M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: September 1, 2006
TO: Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, and Faculty
FROM: John D. Wiley, Chancellor
RE: Academic Staff Governance Participation
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a governance system under which faculty, academic staff and students share responsibility for campus governance. Our system works most effectively when all participants feel welcome to come forward to offer their energy and expertise in the shared governance system.
Section 36.09 (4m) of the Wisconsin Statutes authorizes shared governance participation by members of the academic staff. Additionally, both the Academic Staff Articles of Organization and a Faculty Senate Resolution (March 2, 1987) encourage and support academic staff participation. These documents direct units and supervisors to provide flexibility in work scheduling so that academic staff may serve on appropriate committees or on governance bodies such as the Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC), the Academic Staff Assembly, and the Committees on Academic Staff Issues (CASIs).
Percentage of appointment in a work unit or office should not serve as a barrier to statutorily granted participation in shared governance. For further information, see the academic staff web site at acstaff.wisc.edu.
I urge all academic staff to consider participation in governance as members of the Academic Staff Assembly as well as boards and committees at the campus, college, and department/unit levels. I also ask deans, directors, department chairs, and supervisors to encourage and make this participation possible.
xc: Academic staff members