Rose Smyrski, a former University of Wisconsin-Platteville employee will be returning to campus on Feb. 16. She will be returning as Senior Special Assistant to the Chancellor.
Smyrski previously worked as the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff and was in charge of government relations here at UW-Platteville. Smyrski compiled information for legislatures and any other jobs on campus the Chancellor assigned to her.
Robert Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, previously worked with Chancellor Shields and Rose Smyrski.
“Several years ago we had the U.S. Secretary of Education and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture come to UW-Platteville and did a program at the farm that was given to Rose to organize,” Cramer said. “I am very thankful that she was here to do that.”
Smyrski left to accept an interim position as Assistant Chancellor for External Relations at UW Colleges and Extension. Smyrski was given contractual commitments to come back to the University when it ended.
“As she was deciding to go, part of her decision was could she return here, we then committed to holding the position for a year,” Shields said. Since she left, Shields has not had someone working in government relations.
Her position may change with adjustments in the administration but as she returns, she will be working with external and government relations at a broad spectrum.
According to the University of Wisconsin System employee salary database, Smyrski will be returning to a salary of $121,200.
“This is money that we haven’t been spending; we weren’t going to make a decision as to what we were going to do with the position until she decided whether she was interested in coming back,” said Shields.
The majority of her time starting out will be focused on improving relationships with representatives, as well as communicating how these budget cuts are affecting the university.
“She brings a wealth of experience in that she was Chief of Staff for a couple different state senators, a member of the assembly; so she has ten to fifteen years of experience directly with state government in Wisconsin,” Shields said. He also discussed her work with Republicans as being helpful due to her insight in consideration with who is in charge.
“If I had my way she would be here now,” Shields said.
Faculty Senate met at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10 and there was discussion regarding Smyrski’s return. Three motions were proposed by Mary Rose Williams, a media studies professor, in response to the chancellor’s email stating the new hire.
Motion 1 discussed the chancellor revoke the offer made to Smyrski, or reduce her pay to the salary of a College of Liberal Arts and Education professor.
The second motion suggested the chancellor offer 10 percent of his salary back to the university in good faith.
The third and final motion presented the chancellor urge his staff to also offer 10 percent of their salaries back to the university.
All three motions were voted upon and denied. The new motion was stated and passed by Mesut Muslu, interim Dean of EMS, brought forth that the position be categorized as green, or recommended to proceed, in the Budget Reduction Planning Documents.
The discussion of her credentials continued along with the conversation of her government relations. Sheryl Wills, a mathematics professor, expressed in the Faculty Senate meeting that she did not see this position bringing in the relations the university has been surviving without this past year.
She is not the only faculty member that feels this way.
“Unless she’s sleeping with the Koch brothers, we are not getting $120,000 worth,” Rea Kirk, professor of education, said.

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