University Committee

1. The functions of the UC are established in FPP 6.54.B.
2. The UC meets weekly during the fall and spring semesters and as needed throughout the summer and during the winter and spring breaks. The UC chair decides on meeting times, traditionally all afternoon on Mondays. Four members constitute a quorum.
3. The meeting agenda is prepared by the UC chair with the assistance of the secretary of the faculty and distributed to committee members in advance of the meeting. Members of the University Committee may place items on the agenda by submitting a written or oral request to the chair in advance of the posting of the agenda. Materials for the meeting are normally distributed at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.
4. The Office of the Secretary of the Faculty provides support to the UC. The secretary of the faculty attends all UC meetings and maintains committee records. An item on the agenda of regularly scheduled UC meetings is the approval of minutes of any meeting(s) whose minutes have not already been approved.
5. Decisions of the UC are made by consensus or, if formal votes are taken, by majority rule. Formal votes are recorded in the minutes. The committee may include minority views in its written communications. UC members are free to express minority views individually either in writing or orally.
6. The chancellor, provost, vice chancellor for finance and administration, vice chancellor for research and graduate education, vice chancellor for university relations, and chief diversity officer have standing invitations to attend UC meetings and may present items of interest to the committee. Other senior administrators and committee chairs also meet regularly with the UC to present information or answer questions.
7. Items are generally discussed by the entire committee; however, the UC may decide to appoint subcommittees to investigate agenda items and/or prepare draft reports to bring before the committee as a whole.
8. The UC chair for the coming year is elected by the committee members early in the Spring Semester. The chair assumes duties on 1 June, the starting date of the new committee. Normally, the incoming chair will be in the final year of the three-year term of service. (In some cases they may have replaced someone else part of the way through this term, and therefore might not have served two full years at the start of the third year of that term.)
9. The UC either as separate meetings or part of a regular meeting will annually: 1) discuss its operating procedures for the coming year; 2) discuss committee assignments; 3) establish the role of and expectations for committee members; 4) review the chair selection procedure to be followed in the spring; and 5) identify and set priorities for initiatives; 6) orient new UC members.
10. According to the by-laws of PROFS, Inc. and Faculty Document 262(a), the members of the UC serve as the PROFS Board of Directors, and as such, are responsible for overseeing the activities of the PROFS’ Steering Committee. Because PROFS is not a governance body and thus not subject to the same open meetings and public records requirements as the UC, PROFS Board meetings are scheduled and conducted separately (but often sequential with) UC meetings.
11. Pursuant to FPP 6.06.H., the UC appoints, subject to confirmation by the senate, appropriately qualified faculty to fill vacancies on elected faculty committees until the vacancies are filled at the next annual election. When a vacancy occurs on the University Committee, the UC shall make the appointment only after consultation with the Committee on Committees or members of the COC when it is not possible for the COC to convene in a timely fashion.
12. The Madison UW System faculty representative (fac rep) will be tied to PROFS to provide greater continuity in the position. The Madison fac rep will make every effort to attend (in person or by phone) all fac reps and Board of Regents meetings. Every year an alternate fac rep will be selected from the UC to attend meetings in the official fac rep’s absence. Should the alternate be unable to attend, the UC chair will represent UW-Madison. The fac rep will share information about the meetings with the UC.

1. In hearing grievances, the University Committee will conduct a preliminary inquiry in order to determine the nature and scope of the case. This preliminary inquiry may be conducted by the committee as a whole or by the UC chair.
2. If a case does not appear to be unduly complex or time-consuming, the UC will ordinarily decide to hear the case itself and to make its own recommendations for a resolution of the matter.
3. If, however, the case appears to be complex, time-consuming, or otherwise unusually difficult, the University Committee may establish a fact-finding panel for that case.
4. The panel should normally consist of three to five members of the tenured faculty who have no direct interest in the grievance and no impermissible relationship with any of the principal parties in the case. The UC will designate a chair of the panel. The panel shall have the same authority as the UC to seek documents and to hear testimony considered relevant to the grievance.
5. After concluding its deliberations, the panel should transmit to the University Committee a written report with whatever recommendations it deems appropriate for a fair and reasonable resolution of the grievance.
6. In every case final responsibility for resolution of the grievance shall rest with the UC.

Big10 Academic Alliance Representative: Eric Sandgren

Committee on Committees (two members): Erica Halverson and Kristyn Masters

Faculty Consultative Committee on Financial Emergency (two members): Lauren Papp, Fernando Tejedo-Herrero

PROFS Board of Directors (all members)

PROFS Steering Committee (three or more members): Eric Sandgren, Kristyn Masters, Susan Thibeault

Rule Waivers (two new members): Susan Thibeault and Fernando Tejedo-Herrero

University Academic Planning Council: Erica Halverson

University Research Council: Lauren Papp

UW System Faculty Representative: Kirsten Wolf, alternate: Eric Sandgren