Academic Planning & Budget Committee – Annual Report – 2024-2025

Members:

Name	Rank	Department	Div	E/A	Term Ends	Email
Miren Boehm	FAC	Philosophy	AH	A	2027	boehmm@uwm.edu
Derek Counts	FAC	Art History	AH	E	2027	dbc@uwm.edu
Kristin Woodward³	AS	UWM Libraries	–	E	2027	kristinw@uwm.edu
Jarett Wilcoxen	FAC	Chemistry & Biochemistry	NS	E	2027	jarettw@uwm.edu
Peter Hinow	FAC	Mathematical Sciences	NS	A	2026	hinow@uwm.edu
John Roberts	FAC	Sociology	SS	E	2026	jmrob@uwm.edu
Hobart Davies, Co-Chair	FAC	Psychology	SS	A	2025	hobart@uwm.edu
Timothy Dunn	FAC	Arts & Humanities	GS	E	2025	dunnt@uwm.edu
Rebecca Freer	AS	Student Affairs	–	E	2025	bfreer@uwm.edu
Thomas LeBel 2	FAC	Criminal Justice & Criminology	PR	A	2025	lebel@uwm.edu
Ann Swartz, Co-Chair	FAC	Kinesiology	PR	E	2025	aswartz@uwm.edu
Swapnil Tripathi	FAC	Mathematics & Natural Sciences	GS	A	2025	tripathi@uwm.edu
Lauren Wieczorek	US	Geosciences (USC Rep)	–	o	2025	wieczlj@uwm.edu
Susan Stalewski	AS	College of Health Professions & Sciences (ASC Rep)	–	o	2025	sstalews@uwm.edu
Gillian Rodger	FAC	Music (UC Rep)	AH	o	2025	grodger@uwm.edu
Michael Newman	FAC	English (APCC Rep & GFC Rep)	AH	o	2025	mznewman@uwm.edu
Tina Freiburger	Dean	College of Community Engagement & Professions	x-o	o	2025	freiburg@uwm.edu
Paul Klajbor	Admin Officer	Academic Affairs (Provost Rep)	x-o	o	2025	klajbor@uwm.edu

Charter:

A1.05 Academic Planning and Budget Committee

1. Membership. Nineteen members as follows: six Faculty appointed by the University Committee, one from each of the five Divisions including at least one of whom shall be a senator, and one member of the University Committee; one Faculty elected by each of the five Divisions; the Chair of the Academic Program & Curriculum Committee; the Chair of the Graduate Faculty Committee; three members of the Academic Staff, two elected by the Academic Staff and one member of the Academic Staff Committee; one University Staff member appointed annually by the University Staff Committee; and ex-officio, an academic Dean and the Provost or designee.
2. Functions. Makes recommendations to the Faculty and to UWM Administration regarding (1) short range and long range academic plans for the University that are consistent with the mission, and (2) budget implications for these plans.
   1. Reviews long range plans regarding academic interests that are consistent with the mission of the colleges and the University;
   2. Consults with administration of the University and of the colleges over the budget model allocations;
   3. Advises Faculty on issues related to budget and its impact on academic program quality, student retention, and development;
   4. Reports to the Faculty Senate regarding both short and long range academic plans for the University that are consistent with the University mission and budgetary implications of those plans;
   5. Recommends and evaluates planning for new programs that are not the province of a single academic unit;
   6. Represents the interests of the Faculty to the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor and Provost regarding both short range and long range plans for the academic units and the budget implications of these plans;
   7. Examines those actions taken by the Board of Regents, UWM Administration, or individual units on campus that impact the overall short range or long range plans for other academic programs on campus and the budget for the academic units;
   8. Makes recommendations for Faculty action;
   9. Reviews University policies that impact the academic programs of the academic units and long range plans for these units;

Meetings:

The APBC met regularly and played a critical role in reviewing academic proposals, monitoring the budget changes and their impact, and advising the administration on pressing financial challenges. The committee consistently emphasized maintaining educational quality, supporting research, and protecting student opportunities in the face of budget constraints. Members were actively involved in campus-wide budget deliberations, ensuring faculty perspectives were represented in financial decision-making.

Over the reporting period, the APBC convened 15 times:

• August 22
• September 5
• October 3
• October 17
• October 31
• November 21
• December 5
• December 19
• February 13
• February 27
• March 13
• March 27
• April 10
• April 24
• May 8
• May 22.

Meetings were generally held in a hybrid format every other Thursday from 9:00–10:30 a.m.

Business and Approvals

The APBC reviewed and endorsed several proposals and program changes:

• September 2024: BS in Engineering: Accelerated Doctor of Physical Therapy (with UW–Platteville); Transfer of the Center for Inclusive Transition, Education, and Employment (from UW–Whitewater)
• December 2024: Proposal for PhD in Materials Science and Engineering
• January 2025: Notice of Intent for Doctorate in Social Work
• April 2025: Proposal to consolidate the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Department-like Body of Translation and Interpreting into the Department of World Languages and Cultures; Memorandum of Understanding between UWM and UW–Parkside for a BS–MSAT degree
• July 2025: Doctorate of Social Work

All proposals were reviewed with no budgetary concerns and were supported by the committee.

The committee was also informed in June 2025 of the closure of the Institute for World Affairs (IWA) program.

Major Themes and Discussion Highlights

Throughout the year, the APBC focused on five recurring themes:

1. Budgetary Concerns and Oversight
   • Ongoing engagement with the Provost regarding the urgent financial situation and budget model revisions.
   • Review of the Deloitte Report and the Activity-Based Budget Model.
   • Participation in annual budget planning meetings with colleges and administrative units.
   • Concerns about reductions in undergraduate student employment as part of budget cuts.
   • Updates from Business and Financial Services and Drew Knab on budget allocations, consulting costs, and potential federal changes to indirect cost recovery.
2. Program and Curriculum Oversight
   • Active discussions on APBC’s role in the system-required Program Array Review
   • Endorsement of new and revised programs (listed above).
   • Monitoring implications of workload expectations and departmental restructuring.
3. Program Closure Procedures
   • The committee discussed the procedure for closure of programs at UWM and discussed the development of a standardized closure proposal template. Work is ongoing.
4. Layoff Procedures
   • Legal and Human Resources representatives met with the committee to review layoff procedures for faculty and staff in cases of Financial Emergency or Program Discontinuance.
5. Strategic Campus Issues
   • Engagement with the Program Array Task Force chaired by Vice Provost Dave Clark.
   • Updates on the course evaluation system, General Education Reform (GER), and the Strategic Enrollment Management Planning process.
   • Provost updates on campus-wide budget announcements and the work of the Artificial Intelligence Taskforce supporting student success.

Committee Leadership

• 2024–2025 Co-Chairs: Ann Swartz and Hobey Davies
• 2025–2026 Co-Chairs: Jarrett Wilcoxen and Derek Counts (to begin August 2025)