Chair’s
Report for
Senate update
1.
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
2.
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.
Faculty Reps
Meeting –
1.
President Kevin Reilly
addressed the group. Expressed a desire to work closely with the faculty.
2.
Program Planning – New
program requests should be (a) consistent with the mission, (b) show a wise use
of resources, (c) look for areas of collaboration where possible, (d) show
preparation of students for a tech-based world, and (f) infuse diversity if
possible.
3.
PK-16 report – shared
continued desire for Colleges of Education to work with Letters & Sciences
4.
Access to quality
education. Concern that 2700 new students added in system, but down 670
positions. About 40% of instruction taught by non-faculty. Will ask for 300
positions to be restored in next budget.
5.
Faculty & staff urged
to get more directly involved with legislators. Reported that just 5 calls or
letters on same topic appears as ‘crisis’ to many legislators. They really
don’t hear much from constituents.
6.
PK-16: Quality of student
in today’s freshmen class in college depends on quality of K-12 education;
quality of those teachers depends on quality of faculty in University; need to
show need to maintain that quality.
7.
Discussed budget process.
Very large budget request is going forward, but ½ of request is for standard
budget adjustments; other ½ for 5 initiatives. End of Nov thru Jan best time to
get legislators’ attention. Find who on campus is already politically active
and ask them to contact legislators again. KEY message is what impacts
students. Governor is leaning extremely hard on Board of Regents to up tuition
and lower GPR request.
8.
Compensation report given
(refer to Senator Wick’s report)
9.
Discussion of the role of
the faculty reps; not a deliberative body. New name: Faculty Representative
Advisory Council. How to be more involved?
Board of
Regents Meeting – September 9 & 10 in Madison
1.
You can now listen to the
Board of Regent’s full-board meetings via the Web at http://www.wisconsin.edu/news/index.htm
. The next meeting will be October 7 & 8 in Superior.
2.
Please take the time to
access President Reilly’s remarks and the summary of the Regent’s meetings at http://www.wisconsin.edu/news/index.htm . The following are key points from these items.
3.
Reilly noted: it's clear
to me that a top priority must be to share the importance of the work that
happens within this university, and to build lasting relationships with the
people and organizations that make it possible … Our mission as a public
university is to be Wisconsin's premier developer of advanced human potential,
of the jobs that employ that potential, and of the communities that sustain it.
… Our budget is a "student access" budget because it contains
financial aid that will in effect, freeze tuition for students from families
with annual incomes in the low $40,000 range and below. It is a
"student access" budget because it will enable working adults to have
access to educational opportunities throughout their careers. And it is a
student access budget because it will ensure that students have access to
quality faculty and staff… more than 85% of our general operating budget is
spent on people. Faculty and staff are at the core of our enterprise.
Without quality people, we cannot have a quality university….To me, it is
unacceptable that we have almost 9,000 more students and nearly 700 fewer
faculty than we did a decade ago. Quality is in jeopardy when 40% of our
student credit hours are taught by nonfaculty, no matter how talented and
dedicated they might be….I'd like to share just three or four areas that I
believe demand my immediate energy and commitment...First, students first!
…students are a number one priority….A second, and related, priority is to be
more transparent in how we operate. I believe that the UW System is a
"black box" to a lot of Wisconsin citizens - indeed, to most of our
own employees and students in some ways.…I want to demystify the UW System - to
communicate what we do, how decisions get made, why decisions are made, and how
we stand accountable to our own internal audiences, as well as the citizens of
the state… A third priority of mine, not unrelated to the first two, is to
focus on efficiency. After all, the greater our administrative
efficiency, the more dollars available to serve students, perform public
service or conduct much needed research to improve our quality of life - and
the more transparent we will be.
4.
George Brooks, UW System
associate vice president for human resources, reported to the board the results of a
review of salaries [PDF] within the UW System, requested by Regent
President Toby E. Marcovich of
5.
The Education Committee
voted to accept the 2003 report on Undergraduate Drop Rates and following a
decade of satisfactory performance, request that the Joint Finance Committee
discontinue the course credit drop reporting requirement; approve several
school and college reorganizations at UW-Eau Claire.