The Senate is planning to be in session on Tuesday, January 21. The calendar has not been released yet. We will provide an update when the calendar is available.
Research in the Rotunda- registration deadline extended to January 31
The registration deadline for the 2020 Research in the Rotunda event on March 11, 2020, has been extended to Friday, January 31. Campus coordinators must submit a list of poster titles to universityrelations@uwsa.edu prior to registering. Once poster titles are submitted, students and faculty advisers can complete their registration for the event at: wisconsin.edu/research-in-the-rotunda/registration/. January 31 will be the final deadline for all faculty advisers and students. Special guests have until February 14 to register.
Questions regarding registration or the Research in the Rotunda event should be directed to David Specht-Boardman at dspecht-boardman@uwsa.edu.
Fall 2019 Graduate Lists
The 2019 fall graduate lists are due to the UW System State Relations team by Monday, February 3, 2020. If this date is not feasible for your institution, please let Jeff Buhrandt (jbuhrandt@uwsa.edu) know ahead of time. Graduate lists should include the following data fields: First Name, Last Name, Address, City, State, and Postal Code. The lists should be sent to Julie Jonuzi at njonuzi@uwsa.edu.
Senate Committee on Transportation, Veterans and Military Affairs- January 8 Executive Session Recap
The Senate Committee on Transportation, Veterans and Military Affairs held an executive session on Wednesday, January 8 and heard SB-446: UW MIA Project– relating to the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project and making an appropriation. The Committee voted to pass the bill in a 5-0 vote. The bill is available to be scheduled during the next Senate floor session.
Gallup Poll: About a Quarter of U.S. Adults Consider Higher Ed Affordable
In a recent Gallup Poll of Americans’ views on the availability of higher education, 60+% of U.S. adults (aged 30-65+) say education beyond high school is available to anyone in the country who needs it. The percentage is consistent with the last time the poll was offered in 2015. In comparison, only 46% of young adults (aged 18-29) say education beyond high school is available to those who need it. There is no clear explanation for the significant difference in percentage between age and differing views. Many changes have been made to the types of programming available to Americans since the poll was last done. There has been an increase in online degree-granting programs and the expansion of degree alternatives to improve access to education for those interested in gaining skills in their current field or reskilling for another field. Despite these advances, public opinion about availability and affordability appears stagnant. The full article can be accessed on the Gallup website.
Senate Committee on Transportation, Veterans, & Military Affairs- Executive Session on January 8
The Senate Committee on Transportation, Veterans and Military Affairs will hold an executive session on Wednesday, January 8 starting at 1:30 p.m. The committee will hear the following bill related to UW System:
- SB-446: The University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project and making an appropriation.
See the public hearing notice for more details.
Assembly Session on Wednesday, January 15
The Assembly will be in session on Wednesday, January 15 starting at 1:00 p.m. Members have also been told to keep their schedules open for the week of January 21 for an additional session. We will continue to update the newsletter as more information becomes available for both these sessions.
Senate Committee on Education- December 19 Executive Session Recap
The Senate Committee on Education held an executive session on Thursday, December 19, 2019. The Committee heard SB-496: ID Card Info– requiring that student identification cards include contact information for suicide prevention hotlines, including Amendment 1. The Committee passed the bill as amended in an 8-1 vote.
Update from the NCAA Office of Government Relations
The NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously in October 2019 to permit student-athletes the opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness in a manner consistent with the collegiate model. The three divisions have begun the process of soliciting feedback and developing proposals to meet the Board’s January 2021 legislative deadline. To learn more about the Board of Governors’ action and for additional resources including legislative timelines and Q&A documents, visit the NCAA Taking Action webpage.
Joint Committee on Employment Relations- December 18 executive session recap
The Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) met on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 and voted to authorize the UW System compensation plan that was approved as part of the 2019-21 state budget. This includes both a 2% wage adjustment in January of 2020 and another in 2021.
The committee also approved the trades contracts below, submitted by UW System. The contracts will need full legislative approval before going into effect.
- 2018-2019 agreement between the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee.
- 2019-2020 agreement between the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee.
- 2018-2019 agreement between the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee.
- 2019-2020 agreement between the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee.
- 2018-2019 agreement between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee.
- 2019-2020 agreement between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee.