Topics Map > Office of the Secretary of the Faculty > University Committee
University Committee Meeting Minutes 2014-08-25
approved September 3, 2014
August 25, 2014
Present: Fair, Broman, Farrar-Edwards, Meyerand, Petty, Wendt
1. Meeting called to order: 1:04 PM
a. Minutes of the meeting of August 18, 2014, approved
b. Discussion of request Recreational Sports Board request to change composition. Secretary of the Faculty to follow up.
2. University Communications Director John Lucas and APR Director Alice Gustafson:
Internal communications project update: developing multiple plans for both employees and communicators (both consumers and providers of information) and gathering implementation team(s). Have recommended that DoIT develop policies for email (including standards for mass email) and complicated list environment.
3. Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf and Vice-Provost for Teaching and Learning Steve Cramer:
Chancellor requested options to address fact that academic calendar has commencement before exams end. After research and discussions, following options seen: (1) Start spring semester sooner. (2) Have commencement on Sunday. (3) Renegotiate study day with ASM. (4) Do nothing. Consensus that changing commencement would be the easiest/best option; second option would be to start semester sooner, but ramifications of moving commencement much less complicated.
4. Provost Update: Sarah Mangelsdorf
a. Continuing to move forward with development of compliance oversight begun under previous provost. Cost of compliance structure significantly less than the cost of even a single fine for a breech.
b. Discussion of budget planning and forthcoming cuts.
5. Chancellor Update: Rebecca Blank
a. Hospital and medical foundation merger should have minimal impact on faculty but is a major necessary step that is moving fast.
b. Forthcoming budget memo will request all units to prepare scenarios for 2, 4, and 6 percent cuts.
c. A team is currently going through diversity report to determine steps for follow-up. Some items can be done immediately; others will require advisory committees to develop implementation plans.
d. Budget model development committee has made enormous progress on draft report.
e. Primate research drawing lots of attention. Chancellor satisfied that this work has had thorough and rigorous review both on campus and by NIH. Allegations are mischaracterizations.
f. Chancellor has lists of recommended names for labor advisory committee and will move forward this week with governance heads.
g. Discussion of Board of Regents meeting and budget: Cost to continue in light of tuition freezes is critical; additional request to be allocated by proposal and likely reflect historical allocations across schools; nothing will happen until after election.
h. Discussion of race-conscious admissions
6. Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Update: Marsha Mailick
University Research Council (from governance perspective): should begin forming with specifically chosen initial members appointed who will develop proposal for Faculty Senate.
7. Petty moved and Farrar-Edwards 2nd to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1) (c) to discuss personnel matters. Motion passed: 3:23 PM.
8. Broman moved and Meyerand 2nd to reconvene in open session. Motion passed: 4:47 PM.
9. Meeting Adjourned: 4:48 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Steven K. Smith
Secretary of the Faculty