Topics Map > Academic Staff Assembly > 2013-2014 > 1. September
Academic Staff Assembly Minutes 09-09-13
APPROVED 10-14-13
Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.
Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, May 13, 2013 were approved as distributed. The Academic Staff Assembly amended minutes of Monday, September 7, 2007 were also approved as distributed.
Introductions: The Assembly participated in small group introductions discussing their governance priority for the coming year.
Guest: Suzanne Broadberry, Madison Academic Staff Association, MASA. Suzanne reviewed the history of MASA and encouraged academic staff to join. The first event this fall will be a breakfast.
Guest: Julie Klein, Academic Staff Professional Representation Organization. Julie reviewed the history and accomplishments of ASPRO and encouraged academic staff to join.
Guest: Katherine Loving, University Health Services. Katherine gave an update on two new online education programs. This is the first year of alcohol.edu program that was administered to first-year students and university housing students. There has been a 90% completion rate before these students arrived on campus. There is also a sexual assault education program is mandated with a completion deadline of late October.
Guest: Bob Lavigna, Office of Human Resources. Campus can move forward with some changes to the human resources system that do not require statutory approval. The changes that can be made include classified staff governance, improved recruiting and applicant assessment process, improved employee onboarding, enhanced performance management approach, enhanced manager and supervisor training, workforce diversity plan (in cooperation with Ad Hoc Diversity
Committee), campus-wide diversity, engagement and inclusion pilot survey, workplace flexibility toolkit, employee competencies (starting with human resources), and human resources dashboard.
Standing Committee and Other Reports
• ASEC – ASEC Chair Heather McFadden recognized outgoing chairs of Assembly Standing Committees as well as Rosa Garner for facilitating the academic staff governance priority planning meeting. Heather Daniels, the new Secretary of the Academic Staff, and Mary Johansen from the Office of the Secretary of the Academic Staff and also the Parliamentarian introduced themselves to the Assembly. Heather reviewed the handouts from the meeting. She explained how the survey about governance priorities was used in the annual academic staff governance priority planning meeting. A survey will be sent out requesting responses from those interested in several of the searches starting this fall. She encouraged the Assembly to bring resolutions or issues forward to the Assembly.
• Mentoring Committee – Mentoring Co-Chair Dija Selimi talked about the purpose of the mentoring program. The Fall Kick Off event is set for Thursday, September 26.
• Nominating Committee - Jim Rogers from the Mentoring Committee reported that they are working to fill immediate openings on the following committees: Labor Codes Licensing, Professional Development and Recognition Committee, and Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee. In addition, the Nominating Committee will soon be finding academic staff to run for standing committees in the spring election. Any academic staff can fill out the Committee Interest survey if they are interested in serving on a committee at http://acstaff.wisc.edu and selecting Get Involved.
New Business
Critical Compensation Fund (CCF) Report: Russell Dimond, chair of the Budget Issues, Policies and Strategies, shared a report compiled by an committee with members from the Advisory Committee on Budget Issues, Policies and Strategies, the Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee, and the academic staff at large. Russell shared power point slides showing the results of the exercise and well as recommendations. The recommendations are:
1. Require that each school/college/division’s proposed use of CCF meet or exceed the CCF target percent of payroll for academic staff, faculty, and limited employees separately unless they receive prior approval from the Academic Personnel Office. Total CCF awards as a percent of payroll should be approximately the same for employees on GPR and non-GPR funding sources, for men and women, and for minorities and non-minorities. Any significant variance requires the prior approval of the Academic Personnel Office.
2. Human resources staff should be proactive in helping identify employees who are good candidates for CCF awards, particularly if an initial proposal falls short of the target for some categories.
3. Allow for CCF awards that take effect at a future date.
4. If a unit does not recommend any employees for CCF awards, require it to provide a justification for this decision.
5. Clarify the roles of central campus, schools/colleges/divisions, and departments/centers/units.
6. Continue to encourage all supervisors to conduct regular performance evaluations.
7. Academic staff should be encouraged as part of the CCF process to present relevant information to their supervisors and advocate for themselves.
8. Allow sufficient time for implementation of CCF.
9. Develop a comprehensive communications plan.
10. Continue the use of a minimum award and minimum percent of salary for academic staff.
11. Develop and implement mechanisms which will ensure Category A maxima keep pace with both salaries and inflation. Consider whether the constraints created by Category A maxima are in the best interests of the University.
12. Carry out a compensation exercise (pay plan, CCF, etc.) annually Showed slides presenting results. #1 recommendation: Transparency of process.
Several questions were asked, and there was a question about how the recommendations of this report would be distributed.
Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell’s Remarks: Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell discussed the Open Book Wisconsin project, which would make state fiscal transactions more transparent through an online searchable database. Regarding the state budget, Vice Chancellor Bazzell talked about the modest pay plan, frozen tuition and differential tuition, and numerous provisions that the UW System was asked to self-fund. He mentioned that only tuition that was legally frozen was residential undergraduate tuition and the rest of the tuition freeze was mandated by the Board of Regents. In addition, Vice Chancellor Bazzell talked about the differences between carry forward funding and reserves. Carry forward funding are funds that are planned to be spent in the following year like an encumbrance. The legislature has asked the Board of Regents for a methodology on how to calculate the reserve fund. The Board of Regents are also working on a policy for reserve funds. Right now, the proposal is that UW System institutions carry a reserve fund of at least 10% with a soft cap of 15% that would require additional justification.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:02 p.m.
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, September 9, 2013
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, September 9, 2013
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.
Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, May 13, 2013 were approved as distributed. The Academic Staff Assembly amended minutes of Monday, September 7, 2007 were also approved as distributed.
Introductions: The Assembly participated in small group introductions discussing their governance priority for the coming year.
Guest: Suzanne Broadberry, Madison Academic Staff Association, MASA. Suzanne reviewed the history of MASA and encouraged academic staff to join. The first event this fall will be a breakfast.
Guest: Julie Klein, Academic Staff Professional Representation Organization. Julie reviewed the history and accomplishments of ASPRO and encouraged academic staff to join.
Guest: Katherine Loving, University Health Services. Katherine gave an update on two new online education programs. This is the first year of alcohol.edu program that was administered to first-year students and university housing students. There has been a 90% completion rate before these students arrived on campus. There is also a sexual assault education program is mandated with a completion deadline of late October.
Guest: Bob Lavigna, Office of Human Resources. Campus can move forward with some changes to the human resources system that do not require statutory approval. The changes that can be made include classified staff governance, improved recruiting and applicant assessment process, improved employee onboarding, enhanced performance management approach, enhanced manager and supervisor training, workforce diversity plan (in cooperation with Ad Hoc Diversity
Committee), campus-wide diversity, engagement and inclusion pilot survey, workplace flexibility toolkit, employee competencies (starting with human resources), and human resources dashboard.
Standing Committee and Other Reports
• ASEC – ASEC Chair Heather McFadden recognized outgoing chairs of Assembly Standing Committees as well as Rosa Garner for facilitating the academic staff governance priority planning meeting. Heather Daniels, the new Secretary of the Academic Staff, and Mary Johansen from the Office of the Secretary of the Academic Staff and also the Parliamentarian introduced themselves to the Assembly. Heather reviewed the handouts from the meeting. She explained how the survey about governance priorities was used in the annual academic staff governance priority planning meeting. A survey will be sent out requesting responses from those interested in several of the searches starting this fall. She encouraged the Assembly to bring resolutions or issues forward to the Assembly.
• Mentoring Committee – Mentoring Co-Chair Dija Selimi talked about the purpose of the mentoring program. The Fall Kick Off event is set for Thursday, September 26.
• Nominating Committee - Jim Rogers from the Mentoring Committee reported that they are working to fill immediate openings on the following committees: Labor Codes Licensing, Professional Development and Recognition Committee, and Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee. In addition, the Nominating Committee will soon be finding academic staff to run for standing committees in the spring election. Any academic staff can fill out the Committee Interest survey if they are interested in serving on a committee at http://acstaff.wisc.edu and selecting Get Involved.
New Business
Critical Compensation Fund (CCF) Report: Russell Dimond, chair of the Budget Issues, Policies and Strategies, shared a report compiled by an committee with members from the Advisory Committee on Budget Issues, Policies and Strategies, the Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee, and the academic staff at large. Russell shared power point slides showing the results of the exercise and well as recommendations. The recommendations are:
1. Require that each school/college/division’s proposed use of CCF meet or exceed the CCF target percent of payroll for academic staff, faculty, and limited employees separately unless they receive prior approval from the Academic Personnel Office. Total CCF awards as a percent of payroll should be approximately the same for employees on GPR and non-GPR funding sources, for men and women, and for minorities and non-minorities. Any significant variance requires the prior approval of the Academic Personnel Office.
2. Human resources staff should be proactive in helping identify employees who are good candidates for CCF awards, particularly if an initial proposal falls short of the target for some categories.
3. Allow for CCF awards that take effect at a future date.
4. If a unit does not recommend any employees for CCF awards, require it to provide a justification for this decision.
5. Clarify the roles of central campus, schools/colleges/divisions, and departments/centers/units.
6. Continue to encourage all supervisors to conduct regular performance evaluations.
7. Academic staff should be encouraged as part of the CCF process to present relevant information to their supervisors and advocate for themselves.
8. Allow sufficient time for implementation of CCF.
9. Develop a comprehensive communications plan.
10. Continue the use of a minimum award and minimum percent of salary for academic staff.
11. Develop and implement mechanisms which will ensure Category A maxima keep pace with both salaries and inflation. Consider whether the constraints created by Category A maxima are in the best interests of the University.
12. Carry out a compensation exercise (pay plan, CCF, etc.) annually Showed slides presenting results. #1 recommendation: Transparency of process.
Several questions were asked, and there was a question about how the recommendations of this report would be distributed.
Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell’s Remarks: Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell discussed the Open Book Wisconsin project, which would make state fiscal transactions more transparent through an online searchable database. Regarding the state budget, Vice Chancellor Bazzell talked about the modest pay plan, frozen tuition and differential tuition, and numerous provisions that the UW System was asked to self-fund. He mentioned that only tuition that was legally frozen was residential undergraduate tuition and the rest of the tuition freeze was mandated by the Board of Regents. In addition, Vice Chancellor Bazzell talked about the differences between carry forward funding and reserves. Carry forward funding are funds that are planned to be spent in the following year like an encumbrance. The legislature has asked the Board of Regents for a methodology on how to calculate the reserve fund. The Board of Regents are also working on a policy for reserve funds. Right now, the proposal is that UW System institutions carry a reserve fund of at least 10% with a soft cap of 15% that would require additional justification.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:02 p.m.