Chancellor Rebecca Blank called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. with 149 voting members present (112 needed for quorum). Memorial resolutions were offered for Professor Emeritus Gail E. Beck (Fac doc 2595), Professor Emeritus William Feiereisen (Fac doc 2596), Professor Emeritus Robert Herbert “Bob” March (Fac doc 2597), Professor Emerita Bernadine Peterson (Fac doc 2598), and Professor Emeritus Robert Siegfried (Fac doc 2599).

Chancellor Blank provided several pieces of good news, including faculty awards, state legislature developments, high-level campus searches, and continued state outreach efforts. She also described progress on programs and activities relating to sexual assault and diversity and plans for the upcoming Madison-hosted UW Board of Regents meeting. Chancellor Blank recognized outgoing Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Darrell Bazzell for his many years of outstanding service to campus. Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf and University Committee Chair Beth Meyerand provided an update on the work of the UW System tenure task force and next steps for Madison’s policies.

There were several questions related to sexual assault, tenure policies, and the University Research Council.

The minutes of the December 7, 2015, meeting were approved as distributed.

Professor Judith Burstyn (Chemistry) presented the report of nominations for election to the Committee on Committees and the annual report of the Committee on Committees (Fac doc 2600). Chancellor Blank called for nominations from the floor and received none.

Professor Doug Reindl (Engineering Professional Development) presented the annual report of the Recreational Sports Board (Fac doc 2601). There were no questions or comments. Associate Professor R. Scott Lutz (Forest and Wildlife Ecology) presented the annual report of the Kemper K. Knapp Bequest Committee (Fac doc 2602). There were no questions or comments. Associate Professor Bret Payseur (Genetics) presented information on the AAU Climate Survey on Sexual Assault (Fac doc 2603) and moved adoption of a resolution endorsing the recommendations of the survey (Fac doc 2604). The motion was seconded. There were several questions and comments. The motion to adopt the resolution passed by unanimous voice vote.

 Associate Dean Sue Zaeske submitted the following four program change recommendations, all in the College of Letters and Science: change the name of the Department of African Languages and Literature to the Department of African Cultural Studies (Fac doc 2605)), merge the departments of German, Scandinavian Studies, and Slavic Languages and Literature to become the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic (Fac doc 2606), merge the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature and the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia to become the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures (Fac doc 2607), and change the name of the School of Music to the Mead Witter School of Music (Fac doc 2608)). There was one question.

  

Assistant Professor Aaron Hoskins (Biochemistry) moved the addition of the Committee for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People in the University into Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 6 (Fac doc 2609). The motion was seconded. There was one question. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Professor Meyerand moved to accept the biannual report on senate districts and apportionment (Fac doc 2610), including two corrections to FTE counts. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:42 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Steven K. Smith

Secretary of the Faculty