Tag: Regents

UW System Tenure Policy Task Force Meeting

by Michelle Felber • December 22, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Tenure Policy Task Force will meet tomorrow, Wednesday, December 23 at 2 pm. The meeting will be held in Room 1820 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, and is open to the public.

The task force is expected to finalize layoff and post-tenure review language. Current draft language is below.

Recommendations from the task force will be forwarded to the Board of Regents Education Committee for consideration at its February meeting. Full board action could happen in March. UW-Madison will hold campus information sessions on the proposed policies in January.

Layoff and Termination Draft Language

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Post-Tenure Review Draft Language

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December Board of Regent Meeting

by Michelle Felber • December 10, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Madison Thursday and Friday, December 10 and 11. All meetings will be held in Gordon Event Center, 770 West Dayton Street.

Regents meet in committee Thursday afternoon while the full board meets Friday morning.

The Education Committee will consider approval of several new degree programs and a reorganization at UW-Green Bay. The committee will also discuss a statement reiterating the board’s commitment to academic freedom and affirming the board’s commitment to freedom of expression:

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The Business and Finance Committee will consider differential tuition at UW-Stevens Point and an alumni tuition proposal at UW-Eau Claire, discuss trust funds and contractual agreements, and hear a report on faculty and staff salary adjustments in 2015. UW System chancellors reallocated $12.1 million of the salary base for adjustments in 2015. 2,338 faculty received adjustments averaging $5,163. At UW-Madison, 102 faculty members received additional compensation averaging $3,377.

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The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will consider authorization of a transfer of Vilas Trust funds for the UW-Madison Music Performance Building project, review changes to regent policy documents, and hear a report on State Building Commission action.

The Research, Economic Development, and Innovation Committee will hear an update from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan. UW System President President Ray Cross will also share how UW System is helping with the state’s workforce needs.

The Audit Committee will hear a report from the chief audit executive.

On Friday the board will hear several reports:

Hospital Authority Board
Higher Educational Aids Board
Wisconsin Technical College System Board
Informational report on student debt and financial aid
UW-Green Bay NCAA Division I Athletics report

Updates on the work done by Tenure Policy Task Force and the Tuition-setting Policy Task Force will also be given.

October Board of Regents Meeting

by Michelle Felber • October 7, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet in Madison Thursday and Friday, October 8 and 9. Meetings will take place in Gordon Dining and Event Center at UW-Madison, 770 West Dayton Street. Livestream coverage of the full board meetings is here.

Regents meet in committee Thursday morning:

The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will hear a report on State Building Commission action and discuss a resolution to fund maintenance and repair projects.

The Research, Economic Development, and Innovation Committee will hear a report on UW-Madison business outreach and an update from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

The Business and Finance Committee will discuss several contractual agreements, receive the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Wisconsin Partnership Program Annual Report, and hear a report on faculty turnover in UW System.

The report on faculty turnover shows that UW-Madison had a turnover rate of 3.89 percent among tenured faculty and 3.58% among probationary faculty in fiscal year 2015. Half of tenured faculty who left UW-Madison cited salary as the primary reason for leaving.

The Education Committee will discuss a plan to waive non-resident enrollment limits at UW-Madison and hear reports on campus accreditations, high school to college success, and preliminary enrollment figures.

The full board meets Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The regents will discuss the 2014-15 Program Revenue Fund Balance Report and credit transfers Thursday and work of the Tenure Policy Task Force and remedial education Friday. According to the fund balance report, UW-Madison held $52.25 million in unrestricted reserve funds — 13.8 percent of the total. All other unrestricted monies fall under the categories of obligated, planned, or designated.

September Board of Regents Meeting

by Michelle Felber • September 10, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host the UW System Board of Regents today and tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, September 10 and 11. All meetings take place in the James R. Connor University Center, 228 Wyman Mall.

Regent committees meet Thursday morning, while the full board meets Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Livestream coverage of the full board meeting is available here.

The Education Committee will discuss possible changes to the mission statement of UW-Extension that would allow UW-Extension to award credit-bearing certificates, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in business and management. The request and supporting materials are here:

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The Business and Finance Committee, Capital Planning and Budget Committee, Research, Economic Development, and Innovation Committee, and Audit Committee also meet Thursday morning.

The full board will discuss a new accountability dashboard Thursday afternoon. The dashboard allows users to view accountability measures for UW System and individual campuses on the following topics:

Access (enrollment)
Progress & Completion (graduation and retention rates)
Cost & Efficiency (time to degree)
Undergraduate Experience
Faculty & Staff (workload, turnover)
Economic Development (research funding, STEM degrees)

The full board continues its meeting Friday. Items of note on the agenda:

Updates from Board President Regina Millner on the Tenure Policy and Tuition-setting Policy Task Forces and a discussion of recent legislation on research involving fetal tissue. A resolution on fetal tissue legislation is possible.

Chancellor Cathy Sandeen will discuss budget reductions at UW Colleges and provide an update on the Flex Option degree program.

July Regent Meeting

by Michelle Felber • July 9, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Madison, Thursday July 9. The meeting will be held in room 1820 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, and is open to the public. Livestream coverage is available here.

The Business and Finance and Capital Planning and Budget Committees will meet briefly before the full board meets at 9 am. The full board will hear an update on the 2015-17 biennial budget, including an update addressing tenure in Regent Policy Documents (no documents offered).

The 2015-16 operating budget including fees and tuition rates and estimated expenditures is here. UW-Madison will see a $20.45 million reduction to the 2015-16 operating base budget (p.13)

In the afternoon, President Ray Cross will offer a brief overview of the UW System strategic planning process, board members will participate in an in-depth discussion on UW System’s role in developing global leaders, and student government leaders from UW Colleges, UW-Platteville, and UW-Stevens Point share thoughts on the roles and responsibilities of student government.

June Regent Meeting

by Michelle Felber • June 3, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Thursday and Friday, June 4 and 5. Livestream coverage is available here.

The board meets in committee Thursday morning, while the full board meets Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. All meetings will be held in the UW-Milwaukee student union, 2200 East Kenwood Boulevard.

The Audit Committee will review and approve an audit plan, discuss the new waste, fraud and abuse hotline, and hear a report from the Chief Audit Executive.

The Research, Economic Development, and Innovation Committee will hear updates on UW-Milwaukee’s outreach and economic development efforts and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation trade missions. The committee will also participate in a panel discussion on the state’s angel and venture capitalists and funding university startups.

The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will discuss proposed building projects and hear updates on the State Building Commission action and and 2015-17 capital budget. PROFS lobbied hard for the Chemistry Building Project and is pleased the Joint Finance Committee approved bonding for the project.

The Education Committee will approve several new degree programs, hear a presentation on M3, a Milwaukee student success initiative, and hear an update from a UW System vice president. A resolution on tenure is also on the agenda, but without supporting documentation.

The Business and Finance Committee will discuss several contractual agreements, review policies related to UW-Madison’s Human Resources Design program, and consider changes to chancellor and senior administrator search and screen procedures.

PROFS is very concerned about the proposed changes and offered this statement to members of the Board of Regents.

Thursday afternoon, the full board will discuss the 2015-17 biennial budget, hear presentations from host UW-Milwaukee, and recognize outgoing Regent President Michael Falbo and retiring UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer.

On Friday, UW System President Ray Cross will address the board and provide an update on recent events. The board will also hear committee reports and approve action.

New Regents

Governor Scott Walker recently appointed three new members to the board. Michael M. Grebe and Drew Peterson replace outgoing members Michael Falbo and David Walsh, and will serve seven-year terms. UW-Whitewater student James Langnes III replaces UW-L Crosse student Anicka Purath as the traditional student regent and will serve a two-year term. The appointments are subject to Wisconsin State Senate confirmation.

Michael Grebe Grebe is executive vice president and general counsel for HUSCO International, a global manufacturing company in Waukesha. He graduated Dartmouth College and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He was previously a partner at the law firm Quarles and Brady.

Drew Peterson Peterson is vice president of external affairs and corporate communications for TDS Telecommunications Corporation in Madison. He graduated from Ripon College and earned an MBA from UW-Madison. He served on the board as representative of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board for the past two years and continues with a regular appointment.

James Langnes III Langnes, a UW-Whitewater student majoring in finance, will serve as the traditional student regent. Langnes was recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Whitewater Common Council. He is originally from Lake Geneva.

Open Letter to UWSA Board of Regents on Chancellor Searches

by Michelle Felber • June 3, 2015 • Comments Off

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Legislative Update

by Michelle Felber • May 5, 2015 • Comments Off

State Budget Update

The 2015-17 biennial budget process continues. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee began meeting in executive session last month, but has yet to consider motions relating to the University of Wisconsin System.

Committee leaders have said they would like to conclude its work by the end of May, with the budget bill then moving to Senate and Assembly for their consideration. The entire process is expected to conclude in late June.

Public authority out of budget Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) announced today that the public authority plan for the University of Wisconsin System was dead and the committee would instead consider granting the university greater budget and management flexibilities.

Meetings with legislators PROFS continues to meet with key legislators and lobby on behalf of faculty, focusing on senate resolutions on state budget cuts and shared governance and funding for the Chemistry Building project. Members of the PROFS steering committee have met with more than a dozen legislators and staff since the beginning of the year.

Size of budget cuts While some legislative leaders have expressed a desire to lessen the size of the cut to UW System, both Governor Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said revenue estimates expected later this week are likely to be lower than hoped and the first priority is K-12 education.

Fitzgerald also said he had less of a commitment to decrease the cut after the Board of Regents approved tuition increases on out-of-state and professional students earlier this month. Despite the unpopularity of the proposed cut — one poll found seventy percent of the state opposed — Fitzgerald said some legislators still have a “bitter taste in their mouths” after the budget surplus issue of the last biennium.

Tuition Freeze Governor Walker said in his budget errata message last month he intends to limit tuition increases to no more than the annual change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) after a two-year freeze. UW System President Ray Cross said tying tuition increases to CPI “is not compatible with the agile, market-driven, and competitive entity the state needs us to be.”

Many higher education experts believe the plan to be unworkable: “Because the costs associated with running universities naturally exceed the costs of basic goods and services as represented in the CPI, limiting tuition increases to increases in the CPI is the wrong yard stick to use and is also very likely to reduce the ability of Wisconsin universities to offer the same quality as they have in the past,” said Professor Michael McLendon of Southern Methodist University.

Board of Regents

The UW System Board of Regents does not have a May meeting scheduled, but will meet in Milwaukee on June 4 and 5. Governor Scott Walker is expected to name three new regents this month as Regent President Michael Falbo, Regent David Walsh and traditional student Regent Anicka Purath complete their terms.

Three UW-Madison faculty members will serve on Regent task forces on shared governance and tenure – Biomedical Engineering Professor Beth Meyerand is a member of the shared governance task force, while Kinesiology Professor Dorothy Farrar-Edwards and Plant Pathology Professor Patricia McManus will serve on the tenure task force.

Board of Regent Resolutions

by Michelle Felber • March 9, 2015 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents adopted two resolutions relating to the 2015-17 biennial budget proposal last week.

One resolution called for a reduction in the proposed base budget cut and supported management flexibilities either through public authority status or new legislation:

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The second resolution reaffirmed support for shared governance and tenure and asked for authorization to establish policies of shared governance and tenure should they be removed from state statute:

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