deficit of $15 million to $18 million, based on the net impact of pre-COVID-19 enrollment declines, COVID-19 refunds and expenses, and the state budget lapse at the end of the fiscal year. Very recent end-of -year information suggests that reductions to spending in the final quarter were larger than expected, such that this anticipated deficit may be reduced significantly. Final results for FY 2020 will be shared when available.

For the 2020-21 fiscal year, which started on July 1, we anticipate a net loss for the academic and non-auxiliary administrative units of $25 million to $54 million, without considering measures to cut costs. These units are funded mostly by tuition and state support.

We currently estimate an overall decline in enrollment of 5% to 10% for Fall 2020 compared to the previous fall, which will result in a reduction of tuition revenue.
In addition, the state announced a $250 million state spending cut last month, and UWM’s anticipated portion amounts to a 7.5% cut in state appropriations. UWM had anticipated additional reductions in state appropriations in FY 2021, so the latest spending cut has been accounted for in our planning. The state could increase that cut in the future, before the fiscal year is over.

Other factors affecting UWM’s budget include:

• Expenses for personal protective equipment, supplies and other health and safety measures related to COVID-19.
• Fewer students living in University Housing as we reduced capacity during the pandemic. As of July 29, we anticipate residence halls being at about 60% capacity in the fall. A smaller housing population means fewer students using dining and transportation services, reducing overall auxiliary revenues.

The university announced early in July a $25 million cut in academic and administrative expenses for the 2020-21 fiscal year. University-wide actions that started in the spring, such as furloughs and hiring and travel freezes, will help get us to that goal.

In addition, every school, college and division has been assigned a portion of the cut and asked to contribute savings from such things as reducing supplies and expenses, leaving vacancies open and instituting additional furloughs. Divisions may also consider layoffs where a permanent reduction in staff is needed, although the preference would be to shrink the workforce through attrition if budgetary savings can be achieved through other means.

For more information on the university’s financial situation, please view Vice Chancellor Robin Van Harpen’s remarks during the July 29 town hall for faculty and staff. Chancellor Mark Mone also detailed some of UWM’s budget issues in a campus update last month.

UWM has adopted a set of rules intended to keep the campus community safe by limiting the potential spread of COVID-19. All students, visitors, faculty and staff are required to wear face coverings, maintain social distancing and wash their hands. Following these guidelines will benefit students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Individuals who have a fever or other symptoms, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a health care provider, or have been recently been in close contact with someone who has the disease. should stay away until public health guidance or their medical provider permits returning. Students who meet the above conditions who also live in residence halls should contact University Housing to make arrangements for isolation or quarantine.

Everyone must remain at least six feet apart in all shared indoor spaces on any UWM property, and rules regarding the maximum number of people permitted in any space on campus also need to be followed.

Everyone must also wear a face covering indoors and outdoors when six feet of distancing cannot be maintained. Face coverings may be removed while eating, working alone in an office or by students in their own residence hall room.

All students and employees must complete online COVID-19 safety training and sign a pledge promising they will abide by all UWM health and safety rules. Anyone violating this policy may be subject to discipline.

Requests for exceptions to these rules will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Students requesting a modification to this policy due to a disability should work with UWM’s Accessibility Resource Center. Students requesting a modification for other reasons should contact the Dean of Students Office.
• Employees requesting a modification due to a disability should work with UWM’s Disabilities in Employment Coordinator in central HR following UWM’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy. Any other requests for a modification should be directed to the employee’s HR business partner.

UWM will provide a UWM mask to all faculty, staff and students on campus and will have additional masks available for those who come to campus without them. UWM will also provide hand sanitizer and engage in frequent cleaning of classrooms, elevators, and other frequently used spaces on campus.

Adherence to these guidelines will go a long way in keeping our campus community safe and healthy.

Procedure developed to provide PPE and supplies necessary for campus operations

The Emergency Operations Center’s PPE and Supplies Team has developed a strategy to ensure that UWM maintains a readily accessible inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential safety supplies during this time of extraordinary demand. This program is intended to supplement regular procurement by campus departments by serving as a strategic reserve for when PPE and supplies are difficult to obtain through regularly used vendors.

PPE and supplies are being purchased at a central level and will be distributed to any campus department in need to maintain essential operations. Individual departments will not be charged at least through Fall 2020. Contract and grant submissions are recommended to include PPE costs in award proposals if allowable by sponsors.

Units that need supplies will use a new PPE and Supplies Request Form. The request form is accessible only to UWM employees. The request form collects UWM division and department information.

Coordinate with your department/work unit and submit only one PPE request form. By reducing the number of forms submitted, the turnaround time for distribution will also be reduced.

PPE and supplies of relevant need and currently being purchased at a central level include:

• Washable cloth face coverings/masks
• Disposable procedure masks
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Disinfectants
• Gloves
• Safety goggles
• Face shields
• Disposable gowns
• Coveralls
• Respiratory protection (N95s)

Products not listed above will not be purchased centrally and should be procured by individual departments.

Additional guidance for PPE and supplies requests:

Hand sanitizer – Request various bottle sizes for offices, common areas, etc. Have large bottles (gallons) at reception/service desks and smaller bottles spread throughout office spaces. Locate hand sanitizer and disinfectants near one another.
Save hand sanitizer bottles and pumps when empty. They can be refilled or returned to environmental/custodial services staff for reuse.

Disinfectant spray bottles – Request two disinfectant spray bottles for each office area depending on the number of people who will use it. (General rule: Get one disinfectant spray bottle per five employees.) Locate hand sanitizer and disinfectants near one another.

Save spray bottles and triggers when empty and return to environmental/custodial services staff for reuse.

Disposable procedure masks – Although the expectation is that students, employees, and visitors bring their own cloth face covering/mask to campus or use the one issued to them, in the event they forget their own, the department/work unit or building should have a designated location (for example, a reception desk) with a box of disposable procedure masks available.

Washable cloth face coverings/masks (unbranded) – Request two cloth masks for every employee if required. (Additional information will be forthcoming on distribution of UWM-branded cloth face coverings.)

• 50% of the total occupancy of the location
• One person for every 30 square feet
• 250 people

• If a UWM department wishes to pursue an outdoor large-group event involving more than 50 people at a time, it must submit a request for review and approval to the Emergency Operations Center’s Special Requests Team at special-requests@uwm.edu.
• The Special Requests Team may require event organizers to work with designated venue management (see managed venues, below).
• The Special Requests Team will bring any recommendations to Crisis Management Team leadership for final approval.

Managed venues

• Peck School of the Arts venues (Art Building, Music Building, Theatre Building, Mitchell 254, Kenilworth Square East and Zelazo Center)
• UWM Student Union
• Golda Meir Library
• School of Continuing Education & Hefter Center
• Zilber School of Public Health
• East Lake Towers
• Klotsche Center & Pavilion
• Lubar Entrepreneurship Center
• Manfred Olson Planetarium

While more staff will begin returning to campus in early August and more campus facilities will be open, staff should not assume that their office or work location will be ready for occupancy on Aug. 1. For now, employees working on campus must continue to be designated as Essential Onsite Employees by their division heads, have completed the required acknowledgement related to that designation, and, if engaged in research, be working under an approved research safety plan.

Two important steps must be completed before faculty and staff who have been working remotely can return to their offices or facilities open for general campus community access.

First, departments must complete a Return to Campus Department Work Plan. Division and departmental Human Resources staff will coordinate this process, with supervisors/department heads submitting plans to their dean or division head (or a designee) for approval. Plans will be submitted via UWM’s e-workflow tool, Streamline.

Second, a building safety plan for each facility preparing to reopen for general staff occupancy or the general campus community must be submitted and approved by the Emergency Operations Center Building Preparedness and Operations (BPO) group. Safety plans for each facility should be developed by a designated building administrator or building chair who should draft the plan from a building-wide perspective, incorporating all departments housed in the facility and all uses of spaces into the plan. BPO members will conduct facility walk-throughs with building administrators and chairs to assess each facility and the safety plan recommendations. A building should not reopen until the safety plan has been approved, all safety-related facility modifications are complete, and required supplies are in place.

Completing these two steps ensures that divisional and department leaders understand how areas plan to operate as campus reopens and that critical campus departments such as Facility Services, Environmental Services and the UWM Police Department are aware and prepared to support buildings that are reopening. Once the steps are completed, supervisors and department heads will be notified, and they will notify faculty and staff.

A new onsite employee guidance document and training program is being developed. All employees will be required to view the online training, review the document and attest to having completed the process. More details about this process will be shared in the near future.

Face coverings required for all

Everyone on all UWM campuses is required to wear a face mask and maintain social distancing whenever possible. Masks are required when indoors, except when in residence hall rooms or private offices. Masks are also required outdoors in situations when 6 feet of social distancing cannot be maintained.

Public health authorities have determined that consistent usage of face coverings can greatly limit the spread of COVID-19. UWM is not the only institution requiring face masks. Similar rules apply at all UW System facilities. The City of Milwaukee and other local municipalities have begun requiring the use of face masks, as have several states and retail store chains nationwide.

A free UWM-branded face mask will be provided to students, faculty and staff at the beginning of the fall semester. Details on distribution will be provided when they are available.

For visitors without a mask, service/information desks and department offices throughout the Milwaukee and branch campuses will have a supply of disposable masks available.

There are a few exceptions to the mask rule, including:

• Where an individual’s own health condition prevents the wearing of the mask and the individual has received an approved exception from Human Resources (for employees) or the Accessibility Resource Center (for students)
• Where the individual’s work or school responsibilities prevent wearing of a mask
• When working in a personal office or other non-shared space, or in one’s own residence hall room
• Environments where hazards exist that create a greater risk by wearing a mask, such as engineering bays, or biology, research and instructional labs
• When performing physical exertion, such as manual labor, running and athletics training
• When in an indoor area designated for eating food and social distancing has been maintained

In all cases where a mask cannot be worn and social distancing cannot be maintained, alternative methods must be used to limit potential transmission of COVID-19.

Emergency aid for students

I am pleased to report that UWM’s reopening plan has been approved by the City of Milwaukee Health Department. As many of you know, the Health Department recently enacted more restrictive guidelines for when in-person classes may resume. We are the first college or university in Milwaukee to receive permission from the Health Department to move forward with a combination of in-person and online instruction.

I’d like to thank City of Milwaukee leaders, including Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik and her team of health professionals, as well as UW System President Tommy Thompson for working collaboratively with us on this issue. We share a common goal of doing everything we can to protect the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff while still meeting students’ educational needs.

I’m pleased that we will be able to continue moving forward with our plans for the fall semester. Our reopening plan is based on the Emergency Operations Center Report and detailed in hundreds of FAQs on our reopening website. Please visit that website for more information on what the fall will look like at UWM.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Town hall meeting next Wednesday

Chancellor Mark Mone and other campus leaders will hold a 90-minute virtual town hall meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29 especially for faculty and staff. They will provide updates on the university’s plans to reopen campus in fall and will answer questions.

Questions can be sent to uwm-townhall@uwm.edu. When submitting a question, please indicate whether you would prefer to remain anonymous.

The Fall 2020 Reopening website includes extensive information about plans for fall, including periodic updates, FAQs organized by topic and available to search, links to reports that include recommendations and more. Please check the website before submitting a question; it may already be answered there.

The town hall will be held via Microsoft Teams. The event can be viewed later at the same link. Live viewing with an interpreter is available by making advanced arrangements with Amy Hogle in the Accessibility Resource Center.

Microsoft offers instructions for how to view a Teams event and how to use live captioning during a Teams event.

The prohibition on university-sponsored travel has been extended to at least Aug. 23.

Effective July 1, individual airline tickets can be canceled in Concur or by contacting Travel Incorporated. Group block airfare tickets can be canceled by contacting Fox World Travel.

Because of the unpredictability of the pandemic situation, UWM’s Emergency Operations Center travel team will review and possibly update its recommendations on Aug. 1.

University-sponsored travel includes, but is not limited to:

• Travel on UWM-related business
• Travel that relates to an employee’s professional interests and positions, such as board or other professional organization roles
• Travel paid in full or in part by UWM
• Travel organized, endorsed and/or sponsored by UWM or organizations associated with UWM, such as student clubs
• Travel that involves academic credit granted by UWM

Limited exceptions will be granted for essential travel, which is travel critical to UWM’s mission, cannot be rescheduled and is for work that must be conducted in person. Public health guidance should be reviewed before requesting an exception.

To request an exception, faculty and staff must complete this travel exception form. This form should be used by employees, staff and those with UWM credentials engaging in university-sponsored travel. For travelers who do not have UWM credentials, please continue to use this form.

Exceptions will be managed and approved by Risk Management and designated campus leadership. This approach allows for an individualized review of relevant health and safety considerations for each requested exemption.

While travel is currently restricted because of the pandemic, budget concerns also will limit travel in the upcoming year. All nonessential travel funded through unrestricted funds is frozen through June 30, 2021. Once the travel prohibition due to the pandemic is lifted, travel funded through external gifts and grants may be approved by the division head, although use of funds that could be used for higher priorities is discouraged. Deans and division heads will be responsible for approving travel that is essential or funded through external sources.

Booking for future travel

Bookings of new university-sponsored travel is suspended until further notice.

Balancing child care and work

Some faculty and staff have wondered how the university will assess the productivity of employees who may have to care for children whose K-12 schools shift to remote learning in the fall. How will it affect promotion and tenure?

UWM understands that faculty and staff may encounter issues with child care or elder care as a result of changes related to the pandemic. Employees who may face such situations should contact their supervisor and their human resources representative. The HR rep can get guidance for the employee about the possibility of using accommodations provided by an expansion of the federal Family Medical Leave Act. The rep can assist employees through the process of requesting an accommodation or explain other options appropriate for each circumstance.

In March, Provost Johannes Britz released information about how to request either an extension of the tenure clock or academic staff probationary period due to pandemic-related disruptions. For more information, please read Provost Johannes Britz’s update from March 30 or go to the FAQs about the tenure clock and academic staff probationary period.

• Events will have capacity limits in compliance with CDC and/or local guidelines.
• Advanced ticketing for events will be highly encouraged and will be required for some activities. This may include assigned seating within event spaces.
• Food and beverage service for special events will be discouraged and strictly limited when it is approved.

The EOC-PPE and Supplies Team has developed a strategy to ensure that UWM maintains a readily accessible inventory of personal protective equipment and other essential safety supplies during this time of extraordinary demand.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies are being purchased at a central level and will be distributed to any campus department in need to maintain essential operations.

Individual departments will not be charged at least through Fall 2020. Information on supplies gathered now will be used for future planning purposes, including costs, needs and chargeback rates for those items. When a decision is made to begin charging for the items, a university-wide communication will be shared. Contract and grant submissions should include PPE costs in award proposals if allowable by sponsors.

Units that need supplies will use a new PPE and Supplies Request Form: uwm.edu/ppe. The request form is accessible only to UWM employees. The request form collects UWM division and department information, and has the capability to display prices and itemize orders so a chargeback system can be easily implemented in the future.

PPE and supplies of relevant need and currently being purchased at a central level include:

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Washable cloth face coverings/masks
• Disposable procedure “surgical” masks
• Disinfectants (disposable wipes and spray bottles)
• Gloves
• Safety goggles
• Face shields
• Disposable gowns
• Coveralls
• Respiratory protection (N95s)

Those products that are not listed above will not be purchased centrally and should be procured by individual departments.

If possible, coordinate with your department/work unit and submit only one PPE and Supplies Request Form. By reducing the number of request forms submitted, the turnaround time for distribution will also be reduced.

Faculty-led study abroad programs canceled

Given ongoing public health advisories against international travel, UWM has decided to cancel all faculty-led study abroad and exchange programs for the Fall 2020 semester.

Individual students may apply for an exemption through UWM’s International Travel Policy by filling out a Travel Risk Assessment form. However, please note the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 global travel advisory, which advises U.S. citizens to avoid traveling abroad because of the pandemic. That advisory has no defined end date. Also, most countries have travel advisories for people traveling from the United States.

Faculty-led study abroad programs for the Summer 2020 term, along with a summer seminar program at the United Nations in New York, have already been canceled.

In general, employees will return in this order:

• Researchers, per the stages outlined in the access to research plan
• Workers in academic and student support services as needed for essential summer activities supporting students and prospective students
• Employees who are needed to prepare facilities and operations for the return of students
• All other administrative functions and employees, in an order to be determined by campus leadership in consultation with the Emergency Operations Center and University Safety & Assurances, while noting that we do not expect all employees to be working on site during the fall semester

• Faculty and staff will be required to wear cloth face masks at all times, except when they are in a private office or outdoors with proper social distancing. Employees can use their own masks, or departments will be able to order masks.
• Meetings should continue to be held virtually when possible. If not possible, social distancing should be maintained for in-person meetings.
• In open office spaces, workstations will be placed at least six feet apart. In spaces that cannot be reconfigured to meet the social distancing requirements, supervisors will work with staff to set up alternate onsite work schedules or find alternative workspaces for staff to ensure distancing is met.
• In high-service reception areas, plexiglass will be installed. Excess furniture will be removed, and visual cues will be installed so that people maintain social distance.
• Break rooms and kitchenettes should generally not be occupied by more than one person at a time. Users should clean surfaces before and after using them. Food may not be brought in to share.
• In shared spaces such as meeting and copier rooms, social distance should be maintained. High-touch surfaces such as doorknobs and copiers should be cleaned before and after use.
• Basic cleaning supplies will be provided for each office space. Occupants will generally be required to clean their own spaces and empty garbage and recycling so that custodial staff can be deployed to student and public areas.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be available at the entrances to office spaces.

Parking on campus

Chancellor Mark Mone and other campus leaders will hold an online town hall meeting for faculty and staff at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 25. They will provide updates on the university’s plans to reopen campus in the fall and answer questions.

Questions can be asked during the town hall or by emailing uwm-townhall@uwm.edu. When submitting a question, please indicate whether you would prefer to remain anonymous.

The Fall 2020 Reopening website includes extensive information about plans for fall, including periodic updates, FAQs organized by topic and available to search, links to reports that include recommendations and more. Please check the website before submitting a question; it may already be answered there.

The town hall will be held via Microsoft Teams. The event can be viewed later at the same link. Live viewing with an interpreter is available by making advanced arrangements with Amy Hogle in the Accessibility Resource Center.

Microsoft offers instructions for how to view a Teams event and how to use live captioning during a Teams event.

Planning for Fall 2020

The chancellor and members of the Crisis Management Team are reviewing recommendations this week from the Emergency Operations Center and Scenario Planning Work Group, which were responsible for developing and evaluating options for the Fall 2020 semester.

The two groups include more than 100 faculty and staff from all UWM divisions, and their recommendations address both academic offerings and campus operations. Decisions on their recommendations are expected by mid-June.

Meanwhile, a new Campus COVID-19 Preparedness, Response and Planning Summary provides an overview of how UWM responded to the pandemic, as well as a look ahead.

Travel recommendations

The EOC Travel Team has recommended the current prohibition on university-sponsored travel be extended to at least July 31

The prohibition applies only to university-sponsored travel. Employees considering personal travel this summer are encouraged to follow applicable health and safety guidelines and advised to review the following:

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services COVID-19 travel page: This page provides information about travel within the state of Wisconsin and is updated frequently regarding self-quarantine recommendations by the state health department.
• Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 travel page: CDC guidance includes details related to travel in the United States and international travel, with specific FAQs. The City of Milwaukee Health Department recommends following CDC guidance related to travel.
• U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs travel guidance

It is also advisable to check your destination’s health department travel guidance and health guidance along your route. Plan to keep checking for updates as you travel. The CDC has a list of health departments.

Because of the unpredictability of the pandemic situation, the EOC Travel Team will review and possibly update its recommendations on July 1.

Commencement changed to virtual ceremony Aug. 16

In light of health and safety concerns, the spring 2020 UWM Commencement ceremony has been moved to a virtual celebration on Sunday, Aug. 16.

The university had planned an in-person ceremony on Oct. 10, but there remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding large gatherings as COVID-19 remains a threat in the community. Events that include large groups are still being canceled, including the September version of Summerfest. Public health authorities are still recommending social distancing and other safety measures.

The virtual ceremony will be streamed at a time to be determined on Aug. 16 and will be available for viewing anytime after that. Additional details about the ceremony will be shared soon. Questions about caps, gowns and regalia can be directed to Herff Jones Customer Service at 800-837-4235. General questions about commencement can be sent to secofunv@uwm.edu.

Community news

News updates

Libraries to provide contactless pickup

The UWM Libraries are excited to announce a contactless pickup service for books and DVDs at all library locations. Pickups will begin on June 1; students and faculty may begin requesting items May 27.

While the libraries assess interest in this new service, there will be a limit of five items at a time and one scheduled pickup per week per person.

Throughout this spring’s closure due to COVID-19, the libraries’ extensive digital resources remained available. This new service significantly expands access to the libraries’ books and DVDs, putting these materials back into circulation.

More information about the service and specific procedures can be found on the libraries’ COVID-19 announcements page.

For questions, please contact the circulation department at 414-229-4132 or libcirc@uwm.edu.

Intermittent furlough days

The first intermittent furlough (IF) date for UWM 12-month employees is on Friday, June 19, 2020, and the pay reduction for the IF date will be realized on the June 30, 2020, paycheck (for employees paid monthly) or the July 2, 2020, paycheck (for employees paid biweekly). The first IF date for 9-month employees is on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, and the pay reduction for the IF date will be realized on the Oct. 1, 2020, paycheck (monthly employees) or Sept. 24, 2020, paycheck (biweekly employees).

Human Resources has prepared a chart so employees can determine which paychecks will be affected by the scheduled furlough days and calculate the percentage reduction for each affected paycheck. More information on intermittent furloughs can be found on the Human Resources website.

To provide general information and address questions regarding IF, Human Resources will host two information sessions via Teams Live Events. The first will be on Thursday, June 4, 9-10 a.m. While all employees are welcome, the content will primarily be geared toward 12-month employees. The second event will be on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 9-10 a.m., and will be geared primarily toward 9-month employees.

To join the June 4 event, please click here.

A link for the Aug. 26 event will be provided closer to that date.

In the meantime, employees are encouraged to submit any questions they have about furloughs to HR-furlough@uwm.edu.

Community news

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Latest coronavirus updates
WISN: More than $4.4 million loss from Wisconsin State Fair cancellation
WUWM: Why haven’t thousands in state received unemployment relief?
WITI: First suspected cases of inflammatory syndrome in children identified in Wisconsin

News updates

UWM Report: Campus gardens growing again to help out during pandemic
Wisconsin Public Radio: UW System adminisration announces dozens of layoffs
WDJT: Psychology profs at UWM answer questions on mental health during pandemic
Vulture: UWM film historian talks about history of theaters during disease outbreaks

CARES grants for students

The university notified more than 8,000 students Tuesday that they will receive grants as part of UWM’s distribution of nearly $8.5 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. The federal money is intended to help students struggling with expenses such as food, housing, course materials and child care after campus operations were disrupted by the virus.

Each grant will be worth $950, and students are expected to receive checks within two weeks.

More than 6,000 grant applications were submitted by the priority deadline of May 12. CARES grants are being given to eligible applicants as well as low-income students who did not apply for CARES grants but are eligible. Low-income status was determined by Pell Grant eligibility.

Students who did not qualify for CARES grants have two weeks to request reconsideration. After that, the remaining funds — currently about $665,000 — will be distributed to eligible students who applied after May 12.

Failure to complete a 2019-20 or 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form was the most common reason students were ruled ineligible for a CARES grant.

More information about CARES grants and an application form are available on the Dean of Students website.

Planning underway for fall semester

As we wrap up spring semester amid unprecedented circumstances, you may be wondering what UWM will look like in the fall. Campus leaders have been looking at every aspect of college life and the best ways to deliver a top-flight education in a safe way.

Much depends on circumstances out of our control: Has the pandemic receded? Will it come back? What social distancing measures will be in place? How much testing capacity will there be?

We can’t wait for all the answers, so we are planning for the most likely scenarios:

• School starts with mostly in-person instruction, albeit with social distancing and other safety measures in place, along with some classes being taught online.
• School starts in the fall mostly online, along with some face-to-face classroom instruction.
• Fall instruction is entirely online, with the possibility that it will remain so next spring.

Decisions on how to offer classes will be made with two primary considerations: how to provide the best possible education for students, and how to provide a safe environment for students, faculty and staff.

Face-to-face learning will likely be different. Classes will be planned to allow for proper social distancing. Large lecture courses might remain online. Furniture in the libraries, dining areas, UWM Student Union and other places might be placed farther apart. Facilities will undergo more frequent disinfection.

In every scenario, online learning will continue to play an important role. UWM is a national leader and innovator in online educational delivery and research, educating more online students than any other university in the state of Wisconsin. UWM’s portfolio includes more than 700 online courses offered each semester and 40 online degree and certificate programs known nationally for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report has ranked UWM nationally as #31 in Best Online Bachelors Programs for Veterans and #48 in Best Online Bachelors Programs overall. Since COVID-19, UWM has further bolstered its capacity to deliver online instruction and is continuing to provide instructors with new and enhanced training in the best ways to teach remotely.

While we do not yet have all the answers regarding what the future holds, we want you to know that UWM remains committed to providing the best education possible and to communicating plans with you as decisions are made.

Dates of intermittent furloughs

A reminder that the dates of intermittent furloughs have been set and are as follows:
Twelve-month employees will take one furlough day on June 19, 2020. Intermittent furlough dates for the 2020-21 fiscal year are:

12-month employees

1. Friday, July 3, 2020
2. Friday, August 21, 2020
3. Friday, October 30, 2020
4. Friday, November 27, 2020
5. Monday, December 28, 2020
6. Friday, January 22, 2021
7. Friday, March 26, 2021
8. Friday, May 28, 2021

9-month employees

1. Monday, August 31, 2020
2. Friday, November 27, 2020
3. Monday, December 28, 2020
4. Friday, January 22, 2021
5. Friday, March 26, 2021
6. Friday, May 14, 2021

With few exceptions, all employees are subject to intermittent furloughs. More information is available on the UWM coronavirus website.

Resources available to help supervisors support their teams

We understand that faculty and staff are facing additional pressure and stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Support & Impact Team, a multi-disciplinary group led by Dean of Students Adam Jussel and including members from Human Resources, Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, has put together a supervisor “toolbox” aimed at helping supervisors support their teams during this difficult time.

The toolbox can be found on the UWM Human Resources website.
The CS&I team also produces a weekly Wellness Wednesday email, designed to provide good news and valuable staff wellness information. Please click here to sign up for the Wellness Wednesday emails.

Community news

News updates

How UWM intends to use CARES Act institutional funding

Under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, UWM was allotted $16.9 million for pandemic relief. Half of that is going to students in emergency aid grants. The other half can be used by the institution to cover costs associated with the pandemic.

UWM intends to use the vast majority of the institutional portion of CARES Act funding – almost 95% – to reimburse university units that provided direct refunds or other payments to students. The remainder will be used to cover additional expenses associated with transitioning to remote learning and work, including computers, headsets and remote grading/testing software.

The breakdown is as follows:

• Housing refunds: $4,100,879
• Dining refunds: $3,175,020
• COVID-19 leave payments to student employees: $630,000
• Additional hardware and software for remote learning: $446,686
• Parking refunds for students: $110,248

Free testing for COVID-19 offered

Free testing for COVID-19 is now available at two sites in Milwaukee. Testing will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, including weekends, at United Migrant Opportunity Services, 2701 S. Chase Ave., and Midtown Center, 5700 W. Capitol Drive.

The tests are available to everyone, but officials hope that anyone experiencing symptoms will get tested immediately. The tests take just a few minutes, and results will be available in about three days.

No appointment is needed for a test. Both walk-up and drive-through testing is available.

Those who need transportation should call 211 to be connected to a community health center that can provide transportation. Those with symptoms should not take public transportation to the testing sites.

Those who test positive will be contacted by health officials and contact tracers to determine who they had contact with. Officials are asking anyone who has had contact with someone with COVID-19 to self-isolate.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I write today to share updates on our planning and the processes we are using to create a new UWM. It’s fair to say that – thanks to your help – UWM handled the initial six weeks of this pandemic with immediacy, prioritizing the protection of students and employees, and communicating at unprecedented levels and frequency. We must now think ahead and prepare for the future with a spirit of doing whatever it takes to safely continue our academic, educational, research and engagement mission.

You have probably heard, “life can change in the blink of an eye.” In just the last week, UWM experienced changes with funding, furloughs and launching our planning for how UWM will operate in the fall. In light of cataclysmic change at both personal and societal levels, people are asking, “How do we get back to where we were?” The answer is, we won’t. As Panthers, what we must ask instead is, “What is needed for the future of UWM, for our students, faculty and staff, and the larger communities that we serve?”

I am proud of the valiant actions at each of our campuses to manage the disruptions and engage so meaningfully during this pandemic. From converting classes online, moving students out of residence halls, learning how to meet and work remotely, and becoming accustomed to operating around the clock to decide upon new courses of action, you have all responded admirably. Special recognition is deserved for our researchers and volunteers so diligently working on COVID-19. As but one example, Engineering Professor Konstantin Sobolev is leading a team of researchers that’s creating a spray that could protect surfaces from contamination. Other researchers from several of our schools and colleges are actively fighting the coronavirus, along with campus teams volunteering for PPE supply drives and other important activities.

These efforts – and more importantly, the people behind them – have my deepest appreciation and thanks. So many of our faculty and staff are part of the solution. I am confident that we have the right people and processes to help us succeed.

Years into the future, we will look back at the tumultuous change and how our people rose to the occasion with ingenuity, fearlessness and humanity to transform UWM for what lies beyond COVID-19. We have come so far already with technological shifts, nimbleness and adaptability. I can see a time when we will marvel at what we have become and wonder, “Why weren’t we doing things this way before?”

That said, I also share many of your concerns about the future. There are no easy choices now. The pandemic is unlike a hurricane or forest fire; it will not be contained quickly and allow us to revert to the UWM we knew just a few months ago. And yet, there are some silver linings. Let me explain.

Historically, we have adapted quite well

Before COVID-19 dealt its devastation, UW-Milwaukee was facing enrollment, financial and operational challenges. Although higher education is not known for its agility to rapidly embrace change, UWM and the UW System (UWS) have historically adapted to best serve the needs of Wisconsin. Recognizing our major turning points of the past strengthens the resolve for where we are going.

Two major turning points come to mind. When the population grew dramatically after World War I, the Regents voted to discontinue college courses and instead focus only on the instruction of teachers. To meet that need, we began offering four-year education-related degrees and evolved into the Milwaukee State Teachers College. Less than two decades later, millions of veterans returned home needing civilian careers. The demand for higher education was overwhelming and the college was authorized to award more four-year bachelor’s degrees. Five years later, UWM became a doctoral research university. Each turning point was spurred by major historical events, and each time we rose to meet needs and advance positive change.

Our future’s turning point is now

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 represents a significant inflection point today, requiring accelerated creativity and change. What won’t change is our continuous engagement with shared governance and inclusion of key stakeholders as we continue to provide access to a high-quality education and top-tier engaged research. Building on our forward-thinking strategic directions, we formed and charged the Think Tank 2030+ work group to envision a different future. Composed of faculty, staff and students, including governance leads, this group was planning aggressively and developing recommendations when the pandemic struck. This group will finish its work soon, and many of its members are participating in the scenario planning group discussed below.

In my most recent (May 1) campus message, I shared our financial outlook. Last week, the UW System announced its Blueprint for the University of Wisconsin System Beyond COVID-19, which is also clearly a turning point toward the future. UWS’ blueprint is subject to Regent approval at a later date — presumably the June Regent meeting. I note that the UWS plans regarding program reviews do not include UWM. We had completed much work in this area well before the pandemic hit and will continue to review and refine programs through traditional faculty and staff governance channels.

UWM is preparing for the future

Looking ahead, we are engaged in extensive planning, deeply examining health and safety, financial and operational scenarios. Our goal is to open campus for students, faculty and staff this fall in the safest way possible given important factors. What does this mean, exactly?

Although we have not yet made a decision about fall, we are moving forward with several plans to get us there. We are looking at how we test for COVID-19 on campus, methods to track cases, enact definitive ways to social distance and – when needed – separate and isolate groups of people, and attain necessary personal protective equipment. There are a range of other things that we are examining, including plans for masks and sanitation, classroom cleaning, sanitation stations, traffic patterns on campus, accommodations for those who need them, and more. Many of our jobs will look different than they do now. Work groups are considering many possibilities, including:

• Hybrid face-to-face in the fall, with two versions:
  • Majority face-to-face instruction with some select courses online
  • Majority of online instruction with some select courses face-to-face
• Fall all online
• Online all year

Scenario planning work will conclude at the end of this month, and our goal is to decide about fall in early- to mid-June. We will drive these efforts and address logistics through June and July, communicating with you regularly. We have a responsibility to plan for the various scenarios with health and safety as the top priority, and we will defer to state and local health authorities. How and when we move forward thereafter is contingent on where the world is in midsummer. What will student interest be – how many will take a gap year or a semester? For those communities that “open” before ours, will there be a resurgence of the coronavirus that heralds a public health warning? Many questions remain.

More communications are forthcoming, and we are in the early planning stages for another virtual town hall meeting for faculty and staff in a few weeks. I encourage you to review the most up-to-date FAQs on our coronavirus website. If you don’t see your question answered, you can submit it via the webpage form or feel free to share your questions at uwm-townhall@uwm.edu.

As we look ahead, we know that UWM will not operate in the same way it did in the past. What got us to where we are today will not work the same way going forward. We need — and will create together— a new model for UWM. What will be constant is our commitment to students, our inclusion and our core mission that seeks to open doors to education, equitably and affordably, and to uphold research and knowledge creation and dissemination.

There is no doubt in my mind that UWM, Milwaukee and Wisconsin will need you to not only emerge from this pandemic but to ignite our economy. Our state will be hobbled without an educated citizenry that has 21st century skills and competencies and can think critically. Moreover, the research we do is helping to solve the most vexing problems we face. We have the right people taking the right steps to work inclusively with shared governance, faculty, staff and students to get us there. You have my most profound gratitude.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Furlough date changed

The original list of dates for intermittent furloughs for 9-month employees identified March 29, 2021, as a mandatory furlough date. Upon further consideration, to avoid disruption in instruction, that date has changed to May 14, 2021.

The dates for intermittent furloughs in fiscal year 2021 are:

12-month employees

1. Friday, July 3, 2020
2. Friday, Aug. 21, 2020
3. Friday, Oct. 30, 2020
4. Friday, Nov. 27, 2020
5. Monday, Dec. 28, 2020
6. Friday, Jan. 22, 2021
7. Friday, March 26, 2021
8. Friday, May 28, 2021

9-month employees

1. Monday, Aug. 31, 2020
2. Friday, Nov. 27, 2020
3. Monday, Dec. 28, 2020
4. Friday, Jan. 22, 2021
5. Friday, March 26, 2021
6. Friday, May 14, 2021

In addition, 12-month employees will take a furlough day on June 19, 2020.

More information about intermittent furloughs is on the UWM Human Resources website.

To comply with the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, UW System is providing an extension of when the COVID-19 leave may be used. The permissible reasons for taking this leave are identified in the UW System policy and include leave for the purposes of child care and COVID-related illness.

Previously, the UW System Interim COVID-19 Leave Policy granted employees COVID leave only until May 1, 2020. Now, an employee may use COVID leave up to a maximum of 80 hours (prorated for full-time equivalency) through Dec. 31, 2020. Any COVID leave taken between April 1, 2020, and May 1, 2020, counts toward the 80-hour maximum.

Employees on furlough (position-specific or intermittent furloughs) may not use leave to remain in paid status, including COVID leave. However, employees may use COVID leave for any of the reasons permitted in the policy when they return from furlough.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

The past two months have upset our lives in numerous ways. COVID-19 has taken the lives of 61,000 people in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have been infected. Since mid-March, more than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance benefits, including more than 440,000 in Wisconsin. And, we’ve all seen the headlines about the U.S. GDP shrinking 4.8% in the first quarter of 2020 – the largest decline in 12 years.

Closer to home and at UWM, we are not immune to these drastic trends. As individuals and as a university, we have responded with compassion, innovation, courage and determination. Your commitment to our students is remarkable. Thank you for the enormous energy you have exerted to create some academic and emotional normalcy for our students even as most of us are simultaneously trying to adapt in our own lives.

In the following materials, I share details of COVID-19 impacts on UWM.

Assessment of our current situation

As we near the end of the spring semester, we know that our campus operations will be minimal through July 31 and that our summer courses will be delivered online. We moved the May 17 commencement ceremonies to Oct. 10 and are working closely with public health authorities on the safest and best ways to resume operations. It is our goal to have campus courses, research and residential operations back in person as soon as realistically feasible, and we will do so in a safe, socially distant manner when the time is right.

Financial outlook

Even before the pandemic, we were confronting a budget shortfall of approximately $8-9 million spurred by larger than expected enrollment declines this year as well as additional pay plan expenses. We experienced $9-10 million in losses due to the pandemic-related refunds for lost revenues in our auxiliary units, such as housing, dining, and parking/ transportation. UWM will receive federal CARES funding of $8.5 million for the institution, which we will use to mitigate these losses. This week the Wisconsin Department of Administration announced a 5%, one-time funding lapse for 2019-20 for all state agencies, including UW System (UWS) institutions. We are awaiting confirmation of UWM’s portion but estimate it will be $6-8 million, which effectively negates the institutional portion of the federal CARES funding in terms of total impact to UWM. It is quite possible that the state will take additional budgetary action, in the form of an additional lapse or cut, in the next fiscal year. We simply don’t know at this time.

Between that and our projected revenue declines this fall, we have been examining every tool available to address these unprecedented and tremendous financial pressures. Our end goal is to take action that will allow us to emerge from this crisis as strong and best prepared for the new normal as we can be. Over the years, I’ve talked a great deal about how our workforce, salaries and benefits represent the largest expense to our institution. Regrettably, we will not make it through this situation unless we significantly reduce those expenses.

Furlough summary

Before instituting a furlough plan, we took swift actions early in this pandemic to control costs to protect our employees, including:

• Canceled university-sponsored travel
• Limited non-essential expenses
• Deferred or changed some infrastructure projects
• Increased efforts to retain our current students and enroll a strong freshman class
• Enacted hiring and salary freezes, with limited exceptions

These actions, however, were not sufficient to cover our financial deficit. Thus, we needed to take the additional step to furlough employees, both on a position-specific basis and intermittent furlough days for most employees. A furlough is mandated unpaid leave and is not a layoff or non-renewal. Since we are facing this challenge as a community, we are asking for a shared sacrifice among faculty, academic and university staff, with the largest contributions from our leadership and highest earners, as described below. We estimate that total savings from the furloughs described below will be about $9-11 million, and we appreciate everyone’s contributions to this effort.

As announced last week, UWM will implement the first phase of position-specific furloughs for employees who currently cannot work due to the disruption of campus operations, beginning May 4. These are employees who do not have the ability to work remotely and who have not been designated as essential to current, limited onsite operations, as well as employees in operations that were most immediately impacted by refunds to students and revenue losses. Most of the employees in this first group are furloughed through Aug. 31 but could be called back earlier as work is available. We expect that these furloughs will save about $2 million over four months.

Additional position-specific furloughs are set to begin May 16, with employees being notified by May 9. The employees included in this group will be those performing duties and responsibilities that are not mission critical at the present time, where budgetary savings can be achieved through furlough to help UWM mitigate overall anticipated losses. UWM successfully lobbied UW System to include partial furloughs in UWS policy, which allows some employees to work part-time and retain a portion of their appointment. Partial furloughs are considered where they are feasible operationally and can be accommodated safely, for employees working onsite. Once the population of this second group is known, Human Resources will share more information about impacts for employees, as well as anticipated savings from this group.

We are also now poised to begin implementation of intermittent furloughs broadly across most academic staff, faculty and university staff. Graduate assistants, student employees, post-doctoral fellows, non-FTE appointments, externally funded (i.e., grants) positions and those on H1-B and E-3 visas are excluded. Employees earning $15 an hour or less also will not participate in intermittent furloughs.

The intermittent furloughs will be implemented as follows:

Fiscal Year 2020:

All 12-month employees will take one furlough day on June 19, 2020.

Fiscal Year 2021

12-month employees will take the following number of furlough days, founded on base earnings

• $15/hour or less, and Graduate Assistants (TAs, PAs and RAs): zero furlough days
• Over $15/hour, up to $99,999 per year: eight furlough days
• $100,000 to $174,999: 12 furlough days
• $175,000 and up: 16 furlough days

9-month employees will take the following number of furlough days, based on base earnings

• $15/hour or less, and Graduate Assistants (TAs, PAs, and RAs): zero furlough days
• Up to $99,999 per year: six furlough days
• $100,000 to $174,999: nine furlough days
• $175,000 and up: 12 furlough days

The base eight furlough days (six for nine-month employees) in fiscal year 2021 will be scheduled dates. Additional furlough days beyond the base set are floating and may be taken in full or half-day increments.

Both Provost Britz and I will take 10% pay reductions and all vice chancellors will take a 6.16% pay reduction in fiscal year 2021. Employees making over $100,000 per year will have an option to voluntarily forgo furlough days above eight and opt for a temporary pay reduction instead. We estimate savings from intermittent furloughs to be about $7 million. Details on the dates of furloughs and other information is available in UWM’s Guidelines on Intermittent Furloughs with FAQs here and we will plan informational sessions in the coming weeks.

Other UW institutions have already issued or will be issuing furlough plans. Each institution is making these decisions based on individual campus needs, and thus, plans will not be comparable. UWM’s goals included: 1) To provide employment continuity and access to health insurance coverage for those going on position-specific furloughs; and 2) To outline a 13-month plan on intermittent furloughs that provides advance notice to affected employees for the coming year.

Planning for future

We are in the process of scenario planning for the year ahead – financially, academically and with a top priority on safety and health for our faculty, staff and students. Our goal, again, is to be operational, in person, in 2020-21 but we need to do so responsibly given unknowns and the possibility of future waves of the COVID-19 virus. Financially, the principal risks include having few or reduced students and activities on campus and the resulting enrollment and revenue declines. What makes this especially challenging is that we may be dealing with a hybrid situation in the process and costs of transitioning back from full online status, possibly with setbacks along the way.

Support for students: Chancellor’s Student Success Fund

As we all know, much we took for granted has changed over the past several weeks in ways we could never have predicted a few short months ago. Despite all the change and unknowns, however, we are bolstered and comforted by one certainty – UWM faculty, staff, alumni and friends are always ready to step forward and help.

Thousands of our students lost their jobs and much needed income as campus, restaurants, retail stores, and service organizations shut down. Their families, too, are experiencing lost jobs and wages. In the immediate aftermath of COVID-19, we turned to our faculty, staff, alumni and friends for the basic human needs of our students – assistance to pay rent, to purchase food and to acquire other necessities of life. We thank the hundreds who responded generously, allowing us to provide emergency financial assistance and food to nearly 1,000 students to date, with a waiting list for support.

Our students will continue to need emergency assistance and more – scholarships and other financial assistance – to allow them to complete their degrees successfully. With this in mind, today I am announcing my gift of $50,000 to launch a $1 million fundraising campaign for a new fund – the Chancellor’s Student Success Fund. I invite those who are in a position to help to join me and others in making a gift to what matters most – our students’ success. Details about the fund and how to give will be available soon.

Being strong – and realistic

I want to end with reflection of the hardships that you have faced and how heroically you have responded. Yesterday, several of us briefed some of the regents on our circumstances and how we are responding and planning. They shared very supportive comments about all we are doing and know the difficulties you have addressed. Please know that our campus leaders and I realize the burdens you may feel – stress, anxiety, hard work and burnout take their toll. We know that college students here and nationally face significant mental health issues, but we also know that faculty and staff are not immune to these pressures. Because the pandemic represents a long-term reality, I encourage you to pace yourself, reach out to colleagues, family and friends and stay connected. Please know that we have resources available through our Employee Assistance Program and, please see this piece about the need for self-care from UWM Psychology Department Chair Hobart Davies.

The magnitude of challenges we face from the COVID-19 pandemic are unlike any we have ever experienced, but we can and will overcome them. To do so requires difficult sacrifices from us all. We will need our combined strength and will need to dig deep for endurance for an unknown length of time. This is true of UWM, all of higher education, and the national and global levels. Rest assured, at UWM we will be steered by our strong sense of purpose for students, research and engagement and our guiding values. We are in this together and will meet what lies ahead head on.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Furloughs

As announced last week, UWM has placed on furlough employees who currently cannot work due to the disruption of campus operations. These are employees who do not have the ability to work remotely and who have not been designated as essential to current, limited onsite operations. As of Friday, 267 employees who met these criteria had been identified for furloughs. About 30 of those furloughs will be partial. The rest will be full-time. Employees are furloughed through Aug. 31 but will be called back as work is available.

A second group of furloughs is scheduled to begin May 16, with employees being notified by May 9. The employees included in this group will be those performing duties and responsibilities that are not mission critical at the present time, where budgetary savings can be achieved through furlough to help UWM mitigate overall anticipated losses. Once the population of this second group is known, Human Resources will share more information about impacts for employees.

CARES grants for students

UWM has received nearly $8.5 million through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help students who are struggling with expenses such as food, housing, course materials, laptops and technology, health care and child care.

To qualify for a CARES grant, students must:

• Have been financially impacted by the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. Eligible expenses include food, housing, course materials, laptops and other technology, health care and child care. Here are some examples of common expenses:
  • Signing up for home internet service to complete online coursework
  • Buying a laptop or other computer equipment to do coursework
  • Buying groceries after campus dining operations closed
  • Paying a fee to end a lease early or rent for an apartment the student is no longer living in
• Be enrolled in a degree or certificate program eligible for federal (Title IV) financial aid. Most UWM programs are eligible. Nondegree students are not eligible.
• Have filed a 2019-20 or 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to document eligibility to participate in federal (Title IV) programs.
• Have been enrolled in at least one in-person or hybrid class on March 13, 2020, when President Trump issued his “Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak” proclamation. Students who were enrolled exclusively in online courses on March 13, 2020, are not eligible.

If you know of students in need who meet these qualifications, please ask them to complete this short grant application. If they have any questions, they can email cares-grant@uwm.edu.

Please note that the federal CARES program is separate from UWM’s emergency grant program. UWM has already distributed $90,000 in emergency grants to more than 130 students, and we continue to raise money for additional aid.

Public records

As UWM is largely operating remotely, we remind you that written communications, documents and recordings created by employees and relating to university business must be retained and made available to the public upon request according to the applicable records retention policy, regardless of whether employees are working on campus or remotely.

Items created in Microsoft Teams, such as chats and recordings, are records and may be subject to public records requests. Work-related communications and documents created on non-university platforms, such as text messages, Gmail and Slack, also are records and may be subject to public records requests.  For more information about your records responsibilities during the COVID-19 crisis, please contact the Archives Department at askarch@uwm.edu or the Office of Public Records at public-records@uwm.edu.

Information security awareness training deadline

The deadline for UWM employees to complete the UW System policy-mandated information security awareness training is Thursday, April 30. Check your email for the initial message with the subject line “University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Online Training” from the email address donotreply@lawroom.com. If you haven’t yet completed your training, reminders have been sent out regularly, with the subject line “University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Course Status Reminder.” These messages contain your personalized link to access the online training course.

Community news

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Latest coronavirus updates
WUWM: For domestic abuse victims, Safer at Home can mean trapped at home
WISN: City gives businesses choice to open, most stay closed
WITI: Wisconsin Democratic Party to hold virtual state convention

News links

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No clear answers on when Wisconsin can reopen
UWM Report: Zilber students immersed in coronavirus work
WTMJ-AM: Chancellor talks about pandemic’s effects on UWM
Milwaukee Courier: UWM volunteers to help older adults

Building closures

Academic and administrative buildings will remain closed through July 31, 2020. This is a continuation of our current work arrangements, with most employees working remotely.

Essential employees who have received permission to come to campus for onsite work may continue to do so.

Other employees are permitted a short trip to campus to pick up personal items or work materials. They should work with their building chairs to schedule those visits.

Students who need to get into academic buildings to retrieve personal items should contact their instructors, who in turn should work with their deans to arrange access.

Length of Service

The annual Length of Service Awards ceremony has been postponed from April 29 to a fall date still to be determined. We want to thank all of our longtime employees for their service and look forward to celebrating your accomplishments with you when we return to campus.

Community news

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Latest coronavirus updates
WPR: Milwaukee Will Mail 300K Absentee Ballot Applications To Voters For Fall Election
Fox 6: Get ready to tee it up: 8 Milwaukee County golf courses to open Friday, April 24
Racine Journal Times: City Council approves round of small business grants, not loans

News links

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM research finds racial disparity in coronavirus infection, deaths
WUWM: UWM assistant professor discusses the difficulty of infertility, conception during pandemic
WMTV: UWM student, mother sew hundreds of face masks for local community
UWM Report: UWM research aims to test effectiveness of coronavirus screening tool

Dear Faculty and Staff,

This is a particularly difficult message to share today as we continue to see the catastrophic economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. UW-Milwaukee and every UW System institution face new and serious financial challenges. And, every day we are confronted with painstaking decisions that none of us wants to make but that are necessary to keep our campuses operating and to carry out our dual mission. These decisions hurt and we know they will have considerable impact on the people we care deeply about and on whom we rely to serve our students – our faculty and staff.

While UWM will benefit from $17 million in federal support through the CARES Act stimulus funding, half that amount ($8.5 million) is directed toward financial relief for students. We fully support that relief for our Panthers. The remaining funding will help UWM with its FY 2020 operating deficit created by COVID-19. Having said that, the operating and enrollment-related losses continuing into this summer and next fall, under the best-case scenario, are expected to be far greater. Most institutions of higher education are predicting, at a minimum, very significant losses in onsite operating revenues and enrollments, even if institutions are able to offer onsite instruction in the fall, a decision to be made later.

We shared the likely need for furloughs in my message to you last week and in comments from our leaders during the April 17 town hall meeting. We talked about how furloughs can help us to address the dramatic financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provost Britz and I have been in consultation with our governance leaders, deans, division heads, and others about the need for both across-the-board and position-specific furloughs on our three campuses.

A furlough is an unpaid, required leave of absence, either intermittently or for a specified consecutive number of days, during which the employee remains an employee of the institution. A furlough is not a layoff. We are using furloughs instead of layoffs because it is our goal to bring employees back to their positions when normal campus operations resume, and our revenue sources are stabilized. Furloughs also help us to preserve employees’ positions and benefits.

Position-Specific Furloughs

We are at a point now that we must move ahead with position-specific furloughs (PSFs). UWM’s implementation of PSFs is based on UW System’s Interim Policy on Furloughs. In the UWS policy, PSFs are referred to as “Consecutive Day Furlough Assignment.” UW System has published FAQs on its policy. PSF does not apply to UWM faculty. We will implement PSF initially over two phases.

The first group of employees will be placed on position-specific furloughs beginning May 2 through Aug. 31, 2020. Deans, division heads, and directors were asked to identify employees whose work cannot be performed remotely and who are not designated as essential to current onsite operations, as well as employees in units most impacted by our immediate financial losses. Employees who fall in this group will be notified by April 24.

The second group of employees to be placed on PSF include individuals who are performing duties and responsibilities remotely that are not mission critical at the present time. This will help achieve budgetary savings and mitigate overall anticipated losses to UWM. This group of employees will be placed on position-specific furloughs beginning May 16 through Aug. 31, 2020. Employees who fall in this group will be notified by May 9. Due to campus needs, some employees may be identified later than May 16 and would be furloughed for a different period of time.

For further details on position-specific furloughs, please see UWM’s PSF guidelines here. Supervisors will be in direct communication with their employees to share details and discuss individual circumstances.

Across-the-Board Furloughs for all Employees

We will implement a furlough plan for all employees beginning as soon as logistically possible and the details are confirmed, through June 30, 2021. We are currently looking at 8 furlough days for 12-month employees, with six furlough days for 9-month employees. There will be a higher number of furlough days for higher-income employees. Voluntary furloughs are also being considered. We are working through the details of these plans and will update you as soon as those details are available.

We anticipate additional financial challenges tied to the interruptions and uncertainties of COVID-19 before we see a clear path to recovery and returning to normal campus life. We hope to learn more by early summer about the pandemic forecast and the possible continued impact on instruction, housing and other operations in fall. As difficult as it is to be patient during this ambiguous time, I ask for your understanding and fortitude.

We are not alone in these struggles. Campuses across the nation are similarly grappling with these very same wrenching decisions. I am grateful for the thoughts already offered by shared governance leaders and other groups and the guidance they will continue to provide as we venture into difficult months ahead

As chancellor, I take responsibility for the tough decisions of today and for our future. Please know that decisions are approached in such a way to help us remain effective after passing through this COVID-19 vortex. UWM will support you and we will get through this together.

Best regards,
Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Outside Activities Reports

Faculty, academic staff and limited appointees in 50% or greater appointments must complete an annual Outside Activities Report (OAR) by April 30.

University staff are not required to complete an OAR.

Those required to complete an OAR must do so to be eligible for compensation increases, including raises included in the State of Wisconsin Pay Plan. Anyone who needs help accessing or completing an OAR should contact the Human Resources Business Partner/Prep who serves their school, college or division. That contact can be found here.

Event cancellation extended

Events on campus are canceled through July 31. A decision will be made on or before June 15 regarding events in August.

Travel restrictions extended

The suspension of university-sponsored travel has been extended through June 30. A decision will be made by June 1 regarding July travel.

University-sponsored travel includes, but is not limited to:

• Travel on UWM-related business.
• Travel that relates to an employee’s professional interests and positions, such as board or other professional organization roles.
• Travel paid in full or in part by UWM.
• Travel organized, endorsed and/or sponsored by UWM or organizations associated with UWM. such as student clubs.
• Travel that involves academic credit granted by UWM.

Limited exceptions will be granted for essential travel, which is travel critical to UWM’s mission, that cannot be rescheduled, and is for work that must be conducted in person. The recent extension of Gov. Evers’ Stay at Home order through May 26, 2020. and public health guidance should be reviewed prior to requesting an exception.

To request an exception, faculty and staff must complete this form. An e-workflow process is under development to streamline exception requests in the future, and more information will be shared about that when it is available.

Exceptions will be managed and approved by Risk Management and campus leadership, who also approve employees for on-site work. This approach allows for an individualized review of relevant health and safety considerations for each requested exemption.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold as does the relentless rate of change we are experiencing as individuals, families, colleagues, and as a university. Yesterday’s extension of the state’s Safer at Home order through May 26 ensures that our lives will continue to be very different. There’s no way around it. These are historically significant times that generations have never experienced. And, none of this is easy. How we respond in this unparalleled and ambiguous time will shape how UWM emerges from this global crisis.

We talked a great deal about change at today’s town hall meeting. Thank you to all who participated and for your questions. For those who could not join us live, I encourage you to view the April 17 town hall on YouTube. And, please know that we will be holding more town halls in the future.

As we discussed, UW System developed an interim furlough policy to help address the dramatic financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday afternoon, the Board of Regents executive committee approved authority for the UWS and UW-Madison, which have separate human resource policies, to implement furloughs. A furlough is an unpaid, required leave of absence, either intermittently or for a specified consecutive number of days, during which the employee remains an employee of the institution. A furlough is not a layoff. We are using furloughs instead of layoffs because it is our goal to bring employees back to their positions when normal campus operations resume, and our revenue sources are stabilized. The UW System’s interim policy document and FAQs can be found here.

The UWS interim policy includes authority to implement three types of furloughs: across-the-board, position-specific and voluntary. We will now quickly examine the details and options and will start planning for both an across-the-board furlough and position-specific furloughs. Details about voluntary furloughs will be developed later.

Across-the-Board Furloughs for all Employees

We will most likely implement a furlough plan for all employees beginning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. We are currently looking at eight furlough days for 12-month employees, with six furlough days for 9-month employees. We will also be requiring a higher number of furlough days for higher-income, 12-month employees.

Position-Specific Furloughs

This type of furlough would be applied to certain positions and it is likely that employees would be placed on furloughs in several stages. Some employees could be placed on position-specific furloughs as early as May 2, which is when COVID-19 leave expires. Areas to be examined for position-specific furloughs will initially include employees whose work cannot be performed remotely and who are designated as essential to current onsite operations, as well as employees in units most impacted by our immediate financial losses. Position-specific furloughs do not apply to faculty.

It is important to note that we are moving quickly to address the many details involved in implementing the UWS interim furlough policy. We know this is difficult and that you have many questions. In the coming days, we will have more concrete answers including UWM-specific FAQs and will share that information with you as soon as it is available. In the meantime, I encourage you to review the UW System FAQs, which provide significant details, and to communicate directly with your supervisors about individual situations and circumstances.

It is extremely unfortunate that we need to implement furloughs and I understand you have many concerns. There is support available for those who need it through our employee assistance program.

You have heard me say many times before that we are a university that cares for one another. We can weather this storm together by doing what we know how to do best – lifting up and supporting each other. We are Panthers and we are resilient.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Town Hall reminder

Chancellor Mark Mone invites all faculty and staff to a Microsoft Teams town hall meeting at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 17, to share plans and the latest actions taken in response to COVID-19. The chancellor will be joined by Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Johannes Britz and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administrative Affairs Robin Van Harpen.

The chancellor will host the town hall and share the big picture on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected UWM. Provost Britz and Vice Chancellor Van Harpen will provide academic, HR and financial updates. All will be available to answer questions.

How to Ask a Question 

You can share questions in advance or ask during the town hall by emailing uwm-townhall@uwm.edu. When submitting your question, please indicate whether you would prefer to remain anonymous. We have created a FAQ resource that is updated daily at uwm.edu/coronavirus. Please check this comprehensive resource before submitting a town hall question; there are hundreds of answers available just a few clicks away.

Accessing the Town Hall Meeting

Faculty and staff at all campuses are highly encouraged to participate by joining the town hall meeting here. A captioning function is available; see below for details. Live viewing with an interpreter is available by contacting Amy Hogle in the Accessibility Resource Center.

To view a playback of the Microsoft Teams meeting, visit the chancellor’s webpage. A YouTube video of the meeting will be available on the chancellor’s webpage within 48 hours of the town hall.

Need help with Microsoft Teams? 

Please see this UWM knowledge base article for Teams Live Events. Read this information from Microsoft to learn more about the captioning function.

Employee evaluations due 

UW System requires all employees to have an annual performance evaluation between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020. That deadline was extended to May 1, 2020, in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Supervisors who have not completed their employees’ evaluations should be mindful of this deadline. All employees must have a current evaluation on record to be eligible for pay plan increases, and supervisors must have completed employees’ evaluations to be eligible for their own increases.

Summer courses and fees 

We announced last week that all classes this summer will be offered online or through distance education. This decision was made to ensure that students could continue their education, even if physical distance was still required.

With this adjustment in course delivery, UWM has adjusted course and segregated fees.

All courses that follow the traditional summer tuition schedule will have a reduced segregated fee and a reduced distance education fee. These fees will pay for the technology to offer classes online and modified student services. We want to ensure that all students have access to campus support services during this challenging time. Most students will pay the same or less under this modified fee schedule than they would have paid in fees last summer.

There will be no changes for students enrolled in courses that are charged fees in lieu of tuition.

The university is committed to resuming in-person instruction as soon as possible, and we currently plan to offer in-person classes for Fall 2020. These classes would follow the standard tuition and fee schedule.

Community news

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Latest coronavirus updates
WUWM: For Domestic Abuse Victims, Safer-At-Home Order Can Mean Trapped At Home
NPR: What An ER Nurse Learned From Ebola Outbreak And Now COVID-19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Tony Evers signs coronavirus relief bill amid criticism of its treatment of first responders

News links

UWM Report: UWM Prototyping Center helping design reusable masks to aid COVID-19 first responders
UWM Report:  Friendly Caller Program offered for sheltered seniors
UWM Report: Audiology group holds emergency drive-through service for hearing aid repairs
WPR: UWM psychology professor discusses mental health care during pandemic

Dear Faculty and Staff,

It is heartening to share good news with you today – our May 2020 Commencement ceremonies are rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10. Our students deserve to celebrate their hard work, all-nighters, sacrifices and achievements. And, unlike any other graduating class in our history, this group has endured unforeseen and challenging circumstances spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We needed to consider many factors in rescheduling Commencement, including availability of the UWM Panther Arena, which is controlled by the Wisconsin Center District. The possible lengthening of social distancing guidance in Wisconsin also remains a factor we will continue to monitor.

One Ceremony or Two?

Traditionally, we hold two ceremonies in May due to the large number of graduates in the spring. At this time, we are exploring whether to hold one or two ceremonies on Oct. 10. I acknowledge that by October – several months after most will have graduated – that individuals will be busy with new jobs, graduate school, volunteer work, families and more. We are developing a student survey to help determine how many graduates will participate in the Oct. 10 commencement. We expect to send that survey to eligible graduates no later than the first week of May.

Please note that commencement is the celebration of students’ work, and eligible May 2020 graduates will still graduate, or earn their degree, on time.

I’d ask that all who have contact with eligible graduates to express your thanks and acknowledge the extraordinary patience, flexibility and added stress these students have faced – and continue to manage – during this pandemic. For you and our students alike, the impact of COVID-19 has been highly personal. I sincerely hope that many of you will be part of our Oct. 10 commencement, whether as volunteers or ceremonial participants.

Best regards,
Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Dear UWM Faculty and Staff,

As developments about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) accelerate and our spring break approaches, I am writing to inform you of a new interim travel policy. As a globally-engaged university, there are many from our campus communities who are involved with international education, research and outreach.

Effective immediately, UWM employees engaged in University-sponsored travel are strongly discouraged from going to, from, or through locations for which the U.S. Department of State or the CDC have issued travel warnings. Students engaged in University-sponsored travel are prohibited from going to, from, or through locations with travel warnings in place. Students will be sent a message in early March related to personal spring break travel and precautions to take.

Please refer to the interim policy for details on what is considered University-sponsored travel. Travel warning locations include places that are under a U.S. Department of State Level 3 or Level 4 advisory, a Center for Disease Control’s Notice Warning Level 3, or those locations additionally identified by the Provost as representing significant health or safety risks for UWM travelers.

I have asked the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs to oversee the implementation of the interim travel policy. UWM’s Infectious Disease Preparedness Team will continue to closely monitor the coronavirus outbreak and will provide regular updates.

For personal travel, we strongly urge you to monitor travel advisories related to the coronavirus outbreak as cases of the virus continue to emerge across the globe. This is a rapidly changing epidemic and the health and well-being of our campus communities is paramount.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone, PhD
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee