Chancellor Rebecca Blank called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. with 137 voting members present (111 needed for quorum). Memorial resolutions were offered for Professor Emerita Margo Melli (Faculty Document 2757), Professor Emeritus John Moskwa (Faculty Document 2758), Professor Emeritus Fritz Mueller (Faculty Document 2759), and Professor Emeritus Wayne Otto (Faculty Document 2760).

Chancellor Blank presented her annual State of the University address. After welcoming new governance and administration leaders, she reported on this year’s freshman class, the largest and most diverse in our history, and the return of Cooperative Extension and Public Media to our campus. Blank outlined the following priority areas for investment: expanding and improving student access, maintaining and growing faculty and staff excellence, and expanding and improving our research. She also spoke about budgets, Foxconn, and a new public history project. [The entirety of the address is available as an audio file.] The chair of the University Committee, Professor Rick Amasino (University Committee, District 120), briefly described the mechanics of the Senate and the University Committee and outlined priority areas for the coming year. There were a series of questions and comments about a circulated draft UW System policy on productivity and low enrollment programs. In addition to concerns and discussion about the policy itself, Professor Eric Sandgren (Pathobiological Sciences, District 113) called on the University Committee to create a working group to study the broader question of what productivity means and how best to measure it within the context of higher education.

Chancellor Blank called attention to Faculty Document 2761, “Highlights of Faculty Legislation, 2017-2018,” and Faculty Document 2762, “Faculty Committees General Election Spring 2018 Results.” The minutes of the meeting of Faculty Senate Minutes 2018-05-07 were approved. Professor Amasino moved to confirm the appointment of Associate Professor Kurt Paulsen (Planning & Landscape Architecture, District 22) to serve on the Campus Planning Committee for a 4-year term to represent environmental concerns, replacing Katherine McMahon (Civil & Environmental Engineering, District 35), whose appointment ended. The motion passed by voice vote with no dissenting votes.

Professor Steve Ventura (University Committee, District 120) presented Faculty Document 2763, a resolution to transfer tenure of University of Wisconsin Extension faculty to University of Wisconsin-Madison, for a first reading. Professor Chad Goldberg (Sociology, District 71) spoke in strong support of the resolution, while also pointing out corrections and comments he had raised previously with regard to the supporting documentation.

Professor Amasino presented Faculty Document 2764, an endorsement of the new UW-Madison Policy on Consensual Relationships, for a first reading. There was one comment with regard to the relationship of graduate students to this policy as well as administrative capacity.

Chancellor Blank adjourned the meeting at 4:39 p.m.

 
Steven K. Smith
Secretary of the Faculty