Progress highlights

• Naming: The Naming Working Group has established a fall schedule for its activities. Per guidance from Chancellor Andrew Leavitt, it will prepare a naming recommendation in January 2019. Chancellor Leavitt plans to seek feedback on these recommendations from stakeholders on the campuses and in the local community, then submit a proposal to the Board of Regents in late spring.
• Orientation: UW Oshkosh HR visited the UW-Fox Valley and UW-Fond du Lac campuses in early September to welcome employees and describe the HR support model through June 30, 2019.
• Diplomas: In September, the UW Oshkosh Registrar sent August graduates the first AAS diplomas conferred by UW Oshkosh.
• Faculty, University staff and academic staff committees: The Governance Working Group has drafted recommendations on the alignment of faculty, University staff and academic staff committees across three campuses. It is now examining the ideal way to circulate this recommendation for decision.
• Preparation for Higher Learning Commission focused visit: UW System submitted the Focused Visit Report to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on Oct. 16. This report reflects the status and execution of the restructuring at UW System and the receiving institutions, including UW Oshkosh. The Focused Visit Report describes progress on restructuring goals and objectives; restructuring metrics; memoranda of understanding process; management plan; phased deployment plan; financial information including pro forma budgets; continuity of academic programs; institutional statements that include a description of institutional oversight, governance, curriculum, assessment of student learning, faculty tenure, and planning and budgeting.
  • HLC will conduct interviews during a focused visit on Dec. 3 and 4 in Madison. Two peer reviewers will meet with representatives from UW System and receiving institutions to discuss progress. Because HLC has already approved the restructuring proposal, this focused visit is a check-in to determine the status of restructuring activities. It is also an opportunity to gather advice from the reviewers and see if there are compliance issues in fulfilling HLC criteria. Participants in the focused visit interviews will be chancellors, regents, provosts, accreditation liaison officers, senior student affairs officers, chief business officers, faculty members and students. The peer reviewers will also do an exit interview with UW System President Ray Cross, chancellors and UW System vice presidents.
• Transitions from UW Colleges:
  • Grant Programs and Research – UW Oshkosh’s Office of Sponsored Programs has assumed responsibility for external funding proposals and research-related compliance issues from UW Colleges. The office now oversees delivery of that service to UW-Fox Valley and UW-Fond du Lac.
  • Conduct and Compliance – At the start of the fall term, UW Oshkosh took over responsibility for student conduct and compliance services from UW Colleges. Clery Act reporting at the access campuses for the 2018 reporting period is now the responsibility of UW Oshkosh, with assistance and collaboration from UW Colleges Office of Conduct and Compliance (or any successor organization). Although responsibility has transferred, a good deal remains to be determined. Regional Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Access Campuses Carla Rabe is working with Associate Dean of Students Buzz Bares to determine the way ahead.
  • Recruitment – UW Oshkosh’s Admissions Office has assumed responsibility from UW Colleges for recruiting prospective UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Fox Valley students at high schools and external events. Internal events, like Preview Days, will remain the responsibility of current UW Colleges staff but will transition to the Oshkosh campus undergraduate Admissions Office over the next year.
  • Risk Management and Safety – At the request of UW System, UW Colleges and UW Oshkosh agreed to expedite the transition of risk management and workplace safety services from the former to the latter. This transition took place on Oct. 31, 2018. On that date, the UW Oshkosh Risk and Safety office began to provide risk management and workplace safety services to UW-Fox Valley and UW-Fond du Lac.
  • Student Accommodations and Accessibility Services – While this service is not scheduled to transition until Aug. 20, 2019, the UW Oshkosh Restructuring team is planning for an expedited transition of services to the access campuses.

Operational process updates

University websites

• The main UW Oshkosh homepage has been redesigned and refreshed to better represent our three-campus university. News items from the access campuses are also being included on UW Oshkosh Today and within the campus enewsletter.
• The websites for the UW-Fox Valley and UW-Fond du Lac campuses will be rebuilt on the uwosh.edu domain. The expected completion date for this transition is Dec. 1, 2018.