{"id":210396,"date":"2025-10-09T00:39:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/210396\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T00:39:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:39:07","slug":"faculty-senate-discusses-new-computing-school-ethnic-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/210396\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Senate discusses new computing school, ethnic studies"},"content":{"rendered":"

A University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty Senate meeting Monday centered on two hot-button issues on campus: a proposal for a new college of computing and data sciences and systemwide reforms on the university\u2019s general education requirements, including rumored<\/a> threats to the ethnic studies requirement.<\/p>\n

New college in computing and data sciences<\/p>\n

Interim Provost for Academic Affairs John Zumbrunnen outlined ideas to create a new college for the Computer, Data and Information Sciences (CDIS) degrees currently under Letters & Sciences. The new college would make CDIS \u2014 created<\/a> in 2019 as an administrative unit \u2014 a permanent, standalone division.<\/p>\n

Zumbrunnen called the initiative a response to the \u201cAI moment\u201d reshaping scholarship and student demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal here is not to create a new silo on campus,\u201d Zumbrunnen said, \u201cbut instead create a hub of scholarly expertise in computing, data and information sciences that can, yes, educate students in those spaces but also to serve as a convener and connector for enriched collaborations across campus.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zumbrunnen and Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin pointed to the growing presence<\/a> of big data in medicine and public health, the role of artificial intelligence in engineering and human-centered design and the ethical and political questions explored in philosophy, as examples of cross-campus connections.<\/p>\n

Senators at the meeting also raised concerns about staffing and resources for the new school. Zumbrunnen acknowledged state-imposed hiring<\/a> caps and budget pressures, saying the university would rely on philanthropic and corporate support. \u201cWe want this to be additive and not take away from other parts of our university,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Morgridge Hall, the university\u2019s new home for CDIS, was funded<\/a> entirely by private donors.<\/p>\n

The timeline for a final decision on creating this new school has not yet been announced.<\/p>\n

System reforms not to threaten ethnic studies<\/p>\n

The Faculty Senate also discussed UW System administrators\u2019 proposal<\/a> to standardize general education requirements across the system\u2019s 13 universities. The plan<\/a>, tied to reforms approved in Wisconsin\u2019s 2025-2027 budget, could have eliminated a dedicated ethnic or cultural studies course requirement.<\/p>\n

The proposal sparked strong pushback<\/a> from Madison students and faculty, who argued it would erase decades of progress in diversity and inclusion. A UW-Madison spokesperson confirmed Wednesday the requirement will not be removed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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UW-Madison first adopted<\/a> the ethnic studies requirement in 1989 after student advocacy and the release of the Holley Report, which also led to the creation of the Multicultural Student Center.<\/p>\n

Zumbrunnen told the Senate the campus intends to maintain its ethnic studies requirement, slotting it into one of the six new categories the UW System is developing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBarring some unforeseen change \u2026 we\u2019ll continue to have the ethnic studies requirement, and students who start at UW-Madison will be required to take it,\u201d Zumbrunnen said.<\/p>\n

Faculty concerns about governance<\/p>\n

Faculty senators pressed administrators in attendance on how much autonomy UW-Madison would have under the new UW System plan, especially as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives face cuts across campus and the Trump administration pushes a national \u201chigher ed compact\u201d tying federal funding support to acquiescence on curricular, admissions, hiring and campus speech reforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UW-Madison was not one of the nine schools who received a \u201ccompact\u201d from the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mnookin promised to defend shared governance in any changes. \u201cAny higher ed compact must include a commitment to shared governance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Alaina Walsh<\/p>\n

Alaina Walsh is the associate news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has covered breaking news on city crimes and a variety of state and campus stories, including the 2024 presidential election and the UW-Madison budget. \u00a0<\/p>\n