Message from Chancellor King
Faculty and staff,
Earlier this week we gathered for our annual Chancellor’s Opening Celebration. During the event, we celebrated our talented, dedicated colleagues who make us Warhawk Bold. Thank you for joining me in congratulating our 2024 University Award Winners. We appreciate the example they all set in fulfilling our mission.
I want to recap the information shared on the university’s priorities and initiatives.
Our strategic plan is moving forward. The work that has been done over the past year is laying a foundation for our commitment to student success. In fact, we have launched our Student Success framework. This framework focuses on four major components:
1) Attainment of Learning Outcomes, Skills, and Competencies;
2) Engagement and Belonging;
3) Career Preparation; and
4) Academic Achievement and Persistence.
Our new One Stop is officially open. Located in the University Center, this space will provide seamless access to student services, supporting our Warhawks in their retention, persistence, and graduation — whether in person or online.
Budget
I’m thrilled to share that we’ve reduced our budgeted structural deficit from our initial $8.9 million to just over $500,000 for the 2024-25 fiscal year. This is an incredible achievement that reflects the hard work, collaboration, and strategic thinking of our entire university. We are confident that we will completely eliminate the structural budget deficit by 2025-26, which is two years ahead of the Universities of Wisconsin mandate.
Enrollment
We anticipate our retention rate to be consistent with last year, holding strong at around 77.5% While this is encouraging, our strategic goal is to reach 82% by 2028. In addition, we are anticipating enrollment growth for fall 2024. In fact, we anticipate being up in our overall enrollment by approximately 200 students year over year.
We will continue to engage with the Strategic Planning and Budget Committee (SPBC) in our progress on our strategic plan and budget plan.
Compensation and benefits
Last year, as part of the UW system pay plan, we provided a 4% increase, and this summer, we followed up with an additional 2%. We will continue to advocate in this space.
As part of our strategic plan, we established the University Compensation and Benefits Committee. Through this committee, I asked each governance group to provide compensation priorities. I’m pleased to share that meetings in this space are ongoing, and based on our enrollment and current budget allocations, we expect to move the needle. Looking at the overall priorities, we will focus our efforts on addressing compression.
This summer, a new Paid Parental Leave policy took effect, providing eligible employees with up to six weeks of paid time off (pro-rated if part-time) following a qualifying birth or adoptive event to allow for time to bond with their new child, adjust to their new family situation, and balance personal obligations that result from a birth or adoptive event.
Looking ahead, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman has put forward the 2025-27 system budget request to significantly boost public funding for our state’s universities. The Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve this budget request and it now moves to Governor Tony Evers for approval. This request includes critical funding to support a 5% pay increase in 2025 and an additional 3% in 2026, along with merit and market adjustments, to help close the wage gap and ensure our universities can attract and retain high-quality faculty and staff. For further information on budget and funding issues with the UWs, you can review the Facts and Trends document.
Academic Dean updates
We heard from our academic deans on a number of exciting efforts in the year ahead. Several of our colleges — Arts and Communication, Business and Economics, and Letters and Sciences — will kick off strategic planning and boldly revisioning their work, while maintaining our university mission to transform lives.
The College of Education and Professional Studies is creating new pathways for non-traditional students to earn teaching licensure or complete non-licensure programs.
The School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education is launching a new online graduate student orientation to introduce students to important services and make connections. We’re also launching two pilot courses for the Warhawk Dual Enrollment Academy that will build upon our Partners in Education program for high school students.
At Rock County, the College of Integrated Studies is building new simulation labs to support its collaborative nursing degree.
Public safety
Chief of Police Matt Kiederlen and Assistant Chief Kelsey Servi provided an update on the Public Safety Taskforce, of which several recommendations are underway or completed.
We also discussed the importance of civil discourse, reminding everyone that a thriving campus community depends on our ability to engage in dialogue across differences. Ensuring that our campus remains a safe place for all is key to fostering these conversations. You can learn more on the UW civil dialogue website.
Inclusivity and belonging
Assistant Chancellor Anneke Lisberg shared information on our Inclusivity Bridge Model to guide our collective work and effort in this space. This model focuses on creating a more active partnership between the Chancellor’s Office, the Cabinet, Academic Colleges, Divisions/Units and the Chancellor’s Committees. In addition, the Inclusivity website has been updated to reflect this information.
We’re in the process of receiving the results of the Campus Climate Survey. Review committees have been created, composed of faculty, staff, and students, to review, analyze, and make recommendations.
Students
We had the opportunity to hear from three amazing students. The conversation centered on why they chose UW-Whitewater and continue to stay. Their responses spoke to having a sense of belonging and community and their engagement inside and outside the classroom. The students also shared individuals who have impacted them since coming to the university. Throughout the conversation, it is evident that our faculty and staff have meaningful impacts on our students that speak to the heart of our commitment to student success.
Athletics
We are excited to share that several of our own Warhawks will be competing in the Paralympics starting this week in Paris, France. They’re continuing our proud legacy in wheelchair basketball, where we’ve seen many medalists over the years. Let's cheer them on as they represent us on the global stage!
Get ready for an exciting year ahead for our student-athletes and fans! Our men’s and women’s teams are gearing up to compete for top honors in Division III athletics. We invite all of you to rally behind our teams and keep the strong Warhawk tradition alive. Visit the UW-Whitewater Athletics website for more information.
U Matter
We concluded our opening celebration with an update on the U Matter initiative, spearheaded by Human Resources. Over the summer, the Facilities Planning and Management department presented IT Services with the UMatter Wagon. Through this program, units honor one another for their outstanding work.
Whether it’s the collaborative spirit, the sense of purpose, or the shared commitment to transforming lives, there’s so much to be proud of here. We’ve been gathering stories from our colleagues across campus to use in a new video, and it’s been incredible to hear why so many people love being part of the Warhawk community.
Finally, we’ll be using this video as part of our recruitment efforts to attract new talent to the institution. It’s a great reminder of the powerful impact we can have when we work together toward a common goal.
Warhawk Bold! We do it strong and we do it together.
Corey A. King
Chancellor