Committee Descriptions

Function: Promotes equitable climate and diversity by helping identify issues and implementing activities and actions to improve department-wide climate and diversity. Meeting frequency: once per month

Function: The colloquium committee selects and recruits colloquium speakers, with input from all the faculty. The committee’s primary work is to fill the colloquium schedule for the spring of the current academic year and the fall of the upcoming academic year. Meeting frequency: Once at the in the beginning of the academic year in person to discuss procedures. The rest of the work is done by emails and google doc.

Function: Serves as a resource and maintains records regarding departmental policies and procedures. Meeting frequency: as needed, approximately once or twice per year.

Function: Monitors office and research space allocations. Evaluates remodeling requests. Recommends actions and policies related to the library, computing systems, electronics and mechanical shops development and usage. Meeting frequency: Approximately every three months

Function: Works with new faculty search committees to recommend worthy candidates to the department, organizes faculty promotions material and mentoring committees. Meeting frequency: as needed

Function: Discusses upcoming outreach events, plans for reaching more students/communities, museum programming (docents program, exhibit additions/fixes/rotations) Meeting frequency: Once a month, does not meet over summer

Function: approves large-scale redesigns of the website (e.g. the Research page was completed with large amounts of feedback from this committee); will likely oversee the upcoming WordPress Gutenberg transition, helps propose story ideas and web/social media content, advocates for communication of department research Meeting frequency: ~2x/semester, does not meet over the summer

Function: Reviews non-faculty staff annually to nominate them for intra and extra mural awards/fellowships and salary raises. Meeting frequency: as needed, approximately once or twice per year

Function: Reviews faculty annually to nominate them for intra and extra mural awards/fellowships and salary raises. *Special assignment for this year is to ensure compliance of our department procedures with the “Revised Post-Tenure Policy” recently approved by the UW–System Board of Regents. Meeting frequency: as needed, quite frequently

Function: Reviews department finances and spending policies and priorities. Meeting frequency: as needed, approximately once or twice per year

Function: Reviews and updates the department strategic plan. Meeting frequency: As needed, not very often but it depends on the year

Function: Reviews student award selection process and selects students for annual intra and extra mural awards. Meeting frequency: usually once per year, in March

Function: Runs BoV meetings (2x/year), provides administrative support for BOV, liaises with WFAA Development Officer, reviews/awards MacDonald Awards and George Ott staff award. Meeting frequency: Two BoV meetings/year (usually in May and Oct). Awards meeting held once per year.

Function: Provides oversight of physics major courses, including laboratories. Develops strategies to make UG physics program more attractive, and recruit physics, AMEP and AP majors. Nominates students for annual department and university awards. Meeting frequency: As needed

Function: Provides oversight of service courses, including laboratories and teaching assistants. Reviews TA performance report and recommends TAs for annual department and university awards. Includes oversight of course coordination and REACH effort. Meeting frequency: once per month

Function: Advises the department regarding PhD graduate education and research related matters. Meeting frequency: as needed, approximate every other month

Function: Provides guidance to first-year PhD students. Meeting frequency: Pairs of committee members meet with each incoming student in summer and occasionally throughout the year.

Function: Discusses methods to attract PhD students to the department. Meeting frequency:

Function: Reviews applications to the PhD program and makes recommendations on acceptances. The number of offers must be decided in consultation with the chair and associate chair. Committee duties extend additionally to proactive involvement in the recruitment process. Meeting frequency: Several times during December, January and February

Function: Responsible for conducting the qualifying exam that includes assembling problems, grading, making recommendations on passing grade, and overall grades distribution, placement. Meeting frequency: as needed prior to each exam

Function: Serves on prelim committees of students and develops a concrete plan to “keep track” of students after the exam, providing additional monitoring of student’s progress towards PhD. Meeting frequency: As needed prior to each exam

Function: Meets to hear program status from MSPQC staff and provides feedback to planned/desired program or curriculum changes. Meeting frequency: Once per semester and as needed

Function: Reviews applications to the MSPQC master’s program and makes recommendations on acceptances. Meeting frequency: Several times during January, February, March and April