For the record

L&S accepts adviser award nominations

There are two types of advisers in the College of Letters and Science: departmental and professional advisers. Departmental advisers generally advise students interested in specific academic departments and actually have offices located in those departments. Professional advisers are not necessarily associated with a specific department; they may advise students regarding many different areas of interest.

The Academic Advising Awards, each of which includes a monetary award of $3,500, will be given to one faculty adviser and to one professional adviser.

Some areas to be considered for evaluating a nominee include:

Outstanding advising practices that have improved the quality of advising;
Patience, taking time to ask relevant questions and to listen to student concerns;
Knowledge of degree and major requirements;
Resourcefulness, effectiveness in making appropriate referrals;
Assistance in helping students reach their potential, giving students confidence in their abilities to make important decisions;
Contributions beyond the call of duty, going beyond minimum expectations.

Nomination process:

Nominations for the award are being solicited from students, faculty and staff. All nominees must be current employees (full-time or part-time) of the College of Letters and Science.

Nominations should address the above-mentioned criteria and must include three letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be written by a student. Additional letters might be obtained by contacting a nominee’s colleagues, the chair or faculty members of the nominee’s academic department, students, teaching assistants and other campus staff who know the adviser.

Any questions can be directed to Greg Smith at 263-6504 (glsmith@lssaa.wisc.edu). Nominations are due by Friday, Feb. 3, in Room 105 of South Hall.

Call for nominations for L&S Academic Staff Excellence Awards

Nominations are being accepted for the College of Letters and Science Academic Staff Excellence Awards.

The dean of the College of Letters and Science (L&S) annually provides five awards recognizing the contributions of L&S academic staff members in three categories. There will be at least one award in each of three categories. There will be two additional awards to be made in the early career or mid-career categories.

Early Career Award (one to three awards, with a stipend of $2,000 each)
Mid-Career Award (one to three awards, with a stipend of $3,000 each)
Judith S. Craig Award (one award, with a stipend of $5,000)

Nominations will be accepted from any member of the university community. Individuals may be nominated for only one L&S award each calendar year. Individuals may be renominated for awards if they did not win an award from a previous nomination. Previous award winners are not eligible for renomination in the same category in which they won an award. Emeritus faculty are not considered academic staff for the purpose of these awards.

Nomination materials should be sent to Cynthia Paine by Friday, Feb. 3, in 105 South Hall. The complete call for nominations can be viewed at http://babel.lss.wisc.edu/lspdrc/acstaffawards.pdf.

For questions regarding the program or the nomination process, contact Rebecca Ryan at rjryan@wisc.edu.

Funding available for Foreign Language and Area Studies graduate fellowships

Funding is available for summer intensive language study for 2006 and academic year language/area studies for 2006-07.

FLAS Fellowships are funded by the U.S. Department of Education to encourage area and international studies and to stimulate foreign language acquisition and fluency.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
FLAS awards may be used for either a domestic or overseas academic program of study. Language training taken outside the United States must be at an advanced level and requires special approval.
FLAS recipients must be full-time graduate students.
Academic-year FLAS recipients who are not dissertators must take at least one area studies course and one language course each semester.
Summer awards can be used for intensive language study in programs that last for at least six weeks and provide the equivalent of a full academic year of language study.
Applications from students in professional fields are encouraged.
Fellowships cover the cost of tuition and provide a stipend.

The application deadline is Monday, Feb. 6.

Specific requirements may vary depending on the language. Visit http://www.intl-institute.wisc. edu/fellow for details and application forms.

Two graduate fellowships taking applications

Applications are now being accepted for two graduate fellowships. Scott Kloeck-Jenson International Internship Grants are given by Global Studies to doctoral students interested in undertaking practitioner internships on social justice issues. Scott Kloeck-Jenson International Predissertation Travel Grants support summer travel for doctoral students exploring potential field research sites.

Deadline for applications is Friday, Feb. 17. The UW program is open to students of any nationality who are enrolled in a doctoral program at UW–Madison. Projects related to global studies themes will receive particular attention.

Specific requirements for each fellowship, further details and application materials are available at http://global.wisc.edu/students/skj/. Three copies of the entire application package (including application forms, letters and transcripts), must be received no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17. All application materials should be sent or delivered to Global Studies, 301 Ingraham Hall.

Call for nominations and guidelines for Regents Teaching Award

The UW System Office of Academic Affairs invites nominations for the 2006 Regents Teaching Excellence Award. Two $5,000 awards will be given to faculty and academic staff members at UW System institutions in recognition of outstanding career achievement in teaching.

Award winners will be honored at a Board of Regents meeting. Winners and other nominees will be invited to contribute to UW System-sponsored programs focused on teaching excellence.

Current members of the teaching academic staff at UW System institutions are eligible for individual awards. Each institution is invited to submit one nomination for an individual award. Campus nomination procedures should be determined by each individual institution.

The award committee will seek evidence that nominees:

are strongly committed to teaching and learning. This commitment might be demonstrated through activities meant to advance the quality and practice of teaching, learning and advising in the individual classroom, in the department, across the curriculum or discipline, or college- and institution-wide;
use effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning, including (but not limited to) innovative uses of technology, active learning, learning communities, student portfolios and assessment; and
have a significant impact on students’ intellectual development, helping students to develop, for example, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and/or global and multicultural understanding.

To be included in the nomination:

A one- or two-page reflective statement by the nominee on his or her teaching and learning philosophy, strategies and objectives, and on how these have evolved over time.
A condensed curriculum vitae of the nominee.
Two or three letters of support from current and/or past students. At least one letter should be from a student with recent or current contact with the candidate.
Two or three letters of support from colleagues qualified to comment on the candidate’s teaching. One should be from the department chair/program administrator.
A well-organized, small set of items (no more than 10 pages) that document the excellence of the candidate’s teaching (e.g., course syllabi, handouts, descriptions of evaluation methods, examinations, grants received for teaching/course development, videotapes, etc.). These items should be accompanied by a brief explanation of why they were included in the dossier, i.e., how they document the excellence of the nominee’s teaching.
Evidence of the success of the candidate’s teaching (no more than three pages), which may include a summary of student evaluations for each course taught during the past two years, a list of awards for teaching or advising, invitations to speak at teaching improvement meetings and other relevant material.

Fourteen complete sets of nomination materials should be submitted to the attention of Colleen McCabe, Office of the Secretary of the Academic Staff, 270 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive.

The nomination deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Humanities research institute, UWM center call for fellowship applications

UW–Madison’s Institute for Research in the Humanities and UW-Milwaukee’s Center for 21st Century Studies invite applications for fellowship appointments for the 2006-07 academic year. The two programs have different application deadlines: the deadline for the Milwaukee program is Friday, Feb.17; the deadline for the Madison program is Wednesday, March 1.

Interested faculty may use their institution’s allocation of UW System grant funds or any other institutional professional development funds, including sabbatical funds, to support participation in these programs by faculty from your campus. In addition, UW–Madison will provide four matching grants in the range of $5,000 for fellows visiting the Institute for Research in the Humanities from other UW System institutions. The Center for 21st Century Studies will offer one matching grant of $3,000 to a fellow from another UW System institution.

Prospective fellows will have to apply to the Center for 21st Century Studies or the Institute for Research in the Humanities for appointment as a fellow, in addition to applying for funding from their home institutions. Ideally, home campus funding should be in place by the time prospective fellows apply to either of the two programs.

Application forms and information are available from the Institute for Research in the Humanities, Washburn Observatory, 1401 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706, telephone 262-3855; or the Center for 21st Century Studies, UW-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, telephone (414) 229-4141. Information also is available at http://www.irh.wisc.edu/ or http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/21st/. Questions on the application process and criteria should be addressed to the two centers; questions on related UW System policy, funding or logistical issues should be addressed to Rebecca Karoff 263-2728 or rkaroff@uwsa.edu.

Nominations sought for Classified Employee Recognition Awards

The Classified Employee Recognition Award honors classified employees who have done outstanding work for the university community. Nominated candidates are evaluated on promoting excellence within the work unit, performing well under pressure, developing innovative solutions to everyday problems and participating in public service activities outside normal work responsibilities.

Nominations are due Friday, Feb. 18. A committee will review the nominations and make the final choices.

Recipients will receive a commemorative plaque, paid registration to an employee development program of their choice and a cash award. They will also be recognized in Wisconsin Week and be invited to a special spring ceremony at Olin House.

For more information, visit http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/cera.

Nominate returning adult students for awards

Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to nominate outstanding returning adult undergraduates for the Dean of Students Outstanding Undergraduate Returning Adult Student Awards.

This award recognizes two returning adult undergraduate students who demonstrate leadership in the community and perseverance in their academic pursuits.

Nominees must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate after a significant interruption (five or more years) in their formal education. They must have a cumulative GPA that reflects academic success toward their first undergraduate degree, have an anticipated graduation date in 2006 and be a new nominee for this award.

To nominate a student, provide the student’s name, address, e-mail address, phone number, student ID number and expected graduation date, and provide your name, address and phone number. Nominations should be directed to the Division of Continuing Studies Adult and Student Services Center at assc@dcs.wisc.edu or 263-6960. For more information, visit http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/services/finanserv/ASaward.htm.

All nominated students will receive a certificate of nomination and be invited to submit an essay for award consideration. Two finalists will each receive $1,000 during a reception on Friday, March 31, at the Pyle Center.

Nominate students for Herfurth-Kubly awards

Nominations are welcomed for the Theodore Herfurth and Teddy Kubly Awards for Initiative and Efficiency. Two $2,000 awards will be given, one each, to the senior man and senior woman who made the maximum use of their time at UW–Madison, demonstrating productivity in the classroom and the community. Candidates may be nominated by faculty, staff or student organizations. Nominated students must have senior standing and plan to graduate by December. For a nomination form, student application or more information, visit http://www.provost.wisc.edu/uaa, or contact Julie Stubbs at 265-2428 or awards@provost.wisc.edu.

Religious observances policy

University policy states that mandatory academic requirements should not be scheduled on days when a religious observance may cause substantial numbers of students to be absent from university functions. Note that Jewish holidays and observances begin at sunset on the evening preceding the given date (e.g., Passover eve, April 12), and some holidays are celebrated during more than one day. Mark these days on your calendar, and do not schedule mandatory exercises on these dates.

Due to the university’s multicultural community, there are bound to be conflicts between mandatory academic requirements and religious observances other than those listed. Major religious observances celebrated by Muslim and Buddhist students also occur during the semester. A listing, though not exhaustive, of religious holidays is available at http://www.interfaithcalendar.org. Or obtain a copy of the listing from the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, 130 Bascom Hall, 262-3958.

A student’s claim of a religious conflict should be accepted at face value. A variety of valid claims exist for religious groups, and there is no practical, dignified and legal means to assess the validity of individual claims. State law mandates that any student with a conflict between an academic requirement and any religious observance must be given an alternative means of meeting the academic requirement. The law also stipulates that students be given means by which they can conveniently and confidentially notify an instructor of such conflicts.

Please adhere to the following three guidelines that have been developed to provide clarity for both students and instructors: Announce early in the semester that students must notify the instructor within the first two weeks of class of the specific days or dates on which he or she requests relief. Include this information on course syllabi to make sure your students are informed of the policy; make-ups may be scheduled before or after the regularly scheduled requirements; and it is understood that instructors may set reasonable limits on the total number of days claimed by any one student. Occasionally, students may not fully understand the necessity for prior notice, and under these circumstances we urge you to be as flexible as possible. University policy seeks to be sensitive to the individual needs of students.

Please advise teaching assistants of the policy.

The Secretary of the Faculty urges fairness, compassion and sensitivity when faculty or their teaching assistants are approached by a student requesting class time off due to a family emergency. Demonstration of your understanding in such a circumstance may be important to the student in getting through the crisis.

For questions, contact the Secretary of the Faculty at 265-5728.