The Board of Regents met October 8th. In his opening remarks, UW System President Tommy Thompson reviewed efforts by System institutions to address Covid-19, including testing and tracing efforts. President Thompson outlined a set of broad administrative reforms that will be undertaken at UW System titled the “Administrative Transformation Program (ATP).” The ATP is a multi-year program that will work to address complexity in the current administrative support model, particularly in such areas as purchasing and accounts payable, information technology and information security. As announced previously, UW-Shared Services will launch the Single Payroll project, eliminating monthly payroll and moving all employees to a biweekly payroll system. Regent President Drew Petersen provided updates on the current UW-Stevens Point chancellor search process (and the Board is meeting on Oct. 20th in closed session to consider the appointment of a Chancellor at UWSP). Behavioral health continues to be a System-level priority and the Board of Regents heard several presentations regarding student mental health services and institutional efforts during the time of Covid-19. UW Oshkosh staff and students were among those presenting. The Board of Regents also recognized former UW System President Ray Cross, who officially retired Sept. 30, after more than six years of leading the UW System and 43 years in higher education.

A full news review of the meeting is available on the UW System news page.