Academic Staff Assembly Minutes 12-08-2025
Approved 02-09-26
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, December 8, 2025
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Interim Provost John Zumbrunnen called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.
Guest: Jennifer Mnookin, Chancellor
The Board of Regents authorized UW–Madison to form a new college, the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence (CAI). This is our first new school/college since 1983, when the School of Veterinary Medicine was created. The School of Computer, Data, and Information Sciences will be reorganized into CAI. Campus leadership is working with the College of Letters and Science (L&S) and the Madison Budget Office to ensure CAI and L&S have the necessary resources to be successful. The goal is not for CAI to be a silo but for the college to be a collaborative hub, connected and linked with the rest of the university.
The Wisconsin Exchange launched last month with a focus on pluralism and practice. It will provide an array of programs and opportunities for students, staff, and faculty, all designed to foster meaningful dialogue and understanding across differences. Chancellor Mnookin encouraged academic staff to participate in the initiative. There are seed grant opportunities for new projects. As part of the Wisconsin Exchange, and in collaboration with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, a new AI-powered tool is being piloted, where users can rehearse real-world conversations on a topic of their choosing and receive feedback in real-time. Participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the tool.
Regarding Act 15, the Board of Regents approved Regent Policy Document 20-25 related to instructional workload and Regent Policy Document 4-23 on the core general education requirements. The policies were sent to the Joint Committee on Employment Relations for consideration. The Regent policies provide campus with enough flexibility and will also create additional work to ensure compliance.
University operations were largely uninterrupted by the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. The Office of Federal Relations continues to monitor and respond to orders, directives, and activities that affect the campus.
There are several leadership searches currently in progress across campus. For the provost search, the search and screen committee is chaired by Professor Russ Castronovo from the Department of English. The committee held campus listening sessions and collected feedback through an online survey. Finalist interviews are expected this spring. The search for the next dean of the UW–Madison School of Nursing is also underway. The search and screen committee is chaired by Associate Dean Linsey Steege. Chancellor Mnookin shared that Dean Emerita Linda D. Scott, who served as the eighth dean of the School of Nursing and was a nationally recognized leader in nursing education, research, and policy, passed away on November 17. Associate Dean Emerita for Faculty Affairs and Vilas Distinguished Professor Susan Zahner is serving as interim dean. An announcement is expected soon regarding the associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub position. In addition, the search for the executive director of Wisconsin Public Media is now underway.
Automatic Consent Business
The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, November 10, 2025, were approved.
Reports/Updates
ASEC Chair Alissa Ewer presented the ASEC report. Information for supporting the Open Seat Food Pantry on campus is available at basicneeds.students.wisc.edu/the-open-seat-donation-guide/. To be considered for openings on governance committees, academic staff should complete or update the Committee Interest Survey (https://committeetracker.wisc.edu/). The Academic Staff Institute, a professional development conference for academic staff, will be held on April 16 at Union South. Registration will open in early 2026.
Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization (ASPRO) Board President Jenny Dahlberg presented the ASPRO report. ASPRO’s ability to advocate and serve its members is made possible through membership dues. ASPRO registered in opposition to Assembly Bill 501/Senate Bill 498 relating to free speech and academic freedom at University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges. ASPRO is tracking the following proposed bills: Assembly Bill 505/Senate Bill 501 about a veterinary loan repayment grant program and Assembly Bill 663/Senate Bill 653 regarding imposing certain prohibitions on foreign influence at institutions across the Universities of Wisconsin.
Standing Committees of the Assembly presented their 2024-2025 annual reports. Jason Smith presented the Communications Committee report. Last year, the committee published four issues of the Cornerstone newsletter. Data shows academic staff are highly engaged with the newsletter. Cori Splain presented the Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee (CEBC) report. The committee worked on advocacy regarding bereavement leave, the staff climate survey, academic staff sabbaticals, and remote work. Some of this work was paused due to Workday or state and federal activities. The committee also met with L&S leadership to discuss L&S Administrative Regional Teams (ART). Cindy Waldeck reported that the Districting and Representation Committee partnered with the Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (PPPC) to resolve inconsistencies in Academic Staff Policies and Procedures (ASPP) regarding district sizing. With the Workday transition, the committee discussed districting alignment with Supervisory Organizations rather than UDDS codes. Luke Verdecchia reported on the Mentoring Committee’s work on the academic staff Mentor Match Program. The program had 82 mentors and 123 mentees. Nicole Jennings presented the Nominating Committee report. 77 candidates were forwarded for consideration to serve on university committees. They created a new survey process for interested ASEC candidates to ensure the candidates are well-informed of the responsibilities and time commitments for serving on the committee. Jason Jankoski reported that the PPPC proposed the Resolution Urging Implementation of a Separate, Paid Funeral and Bereavement Leave Category for UW-Madison Employees (ASA #839). This resolution was passed by the Assembly at their meeting on March 10, 2025. The committee reviewed and provided feedback on the proposed institutional ethics committee and several draft OHR policies including adjunct appointments, additional pay components, and inclement weather. They also reviewed aspects of ASPP. Diane Stojanovich reported that the Professional Development and Recognition Committee awarded professional development and executive education grants. The committee updated the scoring tool for evaluating the professional development grants. They also selected nine winners for the UW–Madison Academic Staff Excellence Awards and three nominees for the UW–System Excellence Awards.
Rescind ASA #345B
Cori Splain, CEBC co-chair, moved approval to rescind ASA Document #345B. Motion seconded. Approved.
Resolution on Wisconsin Act 15: General Education, Instructional Workload, and Commitment to Shared Governance (ASA #858)
Alissa Ewer, ASEC chair, moved approval of ASA Document #858. Motion seconded. Approved.
Interim Provost Report
UW–Madison won the Abbott-Big Ten We Give Blood competition, finishing ahead of the University of Nebraska with the most blood donations. As the winning Big Ten institution, UW–Madison received $1 million from Abbott to advance student or community health.
Meeting adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Mallory Musolf, secretary of the academic staff