Approved 12-09-24

Academic Staff Assembly Meeting

272 Bascom Hall

Monday, November 11, 2024

3:30 to 4:35 p.m.

Provost Charles Isbell called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m.

Guest: Jennifer Mnookin, Chancellor

Chancellor Mnookin thanked members of the academic staff assembly for their service. She acknowledged the end of the recent election cycle. Campus is working to navigate local and national election outcomes. The institution’s focus will be on the upcoming state biennial budget session. Higher education is expected to be part of the national agenda.

Following up on the Assembly’s enrollment update at the October meeting, Chancellor Mnookin reported that about 1,200 in-state first-year and new transfer students were provided full tuition and, in some cases, had the full cost of attendance covered by financial aid initiatives such as Bucky’s Tuition Promise and Bucky’s Pell Pathway. The entering class also saw more Pell grant recipients than any previous class. The number of students from traditionally underrepresented groups in the entering class decreased. This year’s entering class is the first since the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action. The university is working to expand outreach and recruitment, state-wide, nationally, and internationally.

Chancellor Mnookin updated the Assembly on commitments made to the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) last spring. One of the pledges was to facilitate meetings between students and relevant decision-makers at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) and the Universities of Wisconsin. SJP representatives met with the WFAA in early November and in September five SJP representatives met with Board of Regents representatives. The International Division and Student Affairs are making progress on ways to provide greater support to students and scholars impacted by war, violence, occupation, or displacement. As student conduct processes proceed, the agreement is considered as a favorable mitigating factor in determining outcomes.

Campus continues its work around pluralism and free expression. The hope and goal is for our campus to be a place where everyone can feel a strong sense of belonging; for that sense of belonging to be strong enough that all of us can feel it even when we are engaging with viewpoints that are radically different from our own. This summer campus considered ways to safeguard free expression while also ensuring the conditions for thoughtful and productive exchange of ideas. There is a new free expression course located on the free expression website that is required for all incoming students. About 9,400 students have completed the course. While not required for staff, they are welcome to complete it. The new Expressive Activity policy takes existing policies, organizes them in one place, and makes them more understandable, with practical examples of what is and is not allowed on campus. The new Institutional and Public Position Statements policy specifies the campus approach for faculty and staff making public statements on behalf of the institution.

Chancellor Mnookin tasked the Ad Hoc Study Group on the Black Community Experience on the UW-Madison Campus to provide actionable, concrete recommendations as well as big picture ideas. The committee completed its work and submitted a report to the chancellor. Chancellor Mnookin asked Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence LaVar Charleston to review the report and develop recommendations for next steps. He has put together a group to facilitate this work.

Entrepreneurship is a key priority for the university. A working group on entrepreneurship was charged to review current practices and a final report was completed this fall. Professor Jon Eckhardt will serve as special advisor to help move forward the report recommendations.

As schools and colleges begin RISE faculty hiring, campus is also working to understand the need for additional investments that will be required for RISE to be successful. In order for RISE to be successful it has to be organic, reflecting the interests, expertise, and needs of individuals and departments. It must also involve academic staff to be successful. Academic staff scientists and practitioners are and will continue to do vital work in each of the RISE areas. Additional work on everything from grant administration to human resources and finance is also important. In an environment with limited resources, campus will have to be coordinated and strategic to understand where needs are and how can we make investments that are smart. Last month the WARF Board voted unanimously to provide an additional 15 million over the next 3 years to support RISE AI. This is part of the nearly $160 million in total research support from WARF for 2025 and provides additional resources to help the campus get a head start. Some of the funds will be used to support the infrastructure, including needed staff positions. The hope is the staff positions will eventually be supported by increased grant funding in the long-term.

The position cap requires campus to consider staffing needs and decisions in a careful way. No jobs were lost as a result of the position cap. As stewards, campus will be thoughtful about what is prioritized, including giving resources to the places where they can have the greatest impact.

A new state budget cycle is underway. One of the priorities for the entire Universities of Wisconsin System is increased state support. The total per capita funding level of the four-year university system is 43 out of 50 in terms of state investment. Less than 15% of UW-Madison’s budget comes from the state. The Universities of Wisconsin are asking the governor to ask the legislature to bring that funding level up to the median level. They are also asking for significant investment in UW’s infrastructure, including the UW-Madison’s humanities building as well as support to build additional dormitories. The budget will be discussed this spring. The Governor will first announce his budget in February. Campus is hopeful higher education will be one of the central priorities. Then the legislature will decide its approach to the budget process. The recent election brought changes to the legislature. The chancellor, University Relations team, and other campus leaders will be getting to know and meeting with leaders of both parties to talk about UW-Madison’s priorities.

UW-Madison’s College of Engineering received a $75 million donation from Marvin and Jeffrey Levy to create the Philip A. Levy Engineering Center named in honor of their late brother. The facility will allow campus to grow its engineering class size once complete. The new Morgridge Hall, which will house the School of Computer, Data, and Information Sciences, will open next summer. The Irving and Dorothy Hall, a new College of Letters and Science building, broke ground. It will be the first new humanities building on campus since 1962. There is progress on replacing the Shell and McClain Center with a new state of the art indoor practice and training facility.

Campus has recently welcomed several new leaders including Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Vice Chancellor for Research; Craig Thompson, Vice Chancellor for University Relations; and two new deans: Marcelle Haddix, Dean of the School of Education and Jonathan Levine, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. There are also ongoing dean searches at the School of Medicine and Public Health and College of Engineering, and also a search for the chief information officer and vice provost for information technology position.

Automatic Consent Business

The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, October 14, 2024, were approved.

Reports/Updates

ASEC Vice Chair, Alissa Ewer presented the ASEC report. Alissa recognized Native November and highlighted campus events honoring our native and Indigenous communities. In observation of Veterans Day, Alissa thanked all of those who have served. The University Veteran Services website has information on events and services supporting veterans. Alissa reminded the Assembly there is still time to register for the Diversity Forum scheduled for November 13 and 14. ASEC subcommittees have started their work. The professional development subcommittee is reviewing potential gaps in communities of practice for job areas across campus. The morale and climate subcommittee is interested in the intersection of remote work and climate. A list of questions was developed to discuss with the Office of Human Resources. The engagement and outreach committee aims to expand opportunities to engage with academic staff more broadly and with Assembly members. To date, ASEC staffed an academic staff governance table at the Benefits Fair. ASEC will also host meet-and-greets prior to each Assembly meeting for the academic year. The subcommittee is also working on a draft academic staff governance survey to better understand the motivations and barriers to participating in governance.

Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization (ASPRO) Board President Jenny Dahlberg presented the ASPRO report. Post election results are mostly finalized statewide. Republicans still hold the majority in both houses. Senate GOP had its leadership election. Senator Mary Felzkowski will replace Senator Chris Kapenga as Senate President. The Senate President serves as the co-chair of the joint committee on employment relations. ASPRO will be following the budget process closely this spring.

Provost Report

Provost Isbell reported the vice provost for faculty and staff affairs search is wrapping up. Feedback is being reviewed and a decision is expected to be announced soon.

Meeting adjourned at 4:30 pm.

Minutes submitted by Mallory Musolf, Secretary of the Academic Staff