Month: February 2012

Changes to WRS?

Wisconsin Act 32, the 2011-13 biennial budget, calls for a study of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS). The study, due June 30, will examine the establishment of a defined contribution plan, like a 401(k), as an option for participating employees.…

Compensation Committee Releases Annual Report

The Commission on Faculty Compensation and Economic Benefits will present its annual report to the Faculty Senate on Monday, March 5. The 10-member group was chaired by Sociology Professor Adam Gamoran. Historically, the commission’s charge is to address matters of…

Former UW Administrator Named Head of SWIB

Michael Williamson, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison administrator, has been named executive director of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. He will begin his duties in June. Williamson is currently deputy directory of the District of Columbia Retirement Board and…

Gary Rhoades to Speak on Public Higher Education

Keeping the cost of higher education has become a national conversation, and University of Arizona professor Gary Rhoades will add his voice to the discussion this week. Rhoades, former general secretary of the American Association of University Professors, will deliver…

Joint Finance Committee to Vote on Lapse Proposal Today

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee will meet today at 1 pm to vote on the Department of Administration’s plan for a $174.3 million budget lapse. The lapse is part of Act 32, the 2011-13 biennial budget that passed last summer.…

February Board of Regents Meeting

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents met in Madison last Thursday and Friday for a regularly scheduled meeting. UW System staff presented Strategies for Cost Containment and Improved Educational Attainment, a report that details the relationship between falling…

Board of Regents to Meet Thursday and Friday

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet Thursday and Friday, February 9 and 10, in Madison. An outline agenda for the meeting is available here, and a full agenda is here. On Thursday morning, the regents will…

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Encourages Greater UW Flexibility

A February 5 editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel argued for increased flexibility for the University of Wisconsin System: The universities should have more room to set their own tuition, more room to do their own purchasing, more room to…

Legislative Outlook

Fewer than six months remain in the 2011-12 legislative session, and PROFS continues to monitor and lobby on legislation that affects UW-Madison and its faculty. PROFS has taken positions on more than a dozen bill this session, and several may…