Academic Staff Assembly Minutes 02-09-2026
Approved 03-09-26
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, February 9, 2026
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Interim Provost John Zumbrunnen called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m.
Guest: Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
Last fall, campus shared the results of Deloitte’s report (finadmin.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/130/2025/10/UW-Madison-Controls-Assessment-_Final-Report_Executive-Briefing.pdf) on UW–Madison’s strategic financial assessment. Deloitte reviewed four areas: position management, travel and expense reimbursement, procurement, and capital expenditures. Overall, the report indicated our campus policies are sound. It also indicated our decentralized environment leads to uneven understanding, inconsistency, complexity, and other challenges. The report included four guiding principles: 1) balance of centralization and decentralization; 2) enhance policies and streamline processes; 3) elevate training and transparency; and 4) foster accountability. The report also offered ten recommendations.
The Operational Excellence (OpEx) Advancement Program is a distillation of the principles and recommendations from the Deloitte Report. The OpEx Advancement Program also builds on campus efforts to simplify administrative work and improve fiscal and administrative controls (i.e., Title and Total Compensation Study, Workday implementation, LinkUW, Budget Approach, etc.). The program has three projects: an operating model prototype for HR and finance, enterprise risk management, and unlocking efficiency and effectiveness. Each project has working groups to design proposed solutions and develop roadmaps for moving the campus forward. This effort is supported by an executive committee and an advisory committee, which includes shared governance representation. Campus will continue to provide updates to shared governance groups. A dedicated website for the OpEx Advancement Program will launch soon. Campus will also offer deep dive sessions about the OpEx Advancement Program work.
Ad Hoc Review Committee on Academic Staff Research Professor Titles Report (ASA #859)
Donna Cole, co-chair of the Ad Hoc Review Committee on Academic Staff Research Professor Titles, presented the committee’s report (ASA #859). The titles were formally introduced in April 2020 to modernize our research scientist workforce. The committee, charged by the Academic Staff Executive Committee and the provost, evaluated whether the title rollout has fulfilled its intended goals of enhancing career advancement and increasing institutional competitiveness. Overall, the Research Professor title series is positive and a vital tool for keeping UW–Madison competitive. However, implementation of the title series has been uneven across departments and divisions. The committee made three key recommendations to strengthen the title series: grant automatic PI status, standardize the guidelines, and train HR partners to support and track the application process.
Automatic Consent Business
The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, December 8, 2025, were approved.
Reports
ASEC Chair Alissa Ewer presented the ASEC report. The Office of Human Resources’ Learning and Talent Development office provides a range of high-quality, free or low-cost professional development programs on campus. Recent training offerings focus on building strong teams. Information on these offerings can be found in the ASEC report (kb.wisc.edu/images/group171/158252/ASAASECActivitiesReport2.9.26.pdf). The annual Academic Staff Institute (ASI) will be held on Thursday, April 16. This year’s keynote is Distinguished Psychologist Emeritus Bob McGrath, who will present “Living with Vitality…and Resilience.” The ASI registration deadline is Wednesday, April 1. Members of the Assembly are invited to provide feedback on a draft resolution on mass surveillance. The draft resolution and additional information regarding Flock Safety cameras at UW–Madison (uwpd.wisc.edu/data-policies-resources/flock-cameras-at-uw-madison/) will be shared via email with the Assembly tomorrow. Feedback is due Friday, February 20. The Assembly is expected to vote on the resolution at the next meeting on Monday, March 9.
Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization (ASPRO) Board President Jenny Dahlberg presented the ASPRO report. ASPRO is tracking several bills: Assembly Bill 501/Senate Bill 498 regarding free speech and academic freedom at University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges, Assembly Bill 757/Senate Bill 751 about the appointment of certain employees of the University of Wisconsin System and faculty governance, Assembly Bill 669/Senate Bill 652 on race-based higher education programs and requirements, Assembly Bill 663/Senate Bill 653 about imposing certain prohibitions on foreign influence at University of Wisconsin System institutions, and Assembly Bill 406/Senate Bill 399 relating to University of Wisconsin System resident undergraduate tuition and fees.
Secretary of the Academic Staff Mallory Musolf presented the Academic Staff Executive Committee Slate (ASA #860). Those running for election include Molly Censky, Eunsook Jung, Patrick Lee, Terry Paape, and Nola Walker. The petition process for adding nominees to the slate will be sent out after the Assembly meeting.
Academic Staff Executive Committee Candidate (ASA #861)
The Assembly voted to elect Eunsook Jung to the Academic Staff Executive Committee.
Interim Provost Report
Chancellor Mnookin recently announced she will become the next president of Columbia University. The Chancellor’s last day at UW–Madison has not been determined, but she will remain in the role through spring commencement. Several leadership searches are in progress, including the executive director of Wisconsin Public Media, dean of the School of Nursing, and the provost position.
Relating to Act 15, the Ad Hoc Undergraduate Education Committee worked on high-level mapping of our current general education requirements to the new core general educational requirements (CGER) at the UW System level. The ad hoc committee recommendations were approved by the University Academic Planning Council and University Curriculum Committee. The recommendations were subsequently discussed with the University Committee and reported to the Faculty Senate. The high-level mapping of our requirements has since been shared with UW System. Implementing CGER on campus will involve additional work at the school/college level. The Ad Hoc Instructional Workload Advisory Group is working on a draft instructional workload policy. The committee’s work will be discussed at the Spring 2026 Academic Leadership Breakfast. Act 15 also included a funding allocation for attracting and retaining faculty in high-demand fields. Campus is developing a plan for distributing its allocation.
Regarding federal immigration enforcement, UW–Madison is closely monitoring activities in Minnesota. Interim Provost Zumbrunnen reiterated key points in the Spring 2026 campus guidance on federal immigration actions: news.wisc.edu/spring-2026-guidance-on-federal-immigration-actions/. Additional guidance and resources are available on the International Student Services website: iss.wisc.edu/resources-on-immigration-issues/.
Campus received notice of a confirmed measles case on Sunday, February 1. As of today, there are no active cases on campus, but campus is still in the 21-day exposure period. University Health Services (UHS) has a website for the campus community on measles: www.uhs.wisc.edu/measles/. UHS will be offering measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccinations and serology testing for those that do now know their immunity status.
Meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Mallory Musolf, secretary of the academic staff