With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, this year’s Academic Affairs Fall Forum was able to shift attention away from educational changes due to COVID-19, and instead focus even more on higher learning among students – especially those in underrepresented minority groups. 

Interim Provost Robin Fox welcomed the UW-Whitewater faculty back to school Monday, Aug. 29 in Timmerman Auditorium. She has been at the university for 32 years, most recently serving as dean for the College of Education and Professional Studies before her new appointment to interim provost last April. 

Though there is much to the mission statement of UW-Whitewater, the core of the university’s charter remains focused on transforming as many lives as possible – a theme present among welcome back events this year. 

“I believe the way we do this is by offering high quality programs while making sure students know that we see them, by acknowledging their work and by making sure they know that they matter,” said Fox.

Fox  added that her goals as provost are to focus on issues such as retention, re-recruitment, advising, curriculum within the best interest of all students and staff at UW-W.

“One project that the Provost’s Office is working on is the IDEIAA (Incorporating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Academic Affairs) project in which members of Academic Affairs will take on a year long project to think deeply about their own work and how to make their work more equitable, inclusive and/or to work on a sense of belonging,” said Fox. The project entails 40 funded programs, as well as monthly meetings. Additionally, three task forces will be  working alongside the IDEIAA to help benefit direct groups of students. 

With the start of the new educational year, the Higher Learning Commission will be making an onsite visit in October. Academic Assessment Coordinator Dr. Katy Casey will assist the process “to ensure that all of the documents and artifacts supporting our self-study are accurate and available to the HLC Team,” Fox said. As a result, new programs can begin the process of approval in order to benefit the university within this year. 

“I look forward to continuing the essential work of UW-Whitewater,” Provost Fox concluded.