In a May 19, 2021, email, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank provided information about the university’s plans to return faculty and staff to work on campus as we ramp up for the fall semester.
Her desire is that the 2020-2021 academic year should recapture the vibrancy of a campus full of life. “We best fulfill our teaching, service and research missions when we work, learn and connect together in-person. On-campus interactions build connections between employees, facilitate quick exchange of information, and help integrate new staff into office culture and operations,” she said in her message.
As the chancellor also noted, workplace flexibility is important—and remote work, either part-time or full-time, is one form of flexibility. However, we anticipate that the majority of work in the College of Engineering will occur on campus and in person.
Informed by the chancellor’s guidance, plus feedback from many faculty and staff, the College of Engineering developed its return-to-work guidelines, which include a remote work policy based on the UW-Madison campus policy.
These guidelines will apply to all employees who are in any of the following employment categories: academic staff, university staff, limited employees, temporary employees, zero-dollar appointments, post-degree training appointments, and student hourly employees.
For faculty and graduate assistants, including teaching assistants, research assistants, and project/program assistants, the guidelines apply only to out-of-state or international remote work.
Preparing to return to campus
For those of you who are working remotely and would like to return to work on campus between now and Aug. 1, we welcome you back and encourage you to have a conversation with your supervisor to make those arrangements. Here in the College of Engineering, our buildings are open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, except the Engineering Research Building and 1410 Engineering Drive, which will remain locked but accessible via Wiscard.