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NOTE: To submit a public records request, please use the UW-Madison Public Records Portal.
Records retention schedules (also known as Records Disposition Authorizations or RDAs) form the cornerstone of an effective Records Management Program. At its most basic, it is a policy document that defines an organization’s legal and compliance recordkeeping requirements and helps manage the records that the University creates throughout their lifecycle.
Under Wisconsin law, university records cannot be disposed of without a valid record schedule.
All recommended dispositions stated within these schedules may generally be carried out by the office without further consultation. However, there are conditions which affect the final disposition of records where the records schedule is suspended and held until completed. A record cannot be disposed of if:
The above factors pertain to all University records regardless of format.
State agencies like UW-Madison, are statutorily required to provide record schedules for all records created or received by the University in the course of its business regardless of format. RDAs or record schedules are submitted by the University Records Officer on behalf of the Madison campus to the Public Records Board (PRB) for approval.
RDAs sunset every 10 years and must be resubmitted to the PRB for approval although this may happen more frequently as campus policies, procedures, and systems change.