Bill > AB586

Introduced Session

This bill modifies statutory provisions relating to shared governance at University of Wisconsin System institutions to restore these provisions to their form just prior to enactment of the 2015-17 biennial budget act (2015 Wisconsin Act 55). Current law, after 2015 Wisconsin Act responsibilities at UW System institutions as follows: executive heads and are vested with the responsibility of administering the policies of the Board of Regents and, in consultation with the faculty, carrying out other policy-related responsibilities such as designing curricula, setting degree requirements, determining academic standards, establishing standards for faculty appointment and promotion, and administering institutional funds; 2) the faculty of each institution has the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters; 3) the academic staff of each institution has the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review, and must be represented in the development, of policies and procedures concerning academic staff, including academic staff personnel matters; and 4) the students of each institution have the primary responsibility for advising the chancellor regarding the formulation and review of policies concerning student life, services, and interests. However, this authority of the faculty, academic staff, and students is subordinate to the authority of the Board of Regents, the UW System president, and the chancellor, and the authority of the academic staff and students is further subordinate to the authority of the faculty. Although faculty have the right to determine their own organizational structure and to select their representatives in institutional governance, they must ensure that faculty in academic disciplines related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are adequately represented in the faculty organizational structure. Before 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, the division of responsibilities applicable to faculty, academic staff, and students at UW System institutions was characterized as follows: 1) the faculty was vested with responsibility for the immediate governance of the institution and had to actively participate in institutional policy development, and as such had the primary responsibility for academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters; 2) the academic staff had to be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy development for the institution and had the primary responsibility for the formulation and review, and had to be represented in the development, of all policies and procedures concerning academic staff members, including academic staff personnel matters; and 3) the students had to be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy development for the institution and, as such, had primary responsibility for the formulation and review of policies concerning student life, services and interests. However, these responsibilities of the faculty, academic staff, and students were subject to the responsibilities and powers of the Board of Regents, the UW System president, and the chancellor, and the responsibilities of the academic staff and students were further subject to the responsibilities of the faculty. In addition, prior to 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, there was no statutory requirement that STEM faculty be adequately represented in the faculty organizational structure. This bill restores provisions relating to shared governance at UW System institutions to the form in which they existed just prior to the enactment of 2015 Wisconsin Act 55.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Clint Anderson (D)*,  Deb Andraca (D)*,  Margaret Arney (D)*,  Mike Bare (D)*,  Jill Billings (D)*,  Brienne Brown (D)*,  Ryan Clancy (D)*,  Karen DeSanto (D)*,  Ben DeSmidt (D)*,  Steve Doyle (D)*,  Jodene Emerson (D)*,  Joan Fitzgerald (D)*,  Russell Goodwin (D)*,  Kalan Haywood (D)*,  Francesca Hong (D)*,  Andrew Hysell (D)*,  Jenna Jacobson (D)*,  Alex Joers (D)*,  Tara Johnson (D)*,  Karen Kirsch (D)*,  Darrin Madison (D)*,  Renuka Mayadev (D)*,  Maureen McCarville (D)*,  Tip McGuire (D)*,  Vincent Miresse (D)*,  Supreme Moore Omokunde (D)*,  Greta Neubauer (D)*,  Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D)*,  Lori Palmeri (D)*,  Christian Phelps (D)*,  Pricilla Prado (D)*,  Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D)*,  Ann Roe (D)*,  Joe Sheehan (D)*,  Christine Sinicki (D)*,  Lee Snodgrass (D)*,  Ryan Spaude (D)*,  Angela Stroud (D)*,  Shelia Stubbs (D)*,  Lisa Subeck (D)*,  Sequanna Taylor (D)*,  Angelito Tenorio (D)*,  Randy Udell (D)*,  Robyn Vining (D)*,  Tim Carpenter (D),  Dora Drake (D),  Jodi Habush Sinykin (D),  Dianne Hesselbein (D),  LaTonya Johnson (D),  Sarah Keyeski (D),  Chris Larson (D),  Melissa Ratcliff (D),  Kelda Roys (D),  Jeff Smith (D),  Mark Spreitzer (D),  Jamie Wall (D),  Bob Wirch (D), 

Read first time and referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities (on 10/24/2025)

Official Document