Office of the Provost

Provost’s Update

September 15, 2023 Friday Update

Good morning, colleagues. Here is this week's update from Academic Affairs.

A leadership principle advanced by Peter Block highlights the importance of establishing a personal connection with and among constituents (learners, colleagues) before diving into content. The idea is that establishing more meaningful relationships strengthens emotional connections, creates a shared sense of vulnerability that can lead to greater trust, and fosters the ability to be present in a more authentic manner.In Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations that Matter, co-authors Chad Littlefield and Will Wise discuss the value in connecting people to the purpose of why they are there. I challenge our outstanding and creative teachers at UWM to examine “connecting before content.”

Create opportunities during the first few weeks of class for you and the student to connect and for students to connect with each other. The students are enrolled in a course, and you are the instructor, so the common purpose is there. However, the common purpose should move beyond doing well in the course to include the development of meaningful relationships so students can rely on each other, rely on the instructor, and also for the instructor to rely on the student. In my research on relationship education, one of the pioneers in couple and family interventions, Dr. Lori Gordon, taught me the LOVE concept. It involves creating a Loop Of Vulnerability and Empathy. Create space in the classroom where your students can be vulnerable, and where you can immediately respond to their vulnerability with empathy. Your willingness to show your vulnerability to students, to share your human side, prompts students to respond with empathy. This loop of vulnerability and empathy (LOVE) strengthens meaningful relationships so that students will be more likely to let you know when they are struggling and more readily ask for help, enabling you to respond and support their needs.

Mission Moments

Angelo Stuart, Men’s Basketball graduate student, participated in a unique internship opportunity with one of our very successful and incredibly enthusiastic alumni, Mort Sayyed, CEO/Founder of Minlopro Partners. Named the PIT STOP program (Pro-in-Training), the program is designed to empower talented individuals and set them on a path to success. The goal is to provide a well-rounded experience, allowing interns to build networks, gain insights into Salesforce, and explore various tracks over 12 weeks. The intent is for interns to discover their passions, preferences, and strengths, while shaping their career. Angelo was Minlopro’s first official Pro-in-Training and completed the program this summer. He had a wonderful experience and is positioned to utilize his newly acquired knowledge and skills in the first steps of his career. Watch some interviews with Angelo.

Special Announcements

New Interim Appointments

I am very pleased to announce two new interim appointments in the Division of Academic Affairs resulting from recent internal searches:

Kristian O’Connor has accepted the invitation to serve as the Interim Vice Provost for Research and Graduate School Dean. Kris has served as Associate Vice Provost for Research for the past four years and has played important roles in the various facets of 2030+ strategic planning and implementation. In addition, Kris has valuable institutional knowledge through his work as former chair of the University Committee and former Kinesiology department chair. Kris is a professor of Kinesiology at the Zilber College of Public Health.

Jennifer Gruenewald has accepted the invitation to serve as Interim Executive Director for International Education. Jennifer will manage the five international offices—International Student and Scholar Services, Study Abroad, International Partnerships, Institute of World Affairs, and English Language Academy—and will assist me as we think strategically about opportunities to expand our international education efforts. Jennifer has led the ISSS for 20 years and brings a passion and expertise for international students.

Please join me in welcoming both Kris and Jennifer to their new interim roles!

Upcoming Provost Town Halls

The UWM campus community is invited to attend one of two Provost Town Halls, which will be held both in person and via Teams: Friday, September 29 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in Curtin 175 or Tuesday, October 31 from 9-10:15 a.m. in the Union Fireside Lounge. This will be an opportunity to meet me, learn about my priorities, and ask questions. Light refreshments will be provided. More information.

Advancing 2030 Plan Priorities

Student Success

Welcome back, Panthers! UWM welcomed students back to campus and kicked off a new school year with dozens of events. Check out the photo gallery.

Curricular Innovation

Exhibition, Art Works: Recent Donations to the UWM Art Collection, places the spotlight on curation and research practices at the UWM Art Collection and Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery, which are distinct in their accessibility to the public and their support of graduate and undergraduate training. The exhibition runs from September 18 through February 8, 2024.
Tricia Gallant (University of California-San Diego) will discuss Redesigning Assignments in an Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID) webinar on Thursday, September 28 from 12-1:30 p.m. Attendees should come prepared to work on one course syllabus and one assessment prompt (from the same course), and to leave with at least three concrete ideas for how they will modify their teaching practice to better assure integrity in a Gen AI world. Registration.

Research Advancement

Sandra McLellan (Freshwater Sciences) served on a U.S. national committee tasked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with reviewing community-level wastewater-based disease surveillance and evaluating their potential value toward prevention and control of infectious diseases. The report entitled, “Wastewater-based Disease Surveillance for Public Health Action,” emphasizes a vision for a nationwide surveillance system and offers recommendations for how it should be equitable, transparent, and actionable, among other important concerns to inform public health officials.
The editors of Criminology & Public Policy, a journal of the American Society of Criminology, announced that Aki Roberts and John Roberts (both Sociology) won the journal’s Best Paper Award for Later-Career Scholars this year for their article, “Clearing Crimes in the Aftermath of Police Violence.”
The UWM Libraries’ greatly expanded and renovated Archives Department is now open, providing the UWM community and others with modern and inviting spaces in which to pursue research and learning. An open house will be held on Wednesday, September 20 from 3-4:30 p.m.

Inclusion and Diversity

Explore choice galleries and take part in special art pop-ups across campus on Thursday, September 21 from 4-6:30 p.m. Events during the night will include an overview of star maps from the American Geographical Society Library exhibit, “Mapping the Skies: Celestial Mapping Through Time,” an out-of-this-world poetry slam, and starry views from Curtin Hall’s 9th floor galleries.
Panther Family Weekend is set for October 14-15, with the Panther Prowl 5K as the anchor. UWM would like to let students’ families know about any other events happening on campus that weekend. If your department or division has an event planned, please use this form to make sure it’s included in the Family Weekend lineup.

Workforce and Community

UWM is seeking input on the annual Length of Service Recognition Program, which recognizes employees for their years of employment at the university. The current program was developed nearly 25 years ago, and much has changed since then. A small committee is reviewing the current program, assessing its impact, and making recommendations for updates and improvements, based on feedback from the campus community. This is your chance to weigh in and suggest improvements. Take the brief three-minute survey to help guide recommendations.
Brown Bag: Copyright Fundamentals and Licensing – Learn how to protect your original work as intellectual property on Wednesday, September 20 from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center.