Minutes for November 18, 2024

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

Others present: Greg Bump, Lesley Fisher, Ashley Hagen, Mallory Musolf, Julie Scharm, Jen Oasen

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

Jones 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 and a waiver at 12:30 pm. One tenure clock extension was approved.

Stein motioned, and it was seconded and approved, to reconvene in open session at 12:43 pm.

The minutes from November 11, 2024, meeting were approved by automatic consent.

Mahua Dey, co-chair of the Campus Diversity and Climate Committee explained that the proposed changes to committee functions had been a work in progress for the past few years. Their annual report contains their projects last year. One thing the committee has been discussing is how to get more feedback on the recommendations they make.

Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, and Kurt McMillen, Administration Innovation and Planning Readiness Lead, discussed Workday communications for faculty. Rob Cramer shared that the current systems have challenges both locally as well as at a system level. It is difficult to get information needed from the current systems. Kurt shared his thoughts about how the system would affect faculty and a plan for how to inform faculty about the system and available training.

Karl Broman, Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, presented a resolution requesting bereavement leave. This resolution was developed by members of an academic staff subcommittee.

The University Committee reviewed the December senate agenda, which will be sent a week earlier due to Thanksgiving. The University Committee decided to place the bereavement resolution on the Senate agenda for a first reading in December. Keith Woodward has asked for his resolution to be placed on the February senate agenda. He is planning to send a revision to the University Committee.

Nancy Kendall shared that a revised named options policy went before the University Academic Planning Council. The policy was tabled following a vigorous discussion and a number of questions from various parts of campus. It is unclear how feedback was collected from various stakeholders including faculty on the proposal.

The University Committee will invite representatives from the other shared governance bodies to a meeting before the start of the spring semester to discuss issues on campus. The University Committee also discussed the proposed changes to the UW System copyright policy. The changes do follow current copyright law. The University Committee had questions about textbook publishing. The policy would allow faculty to ask for copyright for syllabi to be assigned to them rather than UW System. 

Michelle Felber and Jack O’Meara from PROFS shared their annual report and provided a post-election update. In the legislature, the democrats picked up 10 seats in the Assembly and 4 in the Senate. There are many new legislators on both sides of the aisle. The Legislative Council Study Group proposals include looking at a separate board for UW-Madison. Evers, Chancellor Mnookin and President Rothman are not in favor of this change. PROFS also recently met with the governor’s office and expressed their support for bonding authority; family leave expansion; and the regents budget proposal.    

Li adjourned the meeting at 3:07 pm. 

Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, secretary of the faculty