Interim Provost Eric Wilcots has appointed Beth Dawson,emerit academic staff member,as aUniversity of Wisconsin—Madison ombuds.Dawson began her three-year term on June 1.Interim Provost Wilcots expressed his appreciation and thanks to outgoing Ombuds Lezli Redmond,who will complete her three years of service as an ombuds at the end of June.The Ombuds Office comprises six retired University of Wisconsin–Madison employees representing faculty,academic staff and university staff,who have developed their expertise from having served decades on this campus and in different disciplines.Ombuds provide an informal,safe,confidential opportunity to be heard,explore concerns and consider resources,options and strategies for next steps to address workplace problems.Ombuds are impartial and work independently from university administrative offices,advocating for fairness and equity in the workplace,rather than representing any side in adispute.Essential skills routinely used by an ombuds include engaged listening,reframing issues and developing options,and helping people help themselves.Before retiring in August 2022,Dawson worked as ahuman resources specialist,an academic advisor,a freshman seminar instructor,director of alarge advising office and acareer advisor.She also has served on several campus-wide committees.After receiving her bachelor of arts degree,Dawson worked as an advisor in the Higher Education Location Program for the University of Wisconsin System.In this position,she served as aconduit of information and support for potential students,parents,guidance counselors,faculty and staff navigating UW System and its campuses.She also developed and implemented anew staff training program.Dawson worked as ahuman resources specialist,coordinating hiring processes for extension agents.From 1997-2005,she was astudent service program manager at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine,providing advising for current and prospective veterinary students.She also served as the minority and disadvantaged coordinator working on campus diversity initiatives.From 2005 to 2016,Dawson was an academic advisor in the College of Engineering and the director of the Engineering General Resources Office from 2012 to 2015,where she supervised several professional and student staff members,oversaw the departmental admissions and readmissions processes and represented the College of Engineering on campus-level committees.From 2016 to 2018,she was the assistant director of Career Services and International Engineering.From 2018 to 2022,Dawson was the career advisor,academic advisor and scholarship officer at the UW School of Nursing and continued her service on several campus-wide committees. 查看详细>>

Allison La Tarte has been selected as the vice provost for Data,Academic Planning&Institutional Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.La Tarte,who has been at UW–Madison since 2014,had been the interim associate vice provost of DAPIR since January 2022.Before that,she served as the associate director of institutional research.She’ll move into the role on June 1,2023.The Office of Data Management and Analytics Services was added to the Academic Planning and Institutional Research in April 2022,creating the restructured DAPIR.“I’m excited by the potential to serve permanently in this role,continuing the momentum of bringing these offices together to advance our data and analytics environment,”La Tarte says.The office has along-standing record of gathering and disseminating information to avariety of audiences,La Tarte says.“Using data to inform policy decisions requires making reliable data available to the campus community and the public,”she said.“Having academic planning,institutional research,data governance and management together in one office allows us to more efficiently align academic and data processes and be deliberate in using data to enhance UW–Madison’s mission.”La Tarte received amaster’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University and abachelor’s degree in economics from Eastern Michigan University.Before coming to UW–Madison,she worked for the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau,performing program evaluations of state agencies and programs.“Allison has provided strong and thoughtful leadership as interim director over the last 18 months,directing the merger of two complex units with strategically important responsibilities,”says Eric Wilcots,interim provost.“Her analytical skills and her ability to build collaborative relations will make DAPIR astrong contributor to UW–Madison’s excellence.”Jocelyn Milner retired from the role of vice provost for academic affairs in summer 2022 after acareer of more than three decades at UW–Madison.The vice provost for data,academic planning and institutional research leads ateam of 20 that supports strategic,academic and budgetary planning and decision-making for UW–Madison through analytics,including the presentation and distribution of institutional data,information,policy analyses,peer comparisons and projections of future trends. 查看详细>>

Breanna Weiss,a finance specialist and participant in the Job Rotation Program,was part of the team from the School of Nursing that received an Administrative Improvement Award for ahomegrown Faculty-sponsored Research Dashboard project.The Administrative Improvement Awards recognize outstanding work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in process redesign,process development or customer service that results in improved efficiency,increased revenue channels,cost savings or improved service delivery.The 2023 Administrative Improvement Awards celebration was held on April 20.“When Ireceived the email that our team won the award,I had to read it three times and even then,I still couldn’t believe it,”Weiss says.“I am so grateful for this award because it has put our work in the spotlight,and people around the university want to learn about our program.I feel immense appreciation that we will be able to help so many others.”Weiss was part of the Nursing Research and Sponsored Programs(NRSP)team alongside Lindsey Steege,Staci Lowe,Samantha Kimball,Nicci Schmidt and Kim Nolet.They designed and implemented atool that provides aholistic view of individual faculty members’involvement in sponsored research activities.The dashboard includes eight new data points that were difficult to pinpoint before the tool was developed.The tool will be used to structure planning conversations between administrators and researchers and to anticipate faculty needs.“Having ajob rotator gave us the opportunity to view our work through afresh lens and to share our knowledge and experience in an exciting way,”says Dundee McNair,associate dean for administrative affairs at the School of Nursing.“I am abig supporter of the Job Rotation Program,recognizing that we need to train and grow the next generation of campus leaders.”Started in 2020,the Job Rotation Program is atwo-year program focused on career development and is designed for early career professionals.Weiss is part of the 2021-2023 program cohort.“I was interested in the Job Rotation Program because Iknew it was going to be exactly what Ineeded right out of college,”Weiss said.“My favorite part of the program so far has been the amount of trust each of my site supervisors and manager have had in me.I have been able to lead on many projects and invent new ways to go about processes.I have also been able to flourish and grow in many ways.”All rotation employees are recruited and hired as full-time academic staff.After completing the program,participants can move into apermanent role at UW–Madison.After her final rotation assignment,which is ending this July,Weiss will join UW–Madison full-time as afinancial analyst working on the university’s 10-year financial model with the Madison Business Office.“This program benefits participants by providing meaningful work and professional development opportunities throughout their two years,”says Director of Talent Pathways Sara Hanson.”“Hosting sites benefit from new skills and ideas being brought to the team while creating apathway for growth and retaining highly talented employees.”Any division,department or unit on campus with aneed for additional capacity in finance,human resources or information technology may express interest in hosting aparticipant.No additional funding is needed to host arotating employee,as their salaries and benefits are paid by the Job Rotation Program. 查看详细>>

Frances Vavrus has been named vice provost and dean of the International Division at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.She joined the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2008 and is aprofessor and associate chair in the Department of Organizational Leadership,Policy,and Development in their College of Education and Human Development.Vavrus has served as chair,associate chair,director of graduate studies,and coordinator of the graduate program in Comparative and International Development Education.Previously,she was afaculty member for eight years at Teachers College,Columbia University,in New York,the largest graduate school of education in the United States,and an Andrew Mellon/Takemi Postdoctoral Fellow in Anthropological Demography at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.A UW alum,she received adoctorate from the School of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction with an African studies minor,a master’s from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,and abachelor’s from Purdue University in West Lafayette,Ind.“As aproud graduate,I benefited greatly from the international programs and global orientation for which UW is famous,”Vavrus says.“I have carried the Wisconsin Idea with me during my career and look forward to continuing the great work of the International Division by promoting the Wisconsin Idea at home and abroad through the work of students,graduates,faculty and staff.”Her experience includes developing and leading study abroad programs,increasing the number of international students supported through university fellowships,and serving as the co-principal investigator on afour-year U.S.Agency for International Development project with higher education institutions in Zambia.“The International Division will benefit greatly from her international experience and scholarship along with her commitment to the Wisconsin Idea,”says Provost Karl Scholz.“We are thrilled to welcome Frances back to campus.”As amaster’s student,Vavrus benefited from aForeign Language and Area Studies(FLAS)fellowship for the study of Swahili,a Less Commonly Taught Language,and participated in the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad to Tanzania,led by UW Professor of African Languages Dr.Magdalena Hauner.As adoctoral student at Wisconsin,she received aFulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship to support ayear of fieldwork in Tanzania and,upon graduation,taught acourse on gender and international development in the International Studies Major.“I know firsthand the life-changing potential of the international programs and services supported by the International Division,”Vavrus says.“Based on these formative experiences,I have built acommitment to study abroad and area studies into my career.”She is scheduled to begin Aug.1 and will succeed Guido Podestá,who stepped down at the end of 2022 after serving for 10 years.Barry Gerhart,Bruce R.Ellig Distinguished Chair and professor of Management and Human Resources in the Wisconsin School of Business,has served as interim vice provost and dean since Jan.1,2023.Ellen Sapega,a professor of Spanish and Portuguese in the College of Letters&Science,chaired a13-member search-and-screen committee consisting of faculty,academic staff,and students.“I am delighted that Frances has been named the new vice provost and dean of the International Division,”Sapega says.“She comes to this position with agreat deal of experience as well as aclear understanding of where the division currently stands and has many exciting ideas about its future.”The International Division dean provides leadership to more than 120 faculty and staff across seven units and directs abudget of approximately$60 million.The International Division provides support and services to nearly 7,000 international students per year as well as to 600 faculty and staff.In addition,the division sends more than 2,000 students abroad each year to 200 programs in 60 countries.Reporting to the provost,the dean/vice provost’s primary roles and areas of responsibility are to serve as the Senior International Officer for UW–Madison and oversee the Institute for Regional and International Studies(including the International Studies Major),International Academic Programs,the International Internship Program,the International Projects Office,the Language Program Office,International Student Services,International Faculty and Staff Services,and the Dean’s Office,which includes International Safety and Security and other units. 查看详细>>

This May,the Wisconsin Idea Seminar will take faculty and staff from the University of Wisconsin–Madison on an immersive tour of the state to engage with Wisconsinites,build relationships and learn about the educational,industrial,social and political realities of the Badger State.For nearly four decades,the Wisconsin Idea Seminar has invited UW–Madison faculty and staff to become students of Wisconsin life.On afive-day tour,participants learn about the state they serve and return to campus both inspired by arenewed commitment to the Wisconsin Idea and more knowledgeable about the spaces and places from which many of our students originate.The Wisconsin Idea inspires much of our work at UW–Madison.This foundational principle runs deep and is aconsistent reminder that the teaching and research conducted here should serve the people of Wisconsin and beyond.The seminar is designed for UW–Madison faculty and academic staff,with an emphasis on those who are new to Wisconsin or to their role on campus.Individuals may nominate themselves with support from their department chair or divisional director.The 2023 Wisconsin Idea Seminar’s theme is“Forests and Rivers,”and the May 15-19 tour will include experiences in the ancient forests of the Menominee Nation and at the banks of some of Wisconsin’s notable waterways,in addition to other stops along the way.Nominations are due Feb.15.Visit the Wisconsin Idea Seminar’s webpage to learn more about the Wisconsin Idea Seminar and to begin the nomination process.The Wisconsin Idea Seminar is aprogram of the Office of the Provost and is made possible with the support of many UW–Madison divisions,schools and colleges,and the Evjue Foundation,the charitable arm of the Capital Times and long-time underwriter of the Seminar since 1985. 查看详细>>

Heather L.Reese has been named executive director of Wisconsin Public Media,the division at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that oversees Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin.Reese has served as interim director since August following the death of Gene Purcell,who had served in the role since 2018.The Wisconsin native is agraduate of the UW Law School and earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management from the University of Wisconsin–Stout.Reese is alongtime supporter of the Wisconsin Idea—the belief that UW–Madison teaching,research,outreach and public service should provide benefits beyond the classroom.“PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio are nationally recognized for their outstanding quality of programming,”says John Karl Scholz,UW–Madison interim chancellor.“We also understand they’re ajewel for the campus and our state.We are excited about the energy and experience that Heather will bring to this position as WPM colleagues navigate the rapidly changing media landscape.”Reese brings more than 11 years of experience in the public media industry and has previously served as associate director of Wisconsin Public Media as well as director of strategic initiatives and compliance.“I am delighted to be the next director of Wisconsin Public Media.Public media is an essential public service in the tradition of the Wisconsin Idea,”Reese says.“As media continues to evolve at arapid pace,I look forward to building on our strong legacy to adapt and enhance our services to meet the needs of our audiences well into the future.”The WPM executive director establishes and maintains relationships at the local,state and national level to advance and support public media through balancing the interests of multiple partners while focusing on meeting audience and stakeholder needs and preferences.“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Heather throughout her tenure at WPM,”Educational Communications Board Executive Director Marta Bechtol says.“She’s been agreat collaborator and Ilook forward to continuing our work together.”ECB distributes public broadcasting across the state in partnership with the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.“Heather’s experience with both public radio and television,as well as her leadership skills,knowledge of media law and passionate belief in the value public media brings to the people of Wisconsin,are just some of the qualities that made her stand out in afield of applicants from around the country,”says search committee co-chair Kathy Bissen,chief operating officer of PBS Wisconsin.As executive director,Reese will lead aunit of approximately 280 full-time and 60 part-time and student staff and oversees abudget of more than$35 million from multiple and variable revenue sources including:university,state and federal government;audience memberships;major and planned giving;grants;business sponsorships;special events;and sales of goods and services.“Heather’s appointment comes as very welcome news,”says committee co-chair Niles Berman,board chair of the Wisconsin Public Radio Association and member of the ECB.“She brings acollaborative leadership style,existing strong relationships with the stakeholders,and acommitment to our traditional broadcast services while we expand our use of other content delivery platforms with adedication to editorial independence underlying all of that.Wisconsin Public Media should be well positioned for the future under Heather’s leadership.” 查看详细>>

UW-Madison has selected Rob Cramer,a deeply experienced administrator and current interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration,to continue as the permanent selection for the role.“Rob has all of the tools,experience and knowledge to lead these critical units and support our university’s success,”says Chancellor Rebecca Blank.“I’m appreciative of his steady presence at this important time of transition.”“The university is at acritical juncture and we have to be very focused on ensuring it thrives in order to support Wisconsin today and tomorrow,”Cramer says.“It’s been an honor to serve as interim vice chancellor,”he adds.“For me it is aprivilege to serve the people of Wisconsin,the UW System,and UW–Madison,and Iam grateful for the opportunity to continue.An alumnus of UW–Madison,Cramer began as interim vice chancellor following Laurent Heller’s departure for Johns Hopkins University in May 2021.Prior to that,he served as interim associate vice chancellor for Facilities,Planning&Management at UW–Madison and vice president for administration for the University of Wisconsin System.At UW System,he oversaw the offices of Human Resources,Information Technology,Information Security,Capital Planning,Project Management,and Administrative Services.Earlier in his career,Cramer served as vice chancellor for administrative services at UW–Platteville,secretary of the State of Wisconsin Building Commission and administrator of the Division of State Facilities in the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Administration.At UW–Madison,Cramer is currently also leading initiatives around the update of key campus technology tools through the Administrative Transformation(ATP)Program,employee compensation through the Title and Total Compensation(TTC)project,a commitment to adiverse and inclusive workforce,efforts to modernize and move forward on campus building projects,as well as continuing to navigate revenue generation and budgeting priorities.UW–Madison’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration is responsible for the overall supervision of the university’s financial and administrative functions,including budget,facilities planning,business services,human resources,public safety and University Housing.The 17-member search committee was chaired by Kris Olds,professor in the Department of Geography. 查看详细>>

The Research Core Revitalization Program has funded 17 projects that will strengthen campus research core capacities by supporting the upgrade,replacement or duplication of heavily used shared research resources.The funded projects range from upgrading video recording capabilities for intellectual and developmental disabilities research to delivering increased computational speed for the analysis of large biomedical data sets.These projects were among 37 proposals submitted from across campus.The pilot Research Core Revitalization Program is supported by an investment from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.Awards range from$20,000 to$300,000.Cores provide specialized equipment and expertise that benefit many individual research labs.These shared resources allow the university to support many investigators at once by maintaining and upgrading high-end instrumentation that would be cost-prohibitive for any single lab.Each core supports dozens to hundreds of research programs.“These resources play acritical role in UW’s research enterprise,”says Vice Chancellor Steve Ackerman.“The Research Core Revitalization Program continues our investment in improving these critical tools and capabilities,enabling progress and catalyzing collaboration in basic and translational sciences.”The Office of Campus Research Cores has developed aResearch Cores Directory for shared equipment and services on campus,including data for about 170 core units,700 shared instruments and resources,and 450 professional services.The directory is publicly available.Isabelle Girard,co-director of the Office of Campus Research Cores,explains that these resources have alimited lifespan.Although the cores are essential and highly used,they may not be eligible or competitive for federal and other external grant programs targeting new capabilities and technologies.Cores typically recover all or aportion of their costs through user fees,although some subsidized core services may be accessible without direct charge to the user.“Researchers across campus depend on the shared workhorse resources managed by cores,and reinvestment in these capabilities ensures continuity and productivity,”Girard says.Industry partners also consult with and hire many UW–Madison cores.Core facilities help these businesses stay on budget,provide access to new software tools,data storage and computing capacity,and help biotech and pharmaceutical companies bridge the gap in the early phases between academic and translational research.Along with access to equipment,industry partners benefit from the expertise of the campus staff who operate that equipment.“Many of our research accomplishments would not be possible without cores support that includes specific technologies and expertise.Core facilities enable researchers to design their studies using technologies and instruments that they otherwise could not afford or manage on their own,”says Cynthia Czajkowski,associate vice chancellor for research in the biological sciences.“Our facilities help foster the collaborative research environment that is crucial for competitive interdisciplinary science.”Learn more about the Research Core Revitalization Program and read the project descriptions. 查看详细>>

The new awards address adiverse range of issues including the health impacts of racism,tackling the social determinants of health in Milwaukee’s Latino community,preventing early childhood expulsion and strengthening support systems for citizens returning from incarceration.The grants,awarded through the Partnership Program’s Community Impact Grant program,each total$1 million over five years and support large-scale,evidence-based,community-academic partnerships aimed at achieving sustainable systems changes to improve health equity in Wisconsin.The awards are as follows:Improving health outcomes of Milwaukee’s Latino community Sixteenth Street Community Health Center will use its Community Impact Grant to address health inequities by addressing housing instability among Sixteenth Street’s patients and community,who are primarily Latino and live below the federal poverty line.The community faces numerous challenges to accessing community resources,such as navigating complex applications requirements,language differences and concerns about divulging sensitive information.The project aims to gain adeeper understanding of the socio-economic factors,such as housing insecurity,that influence health on the south side of Milwaukee.Knowledge gained will be used to develop acollaborative model for health care and social services to close these health gaps and improve health outcomes for patients and community members.The model will focus on patient-centered screening and interventions and purposeful data sharing across agencies to ensure asustainable,systematic change to approaching and addressing social determinants in Sixteenth Street’s primary care practice. 查看详细>>

By the time they graduate,more than half of the students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will have taken achemistry course,a demonstration of the central role chemistry plays in preparing students for their careers.Now,with the start of construction on a$133 million tower and other renovations,those students—as well as faculty and other researchers—will gain access to updated teaching and laboratory spaces to accommodate the next generation of chemical education and research.UW–Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank,with College of Letters&Science Dean Karl Scholz,chemistry chair Judith Burstyn and chemistry professor and building committee co-chair Robert McMahon,celebrated the formal beginning of construction at agroundbreaking on Friday afternoon,Sept.14,in front of department members and donors.“Today is not only acelebration of anew facility,but acelebration of anew future,”Blank said at the event.“A future built upon great teaching,world-class research,and adeep commitment to preparing our students for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries in the world.”The project is funded with$91 million from the state,with additional funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation,the Vilas Trust,the 3M Corporation,university funds and individual donors.The four-year project will be completed in two phases,with renovations slated to finish by early 2022.Blank spoke about the special emphasis on teaching,with anew nine-story tower along University Avenue largely dedicated to new lecture halls,teaching laboratories and areas for group work.That space,which is now officially under construction,will support agrowing contingent of students in engineering,health professions and other scientific fields and relieve pressure on existing facilities.The second phase of construction,beginning in 2021,will remodel parts of the Daniels wing of the building,adding additional teaching labs.Important ventilation and fire-control systems will also be renovated to improve safety.After years of growth,general chemistry has been the university’s highest-enrolled class since 2006.This fall,more than 2,200 students are enrolled,and due to space constraints,undergraduate labs currently run from 7:45 in the morning to 9:45 at night.These courses can be bottlenecks for students,limiting both timely graduation and the ability for the university to increase enrollment. 查看详细>>