University Committee Meeting Minutes 2020-01-13

UC members expected present: Campagnola, Halverson, Sandgren, Ventura, Warfield (chair), Wolf

Others: Michelle Felber, Jack O’Meara, Bill Tishler, as well as those in the text below.

Chair Warfield called the meeting to order at 1:36. Wolf reported that 5 Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education candidates were interviewed in Chicago last weekend and 3 will be brought to campus. The minutes of the meeting of January 6, 2020 were approved as amended by consent.

PROFS chair, Dorothy Farrar Edwards, presented the 2018-2019 annual report. There was a thoughtful discussion on how best to represent faculty interests, including being nimble enough to respond to news, and how to involve faculty in these discussions. 

Provost Karl Scholz and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Ray Taffora talked about the Policy Library Project to get control of university-wide polices and in one place learn: who owns it, who it affects, when it went into effect, changes, related policies, etc. etc. The project is being managed by Charles Meyer in the Office of Strategic Consulting. The first step, “discovery and planning” is complete and the 2nd phase, “implementation” is underway. An advisory committee will be formed soon, including 2 faculty members who will be selected by the University Committee. A lively discussion ensued. 

Taffora left and the provost moved onto discussing the draft frameworks for the research and teaching professors [handouts]. Some points of friction, especially around the teaching specifications and implications. A lively discussion ensued, to be continued at the January 27 UC meeting. 

The Professor of Practice Ad Hoc Committee chair, Kris Kwekkeboom, presented the committee’s report [handout]. Much interest in using the title, though it’s likely to be applied differently across campus. There will be a first reading at the February senate.

The dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), Robert Golden, reported on the decision to appoint a clinical faculty member (CHS=academic staff) as the interim department chair of Family Medicine and Community Health. The UC was interested in how faculty decisions (e.g., tenure, academic matters, tenure-track faculty hires, etc.) are handled in these cases: they’re not allowed to. In a related issue, Warfield suggested that there might be a standard rule waiver for the common request from SMPH for dual roles for CHS faculty.

Presenting the new Employee Accommodation Policy were Barb Lanser, the Director of the  Employee Disability Resources Office, Jaimee Guilford, ADA Coordinator, Beth Baldowin, Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) for L&S, and Rachel Jeris, Senior University Legal Counsel. The new policy attempts to be more inclusive than the old policy. A thoughtful discussion ensued, covering, among other things, terminology, chains of command, logistics.

Sandgren moved to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c) and (f) to discuss personnel matters. The motion was seconded and passed at 3:34 p.m. Two rule waivers were approved, as was one tenure clock extension request. 

Sandgren was moved to reconvene in open session. The motion was seconded and Warfield adjourned the meeting at 3:46.

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