The Student Oversight Board for Madison Initiative is hosting an open discussion session for those developing MIU Proposals for the November deadline. The session will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, in the Student Activity Center, 333 East Campus Mall, 4th floor.
According to ASM Chair and Student Oversight Committee member Tyler Junger, the session is designed to give proposal authors an opportunity to speak directly to students involved in making recommendations. (more…)
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin and the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates Oversight Committee have identified eight proposals, ranging from an electronic system designed to capture notes of student meetings with advisers to College of Letters & Science faculty lines, to become the first recipients of funding from the innovative program.
Proposals for a second round of funding are due by mid-November and will be announced early next year.
“On behalf of the oversight committees, I congratulate all of those who submitted proposals and thank them for their commitment to enhancing undergraduate education here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” Martin says. “This is truly an historic time for this institution, and I am happy to have everyone participating as a partner in our efforts.”
Twenty-nine proposals came into the provost’s office from the deans for the Oct. 1 deadline. Of them, the following were selected to receive funding in this initial round:
— College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Campuswide Shared Adviser Notes System. The proposal funds a system to capture notes of interactions between students and advisers so the information can be used as a resource.
— Division of International Studies: International Internship Program. The program will cultivate international internship experiences for UW-Madison students.
— Offices of the Dean of Students: Online Interactive International Student e-Tutorial. The program will provide basic information to international students about life in Madison and compliance with federal visa rules.
— College of Letters & Science: Expansion of First-Year Interest Groups (FIGS). FIGS will be expanded to 60 groups across campus.
— College of Letters & Science: Expansion of Chemistry and Physics Learning Centers. The proposal funds additional staff at the learning centers to benefit students.
— Wisconsin School of Business: Faculty Lines. The proposal funds additional lines in finance.
— College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Globalizing Undergraduate Education. The proposal funds short-term international experiences and internationalizes course content.
— College of Letters & Science: Faculty 2010-11. The proposal funds faculty in the college.
In addition, some MIU funds were spent to open additional sections of bottleneck courses in fall 2009 and spring 2010 and to hire an institutional researcher to support campus-level data analysis and accountability, report development and dissemination related to MIU. In total, about $3.8 million has been allocated from the $10 million available this year and next.
The review process for the first round of funding was extensive. After an initial review inside the provost’s office and Offices of the Dean of Students, the Oversight Committee, with representatives from the faculty, staff, students and administrators, then separately reviewed all proposals.
Simultaneously, a student oversight board also reviewed all proposals except those that focused on faculty hiring. The committees met separately to discuss the proposals.
Members of both committees eventually came together to share thoughts and met with Martin and Provost Paul DeLuca to present recommendations and discuss the proposals.
Proposals involving new faculty hires were required to significantly impact student access and the ability of departments to allow their faculty to teach undergraduates. In addition, faculty proposals were required to outline steps that would be taken to identify and recruit a diverse pool of candidates.
“In the initial round, the committees were very pleased to see how well proposals addressed issues of access by opening bottlenecks in high-demand areas, and some did so using many high-impact and transformative educational practices,” says DeLuca.
“It has been an inspiration to see that faculty, staff and students from across the campus have stepped up to make proposals that will truly change the undergraduate experience,” adds Aaron Brower, vice provost for teaching and learning. “All of us — students, faculty and staff — involved in this review process recognize, and in fact are humbled by, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape our university’s future.”
For the second round, the process will likely be similar, but because the provost’s office is anticipating more than double the number of proposals, the review process won’t be complete until early 2010. Going forward, Brower anticipates a spring call for proposals, and then an annual call for proposals each spring until the funds are allocated.
“Overall I’m pleased with both the chancellor’s and provost’s continual effort to incorporate student input in this process,” says Tom Templeton, vice chair of the Associated Students of Madison. “I feel students had a large role with the ratings of the proposals which we all presented to Chancellor Martin.”
Templeton says he hopes to hold another town hall session in the future to answer any questions of students, faculty, staff or deans who have an interest in the MIU process or have ideas for proposals. The goal is to serve as a resource, to explain the process and what the committees are looking for in a proposal.
The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates has accepted 29 proposals for review for its Oct. 1, 2009 deadline. The proposals are divided into two categories: 19 proposals primarily focused on student services, or other enhancements, and 8 proposals requesting faculty lines. Two proposals were returned to the authors for further development.
Proposals dealing primarily with student services are being reviewed by the MI Student Board for rating and review before being forwarded back to the MI Oversight Committee. Both categories of proposals have gone to the Oversight Committee for rating and review. Both committees will share their recommendations with Provost Paul DeLuca and Chancellor Biddy Martin, with final decisions to be made by the chancellor.
A deadline of Nov. 15 has been set for the second round of proposals. Deans or directors may have established earlier deadlines for proposals to be submitted. Interested individuals or departments should check with their dean or director.
Note that proposals listed below are assigned a number for handling. Numbers do not reflect a ranking or strength of a proposal.
Student Services Proposals
College of Engineering: Nanotechnology Education (PDF)
College of Engineering: Planning a New Approach to Recruitment, Renention and Educational Program Enhancement of Engineering Undergrads Through an Interdisciplinary, Cross-Cutting Honors Program (PDF)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Campus-Wide Shared Advisor Notes System (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: McBurney Accessibility Educational Specialist (PDF)
Division of International Studies: International Internship Program (PDF)
Division of International Studies: Center for European Studies (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: Institute for Social Justice and Transformative Leadership (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: Coordinated Students Leadership Initiative (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: On-Line Interactive International Student E-Tutorial (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: Threat Assessment & Early Intervention Program (PDF)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Globalizing Undergraduate Education (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: Expansion of Campus Learning Assistance and Tutoring Programs (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students: Wisconsin Experience Seminar (PDF)
Institute for Cross-College Biology Education: Improving the First-Year Experience & Enhancing the Intro Bio Curriculum (PDF)
Offices of the Dean of Students/Letters & Science: History & Discourse of the U.S. LGBT Civil Rights Movement (PDF)
Letters & Science: Eliminating Academic Deficiencies for L & S Students (PDF)
Letters & Science: Expansion of First-Year Interest Groups (FIGS) (PDF)
Letters & Science: Expansion of Chemistry & Physics Learning Centers (PDF)
Wisconsin School of Business: Faculty Lines, Honors Program, Advisors (PDF)
Requests for Faculty Lines
Letters & Science: Faculty 2009-2010 (PDF)
Letters & Science: Faculty 2010-2011 (PDF)
Letters & Science/Division of International Studies: Department of East Asian Languages & Literature (PDF)
Letters & Science: Department of East Asian Languages & Literature (PDF) (Repeated)
School of Education: Undergraduate Photography Program (PDF)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Engaging Undergrads in Biology via Health & Nutrition (PDF)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Increase Non-Business Student Access to General Business Education (PDF)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Proposal to Increase Student Access in High Demand Courses in Intro Ag Econ and Econ of NR & the Environment (PDF)
School of Human Ecology: Expanding Access to Consumer Science Majors (PDF)
Letters & Science/Division of International Studies: Strengthen International Studies Majors (PDF)
The Associated Students of Madison (ASM), in partnership with the Offices of the Dean of Students, will host a town hall forum on Monday, Sept. 28 at 4:30 p.m. in the fourth floor hearing room of the Student Activity Center, 333 East Campus Mall, to discuss proposals for the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates (MIU).
Student input is crucial in the MIU decision making process and ASM is looking for as many interested students as possible to present opinions on what types of curricular innovations and student services they would like to see funded.
ASM also invites all faculty and staff who have a particular interest in hearing from students and/or contributing to the conversation. The event is also an opportunity for academic departments to receive direct student feedback on planned Madison Initiative proposals.
ASM is in the process of appointing students to the newly created Madison Initiative Student Oversight Board. This board will be composed of students who will present recommendations to Chancellor Martin on which proposals should be funded.
Interested students should fill out an application found here, by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
For more information, email ASM co-chair Tom Templeton at ttempleton@wisc.edu.
Chancellor Biddy Martin and Provost Paul DeLuca have issued a request for proposals for the use of funds that will be generated by the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates (MIU). Read the full story.
On Sept. 2, Chancellor Biddy Martin and Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr. sent a follow-up to the call for proposals for the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates. The memo is intended to provide further detail regarding the proposal submission process. Read the full memo (PDF).
On July 31, Chancellor Biddy Martin and Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr. issued a request for proposals to deans and administrative heads for proposals that could be funded by the Madison Initiative. Read the full letter (PDF).
The Madison Initiative Oversight Committee has been established, including a diverse group of students, faculty and staff from many different parts of the university. View the committee’s membership (PDF).
Chancellor Biddy Martin released the following statement on today’s University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents’ vote to adopt the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates:
“I want to thank President Reilly and the Board of Regents for the vision and commitment they have shown in embracing a plan that will improve the quality of the undergraduate experience at UW-Madison while boosting need-based financial aid for our students. The most recent news about the state’s budget makes it even more important that we build need-based aid and ensure quality.”
Read the full statement.
From JSOnline.com: The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates passed the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents business and finance committee on Thursday with one abstention from Regent Michael Falbo.
The resolution supporting the tuition surcharge at UW-Madison included an amendment that stated clearly that student families making an adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less who reflect financial need will be held harmless from the differential increase. Read the full post.