Though approved only in November, the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates is already increasing academic support services to students by increasing the number and variety of courses offered through hiring extra faculty.
The MIU granted the Chemistry and Physics Learning centers $240,000 to hire additional staff members, Physics Learning Center Director Susan Nossal and Chemistry Learning Center Director Cathy Middlecamp said in a joint email with The Badger Herald.
They added the Physics and Chemistry Learning Centers have moved quickly to identify and hire top-notch people and expand programs.
“This semester we completed about half of the hires,” they said. “By next fall, we will complete the other half.”
Nossal and Middlecamp said they feel the process has gone splendidly, but they face the challenge of finding physical space for the new expansion.
“For both the Physics and Chemistry Learning Centers, the MIU expansion meant increasing the staff, increasing the needs for teaching and working space, but not have any new space readily available,” they said, adding they hope to solve the problem by fall.
Looking into the future, Nossal and Middlecamp said they believe the primary obstacle facing the Chemistry and Physics Learning Centers is the demand for academic support, which will continue to outstrip what can be supplied.
“There is a bit of good news in this, though,” Nossal and Middlecamp said. “First, students are seeking help because they want to excel in their studies. And secondly, to the extent that students seek it from us, we realize we are doing a good job.”
The College of Letters and Sciences also received grants for instructional support to meet growing faculty demands.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Academic Administration Nancy Westphal-Johnson said in an email with The Badger Herald that Letters and Science received $1.9 million from MIU to fund 17 faculty positions and teaching assistant support.
She added these new hires will enable Letters and Science to offer more “high impact” courses such as First-Year Interest Groups and undergraduate research.
She said the various departments of Letters and Science are all at different places in terms of funding.
Some, like communication arts, social work and political science, have all announced they will be able to offer new courses in the fall. Others are still waiting to hire their new faculty.
Westphal-Johnson added the process has gone very well.
“Departments are energized and eager to move forward with the hires,” she said.
The School of Business is also taking advantage of MIU grants to increase faculty and improve additional classes for undergraduate students.
Business School Dean Michael Knetter said in his proposal for the MIU the money they received would be spent on introductory courses, advising services and FIG programs – the main areas where bottlenecks occur.
To decrease bottlenecks and implement changes the Business School will be hiring more faculty.
“More faculty [will] help us provide a better experience to more students and increase the overall quality of our programs,” said spokesperson for the Business School Melissa Anderson in an email.
