Tag: Regents

October Board of Regents Meeting

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Stevens Point Thursday and Friday, October 9 and 10. Livestream coverage of the meeting will be available here.

The regents will meet in committees Thursday morning:

The Education Committee will discuss updates on credit transfer agreements, changes to faculty bylaws at UW-Platteville, and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Wisconsin Partnership program.

The Business and Finance Committee will discuss faculty and staff base salary adjustments for FY2014, faculty turnover, the financial management report, and the report of the funding allocation working group.

According to the agenda, 44 percent of faculty and instructional staff at UW-Madison received a non-promotion base salary adjustment averaging $8,772. Five percent of UW-Madison faculty received a lump sum payment averaging $2,772.

Seventy-four faculty members left UW-Madison last year; 31 retired and slightly more than half left the institution.

The funding allocation working group recommends that base funding should not be reallocated among institutions and each institution should retain its tuition dollars. The group also recommends that the president and board retain authority over the distribution of any new flexible state funding.

The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will discuss its priorities and goals and two additional capital budget projects for 2015-17.

The Research, Economic Development and Innovation Committee will hear an update on partnerships with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

The full board will meet Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. UW System President Ray Cross will introduce a report on program revenue balances and the board will hear an update on the Flexible Option on Thursday.

According to the program revenue report, UW-Madison has lowered its tuition balance by 41 percent, from $143 million in 2013 to $84.5 million in 2014. The fund balance was lowered from 14 percent of expenses to 8 percent, well under the 12 percent threshold implemented by the legislature earlier this year.

The regents will hear updates from staff and committees on Friday.

 

Regent Committee Meeting Thursday

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regent Committee on Research, Economic Development, and Innovation will meet in Madison at 1 pm on Thursday, October 2. The meeting is in advance of the regularly scheduled full board meeting on October 9 and 10 in Stevens Point.

The committee will review its history and mission and discuss collaboration with business partners. An overview of how UW System impacts Wisconsin’s economy is also on the agenda.

The meeting will be held in Room 1820 Van Hise Hall and is open to the public.

Regents to Discuss UW System Budget Proposal

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents is meeting at UW-Oshkosh today and tomorrow, August 21 and 22. Livestream coverage of the full board meeting is here.

Regents committees will meet Thursday morning, while the full board will meet Thursday afternoon and Friday.

The board will consider UW System’s state budget request Thursday afternoon. The proposal includes $95.2 million for the “Talent Development Initiative,” the implementation of new performance measures, and statutory language changes related to compensation, including the ability to offer merit pay increases.

The budget request notes that Governor Scott Walker directed state agencies, including UW System, to submit proposals that assumed no new funding, but UW System discussed its intention to request an budget increase with members of Governor Walker’s staff.

Budget request highlights:

  • $30 million for a competitive grant program targeting six areas critical to the state’s economy: agriculture, finance, insurance/real estate, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and water research.
  • $27.3 to cover a pay plan funding gap. Historically, UW System funds about 30 percent of a pay plan increase with tuition dollars. The two-year tuition freeze has led to a funding gap, with many campuses holding insufficient reserves to cover the pay plan. 
  • $24.4 million to increase the number of college graduates statewide, with much of the funding directed to the Course Options program, a program that allows high school students to earn college credits. Additional funding would expand the Flex Option degree program, improve the credit transfer system, and assist working and first-generation college students.
  • $22.5 million in one-time funding to assist with the creation of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs. The money will be available to individual campuses through a competitive grant process.

UW System also plans to implement several accountability measures:

  • To meet or exceed the current goal of 80,000 undergraduate degrees conferred by 2025-26
  • To enroll at least 32 percent of Wisconsin high school graduates immediately after graduation
  • To meet or exceed the current plan to improve second-year return rate
  • To meet or exceed the current plan to improve the six-year graduation rate.

 

August 2014 UW System Board of Regents Budget Request

Governor Walker Proposes Additional 2-Year Tuition Freeze

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Governor Scott Walker announced Friday morning that he would propose an additional two-year freeze on University of Wisconsin System tuition. The governor said his proposal was a direct result of the recent disclosure that UW System will finish the fiscal year with about $1 billion in reserve. Last year, the governor called for a two-year tuition freeze after the university was found to have just over $1 billion in reserve.

The governor’s plan came as a surprise as the UW System Board of Regents met for a second day in a regularly scheduled meeting. UW System President Ray Cross responded quickly, saying that he will continue his work with the governor and legislature while thoughtfully and judiciously managing and explaining UW System resources. Cross told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he had discussed the possibility of a one-year extension of the tuition freeze with the governor’s staff about a month ago, but the conversation had been casual.

The Regent Audit Committee and Budget and Finance Committee met Thursday morning and revealed cash balance projections for FY 2013-14. UW System will finish the year with almost $1.1 billion in reserve, about half coming from tuition.

UW System officials say that about 80 percent of the funds are committed on some level (see below). UW-Madison’s share of the reserve is about $600 million, and Cross told the Journal Sentinel that UW-Madison is among the handful of campuses that could survive three to four years on cash balances without implementing major budget cuts.

fy 2013-14 reserves

April Board of Regents Meeting

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet Thursday and Friday, April 10 and 11 at UW-River Falls. Audio and video webcasts of the meeting will be available here.

The regents will meet in committee Thursday morning and hear from UW-River Falls Chancellor Dean Van Goren Thursday afternoon. The full board will also discuss financial reporting and the annual budget process.

The Education Committee will discuss faculty workload and compensation as part of its discussion, but supporting materials were not included with the agenda. Other items on the committee’s agenda include approval of annual Vilas Trust requests, a report on program planning and review, and renewal of UW-Milwaukee charter school authorizations.

The Audit Committee will meet jointly with the Business and Finance Committee. They will discuss two Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) reports:

The LAB found that UW System’s Human Resources System (HRS) continues to have problems with implementation, accuracy, and security.  Insurance billing errors totaled more than $10 million from April 2011 through May 2013.

The committees will also discuss revisions to UW System policies on financial reserves. Campus financial reserves have been the subject of intense legislative scrutiny since April 2013 when the Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported that UW System holds more than $650 million in financial reserves.

The committees recommend approval of a plan that requires individual campuses to hold between 10 and 15 percent of their total fiscal year expenditures in reserve. Campuses with less than 10 percent fund balances must report a savings plan to the regents, while campuses holding more than 15 percent fund balances must provide justification to the regents and submit a spending plan for tuition, auxiliary operations, general operations, and unrestricted program revenue.

 

Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges to Vote on Classified Research Bill

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Inside CapitolThe Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges will hold an executive session today to vote on Senate Bill 578, a proposal that would allow classified research on University of Wisconsin System campuses. A System administrative policy currently prohibits such research.

The bill will go to the Senate on April 1 if approved today. An amended version of companion bill (AB 729) passed the Assembly February 20. The original bill included language that would allow exemptions to the state’s open records law, but that language was removed after Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee Chair Representative Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater) said he would not schedule a vote on proposal if it included the exemption.

PROFS worked with the authors of the legislation and is registered in favor of the bill. This statement was given to the senate committee at a public hearing on March 5.

The committee will also vote on several appointments to the UW System Board of Regents and Wisconsin Technical System Board. Governor Scott Walker announced three regent appointments last week and named UW-Madison student Nicolas Harsy to a two-year term as the non-traditional student regent yesterday.

Walker Appoints Three New Regents

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Governor Scott Walker named three new members to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents last week. The governor appointed José Delgado and Eve Hall to replace outgoing Regents John Drew and Gary Roberts. Delgado and Hall will serve seven year terms beginning May 1.

Walker also appointed UW-La Crosse student Anicka Purath to complete the two-year traditional student term. Regent Chad Landes is graduating from UW-Platteville in May and will leave the board early.

José Delgado retired as president and CEO of the American Transmission Company, a Wisconsin-based utility company, in 2010. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Marquette University and an MBA from UW-Milwaukee. Delgado is vice chairman of Hispanics for School Choice advisory board.

Eve Hall is president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Milwaukee. Previously she served as chief innovation officer for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and was national director of the Gates/Marshall School Redesign Initiative. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from UW-Milwaukee, and a doctorate in education from Cardinal Stritch University.

Anicka Purath is a sophomore from Mount Pleasant. She is a sophomore majoring in political science.

Regent appointments are subject to state senate confirmation. The governor appoints 16 citizens, including two students, to the 18 member board. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction and president of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board serve as ex officio members.

Regents to Meet Thursday

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet in Madison this Thursday, March 6. The meeting is the first since UW System President Ray Cross took office last month. Cross is scheduled to address the regents shortly after the meeting begins at 9 am.

The meeting will feature a presentation by Dennis Winters, chief economic officer at the Department of Workforce Development, and two panel discussions on the role UW System can play in the state’s economic development efforts. UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will participate in the discussion focusing on how UW System can help Wisconsin employers become more competitive.

Some of the questions regents and panelists will consider include:

  • How do business leaders use the resources within UW institutions?
  • What are business leaders’ biggest competitive challenges? Are there things UW institutions could be doing that they are not?
  • Who do business leaders hire from UW institutions? What skills and experience are needed? What kind of employees will be needed in the future.
  • What specific activities do UW institutions undertake to keep academic programs and initiatives relevant to employers, the community, and students?
  • How can curricula be structured to best meet the needs of the state?
  • How can UW institutions best prepare students? How do students perceive their level of preparation for employment or starting a business in Wisconsin? 
  • To what extent should UW institutions consider reprioritizing or reallocating resources to expand certain academic programs or scale down others?

The board will also discuss the development of the 2015-17 biennial budget. UW System is expected to outline its budget priorities later this summer.

Board of Regents Meeting at UW-Madison Today and Tomorrow

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is meeting at UW-Madison’s Union South today and tomorrow, February 6 and 7. Livestream coverage of the meeting is here.

Regent committees will meet Thursday morning, and UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will address the full board at 1:15 pm today. The board will also hear a presentation on the 2015-17 biennial budget process.

Topics to be discussed in the Research, Economic Development and Innovation Committee include UW System’s technology transfer program, UW-Madison’s Discovery to Product (D2P), and UW System’s federal relations efforts.

The Business and Finance Committee will hear a report on adjustments to faculty and staff salaries in 2012-13 and receive an update on the audit of the Human Resources System.

The state’s Legislative Audit Bureau found that HRS continues to have security weaknesses after more than $33 million in overpayments of health insurance premiums and pension contributions were discovered three years ago. Their report is here.

The full board continues its meeting on Friday. Items on the agenda include recognition of UW-Madison’s PEOPLE program and a presentation of UW-Madison’s NCAA Division I Athletics 2012-13 Annual Report.

Regent committee membership and the 2014 meeting schedule is here.

UW System President Finalists Named; Future Changes to Search Process?

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uw system logoUW System Board of Regents President Michael Falbo  announced three finalists for president’s position today:

  • Raymond C. Cross, Chancellor, UW System Colleges and UW-Extension
  • Peter H. Garland, Executive Vice Chancellor /Chief Operating Office, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
  • Robert L. King, President, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

These finalists will be interviewed by the Regent selection committee on Monday, January 6. The committee, chaired by Falbo and comprised of Regents John Behling, Margaret Farrow, Tracy Hribar, Edmund Manydeeds, and Gerald Whitburn, will meet Tuesday, January 7 and recommend one candidate who must then be approved by the full Board of Regents on Thursday, January 9.

Faculty, staff, students, and the public will have the opportunity to interact with the candidates during statewide video conferences on Monday, January 6. Information on these events is here.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the open search process kept at least one interested candidate from applying for the president’s position and he is considering a proposal that would allow for secret searches when hiring future UW leaders:

“I’m a big believer in transparency. I want to have as transparent a process as possible. But I don’t want the process to result in candidates who are second or third tier — and we all know who they are — as opposed to getting top-tier candidates.”

Current state law requires the public announcement of finalists for UW System president and UW System chancellor positions.

Regent and former State Senator Margaret Farrow said she knew of at least one qualified candidate who declined to apply because he or she did not want to be publicly named if named a finalist. Farrow also said she was hoping non-traditional candidates would apply for the president’s position. She noted that UW System is “a big business with a strong link to the academic world.”

Wisconsin’s tradition of open searches has become more rare among institutions of public higher education. Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York System, told attendees at a PROFS forum last year that open searches can keep many top-quality candidates from applying for chancellor positions.

Closed searches have traditionally been opposed by faculty, staff, and students and proponents of open government. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board opposes Vos’s proposal, writing that they are “concerned that pulling down the blinds on the process is overkill. There is little evidence that UW isn’t attracting top candidates for its open positions.”

ETA: Correct date of videoconferences