September 14, 2015

UC members present: Broman, Meyerand (chair), Wanner, Wendt

UC members absent: Edwards, Litovsky

Also present: Savidge, Smith, Richard, Bump, O’Meara, Daniels, McFadden

1. Meeting called to order: 1:01 PM.

2. Broman updated UC on meeting with fac reps and regents on fetal tissue bill. Many regents spoke against the bill. Sense from one regent that bill has good chance of coming to vote in Senate amended to only include existing federal regulations. At meeting, it was noted that governor has squashed previous versions of the bill. O’Meara added that assembly debate has been interesting and changes there may still be possible.  

3. Legislative update (PROFS) 

a. Key points on fetal tissue bill already touched on above. Some detail added.

b. Meeting with Regent Behling on Thursday.

c. Public hearing later in week on accountability measures for university. 

4. Vice Chancellor for University Relations update (Charlie Hoslet). Hoslet unable to attend. 

5. Report from ad hoc committee on tenure and termination

a. Ample discussion of preamble and document. Grammatical and stylistic changes suggested.

b. Wendt moved approval of document as modified for public dissemination ahead of faculty listening sessions and October Senate first reading. Seconded. Approved unanimously.

6. UCC membership change to include instructional academic staff. Discussion. Suggestion that academic staff should be selected based on something other than divisional representation. UC endorses membership change and OSOF will prepare item for October Faculty Senate. 

7. UW System information request postponed.

8. Bottom-up review (Sarah Mangelsdorf and Darrell Bazzell)

a. Ample discussion about context in which vice provosts and other administrators operate. Input always useful. Several dean reviews under way this year. Blank, Bazzell, and Mangelsdorf conduct reviews for direct reports. Concerns include creation of additional layers and unreliability of anonymous surveys. Bazzell pointed out that campus has taken large step forward by requiring annual reviews for everyone.

b. 360 reviews make most sense for those in developmental stages of career. Campus is hesitant to adopt strategy that would cover all employees or to be prescriptive in terms of reviews. UC pointed out that there is still a need to get at bigger issues, a need to recognize reluctance of some staff to comment on supervisors, and need for some sort of feedback, even if not a review per se. Consensus that there is a need for a more systematic method of gathering feedback and taking action, as well as for creating room for comment by those in the middle or bottom of the hierarchy.

c. Bazzell raised idea of employee engagement survey and other (informal) tools and systems for finding out what is really going on.

d. Mangelsdorf suggest that annual chairs ballots could be more standardized and formally structured so as not to affect morale.

e. Broman indicated that he and other members of the ad hoc committee would be willing to work with provost to use existing structure to solicit better information, not creating a new system.

f. Mangelsdorf will take topic up with deans.

9. Chancellor update (Rebecca Blank)

a. Blank only just received the tenure and termination document and would like more time to review. She does see immediate need for executive summary and answers to frequently asked questions, such as how this proposal differs from what exists now and how it compares to peers. Meyerand briefed the chancellor on next steps for the proposal (faculty listening sessions, October Senate first reading).

b. Blank informed the UC that Dean May will be retiring and UC will be getting request for search and screen committee members.

c. The VCUR search and screen is about to be charged.

d. Blank has had lively conversations with regents on fetal tissue bill.

e. Blank will attend WARF Board meeting later in the week.

10. Meeting adjourned: 2:42 PM.