Approved 07-10-25

ASEC Minutes

1:00 – 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, 2025

https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/94062364316

Members Present: Richard Barajas, Aaron Crandall, Alissa Ewer, Andrew Lokuta, Albert Muniz (chair), Terry Paape, Nicole Senter, Diane Stojanovich, Nola Walker

Guests: Emily Beach, Hanna Blazel, Stephen Colleton, Rob Cramer, John Horn, Charles Isbell, Tena Madison, Jen Oasen, Emily Reynolds, Angela Thorp, Andrew Turner, Scott Wildman

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.

The minutes of June 5 were approved.

Motion to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c), and (f) to discuss appointments to the Protest Administrative Review Team and Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (Paape). Seconded. Approved.

Motion to convene in open session (Lokuta). Seconded. Approved.

Business

• Appointments

Motion to appoint Kristina Flores to the Protest Administrative Review Team and Peggy Sullivan to Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (Paape). Seconded. Approved.

Guest: Charles Isbell, Provost

ASEC congratulated Provost Isbell and his recent appointment as the chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and vice president of the University of Illinois System. His last day at UW –Madison is June 28. Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning John Zumbrunnen will serve as interim provost. During the transition, the provost encouraged the campus to not pause and continue to move forward with its next strategic plan. He also thanked ASEC for their work and shared his appreciation for the honest and open dialogue at ASEC meetings.

Guests: Stephen Colleton, Tena Madison, and Angela Thorp, members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Age in the Workplace

Stephen Colleton, Tena Madison, and Angela Thorp presented a draft report of the committee’s work. This committee was charged by ASEC to review processes and practices in hiring, compensation, professional development, and positional advancement as they relate to employees’ age. The committee established three work groups focused on data, literature review, and experience. ASEC expressed gratitude for the committee’s thorough review and enthusiasm about the report. The committee asked for feedback on the draft, including the proposed recommendations. The committee plans to finalize the report by the end of July. 

Guest: Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (VCFA)

In March, campus leadership asked all schools, colleges, and divisions to develop 5% and 10% budget reduction scenarios for fiscal year (FY) 26. On June 23, it was announced that all administrative units would have a 7% reduction in their 101 budget and all schools and colleges will receive a 5% reduction for FY 2026. Financial uncertainties remain at the state and federal level, including federal research and federal financial aid, inflation, and tariffs. Campus is seeing a slowdown in the number of federal awards. VCFA Cramer is mindful of the impacts to campus employees and emphasized the services of the Employee Assistance Office.

The aim of the UW–Madison Conference & Hospitality Services survey is to better understand from users of these services what is working well and identify areas for improvement.

Recessed at 2:56 p.m.

Reconvened at 3:06 p.m.

General Reports

Albert Muniz, ASEC chair, reported that Chief of Police, Brent Plisch, is planning to restart the University of Wisconsin Police Department Policy Advisory Council (PAC). As part of this effort, a charter was formalized for the PAC with some revisions to the council’s structure and membership. Shared governance groups, including the academic staff, will continue to appoint a representative.  ASEC agreed the current academic staff member, Dave Schroeder, could remain on the council as part of the transition to the new structure.

Mallory Musolf, Secretary of the Academic Staff, reported that Assembly Districts 303 and 309 held a joint town hall for their constituents on June 19 in the UW Biotechnology Center. These districts are mostly comprised of staff within the client-based research titles series and staff of shared research resources. The goal of the town hall is to build a sense of community and support between the districts. The joint town hall was hosted by Assembly District 303 Representative Dagna Sheerar and Assembly District 309 Representative Amanda Carston. Another joint town hall is planned for August 20 at the Health Sciences Learning Center. Mallory reminded ASEC that the next meeting will be the first ASEC meeting of FY 2026 which will include an orientation for new and returning members.

Business

• Survey delay letter

ASEC reviewed an email from the authors of the systemwide faculty and instructional academic staff survey on Freedom of Expression, Academic Freedom, Viewpoint Diversity, and Civil Discourse regarding the University Committee (UC) and ASEC’s request to delay the survey launch date. ASEC discussed a draft response. The secretary of the faculty and secretary of the academic staff will draft language for UC chair and ASEC leadership review and approval.

• ASEC Subcommittee Reports

The engagement and outreach subcommittee recapped its activities over the past academic year. The subcommittee finalized the academic staff governance survey. It is ready to go out as early as Fall 2025. Future ideas, if this subcommittee or a similar subcommittee were established next year, include offering a session at the Academic Staff Institute encouraging academic staff to get involved in governance.

The morale and climate subcommittee discussed remote work and continued conversations around building community for remote employees and data collection.

The professional development subcommittee reflected on their successful launch of the professional development initiative titled "Resilience in the Face of Change: Tools and Practices to Build Mental and Emotional Resilience During Transitions." The initiative centered on supporting administrative managers impacted by ongoing campus-wide changes, including Workday implementation. Overall, participant feedback was positive. The subcommittee thanked staff from the Office of Strategic Consulting and Office of Human Resources for their collaboration, as well as VCFA Rob Cramer who helped facilitate these partnerships.

Meeting adjourned at 3:28 p.m.

Minutes submitted by Mallory Musolf, Secretary of the Academic Staff