Shared Governance: Academic Staff Rights and Responsibilities
You can participate
The faculty, students, and academic staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison share in the responsibility of governing this institution through a time honored system of shared governance. Involvement in this system is not just a right, it is a responsibility that each group takes very seriously.*
How does this happen?
The Academic Staff Assembly is the body empowered to deal with issues affecting academic staff at the university level. Academic staff are organized into districts that have a commonality of types of jobs performed. Each district elects its own representative to the Assembly. The meetings are once a month during the academic year.
The Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) provides administrative support to the Academic Staff Assembly. Its nine members are elected at large. ASEC meets once a week.
The Assembly has five standing committees with members elected by Assembly representatives:
Personnel Policies and Procedures
Compensation and Economic Benefits
Professional Development and Recognition
Districting and Representation
Nominating
In addition, there are many joint governance committees that develop
and monitor policies on a variety of issues such as Campus Child Care,
Information Technology, Athletic Board and Campus Transportation. Further,
schools/colleges, departments, and some units have governance committees,
including Committees on Academic Staff Issues (CASI) to keep the dean
informed about issues affecting academic staff.
Committee work is critical to the self-governing nature of this campus.
Even if an academic staff member is not actively sitting on a committee,
it is important to keep informed about committee workings as they often
affect our working conditions and campus climate. One of the best ways
to keep informed about what is happening on campus is to periodically
log onto the academic staff website: www.wisc.edu/acstaff.
Committees usually meet about once a month.
How are issues handled?
To speak to someone about issues affecting academic staff, call or email your Assembly representative. You can find him/her by going into the academic staff governance web page and clicking on “Districts.” The Secretary of the Academic Staff’s office 270 Bascom, 263-2985, cmccabe@bascom.wisc.edu is a resource for questions about governance.
How do I get involved?
The Nominating Committee of the Academic Staff Assembly is always looking to increase participation in governance. You can reach that committee through the Secretary’s office as well. Your own CASI will have information on committee opportunities at the school/college level. The university can be intimidating if you don’t understand how it works and how decisions are made. Participation in governance makes it understandable and much more welcoming.
Other academic staff organizations
The Academic Staff Public Representation Organization (ASPRO) is a statewide lobbying group (supported by membership dues) representing all UW System academic staff. www.aspro.net
The Madison Academic Staff Association (MASA) is open to any academic staff member. The membership dues are $10 per year. This non-affiliated professional organization focuses on academic staff issues. Independent of the University structure, MASA’s mission is to foster open communication about issues of importance to all academic staff. www.wisc.edu/masa/
The Academic Staff Mentoring Program promotes professional and personal development among academic staff by connecting them as mentees to others as mentors to advise, coach, and guide them, as well as help them understand the context in which they are operating. www.wisc.edu/acstaff/mentor
*On August 17, 1985, Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 36.09 (4m) was amended to included academic staff specifically, as follows:
The academic staff members of each institution, subject to the responsibilities and powers of the board, the president and the chancellor and faculty of the institution, shall be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy development for the institution. The academic staff members have primary responsibility for the formulation and review, and shall be represented in the development, of all policies and procedures concerning academic staff members, including academic staff personnel matters. The academic staff members of each institution shall have the right to organize themselves in a manner they determine, and to select their representatives to participate in institutional governance.
January 2001
UW-Madison Committees with Academic Staff Participation
Academic Affairs of Minority/Disadvantaged Students
Academic Staff Area Review Committees
Administrative/Student Services/Library
Biological/Medical Sciences
Humanities/Social Sciences
Physical Sciences/Engineering
Academic Staff Appeals Committee
Academic Staff Executive Committee
Academic Staff - Standing Committees
Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee
Distinguished Prefix Review Committee
Districting and Representation Committee
Nominating Committee
Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee
Professional Development and Recognition Committee
Access and Accommodation in Instruction
Arboretum Committee
Archives Committee
Athletic Board
Bicycle-Pedestrian Subcommittee of the Campus Transportation Committee
Budget Planning and Analysis Joint Subcommittee
Campus Diversity Oversight Committee
Campus Natural Areas Committee
Campus Planning Committee
Campus Transportation Committee
Commission on Fraternities and Sororities
Committee on Committees
Conflict of Interest Committee
Council on Academic Advising
Disabilities Accommodation Advisory Committee
Distinguished Prefix Review Committee
Equity and Diversity Resource Center Advisory Committee
Faculty Compensation and Economic Benefits Commission
Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Committee
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues Committee
Health Care Committee
Information Technology Committee
Institutional Advisory Committee on Outside Activities
Lectures Committee
Library Committee
Memorial Library Committee
Merit Awards Committee
Morgridge Center for Public Service Advisory Board
Nonresident Tuition Appeals Committee
Recreational Sports Board
Retirement Issues Committee
Safety Committees
Space and Remodeling Policies Committee
Student Academic Misconduct Hearing Panel
Student Hearing Examiners
Student Non-Academic Misconduct Review Panel
Student Policies and Non-Academic Program Committee
Teaching Awards Committee
Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aids Committee
Undergraduate Research Awards Committee
Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Grant Program
Union Council
University Academic Planning Council
University Bookstore Board of Trustees
University Child Care Committee
University Committee
University Library Committee
University Honors Committee
Wisconsin Union Committee
Women in the University, Committee on