For the Record

Announcements

Wisconsin Idea Endowment Call for Prepoposals
The Office of the Provost is soliciting proposals from faculty, staff and students for the third annual Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. This endowment advances the Wisconsin Idea through the development of new and innovative initiatives. It adds new dimensions to existing outreach activities by creating and strengthening partnerships and collaborations, sharing and applying knowledge, and expanding access to lifelong learning. Such efforts will help to create partnerships and extend the knowledge, resources, research expertise and services of UW–Madison students, faculty and staff to community and governmental organizations, business and industry, the general public and K-12 schools.

Approximately $500,000 will be granted for projects that begin on or after Jan. 17. Proposals for initiatives up to $100,000 in total funding are encouraged, and projects may last for up to three years. The endowment will support people and projects rather than facilities. Proposals should advance the campus strategic plan, particularly the “Amplify the Wisconsin Idea” priority, and contribute to the outreach mission of the school(s), college(s) and/or unit(s) involved. 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 Wisconsin Idea initiatives in the following areas: extending students’ expertise off campus, fostering biological and physical sciences outreach, engaging the arts and humanities, and addressing a societal opportunity or problem.

The call for proposals involves two steps: UW–Madison faculty, staff or students must submit a preproposal and individuals whose preproposals are accepted will be invited to submit a full proposal. Preproposals and full proposals must be signed by the department chair or unit director, and a dean’s or director’s representative before being submitted to the Office of the Provost.

Oct. 12 Preproposals due to dean’s office; one copy of cover sheet due to provost’s office

Oct. 29 Preproposal finalists announced

Dec. 1 Full proposals due to dean’s office

Dec. 8 Signed proposals due to provost’s office

Jan. 17 Awards announced

Preproposals should be no more than two double-spaced pages. For guidelines, cover page, budget submission form, directions and a list of funded programs: http://www.provost.wisc.edu/baldwin/.

Proposals from individual students or student organizations must have a sponsoring university department/unit. Students interested in applying who do not have a sponsoring department/unit should contact Mary Rouse, director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service Learning, 262-0787 or 263-2432, mkrouse@wisc.edu. Direct additional questions to Peyton Smith, assistant vice chancellor for extended programs, 262-8214, plsmith@wisc.edu.

Lectures Committee Seeks Applicants
The Lectures Committee is soliciting applications from departments, academic programs and registered student organizations for support of public lectures to be held during the 2004-05 academic year. As stated in Faculty Policies and Procedures, the function of the committee is to consider “requests for lectures of general interest that are not primarily supplementary to or extensions of programs of instruction provided by colleges, schools or departments.”

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 must be submitted on current (2004-05) forms. The support request form may be accessed at http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/lectures/lectcomm/index.htm or paper copies may be requested, 262-3956.

New applications will be reviewed by the committee once each month. Refer to the schedule below to determine the deadline for submitting a new request. When requesting support for an international speaker, additional preparation time may be needed in order to allow sufficient time for the visa application process. The deadlines listed are merely the latest date by which an application can be submitted for consideration by the committee. The committee urges applicants to submit applications well in advance of the deadline dates.

Applications will be accepted as long as funds are available. Questions and requests for additional information: Joe Farrenkopf, 262-3956 or farrenkopf@mail.bascom.wisc.edu.

Lecture date / Application due no later than

Oct. 1 / Aug. 15

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

Awards

Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching
The Cherry Award program is designed to honor great teachers, to stimulate discussion about the value of teaching, and to encourage departments and institutions to value their own great teachers. The award honors outstanding professors in the English-speaking world who are distinguished for their ability to communicate as classroom teachers.

The winner of the Cherry Award will receive a prize of $200,000 and will teach in residence at Baylor University during the fall 2006 or spring 2007 semester; travel expenses and a furnished apartment will be provided. To further Baylor University’s commitment to great teaching, the winner’s home department will receive $25,000. Each finalist will receive $15,000 and will be invited to present a series of lectures at Baylor in fall 2005. Finalists will present a Cherry Award Lecture on their home campuses as well. In addition, the home department of the finalists will receive $10,000 to foster the development of pedagogical skills.

Individuals nominated for the award should have a proven track record as an extraordinary teacher with a positive, inspiring and long-lasting effect on students, along with a record of distinguished scholarship. For complete information, including nomination materials: http://www.baylor.edu/cherry_awards/. Deadline for nomination for 2006 Award is Nov. 1. Deadline for nomination for 2008 Award is fall 2006. If you have a colleague who has won a university or college-level teaching award, consider nominating that person for the Cherry Award. For a list of recipients of UW–Madison distinguished teaching awards: http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/secfac/committees/ teachingawards/PastRecipients.asp.

Grants and Fellowships

Faculty Grants and Programs
The specific guidelines for three 2005-06 UW–Madison faculty grants and programs are now available. For detailed information: http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/grants/index.asp.

Faculty Professional Development Grants
The purpose of these grants is to give faculty members released time to add to their competencies, either through acquiring new competencies within their principal fields or through work in a related field.

Research Service Grants
The purpose of these grants is to supplement the research opportunities available to untenured faculty who have given unusually large amounts of time and effort to university service outside their own departments. The program provides summer salary support (two-ninths of the academic year salary or equivalent) for the grantees to pursue worthwhile projects.

Sabbatical Leaves
The purpose of the sabbatical leave is to provide faculty members who have completed six or more years of full-time UW System instructional service released time to engage in intensive study to enhance teaching, course and curriculum development, or conduct research or any other scholarly activities related to instructional programs within their field of expertise.

Due at:	Dept.	Dean/OHR	System
Development	Oct. 8	Oct. 15	Oct. 29
Research Service	Sept. 10	Sept. 24	Oct. 15
Sabbatical	Sept. 10	Sept. 20	Oct. 11

Policies and procedures

Classwork and Religious Observances
Deans, directors, faculty and instructional academic staff are reminded of the faculty policy 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. Please advise your teaching assistants of this policy. For the fall semester the policy specifically identifies Rosh Hashanah (Thursday, Sept. 16) and Yom Kippur (Saturday, Sept. 25) as such days. Note that Jewish holidays and observances begin at sunset on the evening preceding the given date (e.g., Rosh Hashanah Eve day, Sept. 15), and some holidays are celebrated over more than one day. Mark these days on your calendar 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 (Sunday, Nov. 14), also occur during the semester. A listing, though not exhaustive, of religious holidays is available at: http://www.interfaithcalendar.org. You can also obtain a copy of the listing 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 your course syllabus is another appropriate method to make sure your 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 you to be as flexible as possible. Our policy seeks to be sensitive to the individual needs of students.

Finally, we urge fairness, compassion and sensitivity when you or your TAs 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, 133 Bascom Hall, 262-3956.

Fall Semester 2004-05 Calendar
Faculty contract year begins: Aug. 23

Advising available: Aug. 25-Sept. 1

Wisconsin Welcome: Aug. 29-Sept. 9

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

Instruction begins: Sept. 2

Labor Day: Sept. 6

Last day to drop courses or withdraw without notation on transcript: Sept. 15

Rosh Hashanah*: Sept. 16

Last day to add courses or enroll without department or dean permission: Sept. 17

Last day for 100 percent tuition adjustment on dropped classes: Sept. 17

Yom Kippur*: Sept. 25

Last day to drop courses (undergraduates, specials and professionals): Nov. 5

Eid al Fitr*: Nov. 14

Last day to withdraw without academic penalty (undergraduates and specials): Nov. 26

Last day to drop courses (graduate students): Nov. 26

Thanksgiving recess: Nov. 25-28

Last class day: Dec. 15

Study day: Dec. 16

Summary period: Dec. 16-23

Commencement: Dec. 19

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