Office of the Provost

Provost’s Update

March 1, 2024 Friday Update

Good morning, colleagues. Here is the update from Academic Affairs.

Last week, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science Brett Peters, Interim Executive Director of International Education Jennifer Gruenewald, and I visited two of our collaborating partner universities in Taiwan, Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) and Chang Gung University (CGU). Both are top private research universities, and they attract students from across Asia. UWM’s collaboration with CYCU began in 2008 and our collaboration with CGU began in 2016. Since then, there have been opportunities for our students and faculty, along with CYCU and CGU student mobility to UWM.

Our visits to these institutions launched my primary international initiative: to identify our strongest college-to-college international partners that have the potential for multiple other colleges at UWM to join the collaboration. This will lead to what we are calling Strategic International University Partners. The goal is to deepen student recruitment, bidirectional student exchange, research collaborations, and innovative degree program collaborations. We identified quite a few potential collaboration opportunities that we will be sharing with the deans for discussions in various departments across UWM. I am working with other deans who have strong international partners to further expand and deepen our international collaborations.

Appreciations

I appreciate Teaching Professor Joan Shapiro Beigh (Business), who received a grant from Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute’s Pioneer Collaborative Curricula Program to develop a seminar course on “Data Analytics, AI and Innovation.” Well done, Joan!

I share my appreciation for Professor Jennifer Heinert and Professor Cassandra Phillips (both Arts & Humanities), whose book, Reaching All Writers: A Pedagogical Guide for Evolving College Writing Classrooms was published by Utah State University Press in February. Congratulations, Jennifer and Cassandra!

Mission Moments

The phrase, “It takes a village,” is generally used to describe the importance of community support in raising children. However, higher education also draws on many in the community in offering outstanding educational experiences. At UWM, Executives in Residence provide mentorship opportunities and lend their wealth of expertise to students and programs. The Lubar College of Business has eight Executives in Residence, and the Health Care Administration program has three. All of these talented individuals give freely of their time and help UWM realize its educational mission. I’d like to spotlight Jill Pelisek (retired Vice President of First Wisconsin National Bank/Firstar National Bank of Milwaukee) in the Lubar College of Business, who is “involved in mentoring activities with an emphasis on first generation students and students of color,” and Carrie Donovan (Chief Revenue Officer for Advocate Health and a UWM alum) in the Health Care Administration program. Department Chair Jennifer Fink notes that Carrie “has been a huge asset to both our undergrad HCA and graduate MHA programs. She has guest lectured and has mentored many students for the HCA 866 course, Leading Change and Innovation in Health Care Systems.” My thanks to UWM’s Executives in Residence and the campus leaders who facilitate these connections to our community.

Important Updates

I will be joining Chancellor Mone and Senior Vice Chancellor Robin Van Harpen for a virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, March 13 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. We will discuss the current environment facing higher education across the nation; 2024-25 budget planning; updates on 2030 plans and progress; student success and enrollment; and growing our culture of care. Questions can be shared in advance or asked during the live event by emailing uwm-townhall@uwm.edu. The meeting will be held via Zoom. If you are unable to watch it live, a recording will be posted on the Chancellor’s webpage. Join the town hall.

Special Announcement

UWM’s Length of Service Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 12 in the Union Wisconsin Room. At 10 a.m., you can socialize with awardees while enjoying coffee and pastries, followed by the ceremony at 10:30 a.m. More information, including the list of awardees (Chancellor Mone marks 35 years at UWM this year!)

Advancing 2030 Plan Priorities

Student Success

The UW Student Health Survey supports student success through better understanding the health and well-being needs of today’s students. From March 2-15, UWM will participate in the Universities of Wisconsin’s National College Health Assessment. The results of the confidential and voluntary survey will be used to support UWM students’ success by improving quality health and well-being programs and services. Please encourage student engagement by placing a survey flyer on your Canvas Course, or in your office/reception area between March 2 and March 15. You could also have a representative from the Student Health and Wellness Center give a brief 90-second announcement about the survey to your class, team, or student group. Contact Danielle Anderson (ande3246@uwm.edu) to arrange a time. More information.

Curricular Innovation

M-Cubed colleagues gathered to explore curriculum alignment, and how best to embrace and enhance soft skills across our educational ecosystem on Friday, February 16. Participants brought their syllabus or course outline to collectively explore and compare content of similar courses. They reflected on high-impact assignments that emphasize and nurture the soft skills we aim to instill in our students. Steve Martin, CHRO at Marcus and an M-Cubed Business Council member, provided opening remarks on the importance of soft skills from the employer’s perspective.

Inclusion and Diversity

Women’s and Gender Studies will host the annual WGS Scholarship Award Ceremony on Wednesday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Union Wisconsin Room or on Teams. Awards include the MPS Student “Wisconsin Women Making History” essay contest, the Rachel Skalitzky Award for Undergraduate Research, the Eliana G. Berg Award for Graduate Research, and the Outstanding Project Award. The Casey O’Brien Outstanding Activist Award and the prestigious Florence L. Healy Scholarship will also be presented. More information with a link to join virtually.
Asia in Conversation

Hyejin Yoon (Geography) will be in conversation with Hyowon Ban (California State University Long Beach) and Seungyeon Lee (University of Central Arkansas) on Friday, March 15 from 3:30-5 p.m. via Zoom. The topic of discussion will be, “Navigating Asian/Asian-American Identity in the Midwest, Southwest, and West: Flourishing in Unfamiliar Terrain.” Information and registration.
“Memory Fields and Histories of Circulation” will be the topic of conversation between Dr. Kumkum Sangari, Vilas Professor of English and the Humanities, and Dr. Kavita Panjabi, former Professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, Kolkata on Wednesday, April 3 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the UWM Union Fireside Lounge and on Zoom. Information and registration.

The Friends of Art History Lecture features Matthew Rarey, who will present his talk, “Insignificant Things in the Archives of Atlantic Slavery,” on Thursday, March 28 from 4:30-6 p.m. in Mitchell 195. In his talk, Dr. Rarey suggests that mapping the visual culture of Atlantic slavery ethically requires engaging objects produced as challenges to, and archives of, their makers’ experiences of displacement and diaspora.

Workforce and Community

UWM TechTraining will offer a free Teams Calls Tech Training session on Tuesday, March 12 from 10-11 a.m. All TechTraining courses are free and held through Teams Live Events, no registration is necessary. More information with a link to join the course.