University Committee Meeting Minutes 2025-10-27

Minutes for October 27, 2025

UC members present: Bernard-Donals, Chui, de Leon, Jones, Kendall, Mathieu

Others present: Greg Bump, Theresa Delgadillo, Lesley Fisher, April Haynes, Becky Jacobs, Sabine Martin, Mallory Musolf, Elaina Walsh

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

The minutes from the October 20, 2025, meeting were approved with two additions.

Bikash Pattnaik, Christina Eddington, Wan-Ju Li, and Lindsey Stoddard Cameron from the Immigration and International Issues Committee presented their annual report. They routinely hear from international offices on campus and have reached out to student leaders to hear what students are concerned about. This past year they tracked changes that were being made to immigration policies and practices as well as heard from Dean Fran Vavrus regarding strategic planning for the International Division.

Landis Varughese, Ashley Hagen and Genevive Lambert from ASM provided an update. Christina Olstad is serving as the interim director of ASM. They are search for a new director soon and have had a lot of staff turnover. Several issues they are working on include providing support to international students including the possibility of Know Your Rights workshops. They have formed a graduate student ad hoc committee that is looking at funding for international students in later years of their PhD degrees. They are planning a lobby day for UW-Madison students with the state on November 3-5 and also discussed possible renovations to 333 East Campus Mall.

John Zumbrunnen, Interim Provost, indicated that he is expecting the draft Regent policy on instructional workload to be sent out soon. The Regents have to submit the policy to the Joint Committee on Employment Relations on December 1. There needs to be a comment period before then. The document will specify what tools are available for campuses to use to meet the requirements in the law.

In regards to graduate school space, they are still working on that issue. He expressed appreciation for the opportunity to talk and listen at the town hall. Provost Zumbrunnen indicated there is a need to more direct communication.

The University Committee finalized the Faculty Senate agenda and finalized presenters. They discussed a resolution on the Ethnic Studies Requirement and whether it would require going through additional committees since it was bringing a curricular matter to the Senate that had not gone through regular governance processes.

One of the resolution authors agreed to bring back suggestions for changes to the authors and submit a revised resolution no later than noon on Tuesday, October 21 because of the deadline for sending senate materials. A subset of the University Committee was charged with meeting and making a final decision regarding placing the resolution on the agenda for a first reading.

Bernard-Donals motioned to approved faculty promotion increases for 2026-27. It was seconded and approved.

Bernard-Donals motioned, and it was seconded and approved, to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c) and (f) to discuss committee appointments at 3:41 pm.

Bernard-Donals motioned, and it was seconded and approved, to reconvene in open session at 3:48 pm.

The University Committee decided to hold a town hall online to discuss issues related to Act 15 (instructional workload and general education transfer credits). November 10 at 3:30 was agreed upon for the date/time. There was a discussion regarding the possibility of having breakout rooms possibly by title.

Jones adjourned the meeting at 4:09 pm.

Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, secretary of the faculty.