March 7, 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 Student Transition Support Team completed the “Provisional Plan,” which focused on details related to student planning for the closure of the Washington County campus. It was due to our institutional accreditation agency (HLC) on March 1 and submitted on Feb. 28. Advisors will continue to meet with students, upon request, and will hold two transfer fairs at the Washington County campus to provide students with more information on transfer opportunities. The Feb. 29 event focused on UWM, and the March 13 event will include UWM and several other UW universities.
The Facilities/Moving subgroup is nearing completion of detailed inventories. Boxes and packing material, including color-coded tags, were delivered to the Washington County campus for faculty and staff to prepare their offices for moving. Items will be tagged with color-coded stickers indicating their location after final determinations by a core team assessing the inventories.
CGS, in consultation with Purchasing, the Office of Sustainability, University Safety & Assurances and Legal Affairs, is finalizing details for the agreement with the movers. The agreement includes identifying the transfer of items to UWM at Waukesha (beginning in March), while not disrupting instruction and student activities.
Goal Group 1 has scheduled a walkthrough in March with local/county government representatives to discuss the details of UWM’s exit from the Washington County building.
As part of the Goal Group 1 work, the CGS dean provides weekly updates to the faculty and staff on the move through the Dean’s Notes communication and, working with the campus administrators, will create a FAQ sheet for distribution.
Goal 2: Explore the future structure of the College of General Studies (CGS)
Goal Group 2 met to discuss ways to assist Goal Group 3 with identifying information and data that would be useful for Goal Group 3’s examination of the higher education needs in Waukesha County. The group will meet again after spring break.
Goal 3: Plan future programming, particularly at the Waukesha campus
Goal Group 3 is now examining responses generated from a recent student survey. The work group also is trying to determine how to reach out to other UW institutions to learn about processes at other campuses.
Goal 4: Develop plans for implementing any future decisions
Goal Group 4 has now identified the current Academic Pathways used by CGS advisors to guide students into baccalaureate programs and will continue to determine the need for Academic Pathways to link to additional baccalaureate degree programs.
Conversations and research about optimum tuition and segregated fee rates continue, with a focus on how to set in-person and online tuition rates, and how to administer tuition and segregated fees.
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.