Academic Staff Assembly
November 14, 2007 Approved Minutes
12:00 – 1:30 p.m., Ambrose 2023N

1. Approval of Minutes from October 31, 2007 Meeting

Clokey/Fox move to approve the minutes with revisions. Unanimously approved.

2. 2010-2011 Academic Calendar proposal

Youngquist/Clokey move to approve the proposed 2010-2011 calendar if and only if the fall semester start dates cannot be adjusted due to System/campus requirements. A majority of members suggest that the academic year should begin on 1 September 2007 or after the Labor Day holiday to avoid interruption of instructional continuity. Unanimously approved.

3. Visit by Ron Singer of System Administration

Overview of visit, requested staff email topics to Mike Cohen. Discussed proposed meeting date; many instructional staff are not on campus on Fridays preventing participation in the meeting. Potential topics: job security, contract term equity, collective bargaining, academic staff feedback in legislative proposals, and wage compression.

4. Academic Staff Committees and Liaisons

1. Academic Staff Awards Committee — Miolo not present
2. Academic Staff Economic Issues Committee — Ehlen for Cohen, no report
3. Academic Staff Elections/Balloting — Bowen, no report
4. Academic Staff Government Relations — Mohan, no report, will meet soon
5. Academic Staff Organization — Ehlen distributed updated Assembly and University Committee lists. Fox/Bowen move to approve the revised Committee lists and appointments as reflected in the updated lists. Unanimously approved. Ehlen will contact co-chairs Susan Kidd and Jennifer Thompson as possible liaisons to the Academic Staff Instructional Promotion Committee.
6. Academic Staff Instructional Promotion — Farmer distributed updated timeline
7. Academic Staff Professional Development — Ehlen, One proposal submitted, funding recommendations at next meeting.
8. Academic Staff Review — Ehlen for Cohen, no report
9. Academic Staff Title Appeals — Margulies, no report
10. Academic Staff Titling Committee — Youngquist reported that the Committee met November 1 and considered two positions (one reclassification and one new position); both were approved
11. Academic Staff Rewards and Recognition Committee — New information has been posted/distributed to all faculty/staff. Purple points may not be awarded effective immediately. Ehlen charged to retract the announcement immediately according to an email directive (to Mike Cohen) from Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs, Randy Marnocha. The Program will be suspended until compensation and review issues can be resolved. Ehlen will ask Therese Kennedy and Jeff Janz to work with Michael Flanagan on a special subcommittee to review the Academic Staff Reward and Recognition program (selection criteria, award mechanism/compensation).

5. Announcements

New Program assistant for Governance Office: Cohen reported that no program assistant for the Governance Office has been hired. Search will continue.

System Academic Staff Representatives Meeting: Cohen will participate on 15 November 2007. Cohen will provide the Assembly with an update on other campus’ responses to University of Wisconsin sick leave policies and procedures.

Scholarship and Creative Achievement Reception: All assembly members are encouraged to attend the Scholarship and Creative Achievement Reception on Wednesday 21 November 2007 in the Crossman Gallery from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

6. Future Agenda Items

Non-instructional Academic Staff Promotions: Currently there is no promotion mechanism for non-instructional academic staff (base adjustments without retitling). Margulies requested this topic be added to a future agenda.

Chancellor’s Search and Screen Committee: Three academic staff members have been appointed to the Chancellor’s Search and Screen Committee (Dennis Baskin, Mike Cohen, and Denise Ehlen).

Respectfully submitted,
Denise Ehlen