WisconsinUW System leadership appointments would follow new eligibility rules
If it had taken effect, the measure would have set rules for who could be considered for some UW System leadership jobs and what the board reports.
What it does
Full-time faculty and academic staff with teaching or research responsibilities could not be excluded from some leadership appointments just because they lack tenure or the highest degree.
Faculty groups would have to represent science and math fields adequately and could not bar faculty from group leadership based on rank, tenure, title, or degree.
Academic staff members would advise on policies affecting their jobs, help develop those policies, and choose their own governance representatives, subject to faculty and university leadership roles.
The board would approve each limited appointee’s title, salary, and job description, then include those details and appointment counts in its annual report.
Argument forMore faculty and academic staff could be considered for some leadership roles, including people without tenure or the highest degree.
Argument againstLimits on rank and degree requirements could make it harder for faculty groups to choose leaders with the credentials they prefer.
More detail
The board and chancellors could not exclude certain employees from consideration for dean or academic department chair appointments for specified reasons. This applies to dean, associate dean, and academic department chair appointments at UW System institutions. The person must be a full-time faculty or academic staff member with instructional or research responsibilities. The exclusion cannot be based on lack of tenure, a probationary appointment, or not holding the highest degree in the field or profession. These appointment provisions would first apply to appointments made on the measure’s effective date.
The measure would set rules for faculty governance and who may lead faculty groups. These rules concern faculty governance at each UW System institution. For this subsection, faculty generally means people with more than a 50 percent appointment whose main duties are teaching or research, as well as certain chairs and directors. This definition does not grant rank or tenure or turn an academic staff appointment into a faculty appointment, though instructional academic staff count as faculty for this subsection. Faculty groups must adequately represent science, technology, engineering, and math fields, and cannot bar faculty from committee, center, department, or program leadership based on rank, tenure, faculty title, or terminal degree.
Academic staff members would advise the chancellor on policies affecting academic staff and take part in developing those policies. This concerns academic staff at each UW System institution. Academic staff members would organize as they determine and choose representatives for institutional governance, subject to faculty governance rules and the responsibilities of university leaders.
The board would approve details for each limited appointment and include them in its annual report. These requirements concern limited appointments across UW System institutions. Limited appointments include listed senior and administrative roles, as well as other administrative positions the board identifies when making the appointment. The annual report would give each appointee’s title, salary, and job description, and the number of limited appointments at each institution. The information would appear in the board’s annual report.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- May 13Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82Latest
- May 12Placed on calendar 5-12-2026 pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (2)(a)
- Apr 3Report vetoed by the Governor Tony Evers on 4-3-2026Major
- Apr 2Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026To Governor
- Mar 26Report correctly enrolled on 3-26-2026Minor
- Mar 18Received from Senate concurred inMinor
- Mar 17Ordered immediately messaged
- Vote recorded Senate Substitute Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 17Read a third time and concurred inPassed Senate
- Mar 17Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
- Mar 17Ordered to a third readingMinor
- Mar 17Senate Substitute Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15Minor
- Mar 17Read a second timeMinor
- Mar 17Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senators Larson, Hesselbein, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Habush Sinykin, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer, Wall and WirchMinor
- Mar 16Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- Mar 9Available for scheduling
- Vote recorded Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 3, Noes 2. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 9Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 3, Noes 2Minor
- Mar 9Executive action taken
- Mar 4Public hearing held
- Feb 16Read first time and referred to committee on Universities and Technical CollegesMinor
- Feb 13Received from AssemblyMinor
- Feb 12Ordered immediately messaged
- Vote recorded PASSAGE. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 12Read a third time and passed, Ayes 53, Noes 45Passed Assembly
- Feb 12Rules suspended
- Feb 12Ordered to a third readingMinor
- Feb 12Assembly Substitute Amendment 4 adoptedMajor
- Feb 12Assembly Substitute Amendment 4 offered by Representative PiwowarczykMinor
- Feb 12Read a second timeMinor
- Feb 12Assembly Substitute Amendment 3 offered by Representative BareMinor
- Feb 12Assembly Substitute Amendment 2 offered by Representative SnodgrassMinor
- Feb 12Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative JohnsonMinor
- Feb 10Placed on calendar 2-12-2026 by Committee on Rules
- Vote recorded Report passage recommended by Committee on Colleges and Universities, Ayes 7, Noes 4. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 10Referred to committee on RulesMinor
- Feb 10Report passage recommended by Committee on Colleges and Universities, Ayes 7, Noes 4Minor
- Feb 10Executive action taken
- Jan 29Representatives Murphy and Brill added as coauthors
- Jan 28Public hearing held
- 2025
- Dec 22Representative Knodl added as a coauthor
- Dec 17Read first time and referred to Committee on Colleges and UniversitiesMinor
- Dec 17Introduced by Representatives Piwowarczyk, Dittrich and O'Connor; cosponsored by Senator Cabral-GuevaraIntroduced
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