Provost's Update: Friday, March 6, 2026

Office of the Provost

Friday, March 6, 2026

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

Earlier this week, it was announced that I have accepted a position as provost and executive vice chancellor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT). My last day at UWM will be May 1, 2026. It has been an honor to serve you and UWM since 2023. I am proud of the work we have done together during that time. I will share a longer message with the campus community in an upcoming Provost Update. Still, I do want to share that I am confident in the expertise, leadership, and shared commitment to our students that exists across UWM, within my direct team, and in every corner of Academic Affairs. I am proud of the great strides we continue to make toward advancing our 2030 commitments and the student-centered directions of our division. We all know that our mission endures through leadership transitions. I appreciate every person who puts their time and talent toward making UWM a great place to learn, to work, and to research. I am confident that UWM will continue to make strides forward and to model excellence in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.

After review and approval by the Academic Staff Committee, University Committee, and University Staff Committee, UWM has adopted an interim policy to implement the 2025 Wisconsin Act 15 (Act 15) teaching workload requirements. The Act 15 requirements take effect September 1, 2026, and create minimum teaching load requirements for faculty and instructional academic staff. Under UWM’s interim policy, each college must develop or update its workload policies, including instructional equivalencies, consistent with the UWM interim policy before the end of the Spring semester. I appreciate everyone who worked to develop, review, and approve this policy. Please see the announcement on the Academic Affairs website for full details on this interim policy.

Asst. Prof. Marquis Mays (Film, Video, Animation & New Genres) and Senior Lecturer Florence Johnson (Education) were recently honored at the 41st annual BE Legacy of Excellence Awards, formerly known as the Black Excellence Awards. The awards also feature several UWM alum and retirees. See full information.

Prof. Scott Strath (Kinesiology) has been selected to serve on a World Health Organization (WHO) Physical Activity (PA) Working Group focused on the integration of wearables and activity monitors into global physical activity surveillance efforts. This international initiative is examining how emerging technologies—such as accelerometers and consumer wearable devices—can strengthen the measurement and monitoring of physical activity worldwide.

Asst. Prof. Katherine Du’s (Marketing) research was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal article, “Why Brands Should Stop Fighting Negative Reviews and Start Embracing Them.” See more information.

Distinguished Professor Ching-Hong Yang’s (Biological Sciences) research paper titled "RejuAgro A as a Novel Antimicrobial for Fire Blight Control of Pome Fruits and Beyond" was accepted for publication in Nature Communications. This study introduces RejuAgro A (RAA), an antimicrobial compound from Pseudomonas soli, that is highly effective against Erwinia amylovora, the bacteria that causes fire blight in apples and pears, a disease of local importance in Wisconsin. See more.

Professor Melissa Scanlan (Freshwater Sciences) has co-authored the 7th edition of “Water Law in a Nutshell,” published by West Academic. See more information.

Professor Alex Yasha Yi (Electrical Engineering) and director of research at the Connected Systems Institute, has received industry sponsorship from Invictus Innovation EV Technology to research a next-gen computer microchip and provide education in photonics. Unlike traditional microchips, Yi is researching a new kind of microchip that moves data with light instead of electricity. Learn more.

Asst. Prof. Xiaowei (Tom) Shi (Civil & Environmental Engineering) was recognized with the Ken Voigt Rising Star Award by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Wisconsin Section. This award honors Ken Voigt (’74 MS Engineering), a former ITE Wisconsin and ITE International president. Read more by visiting here.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Eve Dicker-Eiseman on February 19, 2026. A visionary educator and pioneer in the field of sign language interpreting, Professor Eiseman helped shape the national movement to professionalize interpreting for Deaf communities. She was fundamental to the creation of the Interpreter Training Program (now AEITP) in 1975 and to the development of interpreting as a submajor, which has prepared hundreds of graduates to serve Deaf communities across Wisconsin and the nation. Professor Eiseman made extraordinary contributions to UWM, to the interpreting profession, and to the broader pursuit of equity and inclusion. More information, including the obituary, is available for viewing online.

The Office of the Provost invites applications and nominations for the position of Interim Dean of the College of Letters & Science (L&S).  The appointment will begin in June 2026 and is expected to serve through June 30, 2027, with the possibility of extension if needed. A national search for the permanent Dean will begin in Fall 2026. This is an internal search, open to tenured L&S faculty at UW-Milwaukee. To be considered, all application materials must be submitted by March 10, 2026. See posting on Workday. Questions about the position, nominations, and/or the search process may be directed to Canan Bilen-Green, bilengre@uwm.edu.

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has launched! All staff members are encouraged to increase survey awareness, particularly among undergraduate First-year students and Seniors expected to graduate in the Spring or Summer semester. Students can log into PAWS or check their email to see if they received an invitation. For more information on NSSE, visit here or email Vicky D'Anjou-Pomerleau at danjoup2@uwm.edu.
En-Vision: Toward A Queer Ethics of Slow Care is an initiative sponsored by the Center for 21st Century Studies (C21) and directed by UWM MA-candidate Isabella Fincher that explores creative practices and embodied experiences of slow care for individuals living with chronic illness and impairments. Members of UWM's campus community are invited to submit artwork and creative writing pieces to a collaborative community zine project on a queer ethics of slow care. See more.

UWM faculty and instructional staff are encouraged to attend a training session on Classroom Disruptions and Campus Safety this semester. The training covers how to respond to students in crisis, manage disruptive behavior, and act in the event of a violent incident. The presentation, co-developed by the Dean of Students Office and the UWM Police Department, is designed to ensure that all faculty and staff are equipped to respond effectively to situations that could impact the safety and well-being of the UWM community. Multiple 90-minute training sessions are available, in person and virtually, throughout the spring semester. To find details on dates, times, and registration, visit the training webpage. For questions about registration or the presentation, please email safety-training@uwm.edu.
Please submit works to be added to the UWM Authors Collection in the Golda Meir Library. We ask UWM authors who have written, edited, translated, or illustrated a print book; composed music for a published score or recording; or had a primary role in creating a commercially distributed film or video since the last UWM Authors Recognition Ceremony in March 2025 to let us know about their publications by completing the UWM Authors Collection submission form by the end of the day Friday, March 20, 2026. The collection will gladly accept donated copies of your publications. Donations may be delivered directly to Special Collections on the fourth floor of the Golda Meir Library. Please remember to fill out the submission form. For the full list of eligibility criteria, please review the collection development guidelines for the UWM Authors Collection. Beginning in 2026, the Golda Meir Library will honor UWM authors by assembling a spring exhibit of recent publications in the Learning Commons. This exhibit replaces the biennial UWM Authors Program, which we have discontinued.
TechTraining offers free online courses for UWM students and employees across a variety of technology topics. This March, TechTraining is offering courses related to Teams Calls. The next upcoming course is Teams Calls Shared Phone Numbers on Wednesday, March 18, 10-11 a.m. This course focuses on managing a phone for a departmental or shared phone number. This includes reviewing the settings for a shared phone number, configuration, and setup, etc. View the full schedule and register, visit the online training webpage. If you have questions, contact us at uwm-techtraining@uwm.edu. If you can’t make it to the live course on the scheduled date, the Online Training page has course recordings and resources.
The Center for 21st Century Studies (C21) is accepting proposals for collaborative interdisciplinary humanities projects through April 3; awards range from $500 to $5,000. C21 offers funding for two distinct categories of collaborative projects: working groups and collaboratories. Working groups (eligible for $500) provide opportunities for collaborative study, research, and discussion of a common subject of interest. Collaboratories (eligible for up to $5,000) provide opportunities to bring new, humanities-informed ideas and knowledge to many different audiences both on and off campus. See the full details and how to apply. C21 strongly encourages questions and inquiries in advance of proposals. Please review application details in full and contact C21 Managing Director Katie Waddell with questions at waddelke@uwm.edu.

All are invited to the 2026 Community Empowerment & Justice Symposium on Friday, April 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Sheldon B. Lubar College of Business, first floor. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. for guests to check in and enjoy a light breakfast. This year's symposium will highlight explorations and experiences of challenges and opportunities, how these intersect with other asymmetries of power, and how we can work together to foster greater justice. The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Lea Denny, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the HIR Wellness Institute. To attend this event, please register here. The program is sponsored by the UWM Honors College and the Division of Community Empowerment & Institutional Inclusivity, and co-sponsored by UWM Student Involvement and the Office of Undergraduate Research. For questions, please email Dr. Jill Budny at budny@uwm.edu or Dr. Sarah MacDonald at macdonal@uwm.edu.
Join the Center for 21st Century Studies (C21) on March 12 for an artist talk with Kite (a.k.a. Suzanne Kite), an Oglála Lakȟóta artist, composer, and scholar. Her groundbreaking scholarship and practice investigate contemporary Lakota ontologies through research-creation, computational media, and performance. Kite develops body interfaces for machine-learning-driven performance, sculptures generated from dreams, and experimental sound and video work. Kite’s talk is part of C21’s Aesthetics, Art, & AI program series. Additional details can be found here.
All are welcome to a special screening of The Tennessee 11 on Tuesday, March 17, from 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at the UWM Student Union, Alumni Fireside Lounge. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for networking and light refreshments. This powerful documentary explores how a diverse group of Tennesseans came together in the wake of tragedy to find common ground on firearm policy. Discover how respectful dialogue can bridge divides on even the most challenging issues. Following the film, Dr. Sarah MacDonald will moderate a panel discussion with two local community activists: Pardeep Kaleka, anti-hate advocate and author of The Gift of Our Wounds, and Patricia McFarland, retired educator and board member of the League of Women Voters. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by UWM's Division of Community Empowerment & Institutional Inclusivity (CEII) and College of Community Engagement & Professions (CCEP), and by the Builders Movement. Register online.
Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan was a featured expert on the Milwaukee Journal’s Town Hall February 23rd panel on water use by AI-data centers at Turner Hall Ballroom. Professor Scanlan highlighted that water demands include the water used to create electricity for the data centers and water used to cool them. She also emphasized that the level of governance needed is at the scale where impacts are seen (state and regional). Read more by visiting here.
The Faye Greenberg Sigman "Woman of Valor" lecture series continues with Jennifer Caplan presenting, "Funny, You Don't Look Funny: Jews, Comedy, and Gender.” The presentation, made possible by the generosity of the Taxman and Temkin families, will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Golda Meir Library, 4th Floor. Cosponsored by UWM’s Departments of English and Women’s and Gender Studies. See more information.
The UWM Planetarium is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026. Over 100 school groups will visit the UWM Planetarium this spring, including 50+ field trips for Milwaukee Public Schools’ third graders and many other K-12 schools in the greater Milwaukee area (and beyond!). We coordinate with Pre-College Campus Tours for many of these groups, including one recent group from Waukegan: "On behalf of Waukegan to College, thank you for warmly welcoming our middle school students to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Your time, coordination, and thoughtful engagement made the visit both meaningful and inspiring for our scholars. Experiences like this help our students begin to see themselves confidently on a college campus. Please also extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Jean for the incredible Planetarium experience. The presentation was both educational and captivating. It was a powerful way to spark curiosity and expand their sense of possibility." See more.
NCJW Milwaukee hosted an evening of community, advocacy, and conversation with Prof. Maria Novotny (English) as part of its annual Repro Shabbat programming. Hosted at Hillel on UWM's campus, the event highlighted The ART of Infertility project and explored the connections between infertility and the broader landscape of reproductive health care access. See more.
Please join the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies for our upcoming AADS Seminar Series event (embedded within the Department of Geography’s Colloquium): China in Africa with Professor István Tarrósy, Director of International Studies, University of Pécs. His research interests include African/Asian Relations, African Migration, and Geopolitics. The seminar will take place on Friday, March 13, at 2:30 p.m. in the American Geographical Society Library (UWM Library, 3rd floor, East). Please RSVP here. A reception with light refreshments will follow. Cosponsored by the Center for Research on International Economics, Community Empowerment & Institutional Inclusivity, Economics, Geography, and International Studies.