Minutes for October 28, 2024

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

Others present: Michelle Felber, Lesley Fisher, Ashley Hagen, Becky Jacobs, John Lucas, Julie Scharm, Dom Zappia

Chair Li called the meeting to order at 12:30 pm.

The minutes from October 21, 2024, meeting were approved by automatic consent.

Provost Charles Isbell discussed the new mentoring hiring program. They are planning to have this program for the next 2-3 years and then review the results. Departments need to ask for the funding prior to advertising the position. It is important for the faculty hired under this program to succeed while they are here with the additional mentoring they will be asked to do. It may be necessary to determine whether mentoring falls under teaching or service.

Gopal Iyer, chair of the University Curriculum Committee, shared that the committee reviewed 231 new proposals, 290 course changes and 26 course discontinuations last year. They are also discussing zero credit courses and developing a policy on those. They also updated the obsolete course policy, which requires a review of courses not taught in the last 6-8 years for discontinuation. 

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 1:18 pm. Five tenure clock extensions were approved. 

Bernard-Donals motioned, and it was seconded and approved, to reconvene in open session at 1:24 pm.

Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Vice Chancellor for Research, introduced herself to the University Committee. She reported that they are in the final stages of hiring a new Director of Research and Sponsored Programs. She is spending her time learning about campus and understanding what roadblocks exist for grants or large projects so she can identify the kinds of infrastructure that would help alleviate these.

Angela Byars-Winston, professor in the Department of Medicine, shared the results of the committee she co-chaired to look at the Black Community Experience on the UW-Madison campus. The overarching themes from the report include that campus has mostly taken a reactive approach to advance Black thriving of students, staff and faculty and institutional reformation is needed to activate and support Black agency. The report contains 20 recommendations including investing in talent development of Black faculty and staff; establishing actionable accountability structures with expectations and penalties for lack of success; formation of committees to provide direct input of Black students, faculty and staff to shared governance and senior leadership; and a tracking mechanism on UW-Madison progress related to Black community initiatives viewable to the public. Chancellor Mnookin has charged LaVar Charleston, Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence to form a small working group to work on implementation.   

The Faculty Senate Agenda was approved by consent.

Nathan Sherer, chair of the Recreation and Wellbeing Advisory Board, reported that in 2023-24 the new Bakke Center opened. A project on the near east fields went out for bid and is the final phase of the Rec Well Master plan. Major changes in facilities are not expected in the coming years except for the roof on Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

The committee’s budget subcommittee recommended a $4.30 increase in student segregated fees to accommodate wage growth and newly acquired adventuring curriculum. Rec Well has a new e sports program at Bakke and a student newsletter. They have hosted national competitions in figure skating, curling and basketball.  

Keith Woodward, professor in the Department of Geography, visited with the University Committee about his proposed resolution regarding the use of police on May 1 to remove tents from the encampment. The University Committee provided guidance on changes they felt would make the resolution more likely to gain enough votes for passage.

Li adjourned the meeting at 3:35 pm.

Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, secretary of the faculty