The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents will vote today on a resolution to cease granting backup appointments, the much-maligned UW policy of allowing some administrators lower-ranking positions should they be terminated.
Although some regents still openly favor a fixed-contract system, the proposed resolution — approved Thursday by the Business & Finance Committee — would institute a six-month notice before a limited-term appointee would lose his or her job.
"It will eliminate backup positions for newly hired administrators who are not [eligible] for tenure," UW System President Kevin Reilly said. "Your appointment would end at the end of that six months — you do not have a backup."
Although the committee unanimously passed the proposed resolution, the regents remained unsure as to whether the regents should ultimately switch to a fixed-contract policy.
"I would like to learn a little more about the fixed-term contract option," Regent Chuck Pruitt, committee chair, said in echoing a sentiment also expressed by Regents Peggy Rosenzweig and Eileen Connolly-Keesler.
Regent Thomas Loftus, however, said he favored an extension of September's resolution, which has temporarily suspended backup appointments, as Loftus pointed out the regents will meet again before the current semester comes to a close.
"I would be more comfortable staying with the resolution that we passed before," Loftus said. "The resolution that is in effect is sufficient."
Such an extension would effectively prohibit Reilly from providing any job security for the open chancellor position at UW Colleges and UW-Extension. If that candidate was not deemed fit for tenure, Reilly said he would probably need to make an exception to the policy and grant him a backup position.
"If you pass this … I would then be able to offer that person up to six months' notice," Reilly said. "If you don't pass this … then I'm probably going to have to offer him a backup."
UW System spokesperson Doug Bradley said the fixed-contract option, which is favored by some state legislators critical of UW, still has not been ruled out and discussions will likely continue in the weeks or months to come.
"It's an ongoing improvement process and I think it's up to the regents to decide if this is enough," Bradley said.
After the proposal passed, Regent President David Walsh said he was satisfied with the resolution, although he preferred a fixed term contract system.
"I wanted to go to a fixed term but to do that you've got to go to the Legislature and you just don't know what you're going to come out with — I mean it takes a long time," Walsh said. "What Kevin wanted to do gives us immediate flexibility to hire people while at the same time get rid of these backup appointments."
The downside to fixed-term contracts, as Walsh pointed out, is that UW could get stuck paying liquidated damages to an employee who did not work out.
The committee also began discussing its first audit request after officially resuming that responsibility at last months' regents meeting.
"The first request is in and that's from Tom Loftus saying 'I want to look at segregated fees,'" Bradley said. "All this conversation is prelude to say this is what we are requesting that our internal auditor [Ron Yates] look at."
