Time: Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
Location: Lubar N456 and Microsoft Teams
Attendance
Present: Professors K. Kirshtner, R. Leson, L. McHenry, W. Otieno, G. Rodger, M. Schwartz
Excused: M. Kavanaugh
Guests: T. Gibson
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by L. McHenry at 1:04 p.m.
Persons Who Wish to be Heard
None
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of September 2, 2025 meeting were approved.
Special Guests
- Chancellor Thomas Gibson
Chancellor Gibson was able to meet with students and their families during move-in day, and was excited to see the energy and enthusiasm that the students had for coming to UWM. He also hosted a Coffee with the Chancellor event to meet with students to get feedback on their experiences at UWM.
Chancellor Gibson has met with several local government officials, along with congressional representatives or their staff, to start building relationships and increase support for UWM. He also helped make connections between military personnel and UWM researchers.
Chancellor Gibson has also started meeting with major donors, reconfirming their commitment to UWM.
The Chancellor has been busy with interviews with local media outlets, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Milwaukee Business Journal, multiple television stations, and WUWM.
Meetings have taken place with leaders of MATC, Marquette University, WCTC, and MSOE. The focus of these meetings was to explore new avenues for collaboration between institutions.
The Plenary address will be on September 16. Chancellor Gibson will be highlighting UWM accomplishments and laying out his vision for the future. There will be a reception after the address.
The UW System has convened a workgroup to work through the implementation of Act 15 on workload policies. There will be opportunities for feedback on the draft System policy before it is submitted for approval. Concerns were raised about the potential consequences to UWM if R1 status is lost in the future.
The pay plan has resulted in a 3% increase in salaries.
There have also been issues with Workday, and the UC recommended that campus messaging on the Workday issues be improved.
Enrollment for the Fall semester is projected to be up by 11% for first-year students. The overall enrollment increase is expected to be approximately 3-3.5%. However, graduate student enrollment, particularly among international students has declined.
Chairperson’s Report and Announcements
None
Members’ Reports
- G. Rodger reported that the Rules Committee set the agenda for the University Faculty / Faculty Senate meeting scheduled for September 18. The APBC meets next week.
New Business
- University Faculty Workload Policy
The UC discussed the university workload policy presented to the UC last week. This led into a discussion of the potential ramifications of Act 15 on faculty service.
Old Business
None
Personnel Matters
None
Future Agenda Items
The next scheduled UC meeting is September 16 at 1:00 pm, but this may be cancelled. The following meeting is scheduled for September 23 at 1:00 pm, when ASC Chair Jennifer Herriges is scheduled to attend.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.