Faculty Roles and Responsibilities

Each faculty member is expected to contribute to the School, Campus, College and the University according to the terms and conditions of his/her letter of appointment.  Some faculty members make their primary contribution in teaching while others emphasize research and/or creative activity.  High quality teaching and scholarly activity are expected of all faculty members.  Service to the School, Campus, College, and the University is also expected of each faculty member.

Faculty members are expected to provide students with a syllabus which includes the subject matter to be covered in a course, a listing of assignments and/or reports, approximate dates of examinations, grading standards, attendance requirements, and other pertinent details of the conduct of the class.  A Student Survey of Instruction (hereinafter “SSI”) is required in each course in each semester and will be conducted under the auspices of the Director pursuant to applicable University policies and procedures (See, Section V of this Handbook).   Probationary faculty members are required to undergo peer review of teaching during each year of the probationary period.  Supervision and direction of undergraduate research projects and theses is part of the teaching function.

Scholarly activity is expected of all faculty members, although the extent and/or type of activity may vary with the terms of each faculty member’s assignment and campus location.  Faculty involved in research and/or creative activity and the graduate program are expected to present evidence of their endeavors as witnessed by publication, proposals submitted for extramural funding, performances and juried exhibitions and dissemination of research and/or creative activity in various venues as appropriate to the discipline. Activity in professional organizations is highly valued.  For graduate teaching and/or research assistants, the training of graduate students is also expected.

Service to the University is a responsibility of each faculty member.  Under normal circumstances, untenured tenure track faculty should have limited committee responsibilities and assignments that are commensurate with the expectations of new tenure track faculty who are working toward tenure.  School, Campus, College, and University committee or task force membership is expected as a normal part of a faculty member’s contributions.  Special or outstanding service above and beyond that which is typical may be considered during the review of a faculty member, but service alone will not reduce the expectations of quality teaching and scholarly activity. 

Public service is encouraged and recognized as a part of the professional responsibilities of each faculty member, although contributions in this area can be expected to vary widely due to the nature of the various disciplines within the School.