The meeting was called to order by Interim Chancellor David Ward at 3:30 p.m. with 175 voting members present.
1. Memorial resolutions were presented for:
AUTOMATIC CONSENT BUSINESS
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
5.Interim Chancellor Ward provided his perspective on the Resolution Accepting the HR Design Framework, which was postponed by faculty senate vote at the 5 November 2012 meeting, given that he was absent from that meeting. faculty document
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Professor Mark Cook spoke to the motion to adopt the Resolution Accepting the HR Design Framework.
Assistant Professor Noah Feinstein (District 27) moved to amend the motion as follows. The motion to amend was seconded.
WHEREAS the faculty recognize that the principal goal of the UW-Madison is to provide a learning environment in which faculty, staff, and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit knowledge, and that this goal – to provide the highest quality of education to its students – must continue to guide the Human Resource (HR) Design framework; and
WHEREAS the university has staffing needs that are unique to institutions of higher education and distinct from those of other state agencies; and
WHEREAS the UW-Madison has been directed by legislative action to design a new human resources management system; and
WHEREAS the university has solicited, and must continue to solicit, input from a range of stakeholders, including faculty, at multiple stages in the evolution of the HR Design framework; and
WHEREAS the University Committee and the faculty will continue to be actively engaged in the continued development and evaluation of specific components of the plan; and
WHEREAS the University Committee and the faculty will ensure that the HR Design framework will maintain the university’s commitment to the fundamental protections of employee rights, to due process with respect to decisions adversely affecting employment, to the principles of a living wage, and to equity in the workplace; and
WHEREAS the University Committee and the faculty will ensure that the HR Design framework will maintain the university’s commitment to preserving current shared governance rights and granting governance rights to classified employees (“university staff”), and note that shared governance implies direct participation in relevant decision-making;
WHEREAS according to the laws of the state of Wisconsin, the faculty “shall be vested with responsibility for the immediate governance of [the] institution and shall actively participate in institutional policy development. As such, the faculty shall have the primary responsibility for academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters” (Wis. Stats. Chapter 36.09 (4)) including policies that are developed in the HR Design process;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the UW-Madison Faculty Senate accepts the HR Design framework, with the expectation that the following principles will be implemented in that framework conditional upon the explicit agreement of the HR Design team and the executive sponsors of the HR Design process that the following commitments will be respected without exception as that process continues to unfold:
(1) An unwavering commitment to the discovery and transmission of knowledge, wisdom and values, and to help students develop an understanding and appreciation for the complex cultural and physical worlds in which they live and to realize their highest potential of intellectual, physical and human development, as enshrined in the UW-Madison’s “Mission Statement.” With respect to faculty and staff with instructional roles, this includes an emphasis on the quality of teaching (including instruction, advising, mentoring and supervision);
(2) Acknowledgment that the faculty “shall be vested with responsibility for the immediate governance of [the] institution and shall actively participate in institutional policy development. As such, the faculty shall have the primary responsibility for academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters” (Wis. Stats. Chapter 36.09 (4)) with respect to policies that are developed in the HR Design process; and
(2) A commitment to shared governance that extends to direct participation of governance groups in relevant decision-making. In this case, such a commitment must include guarantees that any future results and recommendations of the ongoing HR Design process, including but not limited to the title and total compensation study, will be subject to approval by all affected shared governance bodies, without which approval they will not proceed.
(3) A commitment to balance merit/market considerations with considerations of equity, in a way that gives substantive and material weight to both.
There was considerable discussion of the proposed amendment.
Professor Jim Doing (District 65) moved the previous question. The motion was seconded and passed by hand vote.
The motion to amend failed by hand vote.
The previous question on the original motion was moved. The motion was seconded and passed by hand vote.
The original motion passed by hand vote.
6. Professor Cook, on behalf of the University Committee, moved to adopt the Academic Calendar for 2016-2021. faculty document
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CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTMENT
8. Professor Cook, on behalf of the University Committee, moved to confirm the appointment of Professor Donald Stone (Materials Science and Engineering) to serve on the Commission on Faculty Compensation and Economic Benefits for 2012-2013, to complete the second year of Professor Jo Ellen Fair’s elected three-year term.