Good morning colleagues. Here are this week’s updates from Academic Affairs:
-The Academic Deans Council meets later today. On the agenda: TAs/PAs/RAs salaries for fall 2012 (David Yu); Growing Power (Stan Stojkovic); strategic goals (from the Chancellor); UWM space at Grand Avenue Mall.
-This Friday there will be a Removing Obstacles to Student Success: Retention, Remediation, and Recruitment working retreat at the School of Continuing Education. This first stage of enrollment planning will culminate in a March meeting with the deans and governance groups to define a strategic enrollment plan that advances the Chancellor's strategic vision for UWM.
-My Office will also start the ‘mid-term’ budget meetings with the School and Colleges. I meet this week with L & S and the School of Continuing Education.
-Wednesday the Chancellor and I will hold a brownbag meeting with the UWM Libraries.
-UWM welcomed a delegation from South Korea's KonKuk University last week Tuesday to discuss possible collaboration with UWM.
-Last Tuesday a new Online Student Services group met with the goal of increasing 24/7 access to student services. Subcommittees on creating a virtual student services hub, text messaging, a one-stop student services website/mobile site, synchronous communication with web conferencing tool Elluminate, consolidated evening hours, and podcasting/videocasting were launched. The groups will develop action plans by May 1, furthering the goals of the UWM's Digital Future planning initiative.
-The Academic Opportunity Center (AOC) is proud to announce the addition of two new staff members. Dr. Karen Parrish Baker is joining us as Assistant Director for Instruction. Dr. Baker is relocating from Texas and earned her doctorate in Educational Policy & Leadership from The Ohio State University. She brings a strong and varied background in teaching, administration, and counseling, as well as expertise in grant-writing. Pamela Schoessling is joining AOC in the role of Academic Advisor. She earned her Master of Arts Degree in Education from Mount Mary College, and brings extensive experience in advising. We look forward to welcoming both new staff members to our AOC family and to UW-Milwaukee. Welcome!
-The UWM in New Orleans UWinteriM course has just concluded for 2012; I was in New Orleans this past weekend and I continue to be impressed at the dedication our students, faculty, and staff bring to this immersive educational experience. Along with colleagues from Letters and Science, Heath Sciences, PSOA, Engineering, and Nursing, I attended a reception for New Orleans-area alumni.
The UWM in New Orleans Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Milwaukee-NOLA-WinterIM-2012/299165720135760
-The Student Accessibility Center (SAC) is very pleased to announce that Martin Keller, Jr. has recently joined the department as the Assistant Director. Martin will oversee SAC’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, along with other responsibilities. Martin comes to SAC with vast experience in educating deaf and hard of hearing students. SAC will host a reception for Martin at a later date.
-Registration for the "Inclusive Excellence 2012 - Realigning for Inclusivity: Reframing Diversity at UWM" on Friday, March 2, 2012 is available at http://mydevelopment.uwm.edu/longview.cfm?eventid=44986. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to submit a question with the prompt “What's your question about diversity and inclusion at UWM?” Responses will be used to guide discussions on Friday , March 2, 2012 . This event is followed by the PSOA First Friday Reception, honoring Ed Burgess and welcoming the 2012 Diversity Fellows. For more information and questions, please contact Monica Lawrence at lawrencm@uwm.edu.
-Kudos to
-Library award winners: Recipients of the 2011 UWM Libraries Outstanding Achievement Awards, sponsored by the Carl and Janet Moebius endowment and the Friends of the Golda Meir Library, were honored last Tuesday, January 10, at a ceremony in the fourth floor Conference Center of the library. The winners were Kristin Miller Woodward, Instruction Design Librarian (academic staff); Giulia Caspari, Shelf Supervisor (support staff); and Erin Kunert, who works in the Interlibrary Loan Department (student employee). See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66798555@N03/6691470245/
-The Zilber School of Public Health, which has garnered acclaim for partnering with the Milwaukee Health Department on the Strong Babies ad campaign, which aims to prevent premature births in Milwaukee. Here are some photos from last week's press conference with the Mayor: http://www.flickr.com//photos/66798555@N03/sets/72157628842769135/show/
-Jen Murray, Director of the UWM LGBT Center, who was honored on Saturday, January 14 at the 2012 Fair Wisconsin Education Fund Leadership Awards Dinner. Jen has been named the 2012 "Activist of the Year," and joins honorees from the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the Alliance School, and Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. Well done Jen…we are very proud of you!
-…and Mordecai Lee (faculty member at the School of Continuing Education) for being quoted yesterday in the New York Times.
In remembrance:
-Craig Sandgren, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, died Dec. 24, 2011, in Shorewood, WI. A native of Minneapolis, Craig held BS and MS degrees from the University of Minnesota. His love of nature, and particularly all things aquatic, led him to the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, where he earned a PhD. Craig was a UWM faculty member for 25 years, and served for 3 years as the Bio Sci department chair. Craig was an aquatic ecologist with broad interests in the ecology, taxonomy, and physiology of algae, aquatic community ecology, ecology of invasive and nuisance species, and habitat restoration. Craig inspired both graduate and undergraduate students. His research included fieldwork on Lake Michigan, Midwestern northern lakes, and the Pacific Northwest. Craig also taught seaweeds and marine phytoplankton classes at the Friday Harbor Laboratories. A celebration of his life was held January 2 .
-There will be a gathering to celebrate the life of Ed Burgess, Chair and Professor of Dance, on Sunday, February 5 from 10:30-noon (ceremony from 11-noon) at the Zelazo Center. Please consider making a gift in support of the Ed Burgess Legacy Scholarship Fund. Attendees are encouraged to stay for the Department of Dance performance of Winterdance: Fate/Love & Loss at 2pm on the Mainstage Theatre (tickets available at 229-4308 or one hour before the performance.)
Take care and have a good start to the semester (Packer game a bit depressing, but congratulations to my Australian colleagues celebrating the cricket victory of Australia over India).
Johannes
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Johannes Britz
Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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