Minutes for April 1, 2024

UC members present: Bernard-Donals, Jones, Li, Tejedo-Herrero, Thibeault, Zweibel
Others present: Greg Bump, Michelle Felber, Carol Griggs, Kevin Jacobson, Jack O’Meara, Julie Scharm, Chloe Shomo

Chair Thibeault called the meeting to order at 1:00 pm. 

Chair Annie Lisowski and Professors Patricia Carroll, Eric Carson, Jerry Clark, Patrick Nehring and Marie Witzel in the Department of Extension provided an update on their department. They have had a number of faculty retirements. In addition two faculty members transferred to other departments and 19 decided to become academic staff members.

They have had a working group that imagining the future of Extension faculty and are planning to write a proposal regarding the possible hiring of tenure track faculty into the Department of Extension. 

Bernard-Donals motioned, and it was seconded and approved, to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c) and (f) to discuss waivers and committee appointments at 1:20 pm. Four tenure clock extensions and one Leave of Absence was approved.

Bernard-Donals motioned to reconvene in open session at 1:42 pm. It was seconded and approved. 

Provost Charles Isbell discussed Dean Martin’s proposal to create a new department in the Division of Extension that could hire tenure track faculty members. There would need to be a lot of conversations and vetting of such a proposal before it would go through governance processes and to the Provost Office. 

Provost Isbell indicated that he is looking to create a central dual-career office with full-time staff that would allow incoming faculty to have support earlier in the search process. He feels this would address the issue of some applicants and newly hired faculty not discussing the need for assistance with a partner until shortly before moving to Madison. Knowing about these issues earlier would allow the university to provide better options. 

Interim Associate Vice Chancellor Mark Rickenbach discussed a new federal mandate to have a research security program. The program consists of cybersecurity, export controls, foreign travel and research security training. They are currently waiting for final guidance from the federal government following a comment period. They started planning for this in fall of 2022. Implementation will start now through 2025. Progress has been made in all four areas with export controls being completely finished. 

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin shared that paid parental leave is on the Board of Regents agenda in April for their information. There will be a UW-Madison policy and a Universities of Wisconsin policy presented together. It will afford all eligible employees including graduate student employees to take 6 weeks of paid parental leave within a 12-month period following the birth or adoption of a child. The policy will go into effect on July 1, 2024. The policy brings us in line with many of our competitors, not just in higher education. 

Jonathan Levine has been announced as the new Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. He will begin on August 1 and comes from Texas A&M University. 

The chancellor and provost are working to develop a search and screen committee for the Dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health. They have hired a search firm for the Vice Chancellor for University Relations search and are in the late stages of finalizing the PVL. 

Chancellor Mnookin was in DC meeting with a group of university presidents as well as the Director of NSF and an Assistant Director in the Department of Defense overseeing science and technology. 

Bernard-Donals motioned, and it was seconded and approved, to convene in closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(c) and (f) to discuss waivers and committee appointments at 3:00 pm. 

Bernard-Donals motioned to reconvene in open session at 3:04 pm. It was seconded and approved. 

The minutes from March 18, 2024, were approved by automatic consent.

Thibeault adjourned the meeting at 3:04 pm.