FACAS Meeting 10/27/06
Present: D. Biers, P. Johnson, C. Phelps (chair), T. Lasley, E., Gustafson, B. John, B. Turk, M. Schmitz
Absent: A. Abueida , A. Crowe, L. Hausmann, L. Kloppenberg, G. Doyle, J. Farrelly
The committee continued discussion of the Promotion and Tenure document (DOC 1-06-10). See appendix for working document.
The committee was updated regarding the meeting of Joe Untener, associate Provost with the Senate president (D. Biers), the P&T policy chair (T. Lasley), and the committee chair (C. Phelps). Lasley reviewed the majors issues raised in of the open forum at the Senate meeting of 10/13. These include the following:
The committee discussed the status of the document and decided that at this point, it will remain in the Senate. The P&T policy revision committee will act as advisors and provide input to the FACAS, particularly regarding wording, but they will not longer hold primary responsibility for further development or changes in the document. Thus, the FACAS will retain responsibility for the document, receiving input from the P&T policy revision committee and the other standing committees of the Senate.
The committee discussed the issue of “tying” promotion and tenure together and whether that question should be posed to the faculty for vote prior or coincident to the P&T document. It also discussed the relation of the Faculty Hearing Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the Faculty Grievance Committee to the newly proposed committee.
Lasley will meet again with the P&T policy revision committee to discuss the substantive appeals process and the relation of the Faculty Hearing Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the Faculty Grievance Committee to the newly proposed committee.
Open forums on the document will be held on Tuesday 10/31 on Wednesday 11/1 to received further input from the university.
The next FACAS meeting will be held on 11/03 at 3:00 in SJ 325. Joe Untener will discuss the background check policy and present the release form that is to be used. The committee will continue discussions of the P&T document and feedback provided from the open forums.
Respectfully submitted by C. Phelps
Appendix
UNIVERSITY PROMOTION & TENURE
COMMITTEE
A.
Committee Purposes
The University Promotion & Tenure Committee is created for the following purposes.
(i) The Committee has responsibility for reviewing and approving the guidelines for promotion and tenure (P&T) for all academic units (schools, libraries and college).
(ii) The Committee has responsibility for hearing all procedural appeals. Appeals are considered solely on the grounds that: (a) approved academic unit and/or University P&T procedures or policies were not followed; or (b) impermissible criteria were used in making a P&T decision about a candidate’s application.
B.
Unit P&T Document Reviews
(i) The Committee will approve those academic unit documents that define clear, substantive and procedural criteria and are consistent with other University policies on P&T.
(ii) Academic unit P&T documents must be approved by the University P&T Committee whenever any changes are proposed.
(iii) In the event that the University P&T Committee does not approve unit documents or proposed changes thereto, and if the dean of that unit disagrees with the decision of the University P&T Committee, the matter will be forwarded to the Provost for resolution.
C.
Application and Review Process
(i) Candidates must submit their application and supporting documentation for promotion and/or tenure no later than September 1.
(ii)
The specific administrative process for submitting
material, including to whom to submit documentation, must be specified in each
academic unit’s P&T guidelines.
(iii)
Each academic unit P&T committee must make P&T
recommendations in writing to the appropriate academic Dean by November 15th
of each calendar year.
(iv)
Each academic unit Dean must inform candidates in
writing regarding his or her recommendation by November 30th.
(v)
Candidates receiving a negative recommendation who wish
to submit a rebuttal have until December 15th to do so.
(vi)
The respective Dean must send a recommendation in
writing to the Provost and inform the candidate of his or her decisions no
later than the first business day following January 1st.
D. Appeals to the Provost
(i) Materials submitted for promotion and/or tenure will contain a form on which the candidate, appropriate unit review committees, and academic unit Dean stipulate whether the established P&T review procedures of the academic unit have been followed.
(ii) This form must be completed prior to submitting materials to the Provost.
(iii) Candidates receiving a negative recommendation who believe that inappropriate procedures were followed, or who believe impermissible criteria were used in the P&T decision making process have until January 30th to file an appeal in writing to the Provost.
E. Provost Review Process
(i) The Provost will forward all procedural appeals to the University P&T Committee, which will review the appeals and make recommendations to the Provost by March 1st.
(ii) Once the appeals process is completed, the Provost, using the information received from both the academic dean and the University P&T Committee, will make a recommendation for all eligible candidates to the President, no later than March 10th.
(iii) Final administrative authority rests with the President. The Board of Trustees will receive a report of the P&T actions at its spring meeting.*
F. Committee Composition
(i)
The University P&T Committee shall consist of
eleven members, with three from the College (with one each from the Humanities
and Arts, the Social Sciences, and the Natural Sciences), two respectively from
Education, Engineering, and Business, and one each from the
(ii) All members are to be elected by their respective academic unit faculties.
(iii) The Committee shall elect a chair from those duly elected.
(iv) Members shall serve three-year terms (maximum of two consecutive terms, with staggered terms within and across units); all members must be tenured with rank of associate professor or professor and cannot hold an administrative appointment (including Department Chairs, Assistant and Associate Deans, Deans, and other full or part-time administrators with line authority).
*Note: The Provost, as a point of information, shares with the Board of Trustees through its Academic Affairs Committee, the disposition of each candidate’s application as well as overall trends (e.g., percentage of faculty at each rank, percentage of faculty hired who receive tenure, overall percentage of tenured faculty, etc.), reviews policies and practices, and answers any questions proffered by the Board of Trustees.
9/21/06