�MINUTES OF THE OPEN FORUM:� REVISION OF THE FACULTY HANDBOOK
March 8, 2006� 10:00 � 11:30 p.m.
The following
themes were discussed at the forum, which was sparsely attended.� A suggestion to hold subsequent forums in
mid-afternoon to enable more faculty to attend was noted. The following themes
were discussed:
Organizational
differences among Schools and Colleges:� In the College of Education
for example, there are no departments and there are program coordinators and
directors.� A similar situation exists
in the School of Management in which there are no departments; instead the
School is organized into disciplinary areas with coordinators.�
Promotion and
Tenure Review Committees:� The issue of whether Associate Professors
should participate in the promotion reviews of candidates for Full Professor
was discussed.� It was noted that in
some units, it may not be possible to exclude participation by Associate
Professors because of the small number of existing Full Professors.� The issue of whether one should be permitted
to cast a vote in a promotion and/or tenure case at more than one level (i.e.
at the department and school levels) was discussed.� Apparently policies on this issue are not uniform throughout the
university.
Criteria for
Promotion and Tenure: �The appropriate role (and weight) of service
contributions in the promotion and tenure process is problematic and apparently
inconsistent throughout the university.�
In some departments and schools service is expected for probationary
faculty but this may be the case throughout the university.� In some units the pressure to publish
sometimes means that faculty receive tenure with almost no service.� A problem also appears to exist with
articulating the criteria and evidence required for a candidate to establish
the he/she has achieved� genuine
excellence in teaching.� Candidates
should be advised to work with Laurie Fathe, Director of the Center for
Teaching Excellence.�
Why are there so
many tenured Associate Professors who do not seek promotion to Full
Professor?� Part of the problem may be
that the reward is so small � salary increase of only $2,000 - $3,000� It was also noted that upon promotion to
Full Professor, you are in a higher benchmark group for compensation and that
some faculty wish to achieve the Full Professor designation for its own
sake.�
Appeals Process for Denial of Promotion and
Tenure: ��The appeals procedure now defined in the Faculty Handbook may be rarely used, but it is effective.� The problem of a long time lag in the appeals process may require
the petitioner to find other employment of economic necessity.� The dean and provost are not part of the appeals
process; the president makes the final decision.�
Institutes:� It
would not be practical to completely eliminate institutes, but it might be
desirable to consider how they now fit into the organization scheme of the
university and in the Handbook.�
Respectfully
submitted,
Meg Caniano
Clerk, Faculty
Senate
�