Academic Staff Executive Committee Minutes 08-13-15

Approved 8-20-15
ASEC Minutes
2:00 – 4:15 p.m. Thursday, August 13, 2015
67 Bascom Hall

Members Present:  Bruno Browning; Aaron Crandall; Trish Iaccarino; Sarah Kuba; Heather Mc Fadden, Chair; Michael Moscicke; Robert Newsom
 
Guests: Bruce Maas, Marsha Mailick, Sarah Mangelsdorf, Don Nelson, Jake Smith, Mark Walters

The meeting was called to order at 2:01 p.m.

The minutes of August 13, 2015, were approved.

Guests: Sarah Mangelsdorf, Provost, and Marsha Mailick, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education
Fetal Tissue: Representative Jacque has introduced legislation that would criminalize the use of fetal tissue in research.  The use of fetal tissue is currently authorized and regulated by federal law.  There was a federal panel with opponents and proponents convened many years ago to look at this issue. Fetal tissues is important for organ transplant, vaccine lines, stem cell research, cardiac applications, diabetes research, and gene therapies.  Over 100 labs use HEK213 cells at UW-Madison.  There are labs on campus that use other cells as well.  UW-Madison provides additional compliance beyond what the federal law requires.  If passed in its current form, it has the potential to decimate the biological sciences at UW-Madison.  Biotechnology in the state would suffer greatly as well.  FluGen has already announced it would leave the state if the bill becomes law.  

Summer Session Structuring Refunding: Nothing has been done about restructuring the summer session.  The proposed funding model would take $11 million currently generated and distribute it based on the historical model; additional revenues would be distributed to the school or college that generates them.  There will be an implementation committee to look at different aspects of the recommendations.

Dean’s Reviews: There are plans to have three reviews this year: The Provost Office is currently working on putting the committees together.  The three deans with reviews include Business, Law and Continuing Studies.  The plan is to finish the reviews by the end of the fall semester.

Guest: Bruce Maas, Chief Information Officer
Bruce Maas provided ASEC with updates in several areas.  The Advanced Computing Initiative is a faculty-led initiative to give researchers shared high performance computing capability through the Center for High Throughput Computing.  Paul Wilson and Miron Livny are leading this.  

The Campus Computing Initiative involves consolidation of data centers on the UW-Madison campus due to increased risks and costs.  They are working to provide incentives for aggregation.  The plan is to have two campus-wide facilities in 5 years.

The conversion to Office 365 is nearly finished.  There are 15-20% of people left to convert.  Most of our peers have moved or are moving to 365.  There was some discussion regarding issues experienced by users and how to properly address these issues.

There is a fall pilot for Unizin.  The spring pilot will be bigger.  Both pilots are aimed at learning about what Canvas does and does not do.  Currently all UW System campuses are going through a review asking them to develop high level requirements for the next generation digital learning environment.  Results from this exercise will be in by December.  

General Reports
•    ASEC Chair Heather McFadden reported on a UW System phone call to academic staff, faculty and university staff representatives.  UWS is doing some internal and external listening sessions for strategic planning process.  There are 14 external listening sessions. Chancellors will be holding internal listening sessions.  UW System plans to analyze the collected data for themes, and use it to write goals.  University Health Services would like to talk with ASEC about a new gender-based violence prevention and policy disclosure tool for UW employees.
•    Secretary of the Academic Staff Heather Daniels reported that the Mentoring Committee is planning to hold a mentoring program for academic staff on campus 2-6 years.  There is a new seminar for employees called “Knowing UW,” to be held this fall.  Request for materials regarding governance has been sent to the secretaries.  Heather D. met recently with the new Employee Assistance Consultant.  The Division of Continuing Studies has agreed to provide 3 slots in two different classes for academic staff to attend free of charge.  Her office will be in charge of running this new program.  Heather D. has been working on an information sheet regarding Permanent PIs and hopes to send it out in advance of the spring deadline.  Heather M. and Heather D. both met with the International Division CASI.  The research academic staff are holding an informal gathering this evening.  There will be a new noon-time lunch program called Academic Staff Chats.  There will be four chats this year on four different topics: departmental curriculum discussions, effort reporting, PI status, and promotions.  The chats will be limited to 35 people and allow a free exchange of issues, challenges and solutions.  

Business
•    Assembly meetings
ASEC was in favor of possibly putting forward a resolution regarding research using fetal tissue in September.  The Secretary of the Academic Staff office plans to put together a list of tips regarding Assembly meetings for Assembly Representatives and Alternates. 
•    Recap of First Priority Meeting
ASEC felt that splitting the process into two meetings was a good idea.  Ideas for next year include having written instructions for the goal brain storming because not everyone was on the same page about what needed to be done.
•    Next ASEC Meeting, August 20, 2015 – for decision
-September Assembly Agenda
-Recap of priority meetings
-Fetal tissue research bill
-Guest: Patrick Sims, Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate; Matt Kussow, Director of State Relations
Convened in Closed Session Pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c), and (f) to discuss appointments for Ad Hoc Committee on Selection Criteria for Committee Appointments/Nominations by ASEC, Commission on Fraternities and Sororities, Committee on Women in the University, Nominating Committee and Mentoring Committee and nominees for Search and Screen Committee for Vice Chancellor for University Relations (Moved by Bruno Browning. Seconded. Approved.)

Reconvened in Open Session (Moved by Robert Newsom. Seconded. Approved.)

Business

•    Appointments and nominations-for decision
Motion to appoint Marty Gustafson, Mentoring Committee; Lori Scroggs, Committee on Women in the University; Kathleen Rause, Commission on Fraternities and Sororities; Tom Durkin, Jim Rogers, Brady Minter, Sheila Stoeckel, Robert Newsom, Tom Browne, Sarah Kuba, and Heather Daniels (ex officio), Ad Hoc Committee on Selection Criteria for Committee Appointments/Nominations by ASEC.  Moved by Trish Iaccarino.  Seconded. Approved.
Motion to nominate Renee Meiller and John Klatt for the Vice Chancellor for University Relations Search and Screen Committee and ask for two seats on that committee.  Moved by Bruno Browning. Seconded. Approved.

Meeting adjourned at 4:33 p.m.

Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, Secretary of the Academic Staff


KeywordsASEC minutes   Doc ID55469
OwnerLesley F.GroupThe Office of the Secretary/ Academic Staff
Created2015-08-21 11:47:12Updated2020-07-13 15:26:00
SitesThe Office of the Secretary/ Academic Staff
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