UC members present: Babcock, Bernard-Donals, Li, Papp (chair), Tejedo-Herrero, Thibeault

Others: Julie Scharm, Michelle Felber, Jake Smith

Chair Papp called the meeting to order at 1:30 pm.

The minutes for the meeting of November 21, 2022, were approved.

Updates on the west campus district development project were distributed electronically. The University Committee reviewed the Faculty Senate agenda for December.

Elmo Rawling, chair of the Budget Committee, presented the annual report for 2021-22. The Budget Committee was formed in 2016 and spent the first several years bringing people up to speed. Last year, the committee formed a subcommittee to look at the charge and whether the committee was executing the charge. The subcommittee felt the committee could be doing more to provide advice regarding the budget. With this in mind, the committee put together a letter to the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration regarding budget priorities in March 2022.

So far this year, the committee heard about the biennial budget process and also talked to someone within the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration’s office about how they were addressing the priorities identified by the committee. They are also having in Jake Baggott from University Health Services to talk about the pandemic and lessons learned.

Provost Karl Scholz discussed with the University Committee ways to lessen the pressure on students during the first semester or year of college. One idea discussed was a shadow grading system for the fall semester of the first year. This is currently done at MIT and Wellesley College.

The staff climate survey results will be out soon. 72% of those surveyed expressed satisfaction with working at UW-Madison and about 65% of people reported feeling valued and like they belong. Two areas of concern include a high percentage of people witnessing or experiencing hostile and intimidating behavior in the last 3 years and those surveyed rating their central leadership  dissatisfaction with campus leaders.

Papp motioned, and it was seconded, to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c) and (f) to discuss committee members at 3:32. 5 appointments were approved.

Bernard-Donals motioned to reconvene in open session at 3:04. It was seconded and approved.

Papp adjourned the meeting at 3:11.