Provost's Update: Friday, May 15, 2026

Office of the Provost

Friday, May 15, 2026

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

I am honored to be serving as the Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Over the past several years, including my time as Dean of the College of Community Engagement and Professions, I have had the privilege of working with faculty, staff, and students across many areas of the university. Those experiences have given me an even greater appreciation for the extraordinary dedication of our faculty and academic staff and their unwavering commitment to student success, academic excellence, and UWM’s broader mission.

I am excited by the opportunity to work collaboratively across campus to strengthen our academic programs, support our students, and help position UWM for a strong and sustainable future. I believe deeply in shared governance and in the importance of listening to the expertise and perspectives of the people who carry out this work every day in our classrooms, laboratories, offices, and community partnerships.

As we look ahead, we recognize that higher education continues to face significant challenges, including financial and political pressures, evolving student needs, and a rapidly changing landscape. At the same time, I see tremendous opportunity for UWM. Our university is distinguished by exceptional people, strong academic programs, a world-class research enterprise, and a profound impact on our community and region.

As Interim Provost, I am committed to leading with transparency, collaboration, and a steadfast focus on student success while supporting the faculty and staff who make our institution thrive. I am equally dedicated to advancing UWM’s research mission, ensuring that scholarship, creative activity, and community-engaged work remain central to who we are as a top research university and to the future we are building together.

Abdallah Benelmadjat, a PhD student in mechanical engineering, took the top prize in the “Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)” competition by explaining his research to a general audience in just three minutes and using only one static PowerPoint slide. Benelmadjat described building an AI tool that can take a simple written description and automatically create mechanical designs from it. His advisor is Professor Ryoichi Amano (Mechanical Engineering). Five other PhD competitors in CEAS were Omar Alsotary, Abul Borkot Md Rafiqul Hasan, Farid Rafie, Mohamed Abdelaziz Sayed Youssef, and Mohamed Youssef. To learn more, visit here.

Lu Yin, senior teaching faculty in the Chinese program at UWM, has received the 2026 Cheng & Tsui Professional Development Grant for Teachers of Chinese from the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA. Yin received the grant in support of her presentation at the 2026 CLTA Annual Conference, held at the University of Rhode Island from May 1-3, 2026. Her presentation is titled “Cooking Up Enrollment: How an English-Taught Chinese Cuisine Course Attracts and Retains Students.” To learn more, visit the 2026 Grant recipients.

The Provost’s Update will only be sent monthly during the summer. See more about dates, deadlines, and how to submit items.

Save the dates for Fall Welcome 2026! Faculty and staff are encouraged to volunteer to help welcome students to campus in August. There are over 350 shifts available. Some of these include assisting with move-in and the Class Photo, and taking part in various signature events. Link to sign up.

On June 2, UWM will launch a new Wi-Fi network for guests and retire the UWM Visitor Wi-Fi network. Faculty, staff, and students should check their personal devices to ensure they are not using UWMVisitor or UWMGuest. UWM-managed devices should require no change. See more information about UWM Wi-Fi.

Families looking for practical ways to encourage healthy eating at home recently received expert advice from Michelle King Rimer, who appeared on FOX6’s Real Milwaukee to discuss strategies for making mealtimes more successful—even with picky eaters. Rimer, a clinical assistant professor in the Nutrition & Dietetics program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health, shared realistic approaches parents can use to help children build healthier relationships with food. The conversation highlighted how small, sustainable changes can help families improve nutrition habits while reducing stress around meals, an issue many parents face. Watch the full segment.