Good Morning Colleagues,
Here is this week's update from Academic Affairs:
-I am pleased to announce the appointment of Rodney Swain as the Dean of the College of Letters and Science. His tenure as Dean will begin on July 1st. Rodney has served the College very well during his term as Interim Dean. I received positive input on his candidacy from a wide array of faculty and staff, who cited Rodney’s administrative experience as Associate Dean for Social Sciences and Chair of the Psychology Department and his collaborative leadership style as assets that he brings to the position. I am confident that he will advance excellence in research, student learning, and service, both in the College of Letters and Science and for the University as a whole as we move forward on strategic initiatives.
-Those who participated in last week's on-campus interviews for the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate position are requested to email input to me by this Tuesday, May 24. Your comments will be held in confidence.
-I am still in a process to finalize the appointment of the Dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences. On Tuesday, I will be meeting with School of Public Health faculty and staff to discuss the search for a dean as well as the appointment of an acting Dean.
-Yesterday's Commencement ceremony at the U.S. Cellular Arena marked a milestone in the lives of the 2,603 bachelor’s, 765 master’s and 83 Ph.D. degree candidates who were invited to participate. A special word of thanks to the Secretary of the University's Office, in particular Kristin Van Housen, who has done such a marvelous job with Commencement planning over so many years.
-The Academic Deans Council meets tomorrow in Lubar N440. Agenda items include presentations and discussions on federal funding (Kris Andrews, UW-System Assistant Vice President) and school/college recruitment planning (Jan Ford and Phyllis King).
-Tomorrow is also the date of my monthly lunch with randomly selected faculty and staff. Over the course of this year, it has been a privilege to learn more about UWM as seen from a wide array of perspectives across the institution.
-Some news from athletics... Students First, Athletes Second: This year has been another successful one for your Milwaukee Panthers, who placed a record 103 student-athletes on the Horizon League Honor Roll while winning eight Horizon League championships. So far in 2010-11, 85 Panthers have earned all-league honors while our coaches claimed league coach of the year honors eight times. Plus, Panther student-athletes have a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average and an 80 percent graduation rate. The Panthers have also successfully engaged the campus and community, drawing over 10,000 fans – including more than 3,000 students – to the Horizon League Basketball Championship Game in March.
-Congratulations to the UWM Libraries with another national award for their digital collection: The American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) has selected the UWM Libraries March On Milwaukee digital collection to receive its 2011 Award of Merit--a high honor from an organization at the forefront of supporting the research, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history. The collection provides online access to key primary sources on the history of the civil rights movement in Milwaukee. It is online at http://marchonmilwaukee.uwm.edu. Well done Ewa!
-On Tuesday, May 17th at the Italian Community Center, the College of Letters & Science held its 15th annual Recognition Dinner in honor of faculty and staff who have retired since June 2010. This year 24 of the 35 retirees attended, along with 162 colleagues, friends and family. Retirees were lauded with resolutions and presented with a silver perpetual calendar. The list of honorees, their resolutions, and photos can be viewed at:
http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/events/upload/Letters_Science_Retirement_Dinner.pdf - some very nice pictures!
-In that vein, please join me in expressing appreciation for Academic Affairs administrative assistant Kathy Barber, who is retiring on May 26. Among other duties, Kathy ably supported the Academic Program and Curriculum Committee for many years. Thanks Kathy - we will miss all your APCC memos!
-I will be in China May 25-June 2 with College of Engineering and Applied Science Interim Dean Tien-chien Jen and Associate Dean David Yu to discuss increasing collaborative activity with a number of Chinese universities. The next Monday update will be on June 6.
Have a good week and take care.
Johannes
--
Johannes Britz
Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Comments