Supporting shared governance

Shared governance is a significant part of what makes the University of Wisconsin–Madison great. We remain committed to shared governance as it has been historically practiced here since the establishment of the UW System. The active participation of faculty, academic staff, university staff, and students is, and will continue to be, crucial to the decision-making process at the university. Shared governance partners are involved in campus decisions regarding areas of academics, research, campus climate, diversity, human resources, as well as other campus-wide issues.

We ask you to support and strongly encourage faculty, academic staff, and university staff participation in governance during work hours and without loss of pay. During orientations and other meetings at the beginning of the academic year, please promote the full range of governance opportunities available campus-wide as well as in schools, colleges, divisions, and departments. Please stress to all employee groups that involvement in formal governance and other opportunities to participate in workplace decision-making contributes to the vitality and excellence of our university. We also ask that you encourage all employees to vote in the various employee group elections. Effective shared governance relies on both good turnout in these elections as well as active participation on committees and other bodies.

In recognition of our employee’s contributions, please consider joining fellow academic staff, university staff, and faculty for a reception to celebrate shared governance on campus on Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 3–5 p.m. in Varsity Hall at Union South. For further information on shared governance, please visit the shared governance website. This resource page has information specific to each employee group.

Thank you for your continued support of shared governance at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Rebecca Blank, Chancellor
Sarah Mangelsdorf, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Laurent Heller, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration