Academic Staff Assembly Minutes 09-14-2026
Approved 10-12-26
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, September 14, 2026
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Rob Cramer called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.
Guest: Karen Massetti-Moran, Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer, Office of Human Resources (OHR)
OHR values its relationship with shared governance, including academic staff governance. Feedback provided by academic staff governance informs OHR’s priorities and employee support efforts across campus.
Following Workday implementation, OHR’s focus has shifted towards strategic priorities, aligned with the campus strategic framework. Current efforts are centered in three key areas: employee experience and culture, talent management, and total rewards. Employee experience and culture is led by Executive Director Carmen Romero-González, and includes the Employee Assistance Office, wellness programs, and Cultural Linguistic Services. Within this area, a committee will be launched to start the process of UW–Madison joining the Age-Friendly University Global Network. This initiative originated from a recommendation made by the Ad Hoc Committee on Age in the Workplace, a committee established by academic staff governance. Executive Director Romero-González will develop an employee experience advisory council, comprised primarily of internal HR and campus HR community partners, with a focus on improving the employee experience.
Talent management supports employees through the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to development and workplace support. This area is led by Executive Director Sue Fritts, who oversees institutional HR policy and the following offices: Learning and Talent Development, Talent Acquisition, and Workforce Relations.
Total rewards encompass many of the services and benefits employees engage with most frequently throughout their employee lifecycle. Executive Director Alisha Arnold leads this area, which includes the Administrative Services Unit (ASU), Benefits/Leave Administration, Compensation Center of Excellence, Employee Disability Resources, and the Payroll/OHR Solutions team. Within this area, under ASU’s portfolio, a new Employee Welcome Center was established July 1 to provide centralized onboarding support, including I-9 completion, direct deposit setup, and benefit enrollment. It currently serves 11 campus units and is located at 21 North Park in the Rotunda (room 1102).
Across the three areas, major highlights include expansion of wellness and employee support services, strong participation in professional development programs, continued success in recruitment and onboarding efforts, implementation of compensation adjustments, and ongoing stabilization of Workday-related processes.
Automatic Consent Business
The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, May 11, 2026 were approved.
Reports/Updates
ASEC Chair Alissa Ewer presented the ASEC report. Chair Ewer thanked Assembly Representatives and Alternates for gathering and submitting feedback from their districts last spring. The feedback provided important baseline data that informed ASEC’s strategic planning for fiscal year (FY) 2027. ASEC’s three priorities for FY 2027: transparency and leadership engagement, career growth and staff development, and hostile and intimidating behavior procedures. Today, ASEC is introducing a resolution aligned with these priorities for a first reading. To strengthen direct communication between academic staff and university leadership, ASEC will be piloting a new engagement initiative called Community Conversations. The first event is scheduled for Thursday, November 5 at 10 a.m. More details will be shared soon. ASEC is also planning to review the School, College, and Division Committess on Academic Staff Issues policy (policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-730).
Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization (ASPRO) Board President Jenny Dahlberg presented the ASPRO report. ASPRO is a membership-supported advocacy organization representing academic staff across the University of Wisconsin. ASPRO’s role is to gather concerns, ideas, and priorities from academic staff and advocate for their interests, particularly at the state government level. A key focus has been monitoring and responding to legislation that could adversely affect academic staff. President Dahlberg encouraged Assembly members to become members and help shape ASPRO’s advocacy efforts. Membership information is located at aspro.net/home/.
Hanna Blazel, ASEC member, presented the report on 2025-26 Academic Staff Assembly Business (ASA Document #873). The Assembly voted on seven resolutions, including changes to Academic Staff Policies and Procedures (ASPP). The report provides a summary of information on the resolutions and the approved ASPP policy change.
Resolution Acknowledging the Challenges Facing Academic Staff and Urging Collaborative Leadership Support Through Shared Governance (ASA Document #874)
Diane Stojanovich, ASEC vice chair, presented the Resolution Acknowledging the Challenges Facing Academic Staff and Urging Collaborative Leadership Support Through Shared Governance for a first reading. Assembly members were invited to submit feedback or comments to the Office of the Secretary of the Academic Staff by September 24.
Vice Chancellor Report
As Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots shared in his welcome back message, this is both a semester and year of possibilities. The start of the fall semester kicked off the opening of Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall, which is home to eight humanities departments and 13 new classrooms. On July 1, campus launched the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, the first new college in more than 40 years. Campus successfully managed a major infrastructure challenge involving a broken chilled water line over the summer thanks to extensive cross-campus collaboration.
UW–Madison continues to see strong demand. For fall 2026, the campus received over 75,000 applications for the freshman class. There was an increase in applications from Wisconsin’s rural and smaller counties. The Graduate School also experienced an increase in applications. Additionally, campus welcomed 100 new faculty members from approximately 60 departments across campus.
Vice Chancellor Cramer highlighted several major projects underway or in development, including the Philip A. Levy Engineering Center, the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center, and the renovations of Science Hall and Music Hall, which will be renamed Herb Kohl Hall.
Workday improvements continue, including the development of commonly used dashboards (wisconsin.edu/workday/commonly-used-dashboards/) and ongoing reporting enhancements.
The Board of Regents approved the FY27 operating budget. UW–Madison’s total budget is approximately $5.2 billion, representing roughly two-thirds of the entire Universities of Wisconsin budget. Major revenue sources include federal and non-federal grants, gifts, tuition, and state support. Vice Chancellor Cramer expressed appreciation for the state’s continued investment in UW–Madison, while acknowledging growing financial pressures facing higher education. Campus leadership is focused on long-term financial stability, monitoring federal funding risks, improving administrative systems, and engaging the campus community in discussions about operational effectiveness and future planning.
Vice Chancellor Cramer highlighted the Operational Excellence Advancement Program portfolio, including the Operating Model Prototype. The College of Engineering, School of Business, and School of Veterinary Medicine are participating in the Operating Model Prototype. Stakeholder engagement, including shared governance input, will continue throughout the process.
Meeting adjourned at 5:01 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Mallory Musolf, secretary of the academic staff