Chancellor's Office
Chancellor's Communiqué
February 2009
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to update you on a number of items since the last time I sent an issue of the Chancellor's Communiqué.
Governor's State Budget Address
Governor Doyle is scheduled to deliver his budget address on February 17 at 7:00 p.m. The State Budget Address should give us some idea how the UW System, the UW Colleges, and UW-Extension will fare in the governor's budget bill for 2009-2011. The newly projected state budget deficit is $5.7 billion - yes, billion with a "b." Shortly thereafter, on February 20, Government Relations Director Rosemary Potter and I will provide you with a more detailed analysis of how the proposed budget bill will affect our institutions in a 1:30 p.m. WisLine for all colleagues. I hope you will listen and participate. A reminder with dial-in instructions will be sent closer to the WisLine.
Search for UWC Provost/Vice Chancellor Under Way
The Search and Screen Committee has received my charge and is proceeding in its search for a permanent UW Colleges provost/vice chancellor. It is my intention to have this position filled by July 1, 2009. For more information about this position, see Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. I also plan to have the UWC/UW-Extension director of Workforce, Equity, and Diversity position filled by July 1. The Search and Screen Committee for that position will be given its charge soon.
UW-Extension Historian Shirley Johnson
UW-Extension historian and assistant professor emerita Shirley E. Johnson passed away on January 3, 2009, after a brief illness. Shirley began working for UW-Extension Library as a librarian in 1956. In 1977, she was appointed director of UW-Extension Library Services as a tenured professor. In 1994, she became UW-Extension historian. After her retirement in 1996, she volunteered as UW-Extension historian and, with the help of UW-Extension technical staff, developed the impressive UW-Extension history database, www.uwex.edu/history. Shirley received the 2006 UW-Extension Wisconsin Idea Award for her major role in providing specialized library service to all citizens of Wisconsin and for ensuring that future generations will know about and appreciate UW-Extension's significant contributions to the quality of life both statewide and nationally. Shirley will be greatly missed.
Differential Starting Salaries Task Force Tackles Tough Questions
Last September, I put together a task force chaired by Professor and Associate Dean Ken Grant (UW-Baraboo/Sauk County) to examine whether the UW Colleges should embrace a differential starting salary scale for new faculty. Our current practice has been to grant each incoming assistant professor the same starting salary. The task force is addressing the following questions:
- Should the Colleges continue its practice of giving the same starting salaries to all incoming tenure track faulty, regardless of discipline?
- Should the Colleges move to a more market-driven approach, with beginning faculty in higher demand disciplines being awarded starting salaries beyond that of faculty in other disciplines?
- If the Colleges move to a more market-driven approach, how can we implement the change in a way that would preserve the esprit de corps that has been built in the Colleges over the years?
- What would be the long-term effect on the quality of the academic program if the Colleges continue to experience failed searches in higher-demand disciplines?
- If we are unable to compete for outstanding tenure-track faculty, should we move more toward an IAS model?
Task force members include faculty from a variety of academic departments, and positions, and represent differing views on the differential starting salaries issue. Members are:
- Bill Bultman, Department Chair, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, and Astronomy, UW-Fox Valley
- Tim Dunn, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, UW-Waukesha
- Carol Fischer, Professor, Business/Economics, UW-Waukesha
- Elizabeth Hayes, Department Chair, Biological Sciences, UW-Fond du Lac
- Andy Keogh, Campus Dean/CEO, UW-Marshfield/Wood County
- Mark Klemp, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, UW-Marinette
- Tom Peneski, former Department Chair, Associate Dean, former Senate Steering Committee, Chair, Mathematics, UW-Sheboygan
- Abbas Taheri, Department Chair, Business and Economics, UW-Fox Valley
- Elizabeth Zanichkowsky, Professor, English and Women's Studies, UW-Waukesha
The task force plans to reach consensus on the questions above at its third meeting on March 23 and will present its recommendations to me by May 1st.
New Online Degree: Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management
UW Extension's division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning (CEOEL) is working with UW-Parkside, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout and UW-Superior to develop the first online degree of its kind to be launched in the U.S.. The degree will be a bachelor of science in sustainable management, and it will be offered collaboratively by all four partner campuses.
Planning for this degree began in spring 2008. Early in the planning process, CEOEL worked with a number of businesses to identify competencies that graduates of this degree should have. Focusing on those competencies, faculty built a curriculum that has the academic rigor and quality of the UW while being responsive to the needs of companies seeking to become more engaged in the emerging green economy. While campuses provide quality instruction, CEOEL will provide highly engaged student services to ensure that students not only enter the program but also receive the information and support they need to succeed and complete the program in a timely manner.
This newly created degree is part of the Adult Student Initiative and the UW System Growth Agenda. It focuses primarily on adult and nontraditional students and will enable them to finish a bachelor's degree entirely online. Students who have associate's degrees will be able to move into this degree directly. Students who need to complete coursework in the first two years of study may do so at any UW campus or through UW Colleges Online. The purpose of this degree is to broaden access to the UW, and to support the needs of the 21st century work force.
It is hoped this degree will be offered in fall 2009, pending approval by the Board of Regents.
WEN Annual Meeting
I attended the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network's annual meeting in Wausau on January 22. The meeting identified emerging issues and provided effective strategies to address them. The program included presentations on the following topics:
- The changing face of entrepreneurship
- Regional economic development initiatives
- Entrepreneurship and the arts - essential ingredients for economic vitality
- Wisconsin's business climate for entrepreneurs
- Incubators - building on best practices
- Strategies to build the best management team
I commend UW-Extension's Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development for sponsoring the WEN conference, which so many people found valuable.
Ag Forum
On January 16, I attended and spoke at UW-Madison's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) second annual Ag Forum. The forum provided an outlook on the economics, emerging issues, and opportunities for Wisconsin agriculture. Attendees included private, public, and education leaders, decision makers and media.
Speakers included CALS Dean Molly Jahn, Cooperative Extension Interim Dean Rick Klemme, UW-Madison economists and commodity specialists Bruce Jones, A.J. Bussan, and Bob Cropp. USDA Economist Larry Salathe offered a national perspective.
Local Extension offices partnered with CALS to make this event available via webcast to local Wisconsin communities and leaders. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Wisconsin Farmers Union sponsored a reception. Our partnerships with these and other organizations who serve Wisconsin's agricultural communities are highly valued.
UW-Extension's Local Government Center Receives Award
Cooperative Extension's Local Government Center has received the 2008 Wisconsin Counties Association's "Friend in County Government Award" for its respected strong partnership with counties and local units of government in the state.
This is the highest honor given by the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) to an individual or group for outstanding service to the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) and counties statewide. Staff members of Cooperative Extension's Local Government Center were honored recently at the WCA Annual Conference in Sauk County, where close to 1,000 county officials attended from around the state.
Upon presentation of the award, WCA Executive Director and UW Colleges/UW-Extension Board of Visitors Member Mark O'Connell told attendees, "The UW-Extension Local Government Center has been an invaluable resource for counties and other local governments and works in partnership with county UW-Extension offices, the Wisconsin Counties Association, the Wisconsin Towns Association and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, where its staff provides education and information to Wisconsin local governments."
A special focus of the Center is educating elected or appointed officials--and those who aspire to hold office--about Wisconsin's local government structures, laws and procedures.
According to Chuck Law, director of the Local Government Center, "This recognition came as a complete surprise to us. Presenting the award to the entire Center without emphasizing the work of one particular specialist over another confirms the strength of our working relationships in providing support to Wisconsin's county governments."
The UW-Extension Cooperative Extension Local Government Center is the 16th recipient of the "Friend in County Government" award.
To learn more about the Local Government Center and its work, visit http://lgc.uwex.edu/.
High Graduation Rates for Former UW Colleges Students
In November, UW System's Office of Policy Analysis and Research (OPAR) released a study on Undergraduate Transfer Students: 2007-08. The study shows that students who start with the UW Colleges and then transfer to UW four-year schools persist (83%) and graduate with baccalaureate degrees at higher rates (70%) than students who transfer from technical colleges, other four-year universities or private colleges. I recommend that you take a look at the findings portrayed in graphs and tables.
Two UW Colleges Faculty Members Receive Fulbrights
Two UW-Barron County faculty members in Rice Lake received Fulbright Scholarship grants this past year. Professor Mary Hoeft (Communication Arts and French) traveled to Morocco to pursue research for six weeks last summer, and Associate Professor Sid Konell (Business-Economics) recently completed a one-semester Fulbright teaching fellowship in Yalta in the Ukraine. This is a great honor for our colleagues at UW-Barron County as well as for the UW Colleges. Both the Fulbright Scholar grant and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars are well-known for advancing the intellect and scholarship of members of the higher education community. Experiences such as these allow faculty members to excel further in their fields, and be of greater influence and service to students.
Combined UW Colleges/UW-Extension Board of Visitors Elects Officers
At the last UW Colleges/UW-Extension Board of Visitors (BOV) meeting, new officers were elected as follows: Keith Summers, president; Brad Hansen, vice president; and John Wright, secretary. Officers serve for two years.
BOV President Keith Summers is a director of operations for Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC, a consulting engineering firm headquartered in Green Bay. BOV VP Brad Hansen is president of Heartland Business Systems in Little Chute. BOV Secretary John Wright lives in Fond du Lac and is retired after 32 years with internationally known DSM Food Specialties.
To see the complete list of members on the UW Colleges/UW-Extension Board of Visitors, go to Board of Visitors.
New Joint Colleges and Extension Web Site Provides Integration Answers
The UW Colleges and UW-Extension are two institutions led by one chancellor and one central administration. To find out what has been integrated and what programs and services are jointly available to all Colleges and Extension employees, I encourage you to visit and bookmark the new joint Colleges and Extension web site. This web site does not replace the UW Colleges web site or the UW-Extension web site.
Some topics of joint interest include:
- Employee Information
- Collaborations
- Leadership Academy
- Program Impacts
- Publications
- Strategic Planning
- Diversity
UW Colleges/UW-Extension Leadership Academy Graduates First Class
In 2008, the Extension Administrative Leadership Program (EALP) became known as the UW Colleges/UW-Extension Leadership Academy, with its first group of participants from both institutions. Leadership Academy Class I graduated in December 2009, having completed a series of eight, three-day sessions around the state during the past two years. Class I participants experienced a variety of learning activities related to major policy, management and leadership issues facing outreach and higher education in Wisconsin.
Here is what some participants from Class I said after the two-year program,
From UW-Extension's Payroll and Benefits Manager Deb France:
By participating in the Leadership Academy, I was able to discover many things about myself. What I learned will benefit me in both my professional and personal life. It was a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues and look outside my "silo."
And from UW Fox-Valley's Dean's Office Manager Juli McGuire,
I found the Leadership Academy sessions to provide a unique opportunity to learn more about the UW Colleges and Extension and gain confidence as a leader while working with others who have similar professional goals. Sue Buck and her staff did an outstanding job providing the right tools and environment that resulted in a successful program and truly enjoyable experience over the past two years.
Other members of this first class included the following colleagues:
| 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 |
| Pam Hobson | 4-H Youth Development Agent | Richland County Cooperative Extension |
| Jane Jiumaleh | Information Processing Consultant, Information Technology 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
For more information about the Leadership Academy, click here.
Our Greatest Resource is our Employees
Colleague Amy Pikalek, director of Communications and Marketing for UW-Extension's Division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, was guest editor of the most recent Journal of Higher Education and Engagement. The journal contained selected essays from the 2007 Outreach Scholarship Conference.
Visit "Engaging Wisconsin"
I communicate with you through the Chancellor's Communiqué, quarterly WisLine teleconferences, and by sending frequent emails to all of you on current issues. If you want to learn even more about what your chancellor is doing, you can always check out the photographs, which include many of you, at the "Engaging Wisconsin" page on the chancellor's web site.
Best wishes for a successful 2009.
David Wilson