September 16, 2013

Present: Bernard-Donals, Fair, Farrar Edwards, Meyerand, Petty 

Absent: Cook

1. The meeting began at 1:00 p.m.

2. Motion made (Petty) and seconded to approve minutes of University Committee Meeting Minutes 2013-09-09 .  Unanimous.

3. The UC will gather talking points related to the concerns about comments from some state legislators regarding shared governance at UW System. The UC will also seek to speak about shared governance with department chairs via school/college meetings.

4. The UC is not enthusiastic about Professor Tom Kuech's proposal to establish a Professor of Practice title. The UC does not see a real need for the creation of a new title, particularly given the faculty's past reluctance to add new titles for non-faculty members. While the UC does not think this should prevent Professor Kuech from pursuing the matter in the Senate, the UC's presentation of it would be without enthusiasm. The UC suggests other avenues to provide a title for faculty who are interested in working with and to the benefit of departments at UW-Madison, including the Clinical Professorship, which is an academic staff position that could be secured through a zero-dollar appointment.

5. The UC confirmed with the provost that Former Chancellor Ward determined that the College of the Arts would not be established due to lack of support from several potential members of the proposed college, and that many objectives for integrating the arts can be achieved by reorganizing the Arts Institute.

6. The UC recommends that the chancellor include the Graduate Faculty Executive Committee in discussions about the structure of the leadership of the research enterprise and the Graduate School.

Petty departed at 3:15 p.m.

7. The UC consulted Jocelyn Milner, Director of Academic Planning and Institutional Research, regarding Dean Julie Underwood's request for clarification about the whether the Department of Theatre and Drama should 'transfer' to the School of Education under FP&P rules for faculty transfers or for departmental restructuring. The UC will convey to Dean Underwood that Jocelyn Milner, who has been working with the Department of Theatre and Drama, recommended that it is preferable for a restructuring, for several reasons, the most important of which is that it will ensure an equitable division of resources. The UC will convey that Jocelyn Milner has asked T&D for a number of documents and other information that will help her advise the department as it makes the transition from L&S to SoE; that request will require T&D to meet and discuss its plan. That plan will eventually need to be written and brought before the SoE APC.

 8. The UC supports the chancellor's proposal for an Administrative Search Coordinator, and will request that the PVL include language that allows the individual to do special projects on behalf of the University Committee.  

9. Motion made (Farrar Edwards) and seconded to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c), and (f) to discuss personnel matters. Unanimous.

10. The committee reconvened in open session at 4:30 p.m.

11. The UC endorsed informing chairs of ad hoc committees of the following: "We expect the work of the ad hoc committee to proceed without the need for additional staff or resources."

12. The meeting adjourned at 4:46 p.m.

Minutes submitted by Andrea Poehling, secretary of the faculty.