Earlier this month, our team gathered for our annual retreat at Madison’s new Center for Black Excellence and Culture. With community-making as our guiding theme, the setting added a special layer of meaning to our time together. Team member Jamie Black reads a plaque honoring Dr. Gee’s ancestor, Anderson Gee, on our tour of the Center. …
Hi team – As I get ready to officially join you, I wanted to say thank you for all the kind messages, outreach, and support—and for the tremendous work already underway to welcome the fall 2026 class. I also want to personally recognize and express my gratitude to Scott Owczarek for his leadership of the division …
Stay up-to-date on the comings and goings of DEM Team Members. The following names are individuals with position updates or interim title changes that had a start date or last day on payroll in July or August. New Hire/New Position Office of the Vice Provost Bonniejean Zitske, Associate Director for Campus Engagement & CRM Strategy …
One of the ways we strengthen DEM’s Culture of Belonging is by creating opportunities for team members to connect, learn from one another, and engage in meaningful conversations across teams and roles. The annual Go Big Read program provides a great opportunity to do just that. This year’s Go Big Read selection is Custodians of Wonder by Eliot Stein, and we …
We are genuinely grateful to everyone who completed our inaugural bi-weekly DEM Pulse Survey sent on August 4. Your participation and candid feedback are what make this program so valuable. 144 of you responded to the first survey–that’s a 73% participation rate. You also did a great job getting it done first thing–84 participants responded …
Business analysts, product owners, and other professionals connected on June 23 to enjoy food, refreshments, and interesting discussions at a free networking event at Erin’s Snug Irish Pub in Madison. Attendees included professionals representing state government, higher education, medical software, insurance, healthcare, and more. Some topics discussed ranged from generative AI, agile methodology, project management …
This information replaces the travel guidance Jeremy Traska issued on June 27, 2025 via email, titled “DEM Travel Guidance for FY26+.” This new guidance takes effect on July 1, 2026. What Is Travel? DEM recognizes three types of travel: Essential, Business, and Professional Development. Types of Travel Essential Travel: University travel that, if not undertaken, would directly …
What do Siracha, Death Valley, and the Student Employment Summer Summit have in common? Usually nothing. But thanks to the broken cooling pipe they all found themselves in the same conversation on June 29th at the Pyle Center. Despite the unexpected heat, 124 attendees kept their cool and stayed focused on the real reason they …
Team members may be eligible to bank unused Vacation/Carryover Vacation into a Paid Leave Bank (formerly known as ALRA) or to receive cash payouts (for eligible University Staff only). Banking of leave comes from the team member ’s Vacation Carryover or Vacation balances on June 30, 2025. More information can be found in the UW–Madison Vacation policy. Eligible team …
DEM Shared Services has launched a purchasing request form to make it easier to submit requests for conference registrations, event food, office supplies, swag, and other common purchases. The form walks you through the required steps and documentation by category, so we can fulfill your request without the back-and-forth. Before you submit a request, please make sure: …