For the Record

Wisconsin Idea Endowment call for proposals

The Office of the Provost is soliciting proposals from faculty, staff and students for the fourth annual Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. The endowment is intended to advance The Wisconsin Idea through the development of new and innovative initiatives, and new dimensions to existing outreach activities, by creating and strengthening partnerships and collaborations, sharing and applying knowledge, and expanding access to lifelong learning.

This year approximately $500,000 will be granted for projects that begin on or after Jan. 16. Proposals for initiatives up to $100,000 total funding are encouraged, and projects may last for up to three years. The endowment will support people and projects rather than facilities. The fund is not intended to support or to duplicate existing projects, or replace activities that are part of a unit’s normal operation. Priority will be given to outreach initiatives that extend students’ expertise off campus, foster biological and physical sciences outreach, engage the arts and humanities, and address a societal opportunity or problem.

To apply, UW–Madison faculty, staff or students must first submit a pre-proposal, then individuals whose pre-proposals are accepted will be invited to submit a full proposal. Pre-proposals and full proposals must be signed by the department chair/unit director and a dean’s/director’s representative before submission to the Office of the Provost.

Deadlines:

Sept. 29 Pre-proposals due in dean’s office; One copy of cover sheet due in provost’s office

Oct. 6 Signed pre-proposals due in provost’s office

Oct. 28 Pre-proposal finalists announced

Nov. 30 Full proposals due in dean’s office

Dec. 7 Signed proposals due in provost’s office

Jan. 16 Awards announced; projects may start

Pre-proposals should be no more than two double-spaced pages. For complete guidelines, cover page, budget submission form, directions and a list of previously funded projects, visit http://www.provost.wisc.edu/baldwin/. Additional questions should be directed to Peyton Smith, assistant vice chancellor for extended programs, 262-8214 or plsmith@wisc.edu.

Call for lecture proposals

The Lectures Committee is soliciting applications from departments, academic programs and registered student organizations for support of public lectures to be held during the 2005-06 academic year.

Potential applicants should read the document “Policies and Guidelines for Requesting Lectures Committee Support.” To be considered by the committee, applications must conform to specifications and be submitted on current (2005-06) forms, found online at http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/ lectures/lectcomm/ or call 262-3956 to request a paper copy of the form.

The committee reviews new applications once each month. It is not necessary to wait until the deadline date to submit an application. When requesting support for an international speaker, additional preparation time may be needed to allow sufficient time for the visa application process.

For each lecture date, the committee must receive the application no later than

Lecture date (Application date)

Nov. 1 (Sept. 15)

Dec. 1 (Oct. 15)

Jan. 1 (Nov. 15)

Feb. 1 (Dec. 15)

March 1 (Jan. 15)

April 1 (Feb. 15)

May 1 (March 15)

June 1 (April 15)

Applications will be accepted as long as funds are available. Approval of applications is conditional upon availability of funds. For more information, contact Joe Farrenkopf at farrenkopf@bascom. wisc.edu or 262-3956.

Notice of Faculty Senate meetings

The Faculty Senate is scheduled to meet on the first Monday of each month, except September and January, during the academic year. Please note that the first senate meeting of 2005-06 will be held on Monday, Sept. 26, because the first Monday of October is Rosh Hashanah eve. Faculty Senate meetings are held in 272 Bascom Hall. Other meeting dates are Nov. 7, Dec. 5, Feb. 6, March 6, April 3 and May 1. To learn more about the Faculty Senate, visit the Web site http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/senate/.

Policy on religious observances

Faculty 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.

For the fall semester the policy specifically identifies Rosh Hashanah (Tuesday, Oct. 4) and Yom Kippur (Thursday, Oct. 13) as such days. Please note that Jewish holidays and observances begin at sunset on the evening preceding the given date (e.g., Rosh Hashanah Eve day, Oct. 3), and some holidays are celebrated over more than one day. Please mark these days on your calendar now and do not schedule mandatory exercises on these dates.

Due to our 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, such as the Islamic holiday Eid al Fitr (Thursday, Nov. 3), also occur during the semester. A listing, though not exhaustive, of religious holidays is available on the Web site http://www.interfaithcalendar.org. Copies of the listing are available from the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, 262-3958, 130 Bascom Hall.

A student’s claim of a religious conflict should be accepted at face value. A great 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 the conflict.

Please adhere to the following three guidelines that have been developed to provide clarity for both students and instructors: (1) 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. Including this information on a course syllabus is another appropriate method to make sure students are informed of the policy; (2) Make-ups may be scheduled before or after the regularly scheduled requirements; and (3) 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 instructors to be as flexible as possible. Our policy seeks to be sensitive to the individual needs of students.

Please advise teaching assistants of this policy.

Calendar for fall semester, 2005-06

Faculty contract year begins: Aug. 22

Advising available: Aug. 25-Sept. 1

Wisconsin Welcome (and additional days throughout September): Aug. 30-Sept. 10

Last day to cancel enrollment without transcript record or fee and tuition obligation: Sept. 1

Instruction begins: Sept. 2

Labor Day: Sept. 5

Last day to drop courses or withdraw without notation on transcript: Sept. 14

Last day to add courses or enroll without department/ dean permission (See also Timetable): Sept. 16

Last day for 100 percent tuition adjustment on dropped classes: Sept. 16

Rosh Hashanah*: Oct. 4

Yom Kippur*: Oct. 13

Eid al Fitr*: Nov. 3

Last day to drop courses (undergraduates, specials and professionals): Nov. 4

Last day to withdraw without academic penalty (undergraduates and specials): Nov. 25

Last day to drop courses (graduate students): Nov. 25

Thanksgiving recess: Nov. 24-27

Last class day: Dec. 15

Study day: Dec. 16

Summary period: Dec. 16-23

Commencement**: Dec. 18

*In accordance with Faculty Document 488a, faculty are asked not to schedule mandatory exercises on these dates.

**The official date of degree conferral on the diploma will be Friday, Dec. 23.