Dear colleagues,
I hope you were able to spend time with family and friends during the recent holidays as well as carve out some time to rest, restore, and find joy during the winter break. As we begin the Spring semester, I want to say thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of the College. Despite the ongoing challenges of the global pandemic, you have maintained an above-and-beyond attitude that is truly inspiring. It is your determination and commitment that help us deliver the world-class educational experience that is a hallmark of the Wisconsin Experience.
There is no doubt that the pandemic is still a major part of our lives. We are and will continue to pay attention to the course of COVID and its impact on our community. Campus is fortunate to have a 95% vaccination rate and as detailed in the campus messages, science shows that masking, testing, and vaccinations/boosters are key elements of our continued safe operation.
In recent days, University leadership sent detailed messages to employees addressing COVID protocols and resources. I want to be certain you have this critical information:
- Chancellor Blank’s message – January 18, 2022
- Vice Provost Zumbrunnen’s message – January 19, 2022
- Employee Virtual Town Hall – January 21, 12 – 1 pm
In addition, please be on the lookout for a message from Shirin Malekpour, L&S Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning Administration, for additional information from L&S regarding instruction. Our continued vigilance to combat the spread of COVID will allow for the resumption of instruction in the face of the Omicron surge. As always, the University’s COVID Response website has tremendous resources with access to updates and FAQs.
Looking ahead I am full of optimism. The College has a number of transformative building projects in the works. Through the generosity of Marvin (’68, JD ’71) and Jeffrey (’72) Levy, Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall is currently being designed to provide much-needed state-of-the-art classroom space for our students, as well as a home for many L&S departments. Thanks to the tremendous commitment to campus from John (’55) and Tashia Morgridge and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, we are also in the design phase of a new building to primarily house our School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. I’m pleased to report that we are on track to meet our goal of breaking ground on both of these facilities in 2023. In fact, you can expect to see work on the CDIS site as early as this summer. In addition, our new Chemistry Tower will open its doors for the upcoming semester, helping to meet an overwhelming demand for cutting-edge classroom and lab space especially for our STEM majors.
What makes UW and L&S great are the people. We are excited about the many faculty and staff searches going on across the College that will bring us exceptional new colleagues. 2022 will also bring more changes for UW-Madison and the UW System. Leadership searches for the new UW System President and UW-Madison Chancellor are underway. We are extremely grateful for the dedicated leadership of President Thompson and Chancellor Blank during these unprecedented times and anticipate continuing to move the institution forward with our new partners.
Despite the struggles of the last two years, and the ongoing challenges we face today, I am full of hope for the future. The hard times are not over, but we have all discovered what’s possible when we work together. I look forward to working with you to make UW-Madison and the College of Letters & Science even stronger in the coming year. Thank you all for your great work on behalf of the College and for the benefit of our amazing students.
On, Wisconsin!
Eric M. Wilcots, Dean
Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy
College of Letters & Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison