UWM College of Letters and Science
College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 593
November 1, 2001

2000-2001
Academic Planning Committee Annual Report


The Academic Planning Committee held ten meetings during the 2000-2001 academic year. The meetings were held on September 26, 2000; October 24, 2000; October 30, 2000; December 11, 2000; January 17, 2001; January 24, 2001; February 21, 2001; April 11, 2001; June 5, 2001; and July 5, 2001.

The Committee considered the following topics:

Investing in UWM's Future (Part I)

The College has agreed to support Big Science, International/Global Passport, Degree Linkage, Honors Initiative, Wisconsin Worldwide. The Committee agreed to evaluate proposals based on the following criteria in order of priority:
  1. Quality of the proposal in terms of advancing the mission of the College.
  2. Connection to the "Three E's" (Education, Environment and Economic Development) implying viability for new GPR funds.
  3. Fit with one of the Dean's five groups.
Proposals for "Investing in UWM's Future" were discussed at length. It was moved and seconded that the committee recommend to Dean Goodman the following six proposals/themes. These seem to stand a legitimate chance of securing GPR monies, deferring the others for later consideration.

  1. "Biotechnology Initiative"
  2. Water - combination of:
      3. "Department of Water Resources"
      "Aquatic Molecular Biology, Genomics and Protemoics"
      "Water: the Globe's Most Precious Resource" and others, specifically more involvement from the Social Sciences Departments needed.
  3. Distance Learning - combination of:
      4. "Expanding Pre-professional Global Studies for UWM and the UW System"
      "Distance Learning Technologies in the Life Sciences, Part I"
      "International Distance Education Degree in Physics"
      "Online MA degree program in Communication"
      "Degree Linkage - BAOA and Communication at the UW-Colleges and On-Line"
      and others.
  4. International/Global Initiatives: Cultural Understanding--combination of:
      5. "Initiative in Globalization and English Studies"
      "Globalization and Cinema Studies"
      "UWM Film Archive"
      "Artists Create and Music in an International Context"
      "Communities in a Global Context"
      "Transcultural Studies Research Initiative"
      and others.
  5. Cognition and Neurosciences - combination of:
      6. MA Program in Cognitive Studies
      Neuroscience: Molecular Signaling
      Neuroscience: Mechanisms and Clinical Disorders of Memory and others.
  6. Spatial Analysis - combination of:
      7. Institute for Advanced Imaging
      Institute for Visualization and Spatial Analysis
      and others.
The committee felt these themes should be sent back to the College and elsewhere on campus to try to generate additional involvement. The goal would be to develop the details of these programs so that they could be implemented if successful in attracting funds.

There was a general discussion of the review process for the DIN proposals. The Committee members expressed concerns over what they perceived as flaws with the DIN process: (1) departments were rushed to submit proposals; (2) they were not supplied criteria for successful funding and did not have sufficient time to properly coordinate interdisciplinary programs. There appears to be a dichotomy between funding the department's basic needs and creating programs simply to fit into the Milwaukee Idea. There was a lengthy discussion of how a more valid planning process could be conducted.

Resignation of Dean Marshall Goodman and Search for New Dean

Dean Marshall Goodman resigned effective February 1, 2001.
Richard Meadows, Associate Dean for Social Sciences, was appointed Interim Dean.

The Provost, John Wanat, outlined for committee members the process and timing for the selection of the new Dean. He stated that it was his intention to try to hire someone to start in September, but he would not settle for a less-than-ideal candidate in order to meet that timeline. The first search failed to produce a satisfactory candidate, and a new search will begin in Fall, 2001, or later.

The Committee again recommended to the Provost that the following points be considered in hiring a new Dean.

  1. A dean who has a vision of the role of liberal arts and sciences education in the twenty-first century.
  2. A dean who can strengthen the College's graduate programs and research activities to elevate UWM's standing as a research institution.
  3. A dean who will support innovative ideas for providing a quality undergraduate experience.
  4. A dean who is committed to diversity, one who has experience and a record of achieving diversity in the past.
  5. A dean who understands and supports faculty governance and who will forge constructive relationships with L&S faculty and staff, with other units on campus, and with campus administration.
PAR Monies and Requests

The Committee fully endorsed proposals from Art History, English, and Conservation and Environmental Studies. The Committee endorsed one of the two faculty matches proposed by Journalism and Mass Communication. The Women's Studies proposal was not approved but was supported in principle. The Physics Department TA stipend augmentation funds proposal was not approved. The faculty match portion of the proposal submitted by the Chemistry Department via e-mail was approved, but other portions were not approved.

Position Requests

The Committee discussed guidelines for departments submitting proposals for L&S faculty positions. Departments should clearly identify into which type the proposal fits.

The four position proposal types are:
  1. replacement positions
  2. carry-over and PAR positions
  3. new positions
  4. positions seeking funding through the Milwaukee Idea.
Sabbatical Proposals

The following faculty members were recommended to the Dean to assist the Associate Deans with reviewing new sabbatical proposals.

Humanities: Mary Louise Buley-Meissner (English)
Fabrizio Mondadori (Philosophy)
Jane Nardin (English)
Julio Rodriguez-Luis (Spanish)
Natural Sciences:   Jim Cook (Chemistry)
Reinhold Hutz (Biological Sciences)
Ian Musson (Mathematical Sciences)
Social Sciences: Margo Anderson (History)
Don Green (Sociology)
Fred Helmstetter (Psychology)
Eleanor Miller (Sociology)
Phil Shashko (History)

New Center

A proposal for a Center for Celtic Studies was approved and forwarded to Interim Dean Meadows for his approval.

Procedural Matters

Mark Schwartz was elected unanimously as committee chair for the 2000-2001 academic year.

Mark Harris was elected co-chair for 2000-2001.

The following Committee members were nominated for a temporary Committee vacancy (SS area) while Ellie Miller is serving as the Associate Dean: Bettina Arnold, Mark Bradley, Marc Ethridge, Stacey Oliker.
Stacey Oliker was appointed to the position.


Respectfully submitted,

2000-2001 Academic Planning Committee
Swarnjit Arora, Economics
Margaret Atherton, Philosophy
Gerald Bergtrom, Biological Sciences
Alice Gillam, English
Mark Harris, Geosciences
Connie Jo, ex officio, L&S Admin.
Patricia Kissinger, ex-officio, Admin.
Rennee Meyers, Communication
Erland Olfe, ex-officio, Admin.
David Schultz, Mathematical Sciences
Mark Schwartz, Geography, Chair


C://Annual Reports/Acad Plan Comm Annual Report 00-01
Prepared by Y. Bode


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