Chair’s Report for
Senate update
1.
Senators
- remember to initial the sign-in roster. Guests should sign the Guest
Register.
2.
Important
links to agendas, minutes, Chair's Reports and other sites of interest are
available
on the Senate web site: http://www.uwec.edu/Usenate.
Senate Chair’s Report will be available on this site by
3.
During
debates, Senators may speak only twice to any motion or amendment. Each
speaking term is limited to 10 minutes. The Chair will add names of those
wishing to speak to a speaker's list upon recognition.
1. Acknowledged University Senate Resolution on University Support
Faculty Reps Meeting
1.
Brief discussion
on a study by a Steven’s Point professor on the inability of
2.
Louise
Root-Robbins from System described the Sloan Foundation Work/Life Project – a
project to see how to expand opportunities in career advancement. Since 1987,
have lost over 600 faculty positions. The project will look at what is
happening, how this loss has affected the campuses and instruction.
Demonstration (pilot) campuses were selected to include geographic diversity,
differences in types of institutions, and those ready and working in work/life
areas. The project will work with each demonstration campus to help them effect
a change in the area of work life and opportunities for career advancement. http://Sloan.uswa.edu
3.
Charting a new
Course working group updates: the Revenue Authority group heard how Stout has
gone to a per credit tuition and is working on a proposal to give incentives
for completing a degree in 4-5 years; Operating Efficiencies is looking at ways
to increase instructional delivery using more staff than faculty.
4.
Institutional
Reports: GB – open meeting law relationship to review of individuals, want it
as open as possible; balance between academic staff and tenured faculty;
institutional climate, suspected problems of fairness, strategic budgeting;
LaCrosse – reorganization of PhysEd, Health, Teacher Ed, staffing, and service
& supplies concerns; Milwaukee – chancellor search progressing, strategic
budget planning, looking at differential tuition in four colleges, open records
law being discussed; Oshkosh – move toward more web/computer format for savings
in Administration, but putting burden in departments, some departments want
required GPA for specific programs, looking into male/female ratios on campus;
Parkside – strategic budgeting, committee to look at streamlining program
review and working directly with Provost office to help decide faculty hires in
conjunction with budgets, mentoring for new faculty & academic staff,
looking at Teacher Ed program, looking at what recall of $ for supporting
financial aid did to the campus; Platteville – controversy over Print Program
in Business, administration wants to eliminate it, faculty are in full support
to keep it, Senate voted unanimously to reverse decision of Chancellor,
enrollment expansion, forum on Issues of Funding UW System to be in February;
River Falls – concerns on conversion of People Soft and shifting decisions now
to Dean’s office, GE review and reformatting, assessment; Superior – compliance
of reducing program credits, streamlining number of tracks, finalizing policy
for campus for strategic planning, university-wide review of retention and
promotion process, gift of $5 million for academic building; Whitewater –
personnel rules revision, using NSE and FSE to look at quality, participating
in sexual harassment training, been pushing for study of power of women in
governance & administration, attempt to meet needs out of reserve funds,
students working at publishing evaluations; Colleges – changing way for
initiating policies in senate, role colleges play with tech college system,
faculty worried if will need to take on additional responsibilities
5.
Plans are being
made by System to host regional meetings to discuss implications of Supreme
Court decisions on race in terms of scholarships, and fellowships.
Board of Regents Meeting
http://www.wisconsin.edu/news/2003/r031204.htm and http://www.wisconsin.edu/news/2003/r031205b.htm
1.
In the most
recent budget, state lawmakers required the UW System to use $26 million in
auxiliary funds to supplement state financial aid – a one-time source that will
not meet the ongoing demand for such funding. During a discussion Thursday
morning about state and national financial aid policies, several regents and
university officials expressed concern about the declining number of needy
2.
Frank Goldberg,
UW System associate vice president for policy analysis and research, told the
board that
3.
The full Board of
Regents on Friday approved two final items of a six-part plan to increase
credit transfer opportunities between the UW System and the Wisconsin Technical
College System. The first item will allow WTCS students in college-parallel
programs at the
4.
The committee on
Thursday also reviewed the UW System faculty sabbatical reassignments for
2004-05. Several regents praised the program for its ability to enhance
learning and teaching at no additional cost. UW System President Katharine C.
Lyall said that private businesses generally use the benchmark of spending 5
percent of their budgets on professional development. The UW System comes in
under that figure, she noted. "Any cutting-edge business realizes that you
need to keep your talent on the cutting-edge, and we expect that, too,"
she said. Regent Fred Mohs of
5.
The Regents'
Business and Finance Committee Thursday learned about changes in
6.
U.S. Reps. Tom
Petri (R-Fond du Lac), and Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) told the board that their
work on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is intended to help
alleviate some of the fiscal pressure universities are experiencing as a result
of budget cuts. Kind said he has heard a great deal of feedback in opposition
to a proposal from Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, (R-Calif.), that would withhold
federal financial aid from colleges and universities that raise tuition by more
than twice the rate of inflation. Kind said he has helped introduce an
alternative proposal that would instead offer incentives to states that “hold
harmless” students by more fully funding higher education. Kind also noted that
for the first time in 10 years, Congress is expected to freeze the level of
funding provided by Pell grants for the next fiscal year. Regent Peggy
Rosenzweig of
7.
Lyall reminded
the board that the 2003-05 budget required a one-time use of $26 million in UW
auxiliary reserves to fund student financial aid, leaving a hole to fill in the
next biennial budget. Lyall suggested that the board could also adopt a
resolution at its February meeting, with support from the chancellors and
student governments, urging Congress to increase federal financial aid.
Legislative Update
http://www.uwsa.edu/univ_rel/govrel/lupdate/index.htm
The Assembly
Colleges and Universities Committee will hold a public hearing on
Tuesday, Dec. 16, at
AB-406.
Requires colleges and universities to reenroll a student who was called into
active duty military service in the semester following discharge or the next
succeeding semester.
AB-540.
Establishes a statutory code of ethics governing unclassified personnel of the
UW System.
A
vote will likely be held on the following bills, which have already had a
hearing:
AB-366.
Mandating the transfer of credits between and within the UW System and
technical college system. An amendment has
been introduced.
AB-543. Expands
the statutory notice of public meetings of certain bodies within the UW System.
AB-558.
Requires UW System Board of Regents to vote by roll call.
New Legislation Circulating
Administrators—Rep. Stone is circulating LRB-3636, which would prohibit
Chancellors/Deans—Sen. Hansen is circulating
LRB-3571/2, which would require the president and chancellors (including deans
of the two-year UW Colleges campuses) of the UW System to obtain the approval
of the Ethics Board before accepting compensation for serving on a
corporation’s board of directors.