Minutes of the University Committee
January 30, 2001

The Committee met at 2:05 in 262 CART. Members present were John Buenker, Walter Feldt, Laura Gellott, Fran Kavenik, and Greg Mayer. Also present were Larry Duetsch, John Ostheimer, and Ron Singer.

Provost Ostheimer described the UW System unclassified pay plan for the 2001-03 biennium. The Board of Regents has recommended a 4.2 percent increase in each year of the biennium and has left the guidelines for distribution of the unclassified pay plan essentially unchanged. As in previous years, each institution will be allowed some discretion in determining the proportion of the distribution that is to be based on individual performance - not less than one third nor more than two thirds. The balance is to be distributed (roughly) across-the-board. Each Chancellor will be allowed to exercise discretion in distributing ten percent of the institution's overall pay plan (often referred to as 'skim') to meet special needs.

Provost Ostheimer said that Chancellor Keating wishes to make discretionary pay plan awards to individuals whose work is deemed by colleagues to be critical to their department's mission and the University's mission. To that end, the Deans will ask executive committees to recommend awards only if they can be justified on the basis of contributions to the departmental / University mission. Recommendations will need to cite clear evidence of performance in relation to mission. Committee members suggested that it would be appropriate for Chancellor Keating to express his views on this matter to the Faculty Senate on
February 13.

Associate Vice Chancellor Singer observed that it may be difficult for a department to justify a discretionary award for one of its members if everyone in the department has been deemed to be equally meritorious. He also noted that department chairs have seldom been recommended for discretionary pay plan awards and hoped they would receive full and fair consideration for these awards.

The Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor left the meeting, thanking the Committee for being receptive to the approach they had outlined. After they had left, the Committee agreed to reaffirm its long-standing support for weighting performance as heavily as possible in the overall distribution of the pay plan.

The Committee approved a recommendation for augmentation of the Executive Committee in the Department of Geography.

The Committee reviewed agenda items that had been submitted for the February 13 meeting of the Faculty Senate. It was agreed that Professor Gellott should invite Provost Ostheimer to make a presentation about new program development as a part of her University Committee report.

It was agreed that the somewhat controversial policy on Incompletes that had been approved by the Academic Policies Committee last semester should be dealt with at this Senate meeting so that the matter is resolved before the 2001-03 Catalog goes to print. To expedite the matter, the Committee proceeded to rewrite the policy that had been reported out by the Academic
Policies Committee. Agreement was then reached to place the matter on the Senate agenda in this rewritten form and recommend it for approval.

As the final Senate agenda item, the Committee agreed to invite Dr. Ed Conrad, our Academic Actions Officer, to make a presentation concerning student academic suspensions as part of a Committee of the Whole discussion of the causes and consequences of academic suspensions.

The Committee adjourned at 4:00, after agreeing to meet next on February 20.