ACADEMIC STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AND RECOGNITION COMMITTEE (PDRC)
ANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007
Committee members
Daña Alder, Sandy Bertics, Rick Burnson, Donna Cole (co-chair), Maddy Covelli, Lynn Edlefson, Lisa Jansen (co-chair), Lynette Karls, Julie McGivern, Kevin Niemi, Sarah Schutt, David Werther.
Professional Development Grants
Each semester the PDRC reviews and selects proposals for academic staff professional development matching grants. Ongoing funds for these grants are provided by the UW System. Provost Farrell provided an additional $5,000 for the fall 2006 round. In the fall round, 60 grant proposals were reviewed and 37 were funded for a total of $28,156. In the spring round, 50 grant proposals were reviewed and 20 were funded for a total of $16,785.
Excellence Awards
Each year the PDRC reviews nominations and selects recipients of UW-Madison academic staff excellence awards. This year the committee reviewed 48 nominations. A framed photo of Bascom Hill was presented to each award winner. Provost Farrell provided funding for the framed photos this year. Ongoing funding for the photos is a continuing issue which needs to be addressed.
The following awards were given to UW-Madison academic staff during a reception hosted by Chancellor Wiley at Memorial Union:
Chancellor's Hilldale Award for Excellence in Teaching - Suzanne Scott, School of Human Ecology
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research (Independent Investigator) - Lawrence Sromovsky, Space Science and Engineering Center
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research (Critical Research Support) - Fiona McTavish, Center of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research
Robert Heideman Award for Excellence in Public Service - Evelyn Malkus, Antarctic Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Institute
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Service to the University - Heather Daniels, Neuroscience Training Program
WAA Award for Excellence in Leadership (College, School or Larger University Community) - Jo Ann Carr, Center for Instructional Materials and Computing (CIMC) and the Instructional Media Development Center (IMDC)
WAA Award for Excellence in Leadership (Individual Unit) - Mary Thome Marshall, Department of Surgery
Martha Casey Award for Dedication to Excellence - Sharon Pero, Office of the Registrar
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Ann Wallace Career Achievement Award - Char Tortorice, Testing and Evaluation Services
In addition to UW-Madison excellence awards, the PDRC also reviews nominations for UW-System and Regent awards and selects nominations to forward to UW-System and Regent committees. The following nominations were chosen to be forwarded to UW-System award committees:
Regents Excellence Award - John Stevenson, Survey Center
Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award - Suzanne Scott, School of Human Ecology, and Irene Katele, L&S
Executive Education grants
Through the generosity of the School of Business, significantly reduced-price course enrollment grants are available to academic staff who wish to take courses in the Executive Education Program. 16 applications were reviewed by a subcommittee of the PDRC. The value of grants awarded was between $1345 and $1945.
This year's recipients and their courses are:
David Black, Life Sciences Communication - Developing Management Skills
Linda Endlich, Instructional Media Development Center - Persuasion and Influence Skills for the Project Manager
Charlene Krembs, CALS Administrative Computing Services - Basic Management Unit 1: Leading and Working With People
Erika Romenesko, Biology New Media Center - Mastering Supervisory Skills
Richard Simpson, University Health Services - Financial Management for Non-Financial Insurance Executives
Committee Expansion
On July 1, 2006 the size of the PDRC increased from nine members to twelve. The increase has resulted in more manageable workload for all committee members.
Barry Robinson Memorial
The PDRC commissioned a portrait of Barry Robinson, an academic staff leader for many years and co-chair of the Professional Development and Recognition Committee who died unexpectedly in 2005. The portrait was funded by donations from academic staff. An unveiling celebration was held in September, 2006. Barry's smiling portrait now hangs in the Barry Robinson Memorial Student Lounge in Vilas Hall.
Looking Forward
Awards: Current funding for UW-Madison excellence awards does not cover physical awards such as statues or plaques. In past years PDRC has sought and received funding for these awards from a variety of sources. The committee has taken steps to significantly reduce the cost of the physical award and will continue to seek ongoing funding for them.
Other: Oversight of the Professional Development Grant program has transferred from Office of Human Resources to Secretary of Academic Staff. PDRC and Colleen McCabe are working to ensure a smooth transition. We continue to streamline all of our processes and procedures, and look for new ways to promote academic staff awards and grants. We look forward to working with the new Communications standing committee to improve PDRC communications and web pages.