The University Competitive Workforce Commission held its first meeting Feb. 12, laying the groundwork to ensure quality faculty for the University of Wisconsin System.
Steve Wildeck, member of the commission and vice chancellor at UW Colleges and UW Extensions, dubbed the first meeting an information-sharing day.
The commission was charged with looking at compensation issues both inside and outside of the UW system.
The committee was also educated on why it is important to make sure there is competitive faculty, and why it is essential to Wisconsin’s economy during the meeting.
Ultimately, the goal of the commission is to make sure the UW System is competitive enough with its compensation, which includes salary and fringe benefits, to retain and recruit quality faculty, said Kathi Seifert, former executive vice president of the Kimberly Clark Corporation.
Compensation in the UW System will be compared to other universities of similar size on a national scale.
Peer groups are determined by the size and type of the university, Wildeck said.
If a university is competitive in its peer group, employee compensation will fall at or above the median compensation in the group. Different universities in the UW System belong to different peer groups, Wildeck said. For UW, some of these peers would be schools of the same size in the Big Ten.
Regent Michael Spector and Seifert, representing the public and private sector respectively, chair the committee.
“Business and educational leaders [are] all very much aligned and working together to achieve economic vitality in the region,” Seifert said.
While it has not yet been determined whether UW System has issues with competitive compensation, Wildeck said one of the goals of the committee would be to develop solutions if compensation issues are found.
“The university probably can’t look to the state for a lot of help. It needs to think broadly and creatively,” Wildeck said.
The members are primarily from the private business sector and were chosen to offer a different perspective to the UW System on potential solutions if issues are found in compensation.
Wildeck said both the UW System and the members from the business sector have both experienced economic strains, including furloughs and layoffs.
Seifert said businesses have a stake in public education because the colleges in the UW System are educating potential future employees.
Staying competitive with compensation has a hand in retaining and recruiting quality faculty, Wildeck said.
There is a connection between the quality of faculty and the quality of programs at a university, according to a statement from the UW System.
“In order to make sure we have a vibrant economy, education is hugely important,” Seifert said.
The next meeting, to be held March 12, will see members compare UW System compensation to a national level.
The final product of the commission will be the findings of comparing compensation to the peer groups and any recommendations the commission wishes to make to UW Systems President Kevin Reilly.
