The University Committee convened Monday to discuss many campus issues, including campus carry, UW-Madison’s falling research ranking and the role of deans in post-tenure faculty review.
PROFS President Judith Burstyn told the committee the faculty organization is working on drafting language opposing campus carry, an issue expected to come up in the state Legislature next year. Burstyn said PROFS had met with Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, who she said had an open mind in discussing the issue. Given the unlikelihood of Republican opposition to campus carry in the event of a vote in the legislature, though, Burstyn emphasized the need for community outreach.
“I think that students and parents are the number one helpful people on this particular issue,” Burstyn said. “The real trick is going to be to get a broader constituency that’s not just people at the university.”
The committee then shifted its focus to UW-Madison’s falling research ranking. According to National Science Foundation data, the university dropped from fourth to sixth, the first time it had placed outside of the top five since 1972. It also had the biggest research spending reduction among schools in the top 30, at 3.6 percent.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Marsha Mailick said research has been impacted by state budget cuts, and emphasized the need to reinvest. Still, Mailick reiterated UW-Madison’s status as a research powerhouse, and said programs such as UW 2020 could help generate research dollars.
“I think success is not just about money, it’s about knowledge,” Mailick said.
A long point of discussion during the meeting was potential changes to language concerning the deans’ role in post-tenure faculty review. Committee members said some regents were in favor of creating specific language on how deans should manage the review process as a way to speed up an often lengthy procedure. The committee expressed concerns that these changes would constrain rather than support deans, and discussed reaching out to deans to take up the issue.
