Academic & Student Services

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Academic and Student Services (ACSS) sponsored an Instructional Academic Staff Forum on April 23, 1999 in response to the Board of Regents 21st Century Study:
"Teaching Academic Staff in the UW System."
        
Teams from each of the UW System's 15 institutions attended the daylong event. As a result of their discussions and dialogues, small working groups brainstormed approaches to help integrate instructional academic staff into institutional life. The ideas that follow represent the thinking of various institutional teams. This information should not be interpreted as reflecting initiatives formally adopted by the respective institutions:
                   
Eau Claire 1. Integrate IAS into governance through an ongoing orientation program and the development of a mentoring program.
2. Coordinate activities that will allow for better communication among IAS such as sponsoring roundtable discussions.
  3. Advocate for longer-term contracts for IAS.
                   
                 
 
Extension 1. Improve participation of IAS in departmental affairs.
     
  2. Meet again as a team, to:
    a. clarify our initial discussion
    b. review the Institutional Recommendations related to the "Personnel Policies" found in the Regents Report, and
    c. draw up specific action plans for furthering those issues, which are of highest priority.
     
  3. Collaborate, as a team, with the Provost, Assistant Chancellor for Budget, Human Resources personnel, and Academic Staff and Faculty Governance bodies.
                   
                   
Green Bay 1. Recognize annually an instructional academic staff member for Excellence in Teaching.
  2. Review and improve campus mentoring for Instructional Academic Staff.
                   
                   
La Crosse 1. Have a wider discussion about IAS issues on campus.
     
    Action Steps:
    a. Plan during summer; implement during fall.
    b. Get an IAS rep from each College on campus to serve as contact point.
    c. Set up mentoring possibilities during orientation, followed by sessions about 6 weeks later.
    d. Sessions to inform new IAS about IAS issues, responsibilities, rights, etc.
     
  2. Get IAS more involved with campus governance.
     
    Action steps:
    a. Inform IAS of governance.
    b. Help those with "Faculty Status" understand what that means.
    c. Strive to get Academic Staff Council to consider IAS/academic issues.
    d. Get IAS with faculty status more involved with Faculty Senate.
     
  3. Work to get fair IAS evaluations to take place on campus. Design a career progression track for IAS.
     
    Action steps:
    This issue is currently before the Academic Staff Council. If it is approved in May it will be implemented in 99-00 academic year.
                   
                   
Madison 1. Establish an IAS Professor title series.
     
  2. Increase the number of longer-term appointments for IAS.
     
    ACTION STEPS: For both goals: Coordinate efforts with the Academic Staff Executive Committee and the University Committee.
    * Report to the Academic Staff Executive Committee (done on May 13).
    * Report to the University Committee.
    * Report to the L&S Committee on Academic Staff Issues (will be done by at the committee's first meeting in the fall).
    * Meet as a team to discuss strategies and coordination (will be done the week of June 7).
     
    MEASURES:
  1. Will have been achieved when the new title series is in place.
  2. Progress toward #'2. will be assessed by monitoring the number of rolling-horizon and indefinite appointments awarded to IAS.
                   
                   
Oshkosh 1. To obtain release time for the office of the President of the Senate of Academic Staff, especially when said president is instructional academic staff.
     
  2. Improvements for instructional Academic Staff in the following areas:
    a. Mentoring and Orientation
    b. Recognition of achievement in service and scholarship (i.e., awards)
    c. Consideration of course load reduction from 15 credits FTE
    d. Possible title changes consistent with UW System initiatives
     
    Action steps:
    a. A memo will be sent to Provost and Vice Chancellor outlining these goals.
    b. A request for action by the Senate of Academic Staff will be sent to the Senate.
                   
                   
Parkside 1. Improve orientation and mentoring, particularly for part-time IAS.
     
  2. Improve computing and printing resources available, particularly for part-time IAS.
     
  3. Explore "Distinguished" IAS status.
     
  4. Be sure IAS are represented on search committees for IAS positions.
                   
                   
Platteville 1. Meet with administration, deans, and department chairs to help educate about academic staff procedures (to the extent that they differ from faculty) and issues.
     
  2. Call for a forum where academic staff are invited to meet other academic staff and voice their concerns
                   
                   
River Falls 1. Improve Orientation for Category B Academic Staff
     
    Rationale: staff now get a campus orientation, but often do not receive a more specific introduction to their department and fellow staff members.
     
    Action steps:
    a. Make sure new IAS meet with the Chair of Dept for policy review
    b. IAS should attend the opening day departmental meetings
    c. IAS should be assigned a contact person for follow up questions that surface throughout the semester
    d. Ongoing workshops should be held about various topics to be determined by committee
    e. Results will be measured with a survey mailed to the IAS's home-evaluated at the Chair's Retreat.
     
  2. Better Access to Resources
     
    Rationale: Some IAS do not have a computer on their desk or an office. This increases the potential for marginalization/alienation.
     
    Action steps:
    a. Needs assessment: how many are without office space and have no e-mail/web access?
    b. Determine where office space exists or an area with a larger concentration of IAS so resources can be made available and shared.
                   
                   
Stevens Point 1. Orientation Plans are underway to spread our orientation for new faculty throughout the fall semester in order to minimize the "information overload" that has plagued orientation participants in past years. We expect to include Category B academic staff in many of these orientation sessions this fall.
  2. Mentoring -- The Dean of our College of Professional Studies initiated a mentoring program called Teaching Partners. In recent months, two more centralized mentoring programs have been proposed. One of these would pair women across academic disciplines to promote gender equity. Another would pair recent recipients of our University Excellence in Teaching Award with newly hired faculty. We expect to include Category B academic staff in each of these new mentoring programs.
   
  3. IAS Retreat -- Preliminary discussion among the UW-Stevens Point team also focused on the possibility of organizing a retreat for UWSP Category B academic staff. Many questions would need to be addressed. This identified priority is the least developed of our three.
     
     
Stout 1. Create a procedure for converting appropriate full time academic staff to faculty. Our initial step is to have both Senates pass a resolution to set up a joint committee with members of both Senates. The resolution has passed the Senate of Academic Staff and is on the agenda for Faculty Senate today.
     
  2. Continue workshops for department chairs on contract matters related to academic staff appointments. Our first step will be to work with the university professional development committee in planning activities for next year.
     
Whitewater 1. Create a more formalized evaluation process to address the concerns that instructional Academic Staff are 1.) Not being evaluated, and 2.) Being evaluated in areas that they should not be. The Purple Book is the name of the tool that will address these issues.
 
  2. Academic Staff Assembly will be involved in all New Staff Orientation sessions to explain Academic Staff and the different opportunities available.
3. Created a brochure outlining Academic Staff Assembly, when our meetings are, and encouraging all Academic Staff members to get involved.
     

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This document was created by U W S A Academic and Student Services. If you have questions or comments, direct them to Academic and Student Services, Phone: (608) 262-8778, Email: hloomis@uwsa.edu.

This document was last revised on July 2, 1999.

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