Regents present 2024 University Staff Excellence Awards (day 1 news summary)

SOMERS, Wis. – The Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin today honored the recipients of the fourth annual University Staff Excellence Awards at the board’s meeting hosted by UW-Parkside. These awards recognize exceptional service to the university and are the UWs’ highest recognition bestowed on members of their university staff.

“Their outstanding work strengthens and invigorates not only our UW universities but the communities in which they serve,” said Regent Jack Salzwedel, a member of the awards selection committee.

Award recipients are selected for superior performance resulting in significant contributions to the department and university; use of positive personal interaction to manage work changes; and a consistently innovative approach that improves productivity and work quality. Each recipient is awarded $7,500 to support professional development or program enhancements.

• See the Sept. 23, 2024, news release, “Regents announce University Staff Excellence Awards for 2024”

The 2024 recipients include two individuals and one program.

• Carissa Menke, Senior Financial Specialist, Cashier’s Office, UW-Platteville

“For me in my role, it’s always been very rewarding to assist students with their questions and concerns,” said Menke, who has worked in UW-Platteville’s Cashier’s Office for more than seven years and is responsible for collections contributing to the financial health of the university. She also works with students to create a plan of action to pay down debt and past due balances.

“I strive to be empathetic towards their situations and help them work through the possibilities. When we’re able to come up with solution and you hear the sigh of relief or see the look of ‘aah’ on (students’) faces, it’s very rewarding,” she said.

She also gave a shout-out to her hardworking and very knowledgeable colleagues. “It’s definitely a team effort,” she said.

Menke represents the Cashier’s Office at student events, including New Student Experience and International Student Orientation. She is known for treating all students with respect, dignity, and compassion. She shares her expertise on the federal Perkins Loan program with peers across the Universities of Wisconsin.

• Dirck Nagy, Library Assistant III, Murphy Library, UW-La Crosse

Dirck Nagy works the late-night shift at Murphy Library, providing the evening face of the library to patrons, including students and the public. He created a system to ensure all items checked out of the library are reshelved in the correct place, including double-checking that every item has the correct library system status. This past academic year, he led the challenging task of moving all materials back to the renovated space following the August 2021 library basement flooding.

While Nagy was unable to attend the awards ceremony, the Murphy Library Director offered this comment: “By displaying a positive, customer first, and caring attitude, (Dirck) truly does service as the evening anchor for this unit, library, campus, and beyond.”

• University Custodial Program, UW-Stout

“As custodians, we know we serve students at the very basic level,” said Bob Cook, who accepted the award along with Aimee Lipke and Brad Mengeling, all leads in the UW-Stout’s Custodial program. “For the most part, we are largely invisible – until something bad happens or an area has a mess. Then we are very visible.”

As Wisconsin’s only polytechnic university, UW-Stout has three times as many laboratory and studio spaces as classrooms, which requires additional and specific care by the custodial team. UW-Stout’s custodial program of 54 custodians ensures that labs, studios, classrooms, student centers, and living spaces are clean and safe, positively contributing to the overall student experience.

“Just as it’s important for students to feel safe and healthy, it’s also important to have a sense of belonging. Custodians play a critical role in students feeling welcome and noticed,” said Cook, who noted that custodians can look out for students needing some assistance. “Cleaning is an important part of the job, but ultimately we’re about creating successful students.”

Other members of the University Staff Excellence Awards selection committee included Regents Angela Adams, Evan Brenkus, and Edmund Manydeeds III.

UW-Parkside is moving to be true partner

“It’s time for UW-Parkside to stop being a hidden gem,” said UW-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey.

From the time UW-Parkside was established in 1968, the vision was clear: to create a university that would not only provide academic excellence but also be a beacon of hope and opportunity for the community. Akey noted that UW-Parkside is distinguished by its high percentage of low-income and first-generation students and strong community ties.

Akey told Regents that Parkside students are deeply integrated into the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor, contributing to and benefiting from this dynamic region. Several students and regional partners spoke about the impact that the university has, both individually and for the community.

Full summary of the UW-Parkside presentation to come.

Academic Program Array Update

Academic program array includes approving new academic programs, reviewing program changes and eliminations, and other monitoring and reporting actions.

In June 2023, the Regents discussed the UW strategic priorities to modify policies that impede innovation, and to engage with employers to develop academic programs that meet talent needs.

• See PowerPoint, “Academic Program Array Management”

As a result of those discussions and opportunities for stakeholder input, the UWs approved and implemented changes to academic program planning policies and guidance to: a) streamline the process for campuses; and b) allow for more responsiveness to changing student and workforce needs. The updated policies and guidance address how to identify and approve new programs, consider program duplication, reduce unnecessary reporting burdens, and better align with associate degree standards. They also respond to new regulations regarding distance education.

Today’s presentation provided a high-level look at the rigorous process of how decisions are made to change the program array at UW universities. The discussion highlighted policies that were developed and revised since 2023 to improve the program planning process and lessons learned from their implementation.

Regent President’s Report

Regent President Amy Bogost led her report with a brief update on upcoming chancellor searches at two UW universities. First, she said the members of a search and screen committee to identify a successor to UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone are expected to be announced by mid-October. UW-Milwaukee is currently drafting a prospectus for the position. The search to identify a successor to UW-River Falls Chancellor Maria Gallo, meanwhile, will be launched a little further down the road.

Bogost noted that the first Regents Business Partnership Award of the fall semester would be presented on Friday, involving UW-Parkside. This awards program was launched in spring of 2023 to highlight the many important collaborations between the UWs and businesses that advance the next generation of research, provide career training for students, and help develop the state’s talent pipeline.

Finally, Bogost invited several chancellors to share stories of recent accomplishments at their universities.

Chancellor James Schmidt told Regents about the recent grand opening of the long-awaited Sonnentag Center, a collaborative public/private project with the community that was fueled by alumni benefactors, John and Carolyn Sonnentag. Their $70 million gift of land and cash is the largest in university history.

Schmidt noted that the Sonnentags, who met while students at UW-Eau Claire, only lived in the city for five years back in the ‘60s but have been extraordinary benefactors. He commended their astounding commitment to philanthropy as a testament to the life-changing university experience. “Their desire to give back will offer value to students, the community, and the region for decades,” Schmidt said.

UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone shared another success story, noting the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the university’s new Chemistry Building, a project many years in the making, is scheduled for tomorrow.

Mone noted that 3,500 students take chemistry courses each year, reflecting how the field is a gateway to prepare students for a multitude of opportunities in STEM and other professions. Employers need individuals who are well trained and “that starts in the classroom and lab,” Mone said. The new facility “is not only a destination for science students but is so important for attracting and retaining staff.”

UW-Stout Chancellor Frank then shared news of a 5-year, $8.1-million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education that was recently awarded to the Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute and will start next month.

“This opportunity leverages federal grant funds to create several micro-credential badging training programs to meet the workforce development needs of the public vocational rehabilitation program,” she said. “The purpose of the funded project is to develop and implement the Accelerated VR Training and Capacity Building Program to increase knowledge, skills-based competencies, and proficiency specific to contemporary rehabilitation issues with professionals and paraprofessionals working in the state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation program…This innovative training and capacity building program will be available to VR personnel and key stakeholders in all U.S. states and territories.:

Finally, UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King told Regents how Warhawk Bold met Paralympic Gold. Six current or former members of the UW-Whitewater men’s wheelchair basketball team recently won gold as part of the winning Team USA at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. With an undefeated run at the tournament, USA beat Great Britain 73-69 in the championship final.

“The wheelchair tradition at UW-Whitewater goes much deeper than what happens on the court where our programs have won 17 national championships,” King said. “We embrace students with disabilities. And we proudly accept our title as the ‘bedrock of the U.S. Paralympic wheelchair teams’ given to us by New York Times.”

UWs President’s Report

UWs President Jay Rothman opened his report with a brief video, showing highlights from the recently concluded project celebrating UW faculty and staff with “shout outs” from students from every UW university. Rothman said the project showcased 160 students, shouting out 137 faculty and staff via 130 videos from five social media platforms. Those videos were viewed more than 330,000 times.

• Watch video

“Recognizing and rewarding our faculty and staff is a high priority, and we’re committed to keeping it that way,” Rothman said, noting that the biennial budget request includes a proposed 5 percent and 3 percent general wage increase for faculty and staff in the next two years, while also adding merit and market pools.

Rothman also addressed an issue that received attention earlier this month, the increase in the number of UW employees over the past 30 years.

He pointed out that the positions cited in the legislative memo are all funds positions – including those funded by research grants, that is, not limited to state-funded positions. He called it “an apples-to-oranges” comparison.

Rothman also noted that state funding for the UWs has lagged inflation during this period. “In fact, state funding as a percentage of our budget has dramatically shifted in the last 20-plus years,” he said. “In 2000-01, it represented 33% of our budget. Today, it is around 18%.”

Over the same period and with similar enrollment numbers, he said the UWs produced a 30% increase in the number of graduates – from 27,863 graduates in 1992-93 to 36,432 degrees in 2022-23. He added that the degrees awarded in the high-demand STEM and health-related fields more than doubled in that span.

Rothman also pointed out that since 1992-93, UW-Madison’s research spending has expanded from $359 million to $1.5 billion. “It should not come as a shock that staffing grew to support our flagship’s enormous research engine, which we should all view as positive,” he said.

On the legislative front, Rothman told Regents that the Legislative Council Study Committee on the Future of the University of Wisconsin continues to meet, with today’s meeting featuring a presentation from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. The committee intends to meet again on Oct. 24.

Finally, with the recent release of preliminary enrollment estimates based on first-day student counts, Rothman noted that enrollment at the UWs increased by more than 1,000 students overall, including higher enrollments at eight UW universities and four branch campuses.

“The overall estimate of 163,589 is the highest since 2020 – and it’s the second straight year of increases,” he said, adding that the increase comes despite severe challenges caused by the disruptive rollout of a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (or FAFSA) and a lack of funding for the Wisconsin Tuition Promise.

“Given these challenges, the fact that overall enrollment is actually up is proof positive that Wisconsinites know that education unlocks opportunity,” Rothman said. “We will continue our efforts to build on this trend.”

Strategic Plan Update: Freedom of Expression

As part of his regular updates on the strategic plan, Rothman focused on freedom of expression. He said he recently addressed the topic at an event at the Capitol co-hosted by Free Speech for Campus, the Wisconsin Association of Scholars, and the UW’s own Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue (WICCD).

“The free exchange of ideas through open dialogue and debate is a hallmark of the Universities of Wisconsin,” he said. “We wholly support the First Amendment and the right to free expression – including through legal protest – and we continue to uphold these ideals, even in the face of difficult and competing demands.”

To ensure students understand how that is put into practice, Rothman said the UWs have provided each university with dedicated resources to potentially be included in student orientation, a four-minute “Freedom of Expression” awareness video and a “Commitment to Academic Freedom and Free Expression” course for posting on campus Canvas platforms.

He also told Regents that WICCD has invited faculty, staff, and students to apply for grants that enhance democracy through civil dialogue. The grants are offered each spring and fall in four areas: research, events and related activities, assessment, and curriculum and professional development.

Rothman also told Regents that the UWs recently published an interim policy on institutional statements by UW universities to clarify that official university statements should be limited to matters that directly affect those universities or their core missions to maintain viewpoint neutrality.

“We are committed to academic freedom and freedom of expression and this policy does not apply to faculty or staff scholarship, teaching, intellectual debate, or acts as private citizens,” Rothman said.

Regents recognize service of former colleague

The Regents presented a Resolution of Appreciation for Regent Emeritus Mike Jones’ service on the board from 2017 through 2024. Jones was not present at the meeting, but Regent Kyle Weatherly noted while he was always quietly impactful and made a difference.

The Regents also presented a resolution of appreciation to UW-Parkside for hosting the September 2024 meeting.

Business & Finance Committee

The Business & Finance Committee approved amendments to Regent policies related to the executive salary structure. The changes would update the peer universities used to benchmark the salary ranges for senior executive positions. Salary ranges would be updated annually, and without the current downward adjustment of the salary range midpoint.

Authority would be delegated to the Board President to approve the salary range of the system President, and to the system President to approve the ranges for all other executive positions. The proposal would also allow the Board President to approve state-enacted pay plan salary increases for the system President and allow the system President to approve those increases for the Chancellors.

These increases would be implemented at the same time as for all other UWs employees. The proposal would also allow the System President to make base adjustments for Vice Presidents within the approved salary range, as is currently allowed to the Chancellors with respect to Provosts and Vice Chancellors.

Together, these revisions help keep salary ranges current and competitive, while retaining the Board’s authority to set actual starting salaries and approve non-pay plan-related base salary adjustments for equity, competitive or performance-based factors.

In other business, the Business & Finance Committee:

• Heard a presentation from host campus UW-Parkside, in which Vice Chancellors Sheronda Glass and Phil Hirsch shared an overview of the framework being utilized by the university improve its administrative efficiency; and
• Received the Q2 report from the UW Office of Trust Funds. As of June 30, assets in the SWIB-managed portfolios totaled $620 million. For the quarter, the Long Term Fund increased in value 1.8%, performing in line with its benchmark. In the Intermediate Term Fund, assets totaled $696 million after gains of 1.1% for that quarter, also performing comparably to its benchmark.

Education Committee

Leaders in Continuing Education from four UW universities discussed how their programs are actively working to achieve the goals outlined in the UW Strategic Plan. They highlighted the role of continuing education in strengthening the state’s education pipeline through lifelong learning initiatives, the ways in which their teams are forging and nurturing partnerships with employers across Wisconsin, and the collaborative efforts taking place among continuing education departments among the UWs.

The discussion, facilitated by Jason Beier, UWs’ Interim Associate Vice President for the Office of Online and Professional Learning Resources, began with an overview and snapshot of enrollments and programming in continuing education specific to the strategic plan’s goals.

Beier told Regents there were over 265,000 enrollments in fiscal year 2023. With 5,200 course offerings overall, 57% are in professional development. These offerings also account for more than 80% of enrollments.

Continuing Education directors explained their contributions to lifelong learning and the educational pipeline, their connections with regional employers and corporate engagement, and their collaborations across campuses to reach as many students as possible.

In other business, the Education Committee:

• Heard a report from Ben Passmore, UW Associate Vice President for Policy Analysis and Research, which included highlights from the 2024 Developmental Education Report. A full online dashboard provides a tool for UW universities to evaluate the success of efforts with different populations on their campuses in areas of: 1) students requiring and completing developmental education; 2) college-level course enrollments and completion; 3) retention and graduation outcomes by developmental education status; 4) outcomes by developmental education status and courses taken in the 1st year; and 5) university efforts to reduce developmental education needs and promote student success;
• Approved appointments to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Oversight and Advisory Committee of the Wisconsin Partnership Program. Regents approved the reappointments of Cedric Johnson and Greg Nycz as public members, and Drs. Elizabeth Felton and Manish Shah as school representatives for four-year terms as members on the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Oversight and Advisory Committee (OAC) of the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP). The WPP is a grantmaking program to improve and advance health equity across Wisconsin through investments in community partnerships, education, and research; and
• Heard a presentation from host campus UW-Parkside, “Studying the Arts Drives Student Success.” Interim Provost Matt Cecil, along with several UW-Parkside students, shared how studying the arts transforms student lives. They used examples to show how the arts foster the development of “power skills” including teamwork, conflict management, communication, empathy, and creative problem-solving that make up the toolkit of student and career success.

Capital Planning & Budget Committee

The Capital Planning & Budget Committee approved UW-Milwaukee’s request for authority to transfer the ownership of 44.27 acres of vacant land also known as the Neda Mine, located in the Town of Hubbard, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

UWM was interested in transferring ownership of the Neda Mine parcel to another not-for-profit entity that will preserve and maintain the property in its natural state. The property contains a former mine owned and operated by U.S. Steel Corporation, which provided Neda iron and Niagara dolomite until operations ceased in 1915.

The Neda Mine is currently designated a State of Wisconsin Natural Area. It is one of the largest sites for hibernating bats in the upper Midwest and may be one of only a handful of remaining sites in Wisconsin with a bat population over 1,000.

In other business, the Capital Planning & Budget Committee:

• Approved UW-Madison’s request for authority to sell a 1.9-acre parcel of vacant land located in the Town of Cross Plains, Dane County, Wisconsin. This is the sale of vacant land to an adjacent landowner and is separated from the main parcel of university land by Observatory Road in the Town of Cross Plains at the Pine Bluff Observatory. This parcel’s sale will not impact the functionality of the parcel used by the Astronomy Department for their telescope and observatory;
• Approved UW-River Falls’ request for authority to lease 72.312 acres of vacant land to establish a multi-disciplinary experiential outdoor classroom, Town of Gilman, Pierce County, Wisconsin. UW-River Falls’ College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is proposing to develop the land into an outdoor classroom called the Wildflower Farm;
• Approved UW-Eau Claire’s request for authority to lease two parking lots containing 454 parking stalls with Blugold Real Estate located south of Putnam Park at UW-Eau Claire. The university has leased two parking lots adjacent to campus from Sacred Heart Hospital since 1998. In January 2024, the parent company of Sacred Heart Hospital, Hospital Sisters Health System, announced they would be closing the hospital and ceased all operations in March, which included terminating the parking lot lease. Blugold Real Estate Foundation, an affiliated organization for the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, recently purchased the property and proposes to establish a new lease to support the needs of residence hall students, who rely on these parking facilities for convenient access to campus;
• Approved UW System’s request for authority to construct three 2023-25 Classroom Renovation/ Instructional Technology Improvement Program Projects:
  • At UW-La Crosse, the Wing Technology Center Computer Science Lab Renovation project will convert a television studio into a new computer science instructional laboratory;
  • At UW-Eau Claire, the Haas Fine Arts Art and Design Studio Renovation project will renovate and reconfigure two graphic design computing laboratories, convert the printmaking studio into a multi-discipline laboratory and renovate the painting studio to include relocating the spray booth to a dedicated and segregated enclosure;
  • At UW-River Falls, the Agricultural Engineering & Agricultural Science Lab project renovates two agricultural engineering annex rooms and two spaces in the agricultural science wing to support new academic majors and modernize existing spaces;
• Approved UW System’s request for authority to construct 16 All Agency maintenance and repair projects at an estimated total cost of $35,824,300:
  • At UW- Eau Claire, two projects, Heating Plant Lightning Retrofit & Building Repairs and Hibbard & Schneider Halls Elevator Replacement will be constructed;
  • At UW-Madison, three projects addressing HVAC system improvements and renovation will be constructed. Projects include the Nutritional Sciences building and Witte Hall’s Towers A & B improvements;
  • At UW-Milwaukee, the University Services & Research Building Roof Replacement project replaces a portion of the standing seam metal roofing that is chronically leaking;
  • At UW Oshkosh, two projects, Arts & Communication Building Roofs Replacement and Halsey Science Center Chemistry Stockroom Renovation, will be constructed;
  • At UW-Platteville, three projects, Doudna Hall Roof Replacements, Multi-building Roofing/ Plaza Deck Replacements and Underground Steam Utility Pits 15-17 Repairs, will be constructed;
  • At UW-Stevens Point, two projects will address roof replacements at Baldwin and Neale Halls as well as at Old Main;
  • At UW-Superior, the Gates Fieldhouse/ Old Main Roof Replacements project will be constructed;
  • At UW-River Falls, the Falcon Center-Knowles Building Chilled Water Service Replacement project will be constructed;
  • At UW-Whitewater, the Steam & Condensate Utility Replacement project will be constructed;
• Approved UW System’s request for authority to construct various minor facilities renewal projects:
  • UW-Green Bay will replace the fire alarm and smoke detection systems across nine buildings as part of their Campuswide Fire Alarm & Smoke Detection System Replacement project;
  • UW-La Crosse will perform exterior envelope maintenance and repairs to prevent water infiltration on Graff Main Hall and Mitchell Hall and preserve Graff Main Hall on the National Register of Historic Places;
  • UW-Madison will replace the roof systems over 12 tennis courts and six squash courts at the Nielsen Tennis Center to maintain the building envelope integrity and prevent damage to the building and its contents;
  • UW-Milwaukee will completely remove and replace the brick façade on the North, East, and South elevations from the top of first-floor limestone ribbon to bottom of the fifth-floor cornice on Kenilworth Square East building, due to the complete failure of the 109-year-old existing brick veneer attachment;
  • UW-Parkside will construct the Facilities Management Center Health & Safety Renovations project;
• Approved UW-Madison’s request for authority to lease approximately 14,141 gross square feet for the Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History and Student Affairs located at 353 East Campus Mall. The center seeks to expand and enrich UW-Madison’s historical narrative by providing space for the voices, experiences, and struggles of marginalized groups;
• Approved UW-Madison’s request for authority to complete the design and construct the UW Managed Grainger Hall 1st Floor Dining Expansion
• Heard a presentation from host campus UW-Parkside, “Building for the Future”; and
• Heard a report from Senior Associate Vice President Alex Roe.

Audit Committee

Chief Audit Executive Lori Stortz provided the Audit Committee with a summary report of Integrity Hotline activity. She noted that 117 incidents were reported between July 1, 2023 and Aug. 31, 2024. Stortz said 96 of these incidents have been closed, 74 did not require investigation, and 19 incidents resulted in corrective action being taken. Most incidents were classified as student relations.

In other business, the Audit Committee:

• Heard a report from Lori Stortz on the annual internal audit plan;
• Heard a summary of Internal Audit reports:
  • Employee References Regarding Sexual Violence and Harassment;
  • External Assessment (Self-Assessment with Independent Validation);
  • Grade Changes;
  • Third-Party Servicers;
  • UWSA Policy 616 Student’s Liability Protection;
• Heard a progress report on the process of monitoring and identifying whether corrective actions have been effectively implemented, or whether senior management has accepted the risk of not addressing comments from the Office of Internal Audit; and
• Heard a report from the Office of Compliance and Risk Management on progress under its Fiscal Year 2025 annual goals and areas of focus.

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The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting will resume at 8 a.m., Sept. 27, 2024, at UW-Parkside.