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University policy regarding faculty teaching load

  1. All regular, full-time faculty are expected to work full-time for the university. This does not mean that each contributes in the same way. Some professors are employed by mutual agreement between themselves and their departments solely for undergraduate teaching. For these persons the teaching load shall be twenty-four credit hours per academic year. Some professors are employed for a mixture of undergraduate teaching, graduate teaching, and the public research that is an inherent part of graduate education. Their teaching load shall be the equivalent of twenty-four credit hours of teaching and shall include formal class teaching and appropriate teaching credit for advising of individual investigations, seminars, research, theses, and dissertations.
  2. Some professors may serve the public professionally and without remuneration in ways that lie outside the classroom, laboratory, or studio. When this service contributes toward fulfilling the goals of the university, it may be part of the load of that professor.
  3. University service, such as committee work, is expected from all regular, full-time faculty as part of their normal service. In those few cases when such service is very heavy the vice president for academic and student affairs or the collegial dean may allow this service to be an appropriate part of the load of the professor.
  4. Since the nature of work differs among departments, load regulations cannot be applied uniformly. Therefore, each department chairperson, along with the departmental faculty advisory committee, shall specify which kinds of loads shall be the equivalents of twenty-four credits of formal course teaching per academic year, with appropriate adjustments being made for graduate teaching, research involvement, direction of laboratory and studio sections, and excessive number of preparations by a new faculty member, and unusually large class sections. Upon approval by the collegial dean, these specifications shall be filed with the dean and the human resources. All regular full-time faculty in the department shall be informed of these departmental understandings.
  5. Full-time temporary faculty normally are assigned to teaching responsibilities which will total fifteen credit hours per semester.
  6. Nothing in this policy shall contravene the terms of any contract which may be in effect between the university and a recognized agent of the faculty for collective bargaining.
Policy Effective Date:
Mar 01, 2015
Policy Prior Effective Dates: 
11/4/1977, 8/24/1979, 12/6/1985, 6/1/2007