Category: Speeches & Communications

Dear UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff,

Thank you for your work this week as we continue to persevere through the opening this fall. On Wednesday, the University Committee requested that we consider some steps that we can take to support faculty and staff through this difficult period. We appreciate the thought the committee put into the request and will work to respond formally to the UC on each issue they brought up. However, we thought it would be helpful to respond to the campus now on the requests from the UC regarding staff that we know we can honor right away. Broadly, the UC has asked that we proactively embrace a campus-wide cultural change that seeks to create policies to support university staff and non-instructional academic staff that recognizes their differing employment structure based on wage and hour labor regulations. We agree and also reiterate our support for the following.

1. We will allow flexibility in work schedules that allow alterations to the typical state office shift or work day start and end times. If you need additional flexibility, please talk to your supervisor. If an agreement cannot be reached, please connect with Human Resources to discuss how we can provide as much flexibility as possible to your work.
2. We will consider options for voluntary reduced hours or FTE reductions as needed and staffing offices on a rotational basis when possible to help improve working conditions for employees at different stages of their careers. We know this is happening all over campus. If you feel this is not being considered by your supervisor, please contact Human Resources so that an agreement can be mediated that honors a work environment that is conducive to supporting our staff.
3. We will encourage open and honest one-on-one employee/supervisor conversations when need arises about care-giving during Covid-19. If the communication is not favorable, HR can immediately be brought in to mediate a solution that honors the needs of the employee and the work that needs to get done for the University.
4. As was mentioned in the Chancellor address at Convocation, it is our expectation that Supervisors have compassionate compliance with pre-Covid-19 rules on employment policies for university staff and non-instructional staff positions.

Without great non-instructional staff, we can’t achieve our mission. In short, we only succeed as a whole if each person can thrive personally and professionally. Creating a culture that honors this fact is essential for us to grow as an institution. If you ever feel you are not being treated fairly or with compassion, please let Human Resources know immediately. We expect hard work and a commitment to our mission from our employees. You should expect to be treated with compassion and fairness by us, especially as we all seek to support each other through this difficult time.

Have a great weekend. Thank you for all you do and we look forward to the week ahead.

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

Kate Burns
Interim Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Sheryl Van Gruensven
Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice Chancellor for Institutional Strategy

Dear UW-Green Bay Students, Faculty and Staff,

Last night, UW-Madison announced that they are moving to two weeks of virtual instruction and that students in two residence halls are quarantined due to rapidly rising positive COVID-19 test rates among students. We support the difficult decision made by UW-Madison Chancellor Blank and commend her leadership in protecting the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and the greater community.

Each UW campus community is unique and showing different infection rates as on-campus testing programs get underway. UW-Green Bay is fortunate to report low Covid-19 positive test results at this time.

We are proud of every member of the campus community who is working to protect each other and prevent community spread, but we also need to exercise continued caution. This virus’ transmission rates can change quickly. Should we find ourselves with a rapid increase of cases, UW-Green Bay will also move swiftly to adjust our learning delivery methods for the safety of our residential and commuter students and our community as a whole.

Aggressive COVID testing is one of the best ways for us to manage community spread, keep each other safe and have our campus remain open. Symptomatic testing is free and available for all UW-Green Bay students at the Wellness Center. Students in our dorms are scheduled to be tested every other week to closely monitor for any signs of an outbreak and, as of today, we will offer testing to non-instructional university staff who are in contact with students (e.g., police, dining services, residence hall, custodial, GBOSS) and face-to-face instructional staff. Information on testing for frontline employees will be communicated as soon as possible. We hope to extend this to other members of the campus community as soon as we are given the opportunity to do so.

Please continue to do your part in following all safety measures put in place as we protect each other. We want you to pursue your educational and professional pursuits with the mode of instructional delivery that is most comfortable for you given the safety constraints we currently have in place.

Stay strong and healthy,

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

The UW-Green Bay Office of the Chancellor emailed the following from UW System President Tommy Thompson to the UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

With the fall semester now underway, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, the fantastic faculty and staff of the University of Wisconsin System. You are the heart and soul of what we do. Particularly in these challenging times, it’s your ingenuity, your flexibility, your perseverance, and your compassion that makes all of this possible.

For that, I am – we all are – profoundly grateful.

We can feel the energy of thousands of students at campuses all around the UW System. They are so eager to learn, eager to be part of their vital campus communities, and eager to embrace the future. It’s a great reminder of why we’re all here.

I know there are still unknowns and questions. But I am confident that together, we will figure it out. Wisconsin has always been a “can do” state and now is no different. As we work together to reinvigorate the Wisconsin Idea for the generations ahead,

I thank you again for your dedication to the UW System and the people of Wisconsin.

I hope you have a great fall semester.

Tommy G. Thompson
President
1720 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
wisconsin.edu

Dear UW-Green Bay Faculty, Staff, and Students,

Thank you for everything you have done to get the fall semester started this week. As we head into the Labor Day weekend, I wanted to call your attention to a few things that will help us all stay informed and moving ahead successfully.

1. Thousands of details were put in place to be able to start classes this fall in multiple modalities, move students into campus housing, and safely offer opportunities for students to engage outside of the classroom. For the most part, everything has gone has planned. As we became aware of issues, they were immediately addressed. Please continue to communicate if you see anything that you feel needs to be addressed.
2. COVID-19 testing has begun on campus for students in campus housing and others involved in activities that require additional monitoring. Results of the tests can be found on our dashboard that is updated daily.
3. Students not living in campus housing may now also choose to get tested for COVID-19 by going to the MyPrevea app and registering for a COVID-19 test as a UW-Green Bay Student. Testing for non-residential students will occur on Mondays and Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon on the Green Bay campus.
4. Please enjoy your long weekend and also continue to follow the safety guidelines we have put in place. If you experience any symptoms of COVID-19, please remember to communicate with your healthcare provider and isolate, except to get medical care.

Thank you all for taking care of each other, persisting in your education, and being resilient through the start of the semester. I am grateful to work for you. See you on Tuesday!

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

Students, Faculty and Staff,

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Corey King will be joining UW-Green Bay as our new Vice Chancellor for Inclusivity and Student Affairs effective September 21, 2020.

Dr. King is currently Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Financial Services at Bethune-Cookman University. Dr. King was previously Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at Florida Atlantic University. He brings over 27 years of higher education experience in student affairs, student services, and enrollment management. He has been recognized by regional and national student affairs associations for his work as a student affairs leader.

I could not be more excited that Dr. King has agreed to join us at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. His energy, passion, and skill are undeniable. He brings a wealth of experience that will help our campus improve our inclusionary practices and our work in Student Affairs. I am thrilled to have his expertise on our Cabinet and know he will have a tremendous impact on the student experience at UW-Green Bay.

Throughout his career, Dr. King has been a champion of diversity and inclusion through his leadership with establishing an Urban Male Institute focused on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of urban males and a First Generation Student Success Center geared toward providing support services and scholarships to the upward social mobility of first generation students.

In addition, as an associate graduate faculty member, Dr. King taught graduate courses focused on student affairs leadership, contemporary and diversity issues, and comparative internationalization in higher education. He has also taught at the undergraduate level through the first-year seminar.

“I am excited to join the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay community during these unprecedented times in our nation and the world,” Dr. King shared in his acceptance of this role. “The opportunities to ensure the inclusivity of the University is paramount. I look forward to working with Chancellor Alexander and all stakeholders, especially students as we strive toward excellence in diversity and inclusion.”

Dr. King received a Bachelor’s Degree in Curriculum & Instruction and a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration/Student Affairs from Florida State University. He received his Doctorate in Educational Administration & Leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

I would like to thank members of the Search Committee, led by Interim Provost Kate Burns, for their work on this important search. I also want to thank Gail Sims-Aubert for incredible and often heroic work as our Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Climate.

I am confident you will enjoy working with and learning from Dr. King. Please join me in welcoming him to the Phoenix Family!

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

UW-Green Bay Students, Faculty and Staff,

I am happy to let you know that a new website to help you more easily find information related to COVID-19 and the University’s plan for returning to campus safely is now live:

www.uwgb.edu/phoenix-forward

This website highlights what students, faculty and staff can expect when returning to teaching and working, the steps we are taking to keep our campus community safe and the steps we need you to take as part of the Phoenix family—both before you return to campus and once you arrive. It also has information about the newly formed Office of Covid-19 Response; I encourage you to become familiar with this office and its resources.

Please refer to this site often, including the Campus Operations Snapshot, which provides an easy, at-a-glance view of the state of campus-wide operations.

The bar on the top of every UW-Green Bay webpage will continue to highlight this webpage, allowing you to easily find this site and important information whenever you need it.

Thank you for your continued attention to all we need to do to keep each other safe as we come back together this fall.

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

Dear UW-Green Bay Students,

Our society is in need of healing. People ask me all the time why they should attend a university beyond improving their prospects for employment.  To me, a big part of the answer is to learn how to have difficult discussions, how to respect opinions different from your own, how to expand your view of the world, and how to affect change in your communities. I want you to lead that change. As the next generation to come of age, you uniquely have the ability to help heal us.

I am personally distraught by the shooting of Jacob Blake. We must fix the underlying problem of inequity to stop the violence we are seeing throughout our society. Without that, we will continue to see tragedies occur, we will continue to grow apart, and our communities will fracture. As we resume classes this fall, I urge you to actively listen to each other, speak your mind, make a positive difference, and rely on us as a university for support. My hope for the future is in your ability as students to use your education to help us solve the problems that plague us.

As your university, we are here for you and we want all of your voices to be heard.  My thoughts are with Jacob Blake, his family, and the community of Kenosha.

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

The UW-Green Bay Chancellor’s Office emailed the following from Chancellor Michael Alexander and Interim Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs & Campus Climate Gail Sims-Aubert to the UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

Dear UW-Green Bay Students,

Thank you for the questions several of you have asked regarding your Segregated Fees for the upcoming year. We would like to take this opportunity to share some information about the services and programs these fees provide to you, including during the ever-changing conditions surrounding the pandemic.

Student fees are used to support various aspects of your UW-Green Bay educational experience, providing important support services like counseling and health, building and maintaining facilities and creating programming and events. Your fees also help support employee salaries that make these types of student services possible.

It is important for you to know that student fees are comprised of several different fees. You received information regarding adjustments designed to make the Distance Education Fee as equitable as possible across the student population. In the coming weeks, we will update you on plans for our Athletic Department and student athletes; and as the semester progresses, we will keep you informed of any changes to other programming or services and use of the fees allocated to those areas.

For UW-Green Bay students who live on campus, off campus or learn online, these services remain important and the fees needed to deliver them are valid and necessary, including during this unusual year. In some cases fees will even be shifted and augmented to support the goals of Student Life, University Recreation/Intramurals, the University Union and student use of the Kress Event Center, all areas that are pivoting to find creative, interesting and safe ways to build community in the midst of the pandemic.

Every facet of the University experience has been touched by the pandemic and there is no denying that student life and engagement activities are going to be quite different for the coming year. As we continue to take the necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus, we will not lose sight of the fact that your college experience should be filled with a robust schedule of out-of-classroom activities.

Though we cannot gather like we have in the past, rest assured that we are being inventive in finding ways to provide you with opportunities to engage with fellow students and unwind from your academic course work. For the first time ever, our programming includes online and virtual experiences that can engage even more students who live off campus and take courses online. It is truly exciting to expand our campus community and be inclusive in a way not possible before. Campus can now come to you, wherever you are and regardless of your learning mode.

Some of the events being planned for your return include: gourmet s’mores at the campus fire pit, a drive-in movie, photo booths, Headphone Disco, and much more! We are also excited to announce a vast array of virtual activities like video game tournaments (Esports has arrived at UW-Green Bay!), bingo, speed friending, and Kahoot/Trivia nights. Campus favorites like GB Nites and the Union craft series will also be back. UREC is open and is launching new outdoor fitness classes, the Outdoor Adventure & Recreation Center is ready to help you explore northeast Wisconsin and intramurals, including bag toss, badminton and ping pong, will kick off this fall. By mid to late fall, we hope to be able to open more activities in the pool, gyms and across campus as conditions allow.

Thank you for allowing us to share all of this with you today, and thank you for your patience while we work through these details in our ever-changing environment. We are excited to return to learning this fall and appreciate your commitment to our university community.

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor

Gail Sims-Aubert
Interim Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs & Campus Climate

The UW-Green Bay Chancellor’s Office emailed the following from Chancellor Michael Alexander and Interim Provost Kate Burns to the UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff on Monday, August 10, 2020.

Dear UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff,

As we approach the fall, it is important we consider the numerous ways our work patterns and the ways our students will access education have evolved.  Our ability to have empathy for those who need support to deal with these sudden changes, will be essential to move forward as a University fully dedicated to access.  One issue that we have struggled to holistically address as a campus is support for child care for our faculty, staff, and students.  We would like to update you on the steps we are taking this year to help improve the way we deal with the reality of the equity issues caused by challenges with child care. These steps are based on the recommendations from the UW System task force on Caregiving and COVID-19 and we urge everyone to take the time to read the recommendations in full.

1. It is our expectation that supervisors work with all faculty and staff to do everything possible to accommodate the individual needs for child care that any of our colleagues might have.  Immediately contact HR if you have questions on how to support a colleague or if you feel you are not receiving the support you need.  We will review all of our HR policies on this subject to make sure we are doing everything we can to be flexible throughout the year.
2. Faculty are expected to have empathy and accommodate students who are struggling with the balance of child care and class expectations.
3. Mark Olkowski and John Landrum are working with SUFAC and SGA to provide grant opportunities for students who need financial support to provide child care for their families in order to have the space to complete their studies.  It is our expectation that these grants are widely communicated and mobilized as soon as possible.  In addition, we are working towards long term solutions to provide further support for faculty, staff, and students around this issue.

Thank you for continually considering how you can support our colleagues and students through these times through proactive actions that demonstrate our belief in student success, a caring spirit, and an understanding of the challenges that our communities face right now.

Best,

Chancellor Michael Alexander
Interim Provost Kate Burns

The UW-Green Bay Chancellor’s Office emailed the following from Chancellor Michael Alexander to the UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff on Friday, July 24, 2020.

Dear UW-Green Bay Faculty and Staff,

In advance of our next Coffee Break on Monday, I would like to update you on three things.

1. You may have read the news that Governor Evers has announced a $250 million state budget lapse or one-time cut for this fiscal year. We do not know the exact amount that the UW System will be expected to contribute to this total, but it is encouraging to see that this is a lapse and not a permanent budget cut at this time. In addition, we have more time to deal with this cut than we did with the lapse in the spring, which only gave us a few months for which to find the money. The latest cut will give us 11 months to absorb the impact. We are not through the woods yet, but we are in a good position to be able to manage this lapse. Once details emerge on UW-Green Bay’s portion of the lapse, we will work with area and division leaders to minimize its impact as much as we can.
2. The Health, Safety, and Risk Group of the Re-Opening Taskforce will release a document to area and division leaders today that describes in great detail our plans for the fall. Each area will need to respond by August 1 to the guidelines that we have set forth based on recently released UW System Guidelines, Brown County Health, Prevea Health, the American College Health Association, and Johns Hopkins University guidance to make sure each area of the University can open safely and responsibly. After August 1, University and specific area plans will be shared with all faculty, staff, and students leading up to the start of the semester. Additionally, we have created an Office of COVID Response, which will fully mobilize our communication and response efforts to the pandemic leading into the fall. More to come on this in the weeks ahead.
3. In order to be fully transparent, I want to update you on our approach for administrative support for the Cabinet moving forward. Paula Marcec, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, has announced her plans to retire after 17 years at UW-Green Bay in September of 2021. Paula’s departure is one we must prepare for due to her immense institutional knowledge and tremendous service to the institution. We have two other administrative positions that are currently vacant. One of these positions will not be replaced. In her final year, Paula will transition from her current position to one that now serves the administrative needs of the entire Cabinet. Ben Joniaux, Chief of Staff, will transition to a new job description completely focused on external and government affairs for the University. This will provide much needed support to our Advancement and Communications offices as well as all of our community engagement efforts across the campus. He will also now serve the entire Cabinet and not just the Chancellor’s Office. We will search for a new Cabinet Liaison for Internal Affairs in the coming weeks with the remaining open position. This new position will work specifically on project management and support of our academic staff to move forward the countless efforts happening across campus to improve our University. The position will primarily work in support of the Office of the Provost, Business and Finance, and Student Affairs to further align our efforts for student success. These changes will create financial savings, ensure we continue to put all of our efforts behind realizing our mission, and remove individual support for the Cabinet, including myself. We must all work together to realize our goals and removing the hierarchical way we often organize our staff is a goal I would like us to push towards.

Kate, Sheryl, and I look forward to talking with everyone on Monday morning. Have a nice weekend.

Best,

Michael Alexander
Chancellor