Minutes
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY
Monday, November 12, 2001
272 Bascom Hall (3:30 - 4:35)
A. PROVOST PETER SPEAR CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 3:30 P.M.
B. AUTOMATIC CONSENT BUSINESS
The minutes of the 10/08/2001 Academic Staff Assembly meeting were approved
as presented.
C. PROVOST INTRODUCTION: Linda Newman
Linda gave some background on how Peter Spear came to be provost, first
as a faculty member in Psychology at UW-Madison, then chair of the department,
and associate dean of L&S at Madison. He went west to become the dean
of L&S at the University of Colorado at Boulder before coming back
to Madison in his current position.
D. PROVOST ACTIVITY REPORT: PETER SPEAR
The new School of Business dean should be named soon. The search and screen
committee for the Graduate School dean will be forming in the next month
or so.
Eden Inoway-Ronnie has been appointed as the executive assistant to the provost. She has been on the provost's staff for the last five years doing special projects, including those dealing with diversity and climate issues. She will continue to work with her own projects as well as representing the provost when necessary.
The UW System will have to come up with a budget savings of $5 million, but will not be under a specific hiring freeze affecting the rest of the state. Further cuts may be announced next year. One way to save is to conserve on energy usage.
E. GUEST: Sarah Esmond, School of Nursing, Committee on Academic Staff
Issues (CASI)
The CASI represents 70 academic staff in the School of Nursing, with about
half being instructional and the rest research staff. The CASI is working
with the dean to formalize a process for performance evaluations online,
specifically for administrators and researchers. They are developing orientation
checklists for new academic staff employees with a welcoming letter that
includes the academic staff web site address. They have recently launched
their own web site: http://academic.son.wisc.edu/localnet/committees/casi/
E. COMMITTEES AND REPORTS
1. ASEC ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES - Linda Newman, Chair
Thanks to Dan Ross for working with the budget office to get a complete
and accurate email list for his district.
ASEC met this month with Katharyn May, the new dean of the School of Nursing. Dean May was very complimentary of the academic staff in her school and to shared governance in general at UW-Madison. She is particularly proud of the fine work done by those on the Committee on Academic Staff Issues.
Graduate School interim dean, Martin Cadwallader, spoke to the issue of starting a CASI in the Graduate School and will rely on ASEC to assist his associate deans in the process. He also discussed academic staff participation in graduate student education.
Jean Buehlman reported to the Assembly that ASEC met with members of the
various CASIs at a brown bag on October 25. Issues of concern to the CASIs
are professorial titles for research and instructional academic staff,
participation in governance at the departmental level, and best practices
for communicating with the academic staff in their units.
Barbara Forrest has been approved for appointment to the Labor Licensing Policies Committee. Nellie Laughlin will fill the unexpired term of Kent Hooker on the Campus Transportation Committee. Jane Johnson has been appointed to the Commission on Fraternities and Sororities.
Jean Buehlman will retire on January 2, 2002, thus vacating her position on the Academic Staff Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee has recommended that Bruce Beck be appointed to replace her. ASEC has approved, and the full Assembly will vote on the appointment at the December meeting.
ASEC is reviewing Chapter 14 of Academic Staff Policies and Procedures to revise and update the language as needed. The Assembly will need to approve any changes.
Linda has put together a subcommittee of ASEC members look at ways that instructional academic staff (IAS) have been integrated into the life of the institution in response to endorsement of the System Working Group's recommendations. System Vice-President Cora Marrett will be collecting reports on IAS integration from all System campuses next spring.
2. Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee (CEBC) - Ron Carda, Chair
3. Districting and Representation Committee (DRC) - Mary Ray, Chair
The DRC web site can be accessed directly at drc.academic-staff.wisc.edu/
They are currently testing a new web site and are looking for a few beta
testers.
If you suspect anyone is your district has been placed there incorrectly, contact Mary Ray at mbray@facstaff.wisc.edu.
4. Nominating Committee (NC) - Char Tortorice for Karen Carlson, Chair
In addition to the recommendation of Bruce Beck for ASEC, the Nominating
Committee will be presenting a preliminary ASEC slate at the December
Assembly meeting. Soon after, the committee will begin creating slates
for Standing Committees. Char urged anyone interested in being considered
for nomination to an Assembly Standing Committee to contact the Secretary
or committee members.
5. Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (PPPC) - Ann Wallace,
Chair
Detailed job security data is available on the web at www.wisc.edu/acstaff/comopp/pppc/jobsecuritysummary.pdf
PPPC will be meeting with members of CEBC to look at salary caps for Category A academic staff titles.
6. Professional Development and Recognition Committee (PDRC) - Belinda
Velazquez, Co-chair
Belinda thanked those who presented at the three brown bag sessions so
far this fall. A grant writing brown bag will be held on Tuesday, November
27 at Union South with Jackie Hank and Sandra Courter presenting.
The information about Academic Staff Excellence Awards should be mailed within a week. The deadline is January 25 for these as well as for the Regents Excellence Award. Packets should be sent to the Secretary's office following the procedures provided in the mailing and on the web.
The deadline for Professional Development Awards is March 8, 2002 (for the period July 2002 - December 2002).
7. Legislative Update - Esther Olson
Esther provided a written update distributed to Assembly members at the
meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
A. OLD BUSINESS
1. Academic Staff Institute update - Greg Iaccarino
The date for the Institute has been changed from April 5 to April 17,
at Memorial Union. The Institute will provide a full day of seminars and
workshops for governance representatives, such as members of the Assembly,
Standing Committees, and Committees on Academic Staff Issues.
2. Endowment Fund Committee Report - Char Tortorice
The committee is still working on a proposal for uses of the fund once
there is enough money to disburse. Ideas are welcome.
Prior to the December meeting, members of the Endowment Fund committee and others will provide baked goods, which will be available for a donation. This will give us a chance to have treats and contribute to the fund.
3. Professorial Titling - Wilt Sanders
Wilt Sanders provided a chronological description of the various resolutions,
motions, and letters that constitute the history of the two professorial
title series for Academic Staff. The process began in February 2000 when
the Academic Staff Assembly authorized ASEC to develop two such title
series, and culminated in May 2001 with the statement by interim Provost
Gary Sandefur that:
"The UW-Madison administration supports the creation of working instructional
and research professor titles to be granted to academic staff at the discretion
of executive committees of academic units. Each unit would decide whether
or not to employ these titles, and the criteria for granting these titles."
(letter from Gary Sandefur to Albert Beaver dated May 15, 2001)
Although the issue was settled last spring, it has come up again in the Faculty Senate in the form of a resolution by Professor Lawrence Kahan (Faculty Doc. #1596) to prohibit the use of the word "professor" in a title without the prior approval of the title by the Faculty Senate. The resolution also confers Faculty Senate approval on previously established "University of Wisconsin System academic staff titles." Note that these words confer Faculty Senate "approval" on ALL academic staff titles, not just the existing professorial titles.
This motion, which the Faculty Senate will take up at its December meeting, is problematic in a number of ways. UW System titles do not require approval nor is it appropriate for one campus governance body to revisit a decision already in place as the result of a careful collaborative process (concluded last spring).
The various documents are available on the web either on the:
academic staff www.wisc.edu/acstaff
secretary of the faculty http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/secfac/
or UW System web site http://www.uwsa.edu/acadaff/ias
B. NEW BUSINESS
1. Town Meetings Report - Heather Daniels
Town Meetings were held on October 30 at the School of Nursing and on
October 31 at Grainger Hall. Governance representatives gave reports to
attendees. Issues of concern included domestic partner benefits, professorial
titling, campus climate, and participation in departmental governance.
Those with ideas for improving campus climate or pointing out specific
problems were invited to email the chancellor directly.
2. Academic Staff Internship Program - Greg Iaccarino
The spring 2002 program has been finalized. Interested academic staff
may register on line by the December 3 deadline. Information is also on
the Human Resource Development web site regarding the participating units
at www.ohrd.wisc.edu/staffinternship. Another program is on tap for summer
2002 with applications due on April 12.
Meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m.
Submitted by Colleen McCabe
Secretary of the Academic Staff