Chancellor's Office
Chancellor's Communiqués
April 30, 2007
To: All UW Colleges and UW-Extension Colleagues
Fr: Chancellor David Wilson
In this Message:
- BOARD OF REGENTS MEETINGS, APRIL 12-13, UW-OSHKOSH
- SALARY INEQUITIES
- GRANTS
- PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- UW COLLEGES ONLINE
- LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS I ('07-'08)
- PERSONNEL AND UWEX DIVISION NAME CHANGES
- WHERE I'VE BEEN LATELY
Dear Colleagues,
Tomorrow, May 1st, will mark my first anniversary as your chancellor. This year has been a whirlwind! I have spent quality time on all thirteen of our campuses, and in well over half of our cooperative extension offices. I have also spent some time on almost all of our comprehensive campuses where we have faculty and staff working in continuing education, public radio and television, cooperative extension, and in small business development centers. Our work is felt by several hundred thousand citizens of this state every year, and I am honored that I am experiencing it first-hand.
This year has been full of excitement, opportunities, challenges and achievements. We have made immeasurable progress in integrating the central administrative operations of the Colleges and Extension, and crafted an exciting new shared vision of maximum access that will challenge our institutions to think differently about how we will respond to the current and future needs of this state. Our senior administration is now housed in the same building in Madison, and we have realized many efficiencies in our work.
As we look to next year, a few of my major goals include: developing our strategic plan, rolling out our adult student initiative, advocating for the restructuring of the UW Colleges' tuition to remove cost as a barrier to getting more adult and place-bound students enrolled in our degree programs. I will also continue to work with UW System administration to improve faculty and staff salaries, and will continue to explore ways, beyond the adult student initiative, for the Colleges and Extension to work more collaboratively to address some of the state's most pressing problems. In the next few weeks, I will share with you a list of our major principles and our strategic goals that will guide the development of our strategic plan.
I thank all of you for the tremendous support you have provided me this past year. I value your commitment to the missions of our institutions, your passion for implementing those missions, and the feedback you have provided to me on numerous major issues. I will continue to be an open, transparent and inclusive chancellor and invite you to keep sending me your suggestions.
In last month's Communiqué, I stated rather emphatically that spring had arrived in Wisconsin. Maybe I was a tad early in making that pronouncement. I did not foresee a major snowstorm in mid-April. Now, as we approach May, I am going to don my meteorological cap and predict that winter is officially behind us. If I am wrong, I am prepared to receive the 2,000 emails I know will come my way.
In this issue of the Communiqué, I want to update you on several matters. These include:
- the Board of Regents meeting held earlier this month at UW-Oshkosh,
- salary inequities,
- grants and extramural funding,
- professional development,
- the UW Colleges Online Program,
- the Colleges/Extension Leadership Academy,
- personnel and name changes, and
- recent travels.
BOARD OF REGENTS MEETINGS, APRIL 12-13, UW-OSHKOSH
The Board of Regents met on April 12-13 at UW-Oshkosh. At the Friday meeting, the Board approved my recommendations for new deans/CEOs at UW-Baraboo/Sauk County, UW-Sheboygan, and UW-Marathon County. The new deans are Tom Pleger, Al Hardersen, and Sandra Smith, respectively. I am really excited to have these outstanding professionals join our leadership team.
The Board also heard updates on the Equity Scorecard, which is a self-assessment project piloted at six UW institutions since 2005. The UW Colleges is one of the institutions. The scorecard assists institutions in identifying achievement gaps for African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian and Southeast Asian students, who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education. It also helps institutions understand why such gaps may exist, and challenges them to find interventions and solutions to address and resolve inequities.
At the UW Colleges, a team of dedicated colleagues is working to understand the challenges we are facing in these areas. The team is led by Associate Vice Chancellor Greg Lampe. Focusing on access, the UW Colleges developed a model to determine whether campuses are enrolling white students and students of color from the same high schools at equitable rates, and looked at what is happening to those students once they enroll in classes on our campuses. We are learning a lot from our experience with this project, and might seek to expand it to UW-Extension next year, if there is an opportunity from UW System to add other institutions. I thank Greg for the outstanding leadership he has brought to this effort.
SALARY INEQUITIES
As I visit our numerous locations across the state, I continue to be impressed with the quality of our faculty and staff. There is no way our institutions would be as well regarded as they are without our dedicated and able colleagues. At every opportunity, I continue to speak about what makes us exceptional - you! As I do this, I am fully aware that your pay lags significantly behind that of other UW System colleagues. In fact, based on a recent Legislative Audit Bureau report of personnel practices at the Wisconsin Technical Colleges System, your compensation is substantially below that of instructors and staff in that system.
This year, I will work assiduously with my senior team and with UW System President Kevin Reilly to try and develop a plan/strategy for slowly closing the gap between us and other public institutions. Given funding inadequacies in our state, I know this will be difficult to achieve, but this is one of my top priorities, and I am committed to working on this issue. I want you to know that I understand the seriousness of the problem. I will continue to build a case with state legislators and others for allotting more needed dollars for salary equity.
GRANTS
As many of you know, both the UW Colleges and UW-Extension are receiving only about 30 percent of annual operating costs from the State of Wisconsin. This is insufficient to meet the statewide needs which our institutions have been charged to address. With that in mind, I continue to encourage all faculty and academic staff to explore opportunities to secure extramural funding. Thus far in fiscal year 2007, UW Colleges and UW-Extension faculty and staff have been successful in acquiring more than 33 million dollars in extramural funding ($1.9 million-UW Colleges; $31.2 million-UW Extension). Sources for these funds have been the state and federal government, local and national foundations, and the private sector.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
It is also important to support faculty and staff to engage in an ongoing program of professional development. In this connection, I am pleased to announce that I am making professional development dollars available, effective July 1, 2007, to faculty and staff in the UW Colleges and UW Extension to promote professional development activities. Provosts Marv Van Kekerix and Margaret Cleek will oversee the disbursement of these funds and more details will be forthcoming from their offices regarding the process for accessing this support.
In other professional development news, the senior leadership team from both institutions recently participated in a day-and-a-half conference in Madison to gain a deeper understanding of each other's leadership styles and the continued challenges of institutional integration, identify areas on which to work together in the coming year, and advance the institution-wide strategic planning process.
UW COLLEGES ONLINE
I continue to be impressed with the growth of our UW Colleges Online program. The continued development of this program, as well as our continuing education and on-line programs in UW Extension, is also one of my top priorities in the coming year. The UW Colleges Online program began in fall 1998 with three online courses enrolling nearly 60 seats. Currently, UW Colleges Online offers 35 courses in 69 individual course sections with nearly 1,890 seats enrolled. UW Colleges Online is one more way we provide students accessible, affordable, and transferable liberal arts general education courses to earn a fully accredited Associate of Arts and Science (AAS) degree that is widely accepted by other institutions. In September 2006, 52 students received their AAS degree from UWC Online.
I will be working with the UW Colleges Online program, and the Continuing Education, Outreach and E-learning Division to ensure that we are using our resources effectively as we seek to reach out to adult students in Wisconsin.
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS I ('07-'08)
Leadership Academy Class I (2007-2008), the first class designed for faculty, academic staff, and classified staff working in both our institutions, as well as those with UW-Extension appointments at other UW institutions, began its work in January, focusing on leadership philosophies and coming together as a class. I had the honor of welcoming them on January 17 and spoke to the class about my own leadership philosophy. In April, the Class explored multiculturalism issues at its session in Milwaukee. In a series of eight, three-day sessions during 2007 and 2008, class members will engage in learning activities related to major policy, management, and leadership issues facing outreach and higher education in Wisconsin as well as learn more about our two institutions. They will participate in leadership assessments and leadership skill-building exercises, give presentations on major leadership theorists, and may choose to participate in a mentoring program. For more information about the Leadership Academy, please visit the Leadership Academy web site at http://www.uwex.edu/leadershipacademy/ or contact Sue Buck, coordinator of the program. Our congratulations go to the participants of this first class of the Leadership Academy.
Leadership Academy Class I ('07-'08) members include:
| NAME | POSITION | INSTITUTION |
| Kirsten Allen | Program Manager, Outreach – Continuing Education | UW-River Falls |
| Joy Altwies | Program Director, Engineering Professional Development | UW-Madison |
| Sandra Beccue | Market Research Manager, Wisconsin Innovation Service Center | UW-Whitewater |
| Richard Berg | Instructional Design/Distance Education Specialist, ICS | UW-Extension |
| Scott Bouffleur | Non-Online Distance Education (NODE) Technology Coordinator | UW-Marathon County |
| Michael Childers | Assistant Professor, Labor Education, School for Workers | UW-Extension |
| Chris DeIuliis | Outreach Program Manager, Continuing Education | UW-Oshkosh |
| Jenny Erickson | Community Resource Development Educator | Sauk County Cooperative Extension |
| Deb France | Payroll and Benefits Program Supervisor | UW-Extension |
| Pam Hobson | 4-H Youth Development Agent | Richland County Cooperative Extension |
| Jane Jiumaleh | Information Processing Consultant, IT Services | UW-Extension |
| Robert Kazmierski | Assistant Professor, Community Resource Development | Polk County Cooperative Extension |
| Cary Komoto | Professor, Geography and Geology | UW-Barron County |
| Dan Kuzlik | Assistant Professor, Community, Natural Resource & Economic Development Agent (CNRED) | Oneida County Cooperative Extension |
| Mark Lococo | Associate Professor, Communication and Theatre Arts | UW-Waukesha |
| Tiffany Lyden | Lake Specialist, Lakes Program, CNRED | UW-Stevens Point |
| Juli McGuire | Dean's Office Manager | UW-Fox Valley |
| Jason Messer | Project and Resource Manager, Learning Innovations, Continuing Education, Outreach & E-Learning | UW-Extension |
| Gary Mills | Executive Producer, Education and Production Services, Wisconsin Public Television | UW-Extension |
| Randy Parvin | Senior Student Services Coordinator, UW Higher Education Location Program, UW Learning Innovations | UW-Extension |
| Vicki Pierce | Senior Graphic Designer, Public Information Department, Office of the Chancellor | UW Colleges/UW-Extension |
| Paul Roback | Associate Professor, Community Development Educator | Ozaukee County Cooperative Extension |
| Suzanne Samuelsen | Extramural Support Coordinator, Non-Federal Business Services | UW-Extension |
| Barbara Stinson | Director, Distance Education | UW Colleges |
| Patti Thompson | Conference Planning Manager/Pyle Center Assistance Manager | UW-Extension |
| Nathan Trick | Online Resources Specialist, Instructional Communications Systems | UW-Extension | Joe Van Rossum | Recycling Specialist, Solid & Hazardous Waste Education Center (SHWEC), Cooperative Extension | UW-Extension | Cynthia Woodland | Major & Planning Giving, Wisconsin Public Radio | UW-Extension | Bonniejean Zitske | Manager of Audience Services, Wisconsin Public Radio & Television | UW-Extension |
PERSONNEL AND UWEX DIVISION NAME CHANGES
- David Matthieu will begin on July 1 as the UW Colleges associate vice chancellor for student services and enrollment management. This new position has been developed and expanded from the chief student affairs officer position formerly held by Nora McGuire. He is currently special assistant to the vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Welcome aboard, David!
- What used to be called UW-Extension's Division of Outreach and E-Learning has been renamed Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning.
- UW-Extension's Division of Business and Manufacturing-Extension has also been renamed. It is now called the Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (DEED).
WHERE I'VE BEEN LATELY
I know keeping up with me has been a chore this past month after an unbelievable (and never to be duplicated again) travel schedule.
I hope all of you understand that in addition to overseeing our day-to-day operations, as chancellor there are many other statewide and national functions that I must also attend. Making the case in Washington, D.C., with our congressional delegation for continued investment in our institutions is one of them. I spent four days on Capitol Hill with numerous volunteers and state leaders from Wisconsin, educating our congressional delegation about the statewide impact of our institutions. Congratulations to Cooperative Extension Dean and Director Rick Klemme, Associate Dean Yvonne Horton, Public Affairs Director Pamela Seelman, and Administrative Assistant Lisa Brennan. They assembled an impressive group of students, county board supervisors, and local businesspersons who were stellar in delivering cogent message to Senators Kohl, Feingold, and the rest of the congressional delegation on our value. I felt very good about this entire process, and look forward to doing it again next year. Vice Chancellor/Provost Marv Van Kekerix, and UW System Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations Kris Andrews, accompanied us on these visits.
This past month I have also greatly enjoyed my visits to three UW-Colleges campuses: UW-Fond du Lac, UW-Marinette, and UW-Barron County. I spoke at a fourth campus, UW-Richland, at the Southwest Economic Development Conference. I also had the privilege of visiting two UW-Extension county offices: Portage and Waupaca. I spoke at the Supporting and Educating Parents Conference in Wisconsin Dells, and at the Wisconsin Associated County Extension Committees, Inc. (WACEC) annual conference in Madison. I presented "Creating a Shared Vision" both at WISCAPE at UW-Madison, and at the University Continuing Education Association's (UCEA) annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. (And to my good friend and colleague, UW-Fox Valley Dean and Campus CEO Jim Perry: this was no vacation.) The presentation was enthusiastically received by a national audience of deans and directors, for they have their eyes on the integration of these two institutions in Wisconsin.
Finally, I did manage to have some fun this month. Most of you know that I am a huge jazz aficionado. Every city I visit, I try to scout out the local jazz club to take in some improvisational jazz. I managed to sneak away for an hour or so while in D.C. to take in the U.S. Navy Jazz Band at Blues Alley in Georgetown. I am still searching for jazz venues in Wisconsin. Recommendations are welcomed!
Also, I watched two of my son's baseball games. Nyere has yet to get a hit this year, but he has walked two times and made it to third base on both occasions. That means he has stolen four bases! Everything is a matter of perspective! 
I appreciate all that you do to advance the work of the UW Colleges and UW-Extension.
Kind regards,
David Wilson
Chancellor, UW Colleges and UW-Extension