Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB858 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 SENATE BILL 858
5	5	December 26, 2023 - Introduced by Senators H ESSELBEIN, SMITH, TAYLOR,
6	6	CARPENTER, PFAFF, ROYS, LARSON, AGARD and SPREITZER, cosponsored by
7	7	Representatives JOERS, STUBBS, SINICKI, NEUBAUER, BARE, RATCLIFF, EMERSON,
8	8	SHELTON, JACOBSON, PALMERI, CONSIDINE, SUBECK, CLANCY, HONG, J. ANDERSON,
9	9	MADISON, BILLINGS, OHNSTAD, BALDEH, CONLEY and SHANKLAND. Referred to
10	10	Committee on Universities and Revenue.
11	11	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
12	12	AN ACT to repeal 36.09 (3m); and to amend 36.09 (4), 36.09 (4m) and 36.09 (5)
13	13	of the statutes; relating to: shared governance at University of Wisconsin
14	14	System institutions.
15	15	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
16	16	This bill modifies statutory provisions relating to shared governance at
17	17	University of Wisconsin System institutions to restore these provisions to their form
18	18	just prior to enactment of the 2015-17 biennial budget act (2015 Wisconsin Act 55).
19	19	Current law, after 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, specifies the division of
20	20	responsibilities at UW System institutions as follows: 1) the chancellors are the
21	21	executive heads and are vested with the responsibility of administering the policies
22	22	of the Board of Regents and, in consultation with the faculty, carrying out other
23	23	policy-related responsibilities such as designing curricula, setting degree
24	24	requirements, determining academic standards, establishing standards for faculty
25	25	appointment and promotion, and administering institutional funds; 2) the faculty of
26	26	each institution has the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding
27	27	academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters; 3) the academic
28	28	staff of each institution has the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor
29	29	regarding the formulation and review, and must be represented in the development,
30	30	of policies and procedures concerning academic staff, including academic staff
31	31	personnel matters; and 4) the students of each institution have primary
32	32	responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review of
33	33	policies concerning student life, services, and interests. However, this authority of
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38	38	SENATE BILL 858
39	39	the faculty, academic staff, and students is subordinate to the authority of the Board
40	40	of Regents, the UW System president, and the chancellor, and the authority of the
41	41	academic staff and students is further subordinate to the authority of the faculty.
42	42	Although faculty have the right to determine their own organizational structure and
43	43	to select their representatives in institutional governance, they must ensure that
44	44	faculty in academic disciplines related to science, technology, engineering, and
45	45	mathematics, STEM, are adequately represented in the faculty organizational
46	46	structure.
47	47	Before 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, the division of responsibilities applicable to
48	48	faculty, academic staff, and students at UW System institutions was characterized
49	49	as follows: 1) the faculty was vested with responsibility for the immediate
50	50	governance of the institution and had to actively participate in institutional policy
51	51	development, and as such had the primary responsibility for academic and
52	52	educational activities and faculty personnel matters; 2) the academic staff had to be
53	53	active participants in the immediate governance of and policy development for the
54	54	institution and had the primary responsibility for the formulation and review, and
55	55	had to be represented in the development, of all policies and procedures concerning
56	56	academic staff members, including academic staff personnel matters; and 3) the
57	57	students had to be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy
58	58	development for the institution and, as such, had primary responsibility for the
59	59	formulation and review of policies concerning student life, services and interests.
60	60	However, these responsibilities of the faculty, academic staff, and students were
61	61	subject to the responsibilities and powers of the Board of Regents, the UW System
62	62	president, and the chancellor, and the responsibilities of the academic staff and
63	63	students were further subject to the responsibilities of the faculty. In addition, prior
64	64	to 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, there was no statutory requirement that STEM faculty be
65	65	adequately represented in the faculty organizational structure.
66	66	This bill restores provisions relating to shared governance at UW System
67	67	institutions to the form in which they existed just prior to the enactment of 2015
68	68	Wisconsin Act 55.
69	69	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
70	70	enact as follows:
71	71	SECTION 1. 36.09 (3m) of the statutes is repealed.
72	72	SECTION 2. 36.09 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
73	73	36.09 (4) FACULTY. The faculty of each institution, subject to the responsibilities
74	74	and powers of the board, the president, and the chancellor of such institution, shall
75	75	be vested with responsibility for the immediate governance of such institution and
76	76	shall actively participate in institutional policy development. As such, the faculty
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85	85	SECTION 2
86	86	SENATE BILL 858
87	87	shall have the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding academic
88	88	and educational activities and faculty personnel matters. The faculty of each
89	89	institution shall have the right to determine their own faculty organizational
90	90	structure and to select representatives to participate in institutional governance,
91	91	except that the faculty of each institution shall ensure that faculty in academic
92	92	disciplines related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are
93	93	adequately represented in the faculty organizational structure.
94	94	SECTION 3. 36.09 (4m) of the statutes is amended to read:
95	95	36.09 (4m) ACADEMIC STAFF. The academic staff members of each institution,
96	96	subject to the responsibilities and powers of the board, the president, the chancellor,
97	97	and the faculty of the institution, shall be active participants in the immediate
98	98	governance of and policy development for the institution. The academic staff
99	99	members have the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the
100	100	formulation and review, and shall be represented in the development, of all policies
101	101	and procedures concerning academic staff members, including academic staff
102	102	personnel matters. The academic staff members of each institution shall have the
103	103	right to organize themselves in a manner they determine and to select their
104	104	representatives to participate in institutional governance.
105	105	SECTION 4. 36.09 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
106	106	36.09 (5) STUDENTS. The students of each institution or campus subject to the
107	107	responsibilities and powers of the board, the president, the chancellor, and the
108	108	faculty shall be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy
109	109	development for such institutions. As such, students shall have primary
110	110	responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review of
111	111	policies concerning student life, services, and interests. Students in consultation
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138	138	SECTION 4 SENATE BILL 858
139	139	with the chancellor and subject to the final confirmation of the board shall have the
140	140	responsibility for the disposition of those student fees which constitute substantial
141	141	support for campus student activities. The students of each institution or campus
142	142	shall have the right to organize themselves in a manner they determine and to select
143	143	their representatives to participate in institutional governance.
144	144	(END)
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