Committee on Academic Staff Issues
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Bylaws for the L&S CASI At the January 12, 1998 meeting of the Academic Staff Assembly, Academic Staff Document #210, titled *School, College, and Division Committees on Academic Staff Issues* was passed. This document calls for each school, college, or division of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to establish a committee to advise the Dean or Director on issues pertaining to or affecting academic staff members in that unit. The responsibilities, membership guidelines, and procedures for such committees are described in that document and have been incorporated into the current document as applicable.Responsibilities: In accordance with the guidelines established in Academic Staff Document #210, the responsibilities of Letters and Science Committee on Academic Staff Issues will be to advise the Dean on the formulation and review of all policies and procedures concerning academic staff members, including personnel matters, and to represent academic staff members in the development of all college policies and procedures concerning academic staff members. In addition, the Committee will provide advice to the Dean on college program decisions likely to affect promotional opportunities, or lead to nonrenewal or layoff of academic staff members, develop opportunities for participation of academic staff members in department and unit governance, and develop opportunities for recognition of academic staff member contributions to the College*s mission and to the excellence of its programs. Membership: The Letters and Science Academic Staff Issues Committee will consist of up to twelve members: at least six to be elected by the Academic Staff of the College and the others will be appointed by the Dean. All elected and appointed members shall be academic staff holding an appointment within the College. The elected members should include representatives from the instrucional, research, advising or student services areas, and any other functional area (administration, communication, information technology, library services, student services, and other). The remaining appointed members will be chosen to balance the committee composition. The committee members appointed by the Dean will be chosen with an eye to enhancing balance between various groups (male/female, category A/category B, humanities/social science/physical and life science, etc.). The Dean will chair the committee and will be a member ex-officio. The academic staff members of the Letters and Science Academic Planning Council and an L&S representative of ASEC shall be observers. Although the membership rules specify positions based on functional area to assure representation of all academic staff in the College and to provide a variety of perspectives, each elected/appointed member will represent the entire academic staff of the College not a particular constituency. Therefore, all elections will be at large: all academic staff members with an active appointment as of March 1, will be eligible to vote in each election, regardless of the functional area the candidates represent. A nominations sub-committee will be established to solicit suggested candidates from the Letters and Science Academic Staff at large, from the Chairs and Directors, from the L&S Academic Planning Council, from ASEC , and from the Academic Staff Assembly and to put together a slate of nominees for each election. Academic staff members who accept the nomination of the sub-committee will submit a brief statement to the Dean*s Office. These statements will be circulated at the time of the election, which will be held each year before the end of the spring semester and which will be coordinated by the Dean*s Office. In races with two candidates, the candidate receiving the majority of votes cast will be considered the winner of the election; in races with more than two candidates, the candidate receiving a plurality of votes cast will be considered the winner. Committee members will be elected/appointed for three-year terms. Terms shall be staggered so that two new members are elected/appointed each year. No member may serve for more than three consecutive years. This initial term structure will provide both continuity and diversity of input during the committee*s formative period. Except as specified for the initial period, no member may serve for more than three consecutive years. Mid-term vacancies will be filled by appointment by the Dean with input from the committee in such a way as to assure the functional area balance of the committee. The mid-term appointee will serve for the remainder of the vacant term. Mid-year appointees may run for re-election. The procedures for the election/nomination of academic staff members to the committee, and any changes thereto, shall be approved by the Letters and Science academic staff and shall be transmitted to ASEC. Procedures: At least once per semester, the Committee shall meet and the Dean shall consult with it on the formulation and review of policies and procedures concerning academic staff members in the College. The Dean or a designee shall schedule a meeting of the Committee within a reasonable time if requested to do so by at least one-third of the Committee members. The Committee shall adopt rules governing advance circulation of Committee agendas how items may be added to agendas by a Committee member, how appropriate summaries of Committee meetings shall be made available to the academic staff of the College, and how the academic staff of the College shall be notified of the Committee membership. These rules and any subsequent modifications shall be filed with the Secretary of the Academic Staff. At intervals not to exceed five years, the elected academic staff members of each committee shall review its structure and functions to assess its effectiveness as a voice for academic staff and its compliance with Academic Staff Policies and Procedures. The self study report shall be submitted to the Dean, to the academic staff of the College and to ASEC.
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