February 8, 2024
As part of the work of the College of General Studies Transformation Team (CGSTT), UWM is providing regular updates as it works toward closing the Washington County campus by June 30, 2024. These will be provided every two weeks to CGS faculty and staff and have a dedicated section in the biweekly Faculty & Staff Updates newsletter. Other updates may also be sent, as necessary, in addition to this biweekly email.
Work Group Updates
Goal 1: Plan for the end of in-person instruction on the Washington County campus
The facilities subgroup of this team meets again this week to continue work on inventories of the Washington County campus’ physical assets, such as furniture and lab equipment. This will include determining the ultimate destination of UWM at Washington County items, a timeline for the move and the delegation of employees responsible for various aspects of the move. This work is part of the preparation for negotiations with city and county governments.
The Moraine Park Technical College agreement for UWM at Washington County students who wish to transfer to MPTC has been signed. The Student Transition Support group emailed students this week about detailed transfer options, along with information on the new agreement. Students are encouraged to speak with their advisors. In addition, two transfer fairs for students will be held at the Washington County campus in February and March.
The Higher Learning Commission requires that documentation related to student transitions be filed by March 1.
The Fall 2024 CGS schedule of courses is nearly complete. In late January, mandated nonrenewal notices were sent to staff, and potentially affected instructional academic staff members received courtesy notices. Affected staff were offered Human Resources consultations, and the deans and chairs met with each affected employee.
Goal 2: Explore the future structure of the College of General Studies (CGS)
The work group had a target date of Feb. 7 to make a recommendation about the future structure of CGS. The team will be making its recommendations based on both the university’s vision for the Waukesha campus and key enrollment and market research.
After discussion with the executive co-sponsors, the deadline will be extended so that Group 2 can benefit from the more in-depth market and enrollment analysis that will be conducted by the Goal 3 group.
In consultation with the Goal 3 group and the executive co-sponsors, the CGSTT co-chairs will identify a new Goal 2 deadline, which will be shared in an update.
At the next meeting, this team will think through specific information it wants to see in the Goal 3 final report and send those suggestions to group members.
Goal 3: Plan future programming, particularly at the Waukesha Campus
With its initial report submitted to CGSTT co-sponsors in mid-January, the work group is now gathering additional input from key stakeholders, including prospective, current and former students from the Waukesha campus, as well as leaders from K-12 schools in the county. Once the full report is developed, it will be shared in a later update.
The work group is drafting a set of surveys to gather this information to inform the next phase of the group’s charge. They will also be working with the Goal 2 group on revised timelines and data needs.
Goal 4: Develop plans for implementing any future decisions
The work group reached out to CGS advisors to collect existing information on career and degree paths so they can explore building pathways for other potential degree programs.
As the campus prepares to align Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS) and Bachelor’s General Education Requirements (GERs), the work group is working on an MOU-style document to ensure seamless transitions for Waukesha students.
Team members worked with CGS chairs to identify the list of CGS courses that do not have obvious equivalents in other UWM schools and will identify steps to incorporate them into a unified UWM course catalog in the future.
These written updates to CGS employees will continue through the end of the semester. This CGS webpage will remain the source of updated information, including copies of all previous update emails.