UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank outlined budgetary issues facing the university in her State of the University Address to Faculty Senate in its first meeting Monday.
Blank began the address by discussing the value of the university to the state-wide community.
“At UW-Madison, we’re making Wisconsin a better place to live, to work and to play,” Blank said.
Blank also addressed the upcoming state budget proposals. She said the university must be prepared to deal with any possible cuts to its funding in the next biennial budget, which is scheduled to be approved in June.
She emphasized the importance of public support for the university’s work in the state.
“We are at a moment when the degrees that we grant have never been more valuable to our graduates, and the research that we do has never been more important in helping to solve complex problems,” Blank said.
She has asked deans and directors of administrative units to consider how their departments would implement such cuts if necessary.
“I am very committed to making sure that UW finds ways, not just to continue to do what we’ve been doing, but to grow and to change, to invest in our education and our research where there are opportunities to do more, and I look forward to your help and guidance,” Blank said.
The senate then addressed a recommended amendment to the Faculty Policies and Procedures which would create a process for working out faculty grievances.
Faculty again voiced complaints for a lack of informal or formal processes to combat intimidation from a fellow faculty member. Professor Jo Ellen Fair said if such behavior continues, it could hinder research and other tasks.
Faculty Senate also discussed a recommendation to close the Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies, which has been approved by both the Academic Planning Counsel in the College of Letter and Science and the University Academic Planning Counsel.
Finally, The Department of Theatre and Drama previously voted to move from the College of Letters and Science to the School of Education, which the School of Education Academic Client Counsel and the University Academic Planning Council also approved.
