Plan 2008

Chair, Academic Staff Executive Committee

Representing more than 5,000 members at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Academic Staff Assembly and the Academic Staff Executive Committee strongly support efforts to achieve an academic staff workforce whose diversity reflects that of the state and the nation. The recruitment and retention into the academic staff of women and people of color are focal points of these efforts.

In May 1997, the Academic Staff Assembly voted, as did the Faculty Senate, to require that schools, colleges, and divisions establish Equity and Diversity committees. Intended to assist the unit clarify equity issues, these committees will help develop recruitment practices aimed at increasing the numbers of qualified women and minorities applying for faculty and academic staff positions. Because more academic staff than faculty are recruited each year, academic staff employment provides an excellent opportunity for increasing the representation of women and minorities on this campus.

In addition, the Academic Staff Executive Committee established the Ad Hoc Academic Staff Diversity Committee, and charged it to recommend practices and procedures that departments and units may best use to encourage the recruitment and retention of a diverse academic staff at all employment levels and in all title series. We look forward to working with the chancellor, faculty, staff and students, to continue building a diverse and multicultural campus community at UW-Madison.

Chair, Associated Students of Madison

The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) places high value on the importance of diversity in molding a multicultural and global institution, and in preserving many student voices. The ASM Diversity Committee works to increase the diversity in the student body as well as the participation of traditionally underrepresented students within student government. ASM’s Diversity Committee also enhances the University’s minority recruitment, policies, and retention efforts, and provides a medium for exchanging ideas pertaining to diversity and multicultural issues.

Professor of Sociology
Chair, Committee on Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions, and Financial Aid

The Committee on Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid concurs with view in the Chancellor’s vision statement that diversity is important to the academic vitality of the campus. Consequently, the Committee supports the goal of increasing diversity through student recruitment and admissions. The Minority Undergraduate Recruitment Strategic Plan, presented for implementation in May 1997, identifies well articulated and feasible steps that can materially increase success at each step in identifying, recruiting, and retaining minority students. We strongly support the implementation of this strategic plan.

Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chair, Committee on the Academic Affairs of Minority and Disadvantaged Students

The Committee is a shared governance committee, consisting of faculty members, staff members, and student representatives of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM). The Committee serves several roles. It reviews and makes recommendations regarding University policy and programs affecting educational opportunities for minority/disadvantaged students. It monitors the academic progress of these students and the programs and services designed for them. It provides annual reports to the Faculty Senate and to the Chancellor concerning the recruitment, admission, retention, progress, and graduation of undergraduate, professional, and graduate minority/disadvantaged students. This past year the Committee has focused on determining how best to protect our good work in the face of a changing political environment. Input from the entire campus community has been sought, because our people—all of our people—are our greatest resource. Working together, we are confident that the Madison campus community is up to the challenges the future holds.

Professor of Child and Family Studies
Chair, Committee of Women in the University

Women’s Issues at the UW-Madison
The Committee on Women in the University is a standing committee of the Faculty Senate, charged to evaluate, monitor and, where appropriate, recommend steps to improve the status of women faculty and academic staff of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In its 1996-97 report to the Faculty Senate’s University Committee and the Academic Staff Executive Committee, the Committee focused on issues in the recruitment and retention of women faculty, considering:

• How many women faculty do we have?
• How good a job has the University of Wisconsin done at retaining women faculty?
• What about the salary of women faculty?
• Is this a campus where women want to work? Do women faculty experience this as a supportive work environment?

The findings and recommendations of the Committee on Women in the University are summarized in the workforce section of this publication. In 1998, we will continue to build links with other committees and programs on campus to keep women’s issues on the table. The agenda for this year will continue to address issues elated to recruitment and retention of women faculty and academic staff, gender equity in pay as well as gender equity in type, length, and security of academic staff appointments. Climate issues including safety, and the handling of sexual harassment complaints will also be addressed. As we build our 1998 agenda, we welcome your suggestions as to where on campus our input as the Committee on Women would be most effective.

Professor of Natural Resources and Landscape Architecture
Chair, Advisory Committee of the Equity and Diversity Resource Center, 1996-1997

Focusing upon campus issues relating to diversity initiatives and governance, and the university’s need for effective monitoring and data gathering for federal contract compliance, the Equity and Diversity Resource Center (EDRC) Advisory Committee proceeded over the past year and a half to focus upon studying policy structures to address these concerns. In an effort to identify fully operational equity and diversity committees on campus, the Advisory Committee found that only approximately twenty-five percent of the units canvassed had equity and diversity committees, functioning at levels of effectiveness that appeared to vary widely. Using the committees in the School of Education and the School of Library and Information Studies as models, the Advisory Committee proceeded to develop guidelines along which similar Equity and Diversity committees would be organized in each school, college and administrative units throughout the UW-Madison campus. Faculty and staff input was made possible through public hearings organized by the Advisory Committee. Information relating to the drafts of the guidelines was also shared with Deans, Directors, the Administrative Legal Office, the University Committee and the Academic Staff Executive Committee. Designed along the School of Education and Library Science models, the Equity and Diversity committees will operate on the principle of shared governance to create a hospitable climate for underrepresented groups within their respective units.

The EDRC Advisory Committee held four public hearings during the year at which faculty and staff were invited to share their thoughts relating to the various drafts of the Guidelines for Equity and Diversity Committees. It was from the input of these units that the committee further honed the document that was presented for consideration to the Faculty Senate and the Academic Staff Assembly. Both governing bodies unanimously passed the document in May of 1997.

The Equity and Diversity Resource Center will pursue a consistent plan of operation across all schools, colleges and units for the recruitment and employment and retention of minorities and underrepresented groups. It is the opinion of the current committee that issues of importance should be identified and dealt with in a timely fashion and shall include all persons concerned with equity.