Cal Bergman named Associate Dean of L&S Student Academic Affairs

March 18th 2016 Simon Kuran
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Cal Bergman

Cal Bergman, an experienced leader of innovative academic initiatives for undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for over 20 years, has been chosen Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs (SAA) & Director of Undergraduate Advising in the College of Letters & Science, L&S Dean John Karl Scholz announced.

Bergman has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Psychobiology from Ripon College, a master’s degree in Counseling in Higher Education from UW-Oshkosh, and studied Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at UW-Madison (ABD, National Study of Living-Learning Programs).

“I am very pleased that Cal is joining L&S,” says Dean Karl Scholz. “He has a terrific record of accomplishment at UW-Madison as a thoughtful, collaborative, driven leader. I look forward to working with him and our outstanding colleagues in SAA to build upon the outstanding work already being done while further enhancing the service and support we provide our students.”

Currently an Associate Director of Residence Life for University Housing, Bergman has provided campus-wide, collaborative leadership for University Housing since 1999, including spearheading an expansion effort for learning communities that significantly boosted participation to 25% of students in residence. He has been integral to the ongoing development of the Chadbourne Residential College – the destination for liberal arts education on campus - and proposed and helped launch the new Career Kickstart Residential Learning Community as a part of the L&S Career Initiative. During his tenure with Housing, Bergman advocated for, and was a key partner in, expanding community-based Cross-College Advising Service (CCAS); this restructuring resulted in an 86% increase in individual student contacts with CCAS academic advisors.

SAA and departmental advising plays a central role in student success and the educational mission of the College of L&S and UW-Madison. SAA assists students as they prepare to register for their first classes and offers services designed to enhance student success — such as academic advising, scholarships and enrichment programs — from entry through graduation. Although SAA is primarily focused on 15,000 L&S undergraduates, its mission and services extend to the entire undergraduate student body.