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Normally, an earned doctoral or terminal degree (M.F. A.) in the discipline is required for all faculty appointments to a tenure-track position in the Department.  Tenure track appointments are governed by University policy and procedures regarding faculty tenure (See University Policy Register 3342-6-14).

Full-time non-tenure track faculty (NTT) appointments are made on an annual basis (See Section VI of this Handbook).  NTT appointments are not included under the umbrella of the University policy and procedures regarding faculty tenure (See University Policy Register 3342-6-14) and NTT faculty members are not entitled to any rights with regard to tenure.

When the Department cannot meet its teaching needs from the ranks of its full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty, full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty and graduate students, part-time faculty appointments will be made from an established pool of qualified applicants not currently on regular appointment at the University. 

The Chair recommends to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, graduate faculty appointments at the full or associate levels, based upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee.  The Administrative policy regarding graduate faculty is included in the University Policy Register.  (See University Policy Register 3342-6-15.1)

This rank is intended for persons initially hired with a master's degree.  Normally, the Department does not hire at the rank of Instructor except for full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty positions.

This rank is normally the entry level rank for tenure-track faculty holding the doctorate in an appropriate discipline. 

Hire to or promotion to this rank presumes prior service as an Assistant Professor, significant academic achievements, and possession of the doctorate in an appropriate discipline (See Section V of this Handbook).

Promotion to this rank requires credentials and achievements beyond those required for promotion to Associate Professor and is reserved for senior faculty members who have achieved significant recognition in their discipline (See Section 3 of this Handbook).

Each continuing tenured faculty member is to prepare and submit on The Faculty Information system an Annual Workload Summary Report for the previous academic year by September 15.  This report is to identify and update the faculty member's efforts, accomplishments, scholarly contributions, ongoing professional activities, service and interests during that academic year. These reports will become an ongoing record of each Faculty member's professional activities providing information related to grant activities, collaborative scholarship and teaching activities.

The annual workload summary report submitted by the Faculty member shall be in the form of an annual updated curriculum vitae, a brief summary of the previous year’s professional activities, and the course syllabi for each course or section of course taught by the Faculty member during the previous academic year.  The summary of activities for Kent Campus faculty should be recorded on the Department of English Summary of Annual Workload Form.  The Chair shall add to the report copies of the summaries of course evaluations for each course section taught during the previous academic year. If necessary, the Chair/School Director/Dean may request additional information from the Faculty member to clarify summary information and the Faculty member shall respond in a timely fashion. The purpose of this report is to document the workload, including utilization of the specified workload equivalencies, for that academic year. This report may be used in planning future workload equivalencies. Any other use of the report requires the consent of the Faculty member.

Name:                                                              AY:                            

Scholarship

Authored books published                                                     

Edited collections published                                                  

Textbooks published                                                              

Scholarly editions/bibliographies published                                      

Journals edited                                                                       

Articles published                                                                  

Edited collection chapters published                                     

Translations published                                                           

Poems published                                                                    

Short stories published                                                          

Creative non-fiction essays published                                   

Plays published                                                                      

Book series edited                                                                 

Book reviews published                                                         

Conference papers presented                                                 

Plenary/invited speeches presented                                       

Major external grant applications submitted                         

Major external grants awarded                                              

Book MSS reviewed                                                              

Grant proposals reviewed                                                      

Journal article submissions reviewed                                    

Extramural promotion cases reviewed                                  

Major software patented/copyrighted                                   

External research fellowships won                                        

 

Teaching

Undergraduate

Sections taught                                                                      

Enrollment                                                                             

Individual investigations completed                                      

 

Graduate

Sections taught                                                                      

Enrollment                                                                             

Individual investigations directed                                         

 

Service

Programs coordinated                                                            

Programs chaired                                                                   

Major departmental committees chaired                               

Major departmental committees served on                           

Major ad hoc committees chaired                                         

Major ad hoc committees served on                                      

Major non-departmental committees chaired                        

Major non-departmental committees served on                    

Major college committees served on                                     

Major campus committees served on                                    

Major university committees served on                                

Scholarly journal editorial boards served on                         

Writing contests judged                                                         

Regional/national/international professional                         

offices held

Classroom observation reports (colleague) written               

Extramural committees served on                                                                 

Outreach activities coordinated/conducted                           

Undergraduate research assistant supervised             ______

 

Advising

Undergraduate

Writing portfolios directed to completion                            

Honors theses directed to completion                                    

Writing portfolio committees (completed)                            

Honors thesis committees (completed)                                  

Honors Research Project (completed)                        ______

 

Graduate

Doctoral dissertation defense committees served on            

Doctoral dissertation defense committee, Graduate

            Representative                                                ______           

Doctoral qualifying exams assessed                                      

Dissertation Prospectus Oral Defense Advisor

or Co-advisor                                                              ______

Dissertation Prospectus Oral Defense Committee

            Member                                                           ______                                   

MA Theses directed to completion                             ______

MFA theses directed to completion                                       

MA thesis defense committees served on                             

MA TESL Portfolios Assessed                                   ______

MFA thesis defense committees served on                                       

MA exams assessed                                                               

Placement Committee Chair                                       ______           

Placement Committee member                                              

 

Workload equivalencies are granted to faculty members who are involved in substantial departmental administrative activities. Although other administrative duties may be required in the future and others eliminated, at the present time, annual workload equivalents will be granted to Program Coordinators and Directors according to the schedule in Table 1. Other administrative responsibilities may arise from time to time, and with the approval of the Chair, FAC, and the College Dean, workload equivalents may be negotiated for these. Further, the Coordinators, Chairs, and Directors shall not be required to work during the summer unless on summer administrative appointment.  

Table 1. Administrative Workload Equivalents

Title / Name of Assignment	Load Equivalent (Range)	Frequency	Brief Description of Duties
Assistant to Chair	6	AY	See Section 1
Graduate Studies Coordinator	Up to 9	AY	See Section 1
UG Studies Coordinator	6	AY	See Section 1
Ass’t UG Studies Coordinator (NTT)	Up to 15	AY	See Section 1
Writing Program Coordinator	9	AY	See Section 1
Ass’t WPC (NTT)	Up to 15	AY	See Section 1
Director, ESL Center	Up to 9	AY	See Section 1
Director, Writing Commons (NTT)	Up to 15	AY	See Section 1

 

 

Tenure-track Kent Campus faculty active in research or creative writing also normally will be given equivalents for appropriate scholarly or creative productivity according to the schedule in Table 2.  The review period for research productivity is 5 years.  Scholarship points follow guidelines for research for Graduate Faculty Status, referenced in Section 4.  Tenured faculty who receive these equivalencies will be reviewed annually by the Chair by means of the faculty member’s Annual Workload Summary Report.  Equivalencies above the hours indicated in Tables 2 and 3 below are subject to approval by the Chair and the Dean.

Table 2. Research Productivity Workload Equivalents

Productivity over 5-Year Review Period	Performance Rating	WLE in Hours/AY
5 publication points (PP) or 4 PP+2 equivalence points (EP)	Excellent	6
4 PP or 3 PP + 2 EP	Very Good	4
2 PP + 1 EP	Good	2
1PP + 1 EP	Poor	0

Table 3. Advising Productivity Workload Equivalents

Course equivalencies are determined by the average points earned over the prior 3 year period according to the following scale.  Points are tallied from annual productivity reports submitted by each faculty member and checked against departmental records.

 

An average of 4 pts. /year earns a 1-course (3 CH) equivalency (I.E., at least 12 points total for 3 years).

Advising Activity	Points
Program Chair	2
Dissertation Defense Committee Member, including Outside Discipline Member; earned once defense is completed	1/student
MA/ /MA TESL Thesis Defense Committee Member; earned once defense is completed	.5/student
MFA Thesis Committee Member; earned once defense is completed	1 /student
TESL Portfolio Assessed	.5/student
Dissertation Prospectus Oral Advisor or Co-Advisor; earned once prospectus is approved	1/student
Doctoral Exam Evaluated	1/student
MA Exam Assessed	.5/student
Placement Committee Chair	3
Job Placement Committee Member	1
Writing Portfolio Directed; earned once Portfolio is completed	1 /student
Honors Thesis Directed; earned once thesis is defended	1.5/student
Honors Research Project Directed; earned once Project is completed	.5/student
Individual Investigation; earned upon completion of II	Up to 1 (a 3-hour Ind. Invest. earns 1 point)
Undergraduate Research Assistant Supervision; earned upon completion of research	.5

 

 

 

 

Dissertation supervision allows the director to elect, once only, a 3-hour equivalent for one semester at an appropriate time in the student’s career, for example, during the semester that the student defends.  Directors of M.A. and M.A. TESL theses earn 2 hours of WLE per completed thesis. Directors of M.F.A. theses earn 2.5 hours of WLE per completed thesis.

Faculty who initially develop a course for electronic delivery   or who agree to revise a course extensively for electronic delivery shall receive a one-time cash payment, payment to be made upon completion of the development of the course, following procedures described in the CBA.  Faculty developing or revising a course for distance learning are expected to submit their request with a syllabus to the appropriate program committee (Writing, Undergraduate Studies, or Graduate Studies Committee) for review.  The Program Committee will make a recommendation to the Department Chair. 

1. Normally, workload equivalents will result in a faculty member teaching no fewer than four classes over the course of the academic year, with the exception of the Department Chair and faculty who receive equivalents for internal or University administrative appointments.  (Note: This minimum does not apply to time purchased by grants or when a faculty member is on University research or professional improvement leave.  In such cases, the academic-year minimum teaching load is to be negotiated with the  Chair.)  Faculty on a one-semester leave are expected to teach 9 hours in the remaining semester. Faculty receiving workload equivalencies for research are expected to be active in advising graduate students, through membership on advising, examination, and/or dissertation/thesis committees; mentoring; participation in placement workshops; etc.

a.   Discretionary Load Reductions: The  Chair can authorize discretionary teaching load reductions for certain duties or short-term tasks performed by faculty (3 hours/semester) but will consult with the FAC regarding teaching load reductions for long-term tasks (covering more than 3 hours or for work extending into another semester).  Specifics of any workload equivalent in excess of 3 hours shall be reported and discussed with FAC, sent to the College Dean for approval, and reported back to FAC in a timely manner.

b.   Teaching Outside the Department/Team Teaching: Faculty members who wish to teach outside the Department (for example, in the Experimental and Integrative Studies Program) or team teach with a colleague in another academic unit must secure approval from the  Chair in advance if the class is to be counted as part of the teaching load.  In the determination of teaching loads and schedules, the needs of the Department take priority, although every effort will be made to accommodate the needs of other programs in which English faculty may teach.

c.   Teaching Large Sections: Faculty who teach two (2) large sections of undergraduate classes over the course of two consecutive academic years shall receive a reduction of one course in a subsequent semester consistent with the minimum teaching responsibilities defined in subsection F.7 above.  Large classes shall be defined as those with enrollments of 50 students or more, including those courses that are electronically purveyed.

Untenured assistant professors on Kent Campus normally receive 9 workload equivalency hours per academic year during the first two years of the probationary period.  Pre-tenure equivalency hours in subsequent years must be approved by the Chair and normally will not exceed 6 hours.

Faculty may carry over WLE credits or debits of a maximum of 3 hours from one semester to another; the transfer must be completed within 3 AY semesters. Faculty on FPIL or other leave (academic appointment, medical, etc.) must transfer credits within 3 AY semesters after they return from leave. Such transfers will be recorded on each semester’s workload statement.

The Department discourages faculty from taking on regular academic year overload assignments, but on rare occasions overloads may be authorized by the  Chair with the approval of the relevant Dean.  It is also possible that, by mutual agreement of the Chair and the faculty member, a temporary overload in one semester may be balanced by a reduction in another, provided that the total load for the academic year  remains at the 24-hour norm.

A candidate for Reappointment, Tenure, or Promotion is encouraged to invite colleagues to evaluate at least one class per year.  The  Chair and/or Program Coordinators or their representatives will visit at least one class, preferably during the candidate’s second year.  In the third or fourth year and thereafter, a candidate must be reviewed through a specified Peer Evaluation Process leading to a summary report of the teaching.  The process will emphasize the report of an Ad hoc Subcommittee of Evaluators, which should make use of whatever earlier peer evaluations are available.

Each Ad hoc Subcommittee shall comprise two tenured faculty members of higher rank than the candidate.  One shall be chosen by the candidate, and the other appointed by the Chair.  If the evaluation involves a graduate class, both evaluators must have graduate faculty status.

It is the responsibility of the candidate to initiate the process by contacting the person of his or her choice, advising the Chair, and making all necessary scheduling arrangements for the class visits and the examination of papers, syllabi, handouts, and tests.

Since the Subcommittee’s report is intended to assist the Promotion and Tenure Committee in the evaluation process, it must be included in the candidate’s promotion, reappointment, or tenure file.

• To visit at least one undergraduate or one graduate class and to review course syllabi, handouts, etc., in order to judge the quality of the course content.

• (Optional) To interview up to three students (suggested by the candidate) who have done individual research/study on the graduate or undergraduate levels (including Writing Certificate portfolios, Honors theses, etc.) in order to assess the quality of the candidate’s supervision.

• To review recent student evaluations.

• To review previous peer evaluations.

• To submit a confidential report of its finding first to the candidate and then, after sufficient time for a response, to the Promotion and Tenure Committee, including the response if the candidate desires.

• The Subcommittee, in order to ensure uniformity, should work toward a standard format modeled on previous reports, making improvements wherever possible.  This format should specify certain elements of teaching that need to be assessed, such as organization of materials, effectiveness of handouts, ability to answer questions and elicit discussion, the helpfulness of written comments on papers, grading practices, and manner of presentation.

The performance of temporary faculty – including PT instructors and PT lectures – will be reviewed regularly.  Since the nature of their appointments is almost exclusively instructional, the primary focus of evaluation will be teaching.  Scholarship and service, though not required of temporary appointees, also will be considered when the activity is relevant to the appointment, although they are given less weight than teaching in the overall evaluation.  Procedures and policies for evaluation of Temporary Faculty are in Section 5.