Interim Dean's Message for Faculty & Staff

Interim Dean’s Update: February 25, 2020 

To: L&S Faculty & Staff

February 25, 2020

Dear L&S faculty and staff,

As we settle into a new semester, I am filled with appreciation for great colleagues, humbled by the chance to work with wonderful students, amazed by achievements in the College of Letters & Science, and determined to tackle hard issues facing L&S.

Fall semester was marked by great accomplishments within L&S:

  • The new Hamel Music Center opened to the public on October 25 and drew capacity crowds to a full slate of events the entire weekend. The new design reflects the colors and elements of the state of Wisconsin and offers our student and faculty musicians a fantastic acoustic environment in which to showcase their talents. The new building signals that UW-Madison is a place where music thrives. It is a testament to the vision and generosity of L&S donors. If you have not attended a concert there yet, I urge you to do so. You will be amazed.
  • L&S launched a new division, the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, which includes the Departments of Computer Sciences and Statistics and the Information School. CDIS brings new energy to the College and campus in forging interdisciplinary research and academic programs and connecting with our stakeholders in communities and industries around the state. Beginning next fall, undergraduates can declare a new data science major, giving them access to a field tied to one of the country’s fastest-growing professions.
  • Three students with L&S ties became the UW-Madison finalists for the Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and most celebrated awards for international study – Kevin Crosby, who is graduating this spring with a certificate in environmental studies; Lauren Jorgensen, who graduated in May 2019 with a certificate in environmental studies and is currently working on a master’s degree in public affairs in our La Follette School; and Claire Evensen, a senior majoring in biochemistry and math, with comprehensive honors in biochemistry and the liberal arts. Claire is also a Goldwater Scholar, an Astronaut Scholar, and the recipient of the prestigious Marshall Scholarship.
  • L&S human resources colleagues continue the herculean task of implementing the campus-wide Title and Total Compensation Project. This has been a challenging project and we understand the anxiety and frustration that is inherent to a project of this magnitude. I am certainly grateful to the many L&S colleagues who continue to advocate for our staff and work to implement TTC in the most positive way possible.
  • SuccessWorks continued to make great progress supporting students’ career development and worked with more than 7,500 students in 10,000 interactions this fall. I’m particularly excited about a new student resource they launched, Identity at Work, to help students navigate the internship and job search as it pertains to their identities.
  • Colleagues in South Hall, and all their visitors, have and still continue to bear with a “boring” project that also turns out to be quite noisy: To start, a huge, custom-made borer drilled a 640-foot-long tunnel under Bascom Hill to carry utilities. It is not fun to work in a construction zone, as campus “un-zips” Bascom Hill, but South Hall folks have exhibited flexibility and a positive attitude.
  • In December, 1,660 students graduated with L&S doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate degrees and certificates. Winter Commencement featured student speaker Lisa Kamal, a Geology major, whose videotaped address went viral with more than 3.5 million views.

The new year has started strong for the College with some well-deserved accolades:

  • On February 7, the Department of Chemistry received a 2020 Diversity Award from the UW System Board of Regents. The prestigious award recognizes efforts to enhance underrepresented students’ access to and success in the chemistry graduate program.
  • Fourteen L&S teaching assistants received campus-wide Teaching Assistant Awards on February 13. They’ve taught courses on urban geography, advanced Japanese, botany, contemporary moral issues and more, but these 14 graduate students all have one thing in common: excellence as teaching assistants. There are only 15 honorees out of the more than 2,100 TAs throughout campus, so 14 is an exceptional outcome for L&S.
  • Every semester our faculty and staff receive well-deserved recognition for their tremendous work. This semester is shaping up the same:
    • In April, seven L&S faculty will receive Distinguished Teaching Awards recognizing the University’s finest educators – William Brockliss, associate professor, Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Class of 1955 Teaching Excellence Award; Shuchi Chawla, professor, Computer Sciences, Chancellor’s Teaching Innovation Award; Kathleen Bartzen Culver, associate professor, Journalism & Mass Communication, William H. Kiekhofer Teaching Award; Ramzi Fawaz, associate professor, English, Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Award; Christine Garlough, professor, Gender & Women’s Studies, Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award; Lori Lopez, associate professor, Communication Arts, Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Award; and Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, professor, history, Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
    • On February 7, the French Consul General bestowed upon Communication Arts Chair and Professor Kelley Conway the insignia of Chevalier d’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of her contributions to the field of French cinema and the impact her work has had on both sides of the Atlantic.
    • In April, Integrative Biology Professor Monica Turner will receive the 2020 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The Franklin Medal recognizes her contributions to the understanding of how changes in large-scale patterns associated with natural processes and human activities can affect not only ecological systems, but also the social and economic well-being of society.

Even as we celebrate accomplishments, it’s always important to identify challenges we continue to address, including:

  • Our graduate students are an essential part of the research enterprise in L&S and campus-wide. We continue to work with our campus partners to develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that our graduate students are working in a healthy environment.
  • Many of our students from underrepresented groups seek greater equity on this campus. We must reaffirm the commitment of L&S to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment for each and every one of our students. We celebrate diverse backgrounds, perspectives and points of view. These are essential to a liberal arts education.

I know we have work to do, in order to create an environment where all can thrive at UW-Madison. This work will involve our faculty, staff, students, alumni and all who care about UW-Madison. Let’s work together to make it happen.

On, Wisconsin!

Eric M. Wilcots
Interim Dean, College of Letters & Science
Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy