University Academic Planning Council

About the Committee

The University Academic Planning Council (UAPC) is a committee of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as stipulated in the university’s Faculty Policies and Procedures, chapter 6.52. The committee advises the chancellor and provost on major program decisions and long-term academic plans, assures appropriate review and consideration is given to requests for new programs and changes to existing programs, and oversees academic program review and evaluation, among other functions.

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Functions

  1. Advises the chancellor and provost on major program decisions, long-term academic plans, and associated campus development and budgetary policies.
  2. Addresses university academic issues and provides for faculty participation in long-range planning, and as such
    • Oversees the long-range planning process for the academic programs of the university.
    • Reviews progress on and initiates selective updates of the recommendations of major planning exercises and documents.
    • Identifies and initiates studies of academic issues crossing school and college lines.
  3. Assures that appropriate review and consideration is given to requests for new programs; the implementation of proposals for new majors, degrees, degree name changes, departments, schools, or colleges; recommendations concerning the establishment or discontinuation of departments; and academic program evaluation. (See 5.01.A.)  As part of this function it:
    • Assumes responsibility for review and approval of programs as required by statute.
    • Following the appropriate college, school, or divisional actions, reviews and approves the titles of degrees.
    • Oversees and updates program review procedures, procedures for the evaluation and approval of new program proposals, and the university’s overall assessment strategy.
    • Assigns the responsibility for reviews of existing programs and new program proposals to the appropriate school, college, or divisional academic planning council.
  4. Advises the Campus Planning Committee on the impact of academic priorities on the campus physical development plans.

Composition of Membership

The UAPC membership is defined as follows:

  1. The chancellor.
  2. The provost.
  3. The dean of the Graduate School.
  4. One administrative member selected by the provost.
  5. One member selected by the University Committee from among its current members.
  6. One member selected by the Academic Staff Executive Committee from among its current members.
  7. One member selected by the University Staff Central Committee from among its current members.
  8. Four faculty members, one from each faculty division, selected by the divisional executive committee from departmental nominees after consultation with the Committee on Committees. For each division making an appointment, the executive committee of each department with membership in that division may nominate one faculty member or second the nomination of a faculty member nominated by another department.
  9. Two faculty members selected by the University Committee from school and college nominees in even-numbered years. For each vacancy to be filled by the University Committee, the academic planning council of each school or college may nominate one faculty member or second the nomination of a faculty member nominated by another school or college.
  10. Two faculty members selected by the University Committee from school and college nominees in odd-numbered years to serve jointly on the University Academic Planning Council and the Campus Planning Committee. For each vacancy to be filled by the University Committee, the academic planning council of each school or college may nominate one faculty member or second the nomination of a faculty member nominated by another school or college.
  11. One student member, nonvoting.

Note: The faculty members selected under A.9., A.10., and A.11. above shall serve four-year terms, which shall be staggered.

Refer to the university’s Committee Tracker for the official list of committee members, past and present.

Members, 2023-24

UAPC MEMBERSHIP, 2023–24 (TERM EXPIRES)

Ex Officio Members
Jennifer Mnookin (Chancellor)
Charles Lee Isbell, Jr., Chair (Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs)
William Karpus (Dean, Graduate School)

Administrative Member Appointed by the Provost
Eric Wilcots, Dean, College of Letters and Science (2024)

University Committee Representative
Annie Jones, Extension (2024)

Academic Staff Executive Committee Appointee
Stephanie Jones, School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness (2024)

University Staff Central Committee Appointee
David Pettersen, Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies (2027)

Divisional Committee Appointees
Valentin Picasso, Agronomy, Biological Sciences Division (2025)
Xueli Wang, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, Social Sciences Division (2024)
Jose Pincheira, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Physical Sciences Division (2027)
James Messina, Philosophy, Arts and Humanities Division (2026)

University Committee Faculty Appointees
Tom Purnell, English (2027)
Yevgenya Grinblat, Integrative Biology (2025)
Susannah Tahk, Law (2024)
Mario Ortiz-Robles, English (2026, on sabbatical Spring 2024)
Lisa Arendt, Comparative Biosciences (Spring 2024, covering Ortiz-Robles sabbatical)

ASM Student Appointee (nonvoting, one-year appointment)
Roshni Venkat (2024)

Consultant
Allison La Tarte, Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

Staff
Karen Mittelstadt, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

Meetings and Materials, 2023-24

UAPC meets on the third Thursday of the month, 3:30-5pm, from September through June, in Bascom Hall 260.

Zoom video participation is an option for members, presenters, and guests, as needed. (Zoom Meeting Link)

The meeting agenda and materials will be posted to this website at least seven days before each meeting, with the minutes posted within three days after the meeting.

21 September 2023Agenda (pdf), Minutes (pdf)

October 2023 (no meeting, business conducted via email) – Agenda (pdf), Minutes (pdf)

16 November 2023Agenda (pdf), Minutes (pdf)

December 2023 (no meeting, business conducted via email) – Agenda (pdf), Minutes (pdf)

18 January 2024Agenda (pdf), Minutes (pdf)

15 February 2024Agenda (pdf), Minutes (pdf)

21 March 2024Agenda (pdf), Agenda (Web), Minutes (pdf)

18 April 2024 – Agenda (pdf), Agenda (Web), Minutes (pdf)

16 May 2024 – Agenda (pdf), Agenda (Web), Minutes (pdf)

20 June 2024 – Agenda (pdf), Agenda (Web), Minutes (pdf)

Submission Guidelines and Deadlines

Submitting Materials to UAPC

Proposals should be sent from the school/college dean’s office to the Office of the Provost (via Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research [DAPIR]) with supporting materials through Lumen Programs or Lumen Structures. Proposals are considered submitted when they are in the DAPIR Admin Queue in Lumen Programs/Structures. Prior to being submitted to the DAPIR Admin Queue, appropriate approvals at the department and school/college levels must be documented on the proposal. This is essential as it signifies the required governance reviews have been completed at the program and school/college level, and that the dean accepts budgetary and academic implications of the proposal.

For all proposals that will eventually be on the UAPC agenda, it is strongly recommend that the proposing unit seek a review from their school/college colleagues who support academic planning, and from DAPIR before submitting the Lumen proposal to workflow.

UAPC Deadlines

Materials must be received at least three weeks before the desired UAPC meeting date. Earlier submission is better to allow time for review to make sure all aspects of the proposal are aligned with policy guidelines and complete. Submission three weeks in advance does not guarantee that an item will be placed on the agenda.

UAPC Meetings, 2023–24
Material Submission Deadline (to DAPIR via Lumen)
21 September 2023 31 August 2023
19 October 2023 28 September 2023
16 November 2023 26 October 2023
21 December 2023 30 November 2023
18 January 2024 28 December 2023
15 February 2024 25 January 2024
21 March 2024 29 February 2024
18 April 2024

(Note: Program change proposals and new program proposals that do not need to go to the Board of Regents [i.e., certificates and named options] approved at the April meeting can be effective for the Fall 2024 term and will be included in the June 2024 Guide publication. Proposals approved at the May and/or June meetings can be effective for Fall 2024 but will not be reflected in Guide until the October mid-cycle update.)

25 March 2024
16 May 2024 25 April 2024
20 June 2024 30 May 2024

Note on Graduate Program Proposals

Graduate-level proposals require Graduate Faculty Executive Committee (GFEC) approval prior to advancing for UAPC review/approval. GFEC meets the second Friday of the month during the academic year and has a material/proposal submission deadline of three weeks prior to each meeting. Contact Jenna Alsteen, assistant dean in the Graduate School, for details about GFEC meetings.

Note on Proposals That Will Advance to the UW Board of Regents

Some proposals advance beyond UW-Madison onto the Board of Regents, and specifically the Education Committee, for review and approval. This is primarily proposals to establish new academic programs (i.e., new degree/majors, Request for Authorization). For a proposal to be added to the Board of Regents agenda, it must be approved by UAPC at least two months in advance. Thus for 2023-24, the UAPC approval timeline for new degree/majors advancing to the Board of Regents is:

Board of Regents Meetings, 2023-24
Latest UAPC Meeting for Proposal Approval
5-6 October 2023 15 June 2023
9 November 2023

(Education Committee does not meet.)

N/A
7-8 December 2023 21 September 2023
8-9 February 2024 16 November 2023
7 March 2024

(Education Committee does not meet.)

N/A
4-5 April 2024 18 January 2024
6-7 June 2024 21 March 2024
22-23 August 2024 20 June 2024

 

Recent Actions and Annual Reports

Refer to the UAPC Recent Actions and Annual Reports webpage for a year-by-year inventory of academic actions taken by UAPC since 2012, as well as the committee’s annual reports dating back to 1996–97.

Contacts

Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

Allison La Tarte

Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Institutional Research
608 890-4701
169 Bascom Hall

allison.latarte@wisc.edu

Karen Mittelstadt

Institutional Academic Planner
608-265-5079
Bascom Hall
mittelstadt@wisc.edu 

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2022-23 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

15 September 2022 (Mtg cancelled due to lack of timely agenda items.)
20 October 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
17 November 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
15 December 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
19 January 2023 – Agenda (pdf)
16 February 2023 – Agenda (pdf)
23 March 2023 – Agenda (pdf)
20 April 2023 – Agenda (pdf)
18 May 2023 – Agenda (pdf)
15 June 2023 – Agenda (pdf)

2021-22 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 19, 2021 – Agenda (pdf)
October 17, 2021 – Agenda (pdf)
November 21, 2021 – Agenda (pdf)
December 19, 2021 – Agenda (pdf)
January 16, 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
February 20, 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
March 26, 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
April 16, 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
May 21, 2022 – Agenda (pdf)
June 18, 2022 – Agenda (pdf)

2020-21 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

UAPC Meeting
Format/Location
Agenda
Full Mtg Packet
Minutes
17 September 2020 WebEx Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
15 October 2020 No Meeting (Consent Agenda conducted via email/survey) Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
19 November 2020 WebEx Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
17 December 2020 WebEx Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
21 January 2021 Zoom Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
18 February 2021 No Meeting (Insufficient agenda)
18 March 2021 Zoom Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
15 April 2021 Zoom Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)
20 May 2021 No Meeting (Insufficient agenda)
17 June 2021 Zoom Agenda (pdf) Full Mtg Packet (pdf) Minutes (pdf)

2019-20 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 19, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
October 17, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
November 21, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
December 19, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
January 16, 2020 – Agenda (pdf)
February 20, 2020 – Agenda (pdf)
March 26, 2020 – Agenda (pdf)
April 16, 2020 – Agenda (pdf)
May 21, 2020 – Agenda (pdf)
June 18, 2020 – Agenda (pdf)

2018-19 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 27, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
November 15, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
December 20, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
January 17, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
February 21, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
April 18, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
May 16, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)
June 20, 2019 – Agenda (pdf)

2017-18 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 14, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
November 16, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
December 14, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
January 18, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
February 15, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
March 22, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
April 19, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
May 17, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)
June 21, 2018 – Agenda (pdf)

2016-17 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 15, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
October 20, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
December 15, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
January 19, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
February 16, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
March 16, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
April 20, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
May 18, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)
June 15, 2017 – Agenda (pdf)

2015-16 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 17, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
November 19, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
December 17, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
January 21, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
March 17, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
April 21, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
May 19, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)
June 16, 2016 – Agenda (pdf)

2014-15 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 18, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)
October 16, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)
December 18, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)
January 15, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
February 19, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
March 12, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
April 23, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)
June 18, 2015 – Agenda (pdf)

2013-14 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 19, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
October 24, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
November 21, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
December 19, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
January 16, 2014  – Agenda (pdf)
March 27, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)
April 17, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)
May 8, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)
Monday June 23, 2014 – Agenda (pdf)

2012-13 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

October 18, 2012 – Agenda (pdf)
December 20, 2012 – Agenda (pdf)
February 21, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
March 21, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
April 18, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
May 9, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)
June 25, 2013 – Agenda (pdf)

2011-12 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 15, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
November 17, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
December 15, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
February 16, 2012 – Agenda (pdf)
April 19, 2012 – Agenda (pdf)
May 17, 2012 – Agenda (pdf)
June 25, 2012 – Agenda (pdf)

2010-11 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 16, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
October 21, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
November 18, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
December 16, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
January 20, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
February 17, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
March 24, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
April 21, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
May 19, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)
June 20, 2011 – Agenda (pdf)

2009-10 UAPC Dates and Agenda Materials

September 17, 2009 – Agenda (pdf)
November 11, 2009 – Agenda (pdf)
December 17, 2009 – Agenda (pdf)
January 21, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
February 18, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
March 18, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
April 15, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
May 20, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)
June 21, 2010 – Agenda (pdf)

UAPC Materials for Prior Years

Agenda materials dating back to 1975 when the UAPC was first established are available upon request from the Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research Office. Contact Karen Mittelstadt at mittelstadt@wisc.edu with requests.