Archive for the ‘Shared governance’ Category

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Some observations on the UVA debacle.

Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

The following was written by Judith Burstyn, professor of chemistry and former chair of the University Committee at UW-Madison. An abbreviated version appeared in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education.  The full piece is reprinted here (and also at EduOptimists) in its entirety with her permission.

Apparently, at today’s University of Virginia, business values trump all. There is a troubling recent trend toward viewing all public institutions in market terms, where value is measured by dollars produced. In recent years, UW-Madison has felt this too, as some of our leaders focus on efficiency via new “flexibilities.” But universities are not businesses. The proper role of universities is the creation of knowledge for the public good, and education of the new generations of citizens and leaders for civil society. Business management approaches are ill suited to nurture the intellectual expansiveness that underlies great scholarship and deep learning. Reliance on narrow, industry-driven curricula simply won’t do. Great universities encompass a wide variety of disciplines, methods and perspectives, irrespective of the marketability of the knowledge they create. Nourishment of the young minds of our future leaders is invaluable to our country, and the University of Virginia and UW-Madison are shining examples of excellence in this regard. I worry that this excellence is at risk. (more…)

Posted in Shared governance | 1 Comment »

Recommendations from the Academic Staff Executive Committee for the HR Design Phase I Work Groups

Friday, May 4th, 2012

The Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) has provided S&W with a document with the following title: Recommendations from the Academic Staff Executive Committee for the HR Design Phase I Work Groups, dated  April 27, 2012.   The original PDF document is here.   The content has been transcribed below for the convenience of S&W readers.  Transcription errors are possible.  In case of doubt, please refer to the original document.  – Ed.

Introduction

The Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) has spent the recent weeks reviewing the Preliminary Recommendations of the HR Design Phase I work groups. For the purpose of this review, we primarily concentrated on issues that would affect academic staff but also commented on other issues that we found in the documents. Before we go into individual work team recommendations, we have some overarching comments. These concern the lack of data upon which recommendations were based, the considerable investment of money and other resources that implementation of the recommendations would take, and the effects of the recommendations on academic staff. (more…)

Posted in Academic staff, Compensation, Shared governance, State worker benefits, State-University Relations, The UW-Madison Campus | 1 Comment »

The continued marketization of UW-Madison.

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

This article has been cross-posted from the The Education Optimists at the request of the author. – Ed.

Last year, I wrote extensively about efforts led by former Chancellor Biddy Martin and her administration, donors, and alumni to privatize (or at least semi-privatize) the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  That effort was partially successful, for while Martin and colleagues failed to separate Madison from the rest of the UW System, or gain authority over tuition setting, they did succeed in getting Madison the authority to redesign its human resources system.  This new “flexibility” was praised by many on campus, including staff, faculty, and students, who recognize that the current bureaucracy is not working, especially for those outside of administration.

So, this year the Human Resource Design Project has been advertised as a tremendous opportunity, hard won, and far better than the alternative — the status quo.  Perhaps.  But few reforms are without consequence, and the recommendations recently offered by the working teams in HR Design suggest this case is no exception.   (more…)

Posted in Academic staff, Classified staff, Collective bargaining, Compensation, Shared governance, State worker benefits, State-University Relations, The University Budget, The UW-Madison Campus | 3 Comments »

Keep collective bargaining and the civil service system at UW-Madison.

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

A year ago, thousands of UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff marched to the Capitol to oppose Governor Walker’s radical attempts to destroy Wisconsin’s 50-year tradition of collective bargaining. Today, the Governor faces a recall, and a federal court has struck down some of the most onerous parts of Act 10. Yet UW-Madison may be on the verge of realizing the Governor’s anti-worker vision on campus. (more…)

Posted in Academic staff, Classified staff, Collective bargaining, Shared governance, State worker benefits, State-University Relations, The UW-Madison Campus | No Comments »

“We won’t take it anymore”: UW-Madison students mobilize for student loan debt relief.

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

As students in Wisconsin, we have the right to allocate our own segregated fees for student activities and services that serve the student interest such as student organizations, the Student Union, and University Health Services.  Although recently we have seen a lack of transparency from what are known as “non-allocable” entities (UHS, Wisconsin Union, Rec. Sports, etc.), the state statute upholding this right—the famous 36.09(5)—remains in full force.  Students must protect their right to allocate their own funds even though it is often co-opted and attacked by non-students, including administrators and legislators alike. (more…)

Posted in College costs, Shared governance, The UW-Madison Campus | 1 Comment »

Is this what shared governance looks like?

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

The following has been cross-posted from The Education Optimists:

For decades, the price of higher education has been rising at colleges and universities nationwide, and relatively few students and families have done so much as sniff.  While occasional concerns about affordability have been expressed, that message has been quite soft when compared to the loud statement uttered by the millions who walk onto college campuses every year, despite rising tuition and fees.  In other words, actions speak louder than words.  Colleges and universities are able to say: if we are truly charging more than you want to pay, why do you keep buying it?

(more…)

Posted in College costs, Shared governance, The UW-Madison Campus | 1 Comment »

Do UW employees need a representative organization?

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Do UW employees need a representative organization in addition to the existing governance institutions? What would be the primary objectives of the organization?  How would this organization evolve?

A group of faculty and staff met last Saturday afternoon to discuss these questions. The individuals represented a reasonable cross-section of academic staff and faculty (in length of service) and most of the employee organizations such as PROFS, UFAS and academic staff governance groups. The meeting was organized by Wisconsin University Union (WUU) for the purpose of assessing interest in a campus-wide organization and figuring out what that organization would do.

There was a unanimous opinion that an employee organization is needed. Many of the discussion participants were members/leaders of the staff and faculty governance organizations and spoke to the limitations of those organizations. Academic staff discussed the inability of the Academic Staff Assembly to address most of the major issues facing the staff e.g. layoffs, promotions, pay inequities. And noted the low level of participation and interaction with those they purport to represent. Faculty noted that the Senate failed to take a strong position on the Public Authority proposal until it was effectively dead. Given the structural ties between the Faculty Senate and PROFS, that organization is often hamstrung from positions that most members of PROFS endorse. (more…)

Posted in Collective bargaining, Compensation, Shared governance, State worker benefits | 1 Comment »

Invitation to planning discussion: Building an effective organization for faculty and staff.

Monday, August 29th, 2011

The following event is likely to be of interest to S&W readers – Ed.

Save the date!

Saturday, Sept 24 — 10 AM- 3 PM

Building an Effective Organization for Faculty and Staff

If you read Sifting and Winnowing then you recognize that the events of last semester underscore the need for a viable organization of University staff and faculty. The Wisconsin University Union (WUU) invites you to a planning discussion about what that might look like. We’d like to hear from campus employees what they’d like that organization to focus on and do.

What issues should this organization prioritize? (more…)

Posted in Academic freedom, Collective bargaining, Compensation, Shared governance, State worker benefits, State-University Relations, Uncategorized | No Comments »

It’s time to move on…

Sunday, June 19th, 2011

Biddy is moving on. We have to move on.

Higher education is changing. We see this in how students approach learning, the infusion of technologies into our everyday work habits and the financial stresses on our organization. Biddy is a strong leader who is future focused, she recognizes that changes are needed and fights to make them happen. There is no question that our leadership and administration must be vigilant and continually examine whether changes should be made that would enhance our endeavors. But, running a university is a people business. You must take into account the people of the organization or risk becoming irrelevant. (more…)

Posted in Shared governance, The UW-Madison Campus | 5 Comments »

A sad day … and a new chapter.

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Biddy Martin has a great many admirers on the UW-Madison campus.  This is no surprise, as her public persona is very appealing: she is exceptionally intelligent, articulate, diplomatic — all the qualities, in fact, cited in the Amherst press release announcing her hiring.

I was among those faculty who greeted with enthusiasm her arrival as our new chancellor in September 2008, a scant three years ago.  And a bit like those for whom the Obama administration failed to live up to (possibly unrealistic) expectations, I am among the most disappointed today. (more…)

Posted in Shared governance, The UW-Madison Campus | 19 Comments »

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