Approved 10-14-24

ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES

272 Bascom Hall

Monday, September 9, 2024

3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Rob Cramer called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.

Guest: Patrick Sheehan, Chief Human Resources Officer

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Sheehan provided an overview of the Office of Human Resources (OHR) and shared initiatives in progress. OHR manages several strategic initiatives and operational priorities within their portfolio. As part of their strategic initiatives, OHR strives to be a thought partner with and support schools, colleges, and divisions with growing, developing, and retaining an exceptional and high-quality workforce while also attracting new talent to our organization that brings fresh new ideas to the campus community. It is also important to be a competitive and market-informed employer. OHR provides opportunities for employees to learn and grow as part of their efforts in helping to cultivate a healthy workforce on our campus. On the operational side, OHR supports and guides the HR community to ensure UW remains timely and accurate with application of HR functions, including areas like payroll and benefits, compliance with applicable policies and regulations, as well as a range of other activities. OHR is also in the midst of preparing for a major workplace transformation with the transition to Workday through the Administrative Transformation Program (ATP). It is one of the key priorities for the next academic year with Workday go-live set for July 1, 2025. OHR, along with other key stakeholders, will be working to ensure HR professionals as well as managers, supervisors, and employees alike understand what is changing and how the transformation does and does not impact their day-to-day work.

CHRO Sheehan reflected on the progress campus made toward key strategic HR priorities over the last fiscal year. The 2022 UW-Madison Staff Climate Survey results continue to inform OHR organizational priorities. For example, employee respondents to the 2022 survey identified professional development opportunities as one of the key factors contributing to campus climate. OHR prioritized initiatives accordingly and, compared to fiscal year (FY) 2023, expanded professional development offerings by 17%, resulting in a 33% increase in total participation with more than 7,000 total participants across OHR programs in FY 2024. OHR also expanded access to career counseling for employees. This resource provides free and confidential service designed to help employees navigate their careers at UW-Madison. With more than 785 career counseling appointments, including over 250 first time engagements in the last fiscal year, it is a highly utilized and sought after resource.

Past investments made in market-informed compensation, workforce development, and total rewards are having positive impacts on campus. Compared to FY 2023, UW-Madison saw encouraging trends in our ability to attract and recruit employees to our open positions on campus in FY 2024. There was a 42% increase in the applicant pool size as well as a 17% decrease in time to hire (from time position is posted to when individual is in position), and a 7% increase in the recruitment success rate. These are statistically significant increases in the effectiveness in the recruitment and hiring activities on the campus.

Earlier this summer UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin launched a new paid parental leave policy. Shared governance involvement in this initiative was critical, helping to prioritize the delivery of this policy which provides up to 6 weeks of paid leave within the 12-month period of birth and/or adoption of a child. This initiative strengthens our ability to compete for top candidates across all positions as well as our ability to retain existing employees.

UW-Madison also prioritized enhancing hostile and intimidating behavior processes and education to ensure UW-Madison employees feel safe in the workplace. In collaboration with the Office of the Provost, OHR developed in early 2024 a self-guided asynchronous learning module series for recognizing and addressing hostile and/or intimidating behavior in the workplace.

In FY 2024, campus offered market-informed and centrally funded compensation programs. This is only the second time campus has completed a compensation exercise using market-informed title and salary structure data made available through the implementation of the Title and Total Compensation Project. More than $23.5 million was allocated in central compensation funds to reward and retain employees through base salary adjustments and one-time lump sum bonus payments across campus. OHR held strategy meetings with divisional HR to review the data and to discuss potential areas that would benefit from those adjustments, including discussions of impacts to staff as part of the June 30, 2024, salary structure update.

CHRO Sheehan thanked the Academic Staff Assembly for the resolution acknowledging members of the HR community efforts to process the 2023 pay plan during the holiday period.

Guest: Christopher East, Office of Human Resources (Knowledges and Skills Employee Resource Hub)

Christopher East, Employee Career Development Specialist from Learning and Talent Development in OHR, presented on the recently announced knowledges and skills hub for employees. This optional resource is designed to support employee career development and connect employees to learning resources related to their job title on campus. There are 65 knowledges and skills listed in the hub. The Title and Standard Job Description (SJD) Library also includes a list of knowledges and skills for each standard job description. Titles that are not included encompass both faculty and student positions.

Automatic Consent Business

The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, May 13, 2024, were approved.

Reports

ASEC Chair Albert Muniz presented the ASEC report. Albert thanked past (Donna Cole, Stephanie Jones, Lindsey Stoddard Cameron, and Julie Hunt Johnson) and current (Alissa Ewer, Terry Paape, and Nola Walker) members of ASEC for their service. Albert welcomed new members (Richard Barajas, Aaron Crandall, Nicole Senter, and Diane Stojanovich) to ASEC. He also welcomed Mallory Musolf, the new Secretary of Academic Staff. The Academic Staff Professional Development Grant Program for spring 2025 activities will be announced later in the week. Nominations are open for the Outstanding Women of Color Awards, and those nominations are due by September 27. The Assembly Skills Workshop session will be held virtually on September 30. The Academic Staff Mentor Match Program will issue a call for participants later this month, and Albert encouraged attendees to participate. The annual Employee Benefits and Resource Fair will be held on October 8 from 9:00am-3:00pm in Union South. ASEC continued to meet over the summer and held a retreat in August to discuss several objectives for the year, including ASEC’s prioritization for increased communication and engagement with the Assembly.

Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization (ASPRO) Board President Jenny Dahlberg presented the ASPRO report. ASPRO is an advocacy and lobbying organization working on behalf of all academic staff across the Universities of Wisconsin. ASPRO continues to follow the activities of the Legislative Council Study Committee on the Future of the University of Wisconsin System.

Alissa Ewer, ASEC vice chair, presented on the 2023-24 Academic Staff Assembly Business (ASA #836), summarizing Assembly activities from last academic year. Highlights include a resolution for the creation of an ad hoc committee on age and the workplace to review the processes and practices in hiring, compensation, professional development, and positional advancement as it relates to age. The assembly also approved a revision to Academic Staff Policies and Procedures chapter 14, to include an ex officio, non-voting member from the Office of Human Resources to the Compensation and Economics Benefits Committee membership.

J.J. Andrews, co-chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions, and Financial Aid (CURAFA) presented the annual report for 2023-2024 (ASA #837). CURAFA is a shared governance committee that reports to the Faculty Senate. CURAFA’s mission is to build a scholarly and diverse undergraduate student population by initiating, monitoring, and advising on policies related to student recruitment, admissions, and financial aid. The committee identified three topics impacting these areas: 1) target enrollment goals and their impact of growing admissions on the campus community, particularly around housing and dining; 2) FAFSA delays resulting from the revised and delayed implementation of new FAFSA; 3) admissions requirements. For each identified topic, CURAFA offered recommendations that are included in the report.

Academic Staff Executive Committee Candidate (ASA #838)

The Assembly voted to elect Andrew Lokuta to the Academic Staff Executive Committee.

Vice Chancellor Report

Vice Chancellor Cramer welcomed 17 new representatives and alternates of the Academic Staff Assembly and expressed his appreciation for returning Assembly members as well. For FY 2024, revenues increased 13% over the prior fiscal year. Total expenses increased just under 14%. Looking to FY 2025, campus projects a 9% increase in revenue and a similar increase in expenses. Areas for investment include additional resources for schools/colleges to reflect growth in undergraduate enrollment, expanded staffing in Research and Sponsored Programs, additional funding for the McBurney Disability Resource Center, investments in higher financial aid, enhancing cyber security and data analytics, as well as continued investments in campus efforts to reduce deferred maintenance. Looking to the future, Cramer stressed the importance of utilizing resources more effectively and managing costs across the university as we face potential financial headwinds. Cramer expects fiscal challenges related to housing on campus and in the community, continued inflationary pressures around construction projects, and salary and benefits in certain labor markets. The UW Board of Regents put forward their 2025-27 biennial budget request, which includes a residence hall for UW-Madison. This academic year, campus will be focusing on its transition to Workday which goes live on July 1, 2025. User testing is underway. Campus is working hard to ensure a smooth start, focusing on four key areas for July 2025: payroll, paying vendors, supporting our research enterprise, and being able to recruit and hire employees. Post Workday go-live, adjustments will be made as needed. Lastly, the search for the next associate vice chancellor and chief of police will launch soon.

Meeting adjourned at 5:03 pm.

Minutes submitted by Mallory Musolf, Secretary of the Academic Staff