Minutes for July 08, 2024

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

Others present: Greg Bump, Lesley Fisher, Ashley Hagen, John Horn, Eden Inoway-Ronnie, Jennifer Noyes, Julie Scharm, Dom Zappia

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

Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, provided an update on the budget approach. The Graduate tuition group should wrap up this month. They should be ready to talk about a shadow model in early fall. They are also thinking about how to communicate about this to faculty once faculty contracts begin in the fall.

Michelle Felber and Jack O’Meara from PROFS indicated there were two UW-Madison faculty members serving on the Legislative Council Committee looking at the future of UW System. It is meeting for the first soon with work completed by the end of the calendar year.

They are tracking elections. With new districts, democrats are likely to pick up more seats and make take over the Assembly. PROFS is co-sponsoring an assembly candidate forum for the district that includes UW-Madison.

The minutes from June 24, 2024, meeting were approved by automatic consent.

Former UC chair Susan Thibeault, current chair Li Chiao Ping and Secretary Heather Daniels met with members of the Registrar’s Office and Vice Provost John Zumbrunnen regarding data collected room usage for final exams. The group plans to present this information to the instructional leads in schools and colleges meeting in July. They hope to do some more specific data collection during the next academic year to help determine how many exam slots might able to be reclaimed.

Provost Charles Isbell discussed changes made during dean interviews which includes candidates meeting with the provost at the airport following their meeting with the search and screen committee and a two-day visit for finalists including another meeting with the search and screen committee and a public presentation early in the visit. Feedback is asked on a survey with a series of questions and can be submitted anonymously.

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin shared an update on the agreement reached with the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) student organization. They have offered dates to SJP to meet with WFAA and UWS, but dates have not been confirmed by the students. The International Division is in the process of implementing the commitment to students coming from parts of the world impacted by conflict. A total of 19 additional citations were issued by the police with fines of $400 and information about alternatives like restorative court.

The chancellor and University Committee also discussed the recent Title VI agreements reached by other universities with the US Department of Education. The agreements have conflicts between commitment to free speech and how to protect students.

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 waivers at 3:04 pm. One tenure clock extension was  approved.

Zweibel motioned to reconvene in open session at 3:08 pm. It was seconded and approved.

Jones adjourned the meeting at 3:12 pm.

Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, secretary of the faculty