Office of the Provost

Provost’s Update

February 16, 2024 Friday Update

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

This week, I’m focusing on appreciating the exceptional work you’re all doing on campus. For example, instructors have an enormous impact on students, and at the end of last semester, CETL team members collected 150 notes from students, thanking UWM educators for making a difference in shaping students’ thinking and improving their lives. Messages included thanks to Andrew Kincaid, for his “willingness to engage,” providing “a bright spot to the semester,” and his “infectious and comforting presence.” Ruben Burgos was thanked for “being understanding” and keeping “class interesting with your stories.” One student shared that Brenda Cárdenas “genuinely changed my life,” made them “feel seen,” and allowed them “to see my past and my identity in a whole new way.” Christine Cheng was commended for “always guiding me and putting me in the right direction.” Cary Costello received thanks for “motivating us to see the world changing, and to see ourselves as the facilitators of that change!” Kennan Ferguson was thanked for “creating such a safe and comfortable place for all of us to discuss difficult topics” making class an “eye opener.” Thank you—your work makes a difference!

Appreciations

I appreciate Associate Professor Nan Kim (History), co-chair of the Public History program, for her selection as the recipient of the 2024 Morris Fromkin Memorial Grant and Lecture for her proposal, “Environmental Crisis and Social Justice in the New Nuclear Age: Reappraising the Legacies of Rachel Carson and Jonathon Schell.” Congratulations, Nan!

I would like to appreciate the College of Engineering and Applied Science for its selection as one of ten universities from across the nation to be funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to launch a Building Training and Assessment Center. I also appreciate Professor Ryo Amano (Mechanical Engineering), who will lead the project. The $975K grant will help UWM expand its expertise in clean-energy workforce development to students at technical colleges. Well done, Ryo and CEAS!

I appreciate Assistant Professor Mahsa Dabagh (Biomedical Engineering), who was awarded a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant by the National Science Foundation. She received $542K to build a virtual model of a real human tumor that can reveal biomarkers of cancer formation and stage, and also predict the likelihood of its spreading. CAREER awards are the NSF’s most prestigious grants for early career researchers. Congratulations, Mahsa!

I appreciate Associate Professor Erin Ruppel (Communication), who received a grant from Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute’s Pioneer Collaborative Curricula Program to co-develop a two-course sequence on the art of “speaking data” with a faculty member from Marquette University. Well done, Erin!

Important Updates

The Zilber College of Public Health (ZCPH) dean search committee is currently reviewing applications, and I anticipate on-campus visits occurring in the March 4-15 timeframe. The search committee for the dean of the College of the Arts and Architecture (CAA) has posted a position announcement that has a date of February 27 for the start of application review. Academic Affairs also has searches in progress for two positions that have oversight of critical campus functions: Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (focuses on faculty and academic staff personnel matters, professional development, leadership training, compliance reporting, and workload policy) and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (focuses on academics, assessment, and accreditation). I anticipate that finalist campus visits and hiring decisions for all positions will be made this semester.

I appreciate the search committee members who are contributing their time and energy to these crucial searches. Chairing an executive search committee is a particularly important service to the university, and I’d like to thank the chairs: Julie Snethen (ZCPH search), John Berges (CAA search), Jennifer Doll (Faculty Affairs Vice Provost search), and Prasenjit Guptasarma (Academic Affairs Vice Provost search). Thanks also to Tammy Howard, Assistant Secretary of the University for support on dean searches and Zoe Carballido in Human Resources for her support as well.

Special Announcement

UWM is working to support students with the latest FAFSA delay and is closely monitoring the progress of the FAFSA 2024-25 rollout after the Department of Education’s announcement last week. The department’s new timeline indicates that institutions would begin receiving FAGSA information in the first half of March—a month later that expected—shortening the time UWM has to assemble financial aid packages for students. Students have been notified of the importance of completing their FAFSA now and timely updates are being posted on the Student Financial Services website. Please encourage your students to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Students with questions may contact the Student Financial Services Center.

Advancing 2030 Plan Priorities

Student Success

The Center for Student Experience and Talent has several opportunities for students to meet employers, build their network, explore career opportunities, and volunteer throughout Milwaukee. Events are open to all students and transportation is provided to events taking place off campus. See a list of events.
Support U: Fostering a Culture of Support Workshop at UWM. The Dean of Students Office will be offering Support U workshops throughout the spring semester and invites all employees to attend. You’ll learn tools to identify and support students who may be experiencing challenges or crises, how to make referrals, seek assistance, and connect students to the Dean of Students Office case managers, as well as campus and community resources. Information and registration.

Research Advancement

The Pell Institute invites applications to join the editorial board for the upcoming volume of the Opportunity Matters Journal (OMJ). The OMJ is an open-access academic and creative journal where scholars, practitioners, students, parents, and community leaders involved with educational opportunity programs can share their research, reports, ideas, and creative works. The editors will be peer-reviewers tasked with assessing manuscripts for scholarly quality and adherence to journal standards. Application deadline is March 1.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Second Annual Race, Justice, Power Undergraduate Conference takes place on Friday, February 23 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. On behalf of the Honors Equity Team and UWM Student Involvement, you are invited to a day of research, creativity, and exploration on issues pertaining to racial justice. Judge Derek Mosley will present his keynote address, Blacks in History, at 11 a.m. More information . For questions, contact honors-antiracism@uwm.edu.
Exploring Global, Cultural, and Language Experiences of Deaf and Hearing Individuals , a panel discussion on the intersection between culture and language, with a particular focus on exploring similarities and differences between the experiences of diverse deaf and hearing individuals who have emigrated to the U.S., will take place on Tuesday, March 5 from 4:30 – 6 p.m. in the Community Room of the Milwaukee Public Library, Mitchell Street Branch. ASL interpreting and language interpretation will be provided. Registration.
The annual Stahl Center’s Woman of Valor Lecture Series features Grace Overbeke who will discuss The Many Mrs. Maisels: The History of Jewish Female Stand-up Comedians on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. in the Golda Meir Library, 4th Floor Conference Center and via Zoom.

Workforce and Community

The AFSA’s Annual Reception and Awards Program will take place on Thursday, February 22 at 2 p.m. in the LEC/Welcome Center. The Asian Faculty and Staff Association (AFSA) will recognize two UWM students for their academic excellence, as well as their commitment and contribution to the Asian community in the Milwaukee area. Additional highlights include community and networking; a live performance by Kevin Loh, a classical guitarist from Singapore currently pursing his Masters in Guitar Performance at UWM; and delicious food. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the AFSA student scholarship fund! RSVPs are welcomed. Read the AFSA Newsletter: Anniversary Edition, 2023 – 2024.
The Center for Student Experience and Talent is calling for career fair volunteers. Sign up below:

Check out UWM’s Annual IT Report! UWM IT publishes its annual report at the beginning of each year. It is meant to demonstrate the value technology support provides to campus.