Provost's Update: Friday, May 2, 2025

Office of the Provost

Good afternoon, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.

Last Thursday, April 24, the American Council for Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Carnegie Foundation) published the results of a new classification, Student Access and Earnings. According to the Carnegie Foundation and ACE, “By design, the Student Access and Earnings Classification identifies the extent to which institutions provide access to students from lower socioeconomic and historically underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds along with the degree to which the institution’s students go on to earn competitive wages in the context of their geographic location.”

UWM received a classification of high access and medium earnings. We have good company in this classification, including Wayne State University, Georgia State University, University of Northern Illinois, and Virginia Commonwealth University among others.

Earlier this year, UWM was again classified as the highest research rating, R1, a designation it has now received four times. Only 187 of nearly 4,000 institutions received R1 classification. UWM has also earned the prestigious classification of community engagement. Making us one of only about 30 institutions that are classified as R1, high access, and community engaged. UWM is the only university in Wisconsin with both high access and high research activity classifications.

This new classification by Carnegie confirms UWM’s mission as an urban-serving, high-access university that is dedicated to research and academic excellence. This is a testament to the work and dedication of faculty and staff across this institution. Congratulations.

Per the Carnegie Foundation, the access measurement looks at two data points: undergraduate students who receive Pell Grants and undergraduate students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, these data points are compared to the demographics for the areas that institutions serve. The earnings measurement evaluates former Title IV undergraduate students’ earnings eight years after they entered the institution and compares the median value to the earnings of a similar population in the locations that students are from. More information about the Institutional Classification and methodology can be found here.

Prof. Ching-Hong Yang (Biological Sciences) has been awarded a new $1.5 million USDA-NIFA grant to advance the commercialization of a novel biopesticide for citrus disease management. This project represents a major step toward commercializing an innovative, natural solution for one of the most devastating citrus diseases in the world.

Dean of Students Adam Jussel, Prof. James Topitzes, and student Jess Wener recently published an article “Trauma-Informed Care and Meaning of Work.” This article is based in work on Campus Cares—a project that has been significant in building a more supportive, sustainable culture at UWM. Campus Cares grew out of the crisis of the pandemic and this article shares research about how organizations can build resilience in times of crisis.

Assoc. Prof. Jennifer Kibicho, (Nursing), was awarded a fellowship by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to travel to Kenya to work on a collaboration project with Kenyatta University (KU) faculty. The KU project involves curriculum development of a dissertation seminar course for graduate student teaching, mentoring and support of both doctoral students and their supervisors on successful dissertation process. See more about this award.

Asst. Prof. Qingsu Cheng (Biomedical Engineering) is investigating why some breast cancer cells go dormant to hide from radiation treatment – only to “wake up” later and revive malignancy. Cheng received the Shaw Scientist Award from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to study why certain cancer cells survive radiation treatment by slipping into a “sleeping” state. More about this research.

Prof. Michael J. Mikoś (Ancient and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures) published "From Chaos to Order" (in the series "Masters' Prelections"). Białystok (Poland): Białystok University Press, 2025. He presented his membership lecture "Integrated philology as seen from across the ocean," at the Polish Academy of Arts and Science in Cracow (Poland) in March.

Assoc. Prof. Linnea Laestadius (Public Health Policy) recently provided her expertise on the impact of AI companions on mental health to CBS 58 News in Milwaukee. Watch the segment. Laestadius co-authored a study that shows that AI companions can help with depression, social anxiety, and loneliness.

Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Summit: following a year of development, Associate Vice Chancellor Kay Eilers and colleagues will share the details of the SEM planning process that will guide the university’s recruitment, retention, and student success efforts through 2030. Please register to join the SEM Summit on Tuesday, June 3, from 9:00-10:30 a.m. in Bolton 150. The meeting will be recorded and made available following the session for those who are unable to attend in person.
The College of Community Engagement & Professions (CCEP) faculty and staff have been deeply committed to improving course outcomes in service of student success. From studying course DFW rates, to participating in professional development opportunities through CETL, and committing to the goal of achieving 100% participation in Navigate360 Progress Reports, CCEP instructors and academic support staff have seen compelling results during efforts in the Fall 2024 semester. CCEP is building on this momentum in Spring 2025 in support of 2030 Plan commitments to students' engagement and their academic journey.
The College of Engineering & Applied Science (CEAS) hosted its celebration of outside-the-classroom student learning with its Research Poster Competition & Experiential Learning Expo on April 26. Over 100 students presented to just under 100 judges, representing over 60 local companies. The event also brought back the Three Minute Thesis to UWM, with almost two dozen CEAS PhD students participating.
As part of our ongoing commitment to advancing teaching, learning, and research at UWM, you are invited to participate in a survey about technology usage and needs. Your input is critical to understand how technology is currently supporting academic work and where there are opportunities for improvement. The survey results will directly inform strategic decisions about technology tools to better serve our faculty, students, and academic programs. The survey should take about 10 minutes to and will remain open until Thursday, May 8, 2025. Take the survey.
Every semester, CETL’s Thank an Instructor initiative collects notes from UWM students and alumni expressing appreciation for an instructor who made a difference in their education. Please share the online Thank an Instructor form with students to submit their written or video expressions of thanks.
Phi Beta Kappa's Eta Chapter of Wisconsin held their 52nd Annual Initiation and Reception on April 24, 2025. The UWM chapter inducted 45 new student members, and for the first time in their history, they also inducted an Honorary Member. Chancellor Mark Mone was selected as an Honorary Member in recognition of his commitment to the principles of a traditional liberal arts education and his steadfast dedication to UWM. See the list of student inductees and read their biographies on the UWM Phi Beta Kappa site.
Mark your calendar for the week of May 5-9 as UWM Mental Health Week! Join the Student Health and Wellness Center and campus partners for meaningful events and activities that celebrate students' successes, resilience, and perseverance throughout this academic year. Students and staff can participate in events throughout the week – visit SHAW’s website to view all the events.

All faculty members and academic administrators are invited to attend a Promotion to Full Professor Panel Discussion on Tuesday, May 13, from 3:00–4:30 p.m. in the Golda Meir Library, 4th Floor Conference Center. Registration is requested. Panelists include Jennifer Doering, Professor of Nursing; John Isbell, Professor of Geosciences, UWM Distinguished Professor; Melinda S. Kavanaugh, Professor of Social Work in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare; Elana Levine, Professor of Media, Cinema, and Digital Studies in the Department of English; John Reisel, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Secretary of the University; and Natasha Borges Sugiyama, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Panelists will share their insights, experiences, and advice on preparing for promotion to full professor. This informal event provides an opportunity to hear directly from colleagues who have successfully navigated the promotion process at UWM. Questions can be directed to Vice Provost Canan Bilen-Green.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) and the Division of Community Empowerment & Institutional Inclusivity (CEII) invite you to register for an Inclusive Teaching summer workshop series. This series of three workshops prepares instructors to effectively teach UWM's changing student body and is open to faculty, staff, and grad student TAs. More information and registration.
Applications are now open for the 2025-2026 Mosaic Leadership Academy. The Mosaic Leadership Academy is a collaboration between CEII and Department of Human Resources. The academy is designed to create community and support the promotion and retention of UWM employees by providing leadership-focused professional development and coaching to encourage potential advancement to administrative and academic leadership positions. Apply by May 31, 2025.
UWM IT will upgrade all university owned computers currently running macOS 14 Sonoma (or older versions of macOS) on Friday, May 23 at 7:00 a.m. More information.
UWM IT will upgrade all capable university owned computers currently running Windows 10 on Wednesday, May 28 at 10 pm due to the end of Microsoft support of this operating system. More information.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries are now participating in the transformative agreement between Springer Nature and the Big Ten Academic Alliance. This agreement permits UWM corresponding authors to publish articles in more than 2,000 Springer Nature hybrid journals without article processing charges. For a list of journals that will have their publishing charges covered, please refer to this list. The agreement also provides read access to over 2,300 Springer Nature journals, including 700 journals UWM has never provided access to and over 1,500 journals that UWM has not provided access to since 2017. Full list of journals.
Join the Center for 21st Century Studies and the Milwaukee Turners for a day-long series of workshops led by the Strother School of Radical Attention (SoRA), an organization that promotes human well-being through attention activism on Saturday, May 3, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Palmer Room at Turner Hall, 1040 N Vel R. Phillips Ave Learn more about this event and register.
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies invites applications from all disciplines for a 2025-26 fellowship on the theme Challenge and Progress in Latin America and the Caribbean. Fellows will contribute to interdisciplinary scholarly exchanges on the selected topic and will each co-plan a public-facing activity with CLACS staff. Open to all UWM faculty and full-time academic staff. Apply by May 22. More information.