PROFS offered the following testimony to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Tuesday.
Category: PROFS
PROFS Statement on Amended Scientific Research Legislation
The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety will hold an executive session on AB 305 at 10 am today, September 10. PROFS is registered against this legislation and opposes recent changes to the bill.
Legislative Update
PROFS welcomes faculty back to campus as the new semester begins. For those unfamiliar, PROFS is a non-profit membership organization that represents UW-Madison faculty to the Wisconsin Legislature and Congress.
We are proud of our past achievements. During the most recent budget process, PROFS played a key role in securing $86 million in state-supported bonding for the UW-Madison Chemistry Building Project.
In 2011, PROFS led the successful fight to ensure retirement contributions are taken pre-tax, saving the average faculty member about $1,800 per year. Before that, PROFS successfully lobbied for domestic partner benefits and first-day health coverage for faculty and staff. Recent activities at the state level are listed below.
2015-17 Biennial Budget
PROFS met with more than two dozen legislators and staff throughout the budget process, lobbying for decreased cuts in state funding and the preservation of strong tenure and shared governance for faculty. While the final budget was still much worse than the faculty would have liked, it did include $50 million more for the UW System than the governor had proposed and the attacks on tenure and shared governance, while harsh, were not as punitive as some key legislators wanted them to be.
PROFS took strong stands on these harmful actions. Please see previous posts for statements on budget cuts, tenure, and shared governance. Going forward, PROFS is closely following the work of UW System’s Tenure Policy Task Force and making the case that tenure policy at UW-Madison must meet the standards of the AAUP and peer institutions.
Assembly Bill 305, Limits on Scientific Research
PROFS officially registered and delivered testimony (below) against AB 305, a proposal that would make it illegal to provide or use for experimentation fetal body parts. If passed, the bill would criminalize the use of scientific material previously derived from fetal tissue, which includes cell lines that have been in use for more than 30 years.
PROFS will continue to vigorously oppose the proposal, which has far-reaching negative consequences on campus.
The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety will meet in executive session to vote on the bill on Wednesday, September 9.
Possible Merger of UW Colleges and the Wisconsin Technical College System
PROFS is deeply concerned about the private discussion among Assembly Republicans on the possible realignment of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension and the Wisconsin Technical College System. PROFS shared its concerns in a letter to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester):
“The faculty at UW-Madison urge you and other legislative leaders to reconsider this strategy and instead create a transparent and inclusive process for any review of public higher education in the state”
“UW-Madison faculty welcome an open and consultative discussion on the future of higher education in Wisconsin. We hope to be “at the table,” along with many other stakeholders across the state, as this discussion continues.”
PROFS is funded entirely by faculty contributions. Please consider joining PROFS if you are not a member.
PROFS Asks Speaker Vos for Transparency and Inclusive Process on UW Colleges/Wisconsin Technical College System Discussion
PROFS is deeply concerned about the private discussion among Assembly Republicans on the possible realignment of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
The following letter was hand delivered to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) today.
Loading...
PROFS Welcomes Burstyn as President
PROFS welcomes Chemistry Professor Judith Burstyn as president and offers many thanks to Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Professor Grant Petty for his service as president in 2014-15. Petty remains a member of the steering committee.
Burstyn, former chair of the University Committee, has served on the PROFS steering committee since 2011. She was an instrumental participant in the lobbying effort that helped secure state bonding for a new Chemistry Building.
PROFS Update on JFC Language on Tenure and Shared Governance
PROFS Letter on Tenure and Shared Governance to UW-Madison Faculty
Open Letter to UWSA Board of Regents on Chancellor Searches
PROFS Statement on JFC Proposal on Tenure
PROFS Statement on Joint Finance Committee Action on UW System Budget
Edited May 30, 9:15 pm: Legislative Fiscal Bureau budget paper