Minutes for March 10, 2025

UC members present: Bernard-Donals, Jones, Kendall, Li, Stein, Zweibel

Others present: Michaela Aust, Greg Bump, Michelle Felber, Paige Kirkham, Julie Scharm, Dom Zappia

Chair Li called the meeting to order at 1:00 pm.

The minutes from the March 3, 2025, meeting was approved by automatic consent. 

Patrick Sheehan, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Kent Weigel, Vice Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs, discussed the results of an institutional reference checks for people who were to be hired as tenured or tenure-track faculty members. In Workday, there will be two broad required reference check questions asked that cover sexual assault, sexual harassment and misconduct.

The University Committee discussed feedback on resolutions and amendments brought to the Faculty Senate. They also discussed a draft values statement and will ask for feedback at the town hall.

Provost Charles Isbell reported that they are conducting 360-degree reviews for deans in their third year. This will provide some expectations that the 5^th year review can be measured against. He also is paying for executive coaching for new deans for a year and a half. He is continuing to refine the 5-year dean reviews. This year’s process includes surveys and in person meetings with individuals.

Lori Reesor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, indicated they have been looking at programs and services in multi-cultural spaces prior to this academic year. They are not planning any space changes at this time. Student affairs partnered with ASM on a survey regarding student basic needs and have about a 20% return rate. 

Jon Eckhardt, Professor in the Wisconsin School of Business, indicated that things were continuing to move forward with the entrepreneurial initiative. There is a plan to search for a leader of a new institute that would help shape the trajectory of entrepreneurialship on campus. He welcomed the University Committee’s suggestions regarding the search and screen membership as well as how to involve faculty governance more broadly in entrepreneurialship planning. 

Mindi Thompson, chair of the Kemper K Knapp Bequest Committee, provided their annual report. They received 41 proposals this year (double what was submitted the past two years) and were able to fund 28 requests for a little over $2 million in awards. The majority of the funding goes to scholarships with additional smaller projects.

Nick Curtis, Director of Assessment, and Eric MacKay, Academic Project Manager, shared an update on the course evaluation tool selection. With a newly selected tool, they are working to plan for the transition across campus. They are working on configuration now through the fall semester and are planning to partner with a couple schools/colleges to use pilot use in the fall 2025 semester. The entire campus would shift to the new tool in Fall 2026. They asked the University Committee for feedback on what faculty will want to know about the new tool.

Li adjourned the meeting at 4:10 pm.

Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, secretary of the faculty.