PRESENT: Regents Barry, Benson, Boyle, Brandes, DeBraska, DeSimone, Grebe, Lubar, MacNeil, Marcovich, Mohs, Orr, Randall, Smith, and Staszak (Regent Benson participated by telephone.)

ABSENT: Regent Hempel and Regent James

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

There being no corrections, the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Regents held May 8, 1998, were approved as distributed.

REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

Resolution of Commendation, Regent Michael W. Grebe

Regent President Lubar presented the following resolution, which was adopted unanimously with a standing ovation. Regent Grebe also was presented with a plaque in recognition of his distinguished service.

Regent Grebe made the following comments about serving on the Board of Regents. First, he encouraged Regents to adopt the broadest possible view in identifying the constituency represented by the Board. This constituency, the remarked, is broader than students or taxpayers and really consists of all the people of the state, rather than narrow political or philosophical interests. In that regard, he emphasized the vital importance of academic freedom to the success of an educational institution. He considered being a Regent as a stewardship, with the obligation to preserve and enhance "this marvelous institution that has been developed over a long period of time" and pass it on to others.

Secondly, Regent Grebe asked the Regents to take very seriously the great authority given to the Board under Wisconsin law. He cautioned that, if this authority is not protected and preserved, it will dissipate over time and be taken over by others.

In conclusion, he expressed appreciation to all he had worked with during his seven years on the Board. One benefit, he noted, was that his life has been enriched by people whom he otherwise would not have had the opportunity to know.

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Resolution of commendation, Regent Sheldon B. Lubar

Regent Orr presented the following resolution which was adopted unanimously with a standing ovation. Regent Lubar also was presented with plaques in recognition of his distinguished service.

Regent Lubar expressed appreciation to Regent colleagues, chancellors, faculty, staff and students. Noting the importance of education to success in life he emphasized that the excellence of the UW System is dependent on faculty quality. As in any activity, such excellence costs money, he remarked, adding that the Board would face a challenge in competing with other priorities for scare funds in the next biennial budget. Noting that several students were in attendance at the meeting to protest tuition hikes, he expressed the hope that these increases could be kept to a minimum with appropriate levels of state support.

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Resolution of Appreciation for Chancellor John H. Schroeder

Regent Lubar presented the following resolution, which was adopted with a standing ovation of appreciation to Chancellor Schroeder.

Chancellor Schroeder noted that he would miss the friendships and associations that resulted from the years he had spent as Chancellor. Through these associations, he had developed an immense appreciation for the value of the UW universities and what they contribute to the state. He also had developed great respect for the work and dedication of the members of the Board, chancellors, System staff, and particularly President Lyall. The UW System, he remarked, is indeed fortunate to have a leader of her caliber and abilities.

In closing, he thanked the Regents for their support of UW-Milwaukee and for their support of academic freedom and its strong tradition in Wisconsin.

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

Report on Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

The report was introduced by Chancellor Greenhill, Chair of the Council of Chancellors that oversees the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He noted that the WIAC is composed exclusively of UW System schools and is nationally recognized as one of the premier Division III conferences in the NCAA. When the athletic conferences were transformed from a unit of System Administration to a member-funded conference, the Chancellors merged the former Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Wisconsin State University Conference for Men's Athletics into one conference. The Chancellor then introduced Dr. Gary Karner, Commissioner of the WIAC.

Dr. Karner explained that the conference is composed of nine of the thirteen four-year institutions of the UW System. Because the conference competes at the Division III level, no athletic scholarships are awarded. Out of nearly 90 NCAA athletic conferences, only two others are composed entirely of institutions from the same university system - SUNY and Penn State. This is an advantage, Dr. Karner commented, because members of this conference commonly respond to issues based on what is best for the conference and not necessarily their own individual interests.

Turning to governance structure, Dr. Karner commented that the WIAC has the most active involvement by chief executive officers of any conference in the country. The chancellors have final authority on all matters pertaining to the operation of the conference. The governance structure also includes faculty athletics representatives, directors of athletics and individual sport committees, including a committee of student athletes. Both men's and women's programs are fully represented.

Noting that the WIAC sponsors championships in 20 men's and women's sports, Dr. Karner indicated that over 80 percent of all WIAC student athletes are from Wisconsin. The WIAC has captured 20 national championships over the past five years in 11 different sports and also has an excellent record in non-conference competition. The conference has hosted seven NCAA championships over the past two years - bringing thousands of athletes and fans to the state. Another accomplishment of the WIAC is typically having as many as six institutions ranked in the top 40 in the Sear's Cup standings - a national recognition of the top collegiate programs in the country. This is a remarkable achievement, he added, considering that there are nearly 400 institutions in Division III.

Another matter of pride, Dr. Karner stated, is that the conference annually produces dozens of regional and national Academic All-Americans, as well as a number of NCAA Post-Graduate Scholars.

In conclusion, Dr. Karner attributed the WIAC's remarkable success to the following factors: 1) A university system that is committed to excellence in the classroom, laboratory and athletic field; 2) Nationally recognized academic programs that attract highly motivated students who also want to maximize their collegiate experience by participating in athletics; 3) Superb facilities that attract quality student-athletes and provide venues for them to enhance their athletic abilities; 4) Excellent coaches who are committed to the overall physical, social and emotional development of their athletes; 5) An excellent feeder system of Wisconsin high schools that provides highly skilled and academically qualified student-athletes; and 6) The strong participation and support of the chancellors.

Thanking Dr. Karner for this report, President Lubar added that Dr. Karner is currently working on a corporate partnership program that will provide opportunities for corporations to become involved and provide sponsorship money that is needed by the conference.

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Report on the Wisconsin Technical College System Board

President Lubar noted that a written report had been provided to the Board.

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Report of the Hospital Authority Board

It was noted by President Lubar that a written report had been provided to the Board.

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE SYSTEM

Academic Staff Awards

Introducing presentation of the first annual Academic Staff Awards, President Lyall noted that the university requires a vast array of professional talents outside, as well as inside, the classroom in order to provide a quality educational experience for students. "Superb teaching is essential", she said, "but so are superb financial aid management, attentive academic advising, effective residence hall administration, quality lab administration, and many other functions performed by our academic staff."

Prior to presenting the awards, Regent Boyle reiterated that the strength of UW institutions can be attributed to the excellence of faculty and academic staff. In recognition of the importance of academic staff, two $5,000 Regents' Excellence Awards were being given to outstanding administrative and professional academic staff who have demonstrated excellence in service, professionalism, and leadership. The award is to be used to support professional development for the recipient or other activities which enhance a university program or function. Regents Boyle, Randall and Smith had reviewed ten nominations and had chosen James Vance, of UW-Eau Claire, and Kristine McGrew, of UW-Extension, to receive the 1998 awards.

Regent Boyle then introduced Mr. James Vance, the Director of American Ethnic Programs at UW-Eau Claire. Mr. Vance's achievements include celebration of diversity; development of pre-college programs; transformation of the WCWC Multicultural Student Leadership Conference into a vehicle for leadership development for all UW System multicultural students; bringing over $750,000 in extramural support to UW-Eau Claire over the past year; and boosting the number of scholarships for minority and disadvantaged students.

Remarking that Mr. Vance's most profound influence has been on the lives of students, Regent Boyle noted Mr. Vance's philosophy that students come first and that what is important is their intellectual, personal and social development.

Thanking the Regents for this special award, Mr. Vance also expressed appreciation to UW-Stevens Point where he attended undergraduate and graduate school and spent the first 15 years of his professional career. This past fall, the Chancellor of UW-Stevens Point honored the Vance family. James Vance's brother, Gerald, was the first African American to attend that university and graduated in 1957. James was the first African American to do both undergraduate and graduate work there. The university also created a scholarship in the name of their parents, Henry and Shirley Vance.

Second, Mr. Vance expressed special appreciation to UW-Eau Claire. When he arrived there in 1988, the university had the lowest representation of multicultural students in the UW System. Ten years later, he was pleased to note that UW-Eau Claire has a multicultural student population of more than five percent. He expressed appreciation to former Chancellor Larry Schnack, Dr. Marjorie Smelstor, and Dr. Tom Miller for their full support, along with the support of faculty, staff and students.

Finally, he paid special tribute to his family and introduced his wife, Marian, who shared in the continuous effort to make students feel at home and welcomed in Eau Claire.

Regent Boyle introduced Kristine McGrew, Director of the Higher Education Location (HELP) in UW-Extension. Ms. McGrew was being honored for her outstanding leadership in the development of the HELP program and its transition from a phone advising service for students to an on-line resource and service which has been used by thousands of individuals throughout the state and around the world. It is a model program, providing electronic communication with HELP advisors and links to educational web sites inside and outside the UW System. Ms. McGrew also was instrumental in the creation of the UW System electronic application for undergraduate admissions. She is leading a team to expand on-line services and is taking on additional responsibility to provide learning support for students involved in courses offered through the new UW Learning Innovation Center. Regent Boyle expressed appreciation to MS. McGrew for her creativity and commitment to the UW System.

Thanking Regent Boyle, other members of the Board and President Lyall, Ms. McGrew said that the award represents many years of service to students, many wonderful relationships with student service colleagues, and five years of service as a member of the Academic Staff Council in UW-Extension. It was especially meaningful to be one of the first two academic staff to receive the award.

Expressing appreciation to others who had helped to make the award possible, she cited a number of partnerships which have enhanced her accomplishments. First, she recognized her family for their guidance, understanding and support. Secondly, she recognized her office colleagues whose unparalleled commitment to delivering quality services to students was the underlying reason for success in the innovative services created over the last three years. Noting the importance of partnerships with key people who guided, encouraged and funded these innovations, she recognized Assistant Vice President Larry Rubin, Vice President David Ward and many others in System Administration, as well as Chancellor Al Beaver, Dean Mike Offerman and many others in UW-Extension. Finally, she expressed appreciation to the Board of Regents for acknowledging the hard work and creativity of the academic staff in the UW System.

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UW-Milwaukee Presentation on Charter Schools

Introducing the presentation, President Lyall noted that charter schools are being explored throughout the country as a vehicle for reform of K-12 education. Until the fall of 1997, Wisconsin charter schools could only be authorized by school boards within their respective districts. In the 1997-99 state budget, UW-Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Area Technical College and the City of Milwaukee also were granted authority to authorize charter schools for students residing in that city. Following passage of the budget, Chancellor Schroeder appointed a working group to study the role of charter schools and develop a model by which UW-Milwaukee might grant charters.

Noting that this is an important issue for the state and particularly for Milwaukee, Chancellor Schroeder commented that the existence and success of these schools ties directly to one of the main themes of Plan 2008 - increasing the pool of college-eligible minority students. He pointed out that UW-Milwaukee is fortunate to have William Harvey, an expert in school reform, as Dean of the School of Education, as well as considerable additional faculty expertise within the School.

Dean Harvey reiterated the connection between achieving the goals of Plan 2008 and raising the level of educational attainment in Milwaukee Public Schools - a system of more than 100,000 students, 80 percent of whom are African American and Chicano. The best means of doing so, he noted, is to supply the schools with good teachers who can successfully meet the challenge and needs of urban education. Dean Harvey introduced Professor Paul Haubrich to discuss charter schools.

Professor Haubrich noted that charter schools were developed in response to educational reform efforts in the late 1980's. The purpose was to create educational options and to foster innovation by removing bureaucratic obstacles. A charter school operates under a contract and its future is dependent upon the ability to meet the performance goals of the charter contract. Charter schools can be closed if they fail to meet performance goals.

At the national level, Professor Haubrich noted that there will be approximately 1000 charter schools operating across the country at the beginning of the 1998-99 school year. Wisconsin, along with Arizona, California, Michigan, Minnesota, and Massachusetts are the most active states in the area of charter schools. Wisconsin currently has 17 charter schools, with 45 more planned.

The greatest challenges in developing charter schools, Professor Haubrich explained, are facilities, financing, adequate planning, governance issues and staffing. Because the state will provide no money until after the first quarter of the school year, charter schools must raise enough money to make it through a start-up period.

Originally, Wisconsin law allowed only school boards the authority to charter a school. The 1997 law extended authority to grant charters in Milwaukee to UW-Milwaukee, MATC and the City of Milwaukee. While the legislation gives UW-Milwaukee the authority to operate or sponsor charter schools, the university has decided to sponsor, rather than operate a school. To do this, a charter school contract may be issued for a period not to exceed five years. The charter school may not be an existing public school.

The charter application process will have four stages: 1) Preliminary prospectus; 2) Proposal planning; 3) Operational planning; and 4) Contract approval. The Board of Regents will receive notification of the schools to be considered for charter status at the end of stage 2 and then must give final approval at stage 4.

In order to succeed, the charter school must recruit and retain a sufficient number of students in order to provide adequate operating revenues. There are effective school programs that can be used as models, and strong parent and community involvement must be part of the planning process. UW-Milwaukee and the Board of Regents will establish fiscal and operational standards of accountability. These standards will be monitored by a charter school office at UW-Milwaukee. Charter schools also must participate in the Wisconsin Assessment Program. The expected timeline for opening of a university-sponsored charter school is fall 1999.

In response to a question by Regent Lubar, Professor Haubrich explained that, once the charter school becomes operational, funds in the amount of $6,200 per student will be reallocated from the Milwaukee Public Schools. This amount reflects a statewide average cost per student and will change yearly. At the high school level, it may not be enough to cover costs. However, the charter schools are not allowed to charge tuition and must rely on fund raising to make up any deficits.

Dean Harvey added that administrative costs of three to five percent would be withdrawn from the $6200 before it goes to the school. Administrative costs in the Milwaukee Public Schools are about 33 percent.

Good News

Regent participation in commencements

President Lyall thanked members of the Board who had participated in commencement ceremonies this spring. "As I watch students cross the stage to accept their diplomas, I am always struck anew by the hope and energy they display and by how important is the work our institutions do to make their future contributions possible."

Governor Signs 1998-99 Budget Adjustment Bill

President Lyall reported that the Governor had signed the 1998-99 budget adjustment bill which incorporates several good news items for the University. It provides:

* $1.5 million to bolster the Biological Science Program at UW-Madison;

* $50,000 to UW-Extension for the Humanities Council; and

* a tuition tax exemption for higher educational expenses of up to $3,000

per child.

The UW System, she said is very appreciative of what is included in the budget bill for higher education.

American Philosophical Society Fellows

It was reported by President Lyall that two UW-Madison emeritus faculty, Dr. Paul Boyer and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, have been named members of the American Philosophical Society, the nation's oldest learned society which was founded 256 years ago by Benjamin Franklin. Both these individuals have had distinguished careers in the University of Wisconsin.

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Fact book

The Fact book for 1998-99 was distributed to the Regents.

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University Participates in State Sesquicentennial

Noting that she and Chancellor Kuipers had been among those who served on the Sesquicentennial Commission, President Lyall offered appreciation to Peter Fox, UW System Director of Public Information, who had managed the highly successful Statehood Celebration at the Capitol. The Governor's remarks on this occasion had included reference to many Wisconsin "firsts" which were products of the UW - social security, workers' compensation, the thermostat, the Babcock system for grading milk, and even malted milk. These along with many other UW contributions have been instrumental in spreading the Wisconsin Idea to the world. "I think we have a lot to be proud of in the past 150 years in the role the University has played in the history of this state, and we need to ensure that we will play the same role in the next 150 years," she said.

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REPORT OF THE PHYSICAL PLANNING AND FUNDING COMMITTEE

The Committee's report was presented by Regent DeBraska, who chaired the meeting on behalf of Regent Barry, Chair, who was unable to attend.

Presenting Resolutions 7706-7713, which had been approved unanimously be the Physical Planning and Funding Committee, Regent DeBraska moved their adoption by the Board of Regents as consent agenda items. The motion was seconded by Regent DeSimone and voted unanimously. Regent Barry expressed appreciation to Regent Mohs for his attention to the Eagle Heights remodeling request (Resolution 7708) and to campus and system staff for their responsiveness. This cooperative effort had resulted in substantial savings that will benefit the students by resulting in rents that are lower than otherwise would have been the case.

UW-Madison: Authority to Complete Eagle Heights Apartments Remodeling

UW-Eau Claire: Authority to Construct a Student Residence Hall

UW-Madison: Approval of the Design Report and Authority to Construct a UW-Medical School Psychiatric Institute and Clinics Remodeling -Phase II

UW-Madison: Authority to Execute Air Rights Lease to Center for Advanced Studies in Business (CASB)

UW-Madison: Authority to Construct a Student Radio Station, Tower and Transmitter Building

UW-Madison: Approval to Increase Budget for the Chemistry Building Addition and Remodeling Project

UW-Madison: Authority to Construct a University Ridge Golf Course Clubhouse Expansion Project

UW-Madison: Authority to Construct a University Ridge Golf Course - Clubhouse Remodeling and Exterior Improvements Project

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Report on Building Commission Actions

Assistant Vice President Nancy Ives reported that five UW System projects were approved at the May State Building Commission meeting:

* UW-Madison, Babcock Drive Reconstruction;

* UW-Madison, Robert and Irwin Goodman Softball Complex expansion;

* UW-Madison, Armory Red Gym renovation increase;

* UW-Whitewater, Union remodeling increase; and

* UW-Madison, Camp Randall/McClain turf replacement

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REPORT OF THE BUSINESS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE

Before the report of the Committee was presented by Regent Brandes, Vice Chair, President Lubar called upon several student representatives who had asked to speak about tuition increases proposed in the annual operating budget.

Jeff Robb, President of the UW-Milwaukee Student Association, commented that, while all could justly take pride in the UW System, continual increases in tuition make it difficult for many Wisconsin students to benefit from higher education. With a 7.9 percent increase last year and a proposed 4.9 percent increase this year, tuition will have increased $350 in the past two years. He noted that the average age of students at UW-Milwaukee is 27 and that many attend school part time and have jobs and family responsibilities. The proposed tuition increase, he felt, may mean that such students will be unable to stay in school.

Eric Bakken, Chair of the UW-Madison Student Government, the Associated Students of Madison, commented that after last year's 7.9 percent tuition increase, students should have been compensated by a tuition freeze this year. Tuition is still going up at over twice the rate of inflation, he said, and UW-Madison students graduate with an average of nearly $16,000 in debt. He felt that the tuition increases were moving the UW down the path toward making it inaccessible to the bulk of the state's population. Many students, he pointed out, spend evenings working at one or two jobs instead of studying, causing them to take longer to graduate because they are unable to go to school full time and still pay their bills. In his view, higher education should be a right, not a privilege, because it is essential to success in this information-age society. To say that UW System tuition is affordable in comparison to other states, he commented, is to mask the real question about access to all the people of Wisconsin.

John Grable, President of the United Council of UW Students, noted that United Council represents 140,000 students at 24 UW System campuses. While students understand the UW System's funding situation, he said, they do not believe that a 4.9 percent tuition increase is justified when the UW System's overall operating budget is increasing by 2.9 percent. Many students are working more than one job and are graduating with $15,000 - $25,000 in debt. Urging the Board to lower the 4.9 percent increase, he said an increase of that size is as detrimental to accessibility as was the 7.9 percent increase. These fees are being used to fund programs, he remarked, that receive inadequate funding from the state. He explained that students are working to stop this trend by fighting for state dollars for the UW System in the 1999-2001 biennial budget. Voter registration campaigns are being organized to give students a stronger voice in the State Legislature, and that voice will be used to gain adequate state funding for the UW System to maintain quality and be affordable to any Wisconsin resident who meets its high academic standards. Indicating that students could not succeed in this effort on their own, he urged the Regents and others to join with students in seeking additional GPR dollars and convincing the Legislature that a lack of state support will seriously damage higher education - an important cornerstone of Wisconsin's history and economy.

Ben Manski, Chair of the Shared Governance Committee of the Associated Students of Madison, questioned why the budget meetings should be held in June and August, when students are not on campus. Criticizing tuition increases exceeding the rate of inflation, he said an alternative would be to fight to protect the UW System and its place as a vital institution of higher education. He considered the Board unresponsive and said an alternative would be legislation to make the Board an elected body. He also was critical of UW-Madison's initiative to increase private funding, on the basis that reliance on private support would lead to undue corporate influence on the university.

Speaking in opposition to the proposed tuition increase, Matt Nelson, of the Civil Rights Defense Coalition, commented that the public should not subsidize the corporate agenda. He felt university partnerships with business do not benefit students and the public at large.

1998-99 ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET

Noting that the full Board had been invited to attend President Lyall's presentation on the 1998-99 operating budget at the Business and Finance Committee meeting, Regent Brandes gave a brief summary of the president's remarks.

President Lyall noted that this budget contains lower tuition increases than forecast a year ago, combined with increases in both Federal and State financial aid. All resident tuition at the four-year institutions, for undergraduate, graduate and professional students is proposed to increase 4.9%, a full 2% below the rate projected in the State budget for 1998-99.

The authorized Pell grant maximum will increase by $300, State WHEG grants will rise 4.5%, and the two minority/disadvantaged financial aid programs - LUMRG and AOP grants - will also increase, providing sufficient financial aid resources for tuition and fee increases for students who need it.

State GPR for the University will increase $30.8 million (3.5%), and tuition revenue will increase $21.1 million (4.9%). Because of additional flexibility granted in the State budget, auxiliary reserves are all within appropriate accumulation levels.

Adoption of Resolution 7714 was moved by Regent Brandes, seconded by Regent Marcovich and passed unanimously.

UW System: 1998-99 Operating Budget including approval of Auxiliary

Transfers and Rates for Academic Tuition, Academic Tuition Refund Policy and Schedule, Segregated Fees, Textbook Rental, Room and Board,

Apartments, and Parking

UW-MADISON BIENNIAL BUDGET PRESENTATION

Chancellor Ward stated that the challenge for UW-Madison is to remain one of the nation's top universities. It has a distinct mission and different needs than other institutions in the System. With 40,000 students, it has a $3.77 billion economic impact on the State.

To remain the best, he pointed out, guarantees keeping the best and brightest Wisconsin high school graduates in Wisconsin, attracting and retaining the best faculty, continued transfer of cutting-edge knowledge and technology to Wisconsin business, maintaining Wisconsin's competitiveness in the global economy and preparing Wisconsin's future leaders for the 21^st century.

To remain the best, he remarked, will also require a $50-60 million total investment by the State over four years to bring UW-Madison to a more competitive base level of support among its peers in the Big 10 in terms of state/tuition support per student. Chancellor Ward indicated he is committed to seeking endowments worth at least $200 million from WARF, the UW Foundation and others to provide the margin of excellence.

UW PROCESSING CENTER FINAL REPORT ON SYSTEM ACCOUNTING AND PAYROLL CONSOLIDATION

UW-Madison Assistant Vice Chancellor Donald Miner reported that the consolidation of the accounting and payroll functions previously performed by the Peterson Processing Center and the WARF Processing Center had been completed at the end of calendar year 1997, six months ahead of schedule. A Board of Directors, appointed by President Lyall, serves as a governance body over the operation and planning of the UW Processing Center. The focus now will be on making improvements to both payroll and accounting processing to take advantage of the new distributed technologies. The Board of Regents will be kept informed of plans and progress regarding improvements as part of its annual review of the UW System Information Technology Plan.

BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES REPORT-SYSTEMWIDE FINANCIAL SYSTEM

Presenting the best business practices report on a systemwide financial system, Vice President Bromberg noted that the initial goal had been to identify an ideal practice as well as realistic constraints and barriers to achieving the practice. The recommendation was to target an integrated suite of core financial systems software that could be shared by all UW institutions. A step-by-step conversion plan and timeline were established and the plan was broken into four steps. To date, Oracle has been chosen as the database platform, PeopleSoft for applications systems. The project is currently on target for Step 1 - to have the new system implemented centrally with UW-Whitewater and UW-Platteville implementing on a pilot basis by July 1 of next year.

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REPORT OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The Committee's report was presented by Regent Smith, Chair.

Presenting resolution 7715-7727, which had been approved unanimously be the Education Committee, Regent Smith moved their adoption by the Board of Regents as consent agenda items. The motion was seconded by Regent Randall and carried unanimously.

UW System: 1998-99 Tenure Designations and New Tenured Appointments

UW-Madison: Authorization to recruit: Associate Professor or Professor

Medical School

UW-Madison: Authorization to recruit: Associate Research Animal Veterinarian/Research Animal Veterinarian

UW-System: Undergraduate Transfer Policy

UW-Oshkosh: New Program Authorization M.S. Information Systems

UW-Oshkosh: New Program Authorization M.A., English

UW-System: Report on Teaching Academic Staff in the University of Wisconsin System

UW-LaCrosse: Revision to Faculty Personnel Rules

UW-Milwaukee: Revision to Faculty Personnel Rules

UW-Superior: Revision to Faculty Personnel Rules

UW-Milwaukee: Renaming of the School of Fine Arts

UW-Milwaukee: Distinguished Professor

UW-Milwaukee: Distinguished Professor

Report of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

The Committee heard a presentation by Professor Stephen L Percy, Director of the UW-Milwaukee Center for Urban Initiatives and Research. Dr. Percy described several of the Center's activities, which are designed to draw on campus resources to build sustainable collaborations between UW-Milwaukee and the community.

Reviewing results of the 1997 Survey of Wisconsin Employers, Senior Vice President Ward noted a number of very positive key findings, including: 93 percent of businesses surveyed rated the UW System as very or fairly important to the Wisconsin economy; at least 90 percent of the respondents rated as excellent or good the skills of UW graduates in the areas of computation, speaking, problem solving and reasoning, as well as their professional knowledge; and 81 percent of businesses rated UW graduates as excellent or good in their preparedness to work in a multicultural environment. The survey indicates the UW System needs to intensify its efforts in such areas as the following: 42 percent of businesses rated access to technical, research and continuing education services provided by the UW System as very or fairly important. This is a decline from 61% in 1994; although more than half of the businesses expressed interest in distance education, the proportion expressing no interest rose from 34% in 1994 to 44% in 1997. Senior Vice President Ward concluded that it will be beneficial to increase the capacity of this survey to help find the best means of meeting the needs of Wisconsin business, in particular to address the issues of distance education and dissemination of new information to Wisconsin's citizens.

Advising

Betsy West, Academic Planner, reported that four projects for developing asynchronous career and academic advising tools have been funded by a grant from Ameritech. UW-Green Bay will integrate its on-line advising system with career planning information; UW-Madison will develop a user-friendly, searchable navigator to make academic information accessible on the World Wide Web; and UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh are developing ways to meet the advising needs of distance learners.

The advising pilot that was funded in the biennial budget is under way. It is a collaboration between UW-River Falls and the UW Colleges designed to develop new ways to make information and advisors more accessible to students. In April, over 50 individuals attended a workshop sponsored by the UW System Advisory Committee on Advising. About two-thirds were faculty and one-third full-time academic staff advisors.

Desktop PC Replacement

Associate Vice President for Information Technology, Ed Meachen, recommended the following three-part plan to provide an ongoing desktop computer replacement program for all faculty and staff at UW System institutions: 1) A 3-year replacement cycle should be instituted; 2) The cycle should include all desktop computers and local area networks; and 3) Installation should be accomplished by each institution's IT trained students or through outsourcing. The total funding needed for this process is $15 million annually, with $5 million proposed to come from existing institutional resources and $10 million from new resources.

Transfer Issues

Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Larry Rubin, emphasized that clear, accurate information is essential to a smooth transfer. Frank Goldberg, Associate Vice President for Policy Analysis and Research, discussed the Occasional Research Brief on transfer students. Betsy West, Academic Planner, demonstrated the Transfer Information System. She stated that campuses are working on communication in a number of different ways: 1) Several have instituted annual information-sharing programs with the primary transfer feeder institutions; 2) All institutions routinely provide all new transfer students with information about the process for appealing the way a transfer course is evaluated or applied to degree requirements; and 3) Several institutions have developed, or are developing, information brochures specifically for transfer students and putting them on the World Wide Web.

The UW System has established a transfer coordination group to share information and address problems that can be dealt with at the System level. It is also developing a system transfer brochure to be available in both print and web format.

In summarizing the Transfer Information System demonstration, Ms. West noted that from the beginning of the academic year to April 30, 1998, the TIS home page had been accessed over 49,000 times. Assuming the same level of usage as last year, the total number of information requests for this year will be 61,000. That is more than six times the level of use just four years ago which was approximately 10,000 hits.

General Education Report: UW-Stevens Point.

Professor Nancy Lopatin, Department of History, presented the UW-Stevens Point General Education report. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student Steve Vig praised the flexibility of the program, especially with regard to transferability of courses.

Teaching Academic Staff Study.

The Teaching Academic Staff Study was presented by Interim Senior Vice President for Administration, David Olien, and Dr. Cathy Middlecamp, Co-chairs of the Teaching Academic Staff Study Steering Committee. They noted that the report makes recommendations in three areas: (1) strategic planning; (2) better integration of teaching academic staff into campus structures; and (3) the importance of supportive personnel policies. The committee was assured that increased reliance on teaching academic staff in no way jeopardizes the quality of education.

North Central Accreditation Report: UW-Green Bay.

Chancellor Mark L. Perkins discussed UW-Green Bay's North Central Accreditation report, noting that this is the first time UW-Green Bay has been reaccredited for the full ten year period of time.

UW Colleges Presentation

Chancellor William Messner presented the UW Colleges' Action Plan and discussed steps the Colleges will take to carry out its mission of providing access to high quality educational services. A key component of this plan is to aggressively implement a Marketing Plan designed to increase enrollment by a minimum of 8% for fall 1998, to 6,514 FTE; and by 23% for fall 2001, to 7,538 FTE. The Education Committee emphasized the importance of the financial portion of the plan, which will be reported back to the Committee early in the fall.

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ELECTION OF OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS

President

Regent MacNeil nominated Regent Orr for the office of President of the Board of Regents. The nomination was seconded by Regent Mohs and DeSimone, and Regent Orr was elected unanimously.

Vice President

Regent DeBraska nominated Regent Smith for Vice President of the Board. The nomination was seconded by Regent Staszak, and Regent Smith was elected unanimously.

Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Trust Office and Assistant Trust Officers

Regent Randall nominated Judith Temby for reelection as secretary of the Board. The nomination was seconded by Regent DeBraska and carried unanimously.

It was moved by Regent Boyle that Pat Takemoto be reelected Assistant Secretary; that Marcia Bromberg be reelected Trust Officer; and that Charles Stathas and Lori Mills be reelected Assistant Trust Officers. The nominations were seconded by Regent Randall and carried unanimously.

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Cancellation of the July 1998 Meetings

Upon motion by Regent Staszak, seconded by Regent Marcovich, Resolution 7728 was adopted unanimously.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

At 11:30 a.m., the following resolution, moved by Regent Orr, was adopted unanimously on a roll-call vote, with Regents Barry, Benson, Boyle, Brandes, DeBraska, DeSimone, Grebe, Lubar, MacNeil, Marcovich, Mohs, Orr, Randall, Smith and Staszak (15) voting in the affirmative. There were no dissenting votes and no abstentions.

The executive session commenced at 11:45 a.m., following a 15 minute recess. The Board arose from executive session at 12:10 p.m., having adopted the following resolutions:

UW-Madison: Authorization to appoint at a salary above the Executive Salary Group Six maximum

UW-Madison: Base Salary Adjustment resulting in a salary above the

Executive Salary Group Six maximum

UW-La Crosse: Extension of leave of absence beyond the initial two years for a faculty member

UW-Milwaukee: Authorization to appoint at a salary above the Executive Salary Group Six maximum

UW-Milwaukee: Authorization to appoint at a salary above the Executive Salary Group Six maximum

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Judith A. Temby, Secretary