Strategic Initiatives and Taskforces

Progress updates as of May 2022

• Identified members of the task force and working group members
• Identified six focus groups to be conducted this summer: 1) current UW-Whitewater/Rock Students, 2) Hispanic/Latinx UW-Whitewater graduates 3) UW-Whitewater students who left without graduating 4) UW-Whitewater students who left without graduating but came back to complete their degrees 6) Incoming students 7) parents
• Work has begun on focus group questionnaires
• Secured a Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee Education Membership for UW-Whitewater and our students/staff.
• Participated in the Hispanic Collaborative of Greater Milwaukee statewide initiative in Madison in March with continued representation on the committee for future efforts.
• Research has commenced on UW-Whitewater Latinx student data, existing programs here and at other UW campuses that serve Hispanic/Latinx students, as well as Wisconsin Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Progress updates as of May 2022

• Work is underway gathering information on programs, support services and resources our campus currently offers African American students. 
• The team is identifying internal campus partners and external stakeholders to assist with the recruitment and retention of African American students in the southeast region of Wisconsin. 
• The taskforce is walking through the recruitment and enrollment process step by step to assess gap areas, engage community stakeholders, identify ways to amplify the work handled by Admissions Office, and develop an action plan to increase the number of prospective students interested in UW-Whitewater.
• The team has been meeting every two weeks and will continue to meet throughout the summer.

Mental Health Support/Wellness ( JED)

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is proud to be a JED campus. This is a four-year collaborative partnership with the JED Foundation – the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to young adult mental health. Our initiative includes developing a comprehensive approach to mental health and wellness for students, faculty and staff. The goal is to ensure we have the proper system, strategies and programs in place to support our Warhawk family on this important front. Together we are working to promote a healthy and strong campus where every Warhawk can thrive.

Progress updates as of May 2022

• The JED Taskforce had an initial meeting in April. At the meeting Dr. Warren, discussed JED and her experience with the organization describing the process of the surveys, campus visits and then ultimately the development of a strategic plan that is written based on the results of the surveys and the needs of the campus.
• Our university will be using the both the student survey option and the staff survey to collect data. Surveys will be sent out in the fall and the JED Taskforce will complete the campus questionnaire.
• Representatives from the JED Foundation will then visit campus and speak to a variety of groups of the campus community. Once the strategic plan is developed, the initial JED Taskforce will disband and smaller work groups will take on the tasks outlined in the strategic plan.