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Normally, an earned doctoral degree or the terminal degree recognized by the Kent Campus academic unit in a related discipline is required for all Faculty appointments to Faculty positions at the Campus. Prior experience is preferred.

The basic definitions of faculty ranks are the following:

1.   Tenure-Track Faculty Appointments

The basic definitions of Faculty ranks are the following:

a.   Assistant Professor:  This rank is the entry-level rank for tenure-track Faculty.

b.   Associate Professor:  Hire to or promotion to this rank presumes prior service as an Assistant Professor and significant academic achievements.

c.   Professor:  Hire to or promotion to this rank requires credentials and achievements significantly beyond those required for promotion to Associate Professor and is reserved for senior Faculty members who have achieved significant recognition in their discipline.

2.   Full-Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty (FTNTT) Appointments

Full-time non-tenure track faculty (FTNTT) appointments are made on an annual basis.  FTNTT appointments are not included under the umbrella of the University policy and procedures regarding Faculty tenure and FTNTT faculty members are not entitled to any rights with regard to tenure.

FTNTT Ranks: Lecturer, Associate Lecturer and Senior Lecturer without the terminal degree and Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor with the terminal degree.

3.   Part-Time Faculty Appointments

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

4.   Graduate Faculty Status

All Faculty members hired for tenure-track positions are eligible to apply for appointment to the graduate faculty as associate or full members.  The Administrative policy regarding graduate faculty is included in the University Policy Register.

¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ at Tuscarawas supports the goals of equal opportunity and affirmative action in recruiting and in making appointments to the faculty.  The Campus Dean appoints search committees after consultation with Faculty Council.  Faculty members in the specific area or discipline (or related area or discipline) then conduct the search for candidates. Search committees may include a student member selected by the Faculty members serving on the search committee.  After initial screening of candidates, the search committee recommends to the Campus Dean that at least two (2) qualified candidates be invited to Campus for an interview.  Each candidate who is invited to campus for an interview will present a teaching presentation before the Campus.  The search committee may recommend its choice of candidates to the Campus Dean in ranked order.  Committee recommendations are advisory to the Campus Dean who seeks approval from the University’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and then makes a recommendation to the Office of the Provost.  If the Campus Dean’s recommendation is different from that of the search committee, the Campus Dean shall inform the Provost of all recommendations and the reasons for the disagreement.

Each faculty member is expected to contribute to the Campus, department/school/independent college, academic college and the University according to the terms and conditions of his/her letter of appointment.  All faculty are expected to provide high quality teaching.   Scholarly activity is expected of all Faculty members.  Service to the Campus, department/school/independent college, academic college, and the University is also expected of each Faculty member.

Faculty members are required to provide students with a syllabus which includes the subject matter to be covered in a course and additional material as listed in Section V of this handbook. A Student Survey of Instruction (SSI) is required in each course in each semester and will be conducted under the auspices of the Campus Dean pursuant to applicable University policies and procedures.  Faculty members are required to undergo peer review of teaching during the probationary period.  Supervision and direction of undergraduate research projects and theses can be 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 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 also recognized.

Service to the University is a responsibility of each Faculty member.  Academic unit, Campus, academic 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 at the Campus.

All members of the faculty are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards as teachers, scholars, university citizens and colleagues. The University policy regarding faculty code of professional ethics can be found in the University Policy Register.

A sanction or disciplinary provision is a documented corrective action in response to a faculty member's unsatisfactory performance of his/her duties and responsibilities as a member of the faculty.  (See applicable CBA.)

All leaves, sponsored or unsupported, personal or professional, are subject to the approval of the Campus Dean and the Provost.

University leaves include but are not limited to:

1.   Research Leave.  A special research leave may be granted to Faculty members without pay who are authorized to take a leave of absence with approval of the Campus Dean, the department chairperson, College Dean and the Provost.  This special research leave may be granted when the Faculty member has been approved for leave based on an offer of a research fellowship or other research appointment, for which no university financial support is requested, at another university, research center, institute, or recognized research or scholarly organization.

2.   Faculty Professional Improvement Leave (FPIL). The University may permit a tenured Faculty member who has completed at least seven (7) years of full-time service to the University to be freed of instructional or official responsibilities and granted a Faculty Professional Improvement Leave for purposes of:

(a)  Upgrading professional skills;

(b)  Acquiring new skills; or

(c)  Intellectual and professional development that will be of benefit to the Faculty member and to the University.

3.   Research/Creative Activity Appointments. Paid appointments for summer and semester research are available through the University Research Council.  Summer research grants may also be available on a competitive basis for the purposes of improving instruction or developing scholarly/research skills.

4.   Professional Development Time.  The Tuscarawas Campus Faculty Professional Development Time program is designed to enable Faculty to apply for workload equivalency to pursue scholarly activities during the academic year. The program does not support overload.

      Each spring the Campus Dean shall solicit requests for workload equivalency in the form of formal proposals from Faculty.  All tenured and tenure-track Faculty who are not applying for workload equivalency will review the proposals.  In the event that the Faculty Chair has submitted a proposal, a senior Faculty member shall be chosen by the FC Chair to assume this responsibility. The Faculty Chair or his/her designee will forward the recommendations of the tenured and tenure-track Faculty to the Campus Dean, who may award up to eighteen (18) hours of workload equivalency dependent upon budgetary resources.  If a Faculty member requests a preference for a particular semester, the Campus Dean shall consider the request but shall not be restricted by such preferences.  Up to three (3) credit hours of workload equivalency may be requested for the subsequent academic year.

      Traditionally, these awards are used to support the careers of junior Faculty who are working towards tenure as well as tenured Faculty who seek to enhance their applications for promotion, especially to Professor status.  Thus, both probationary tenure-track Faculty and tenured Faculty should note the criteria used to evaluate the Professional Development Time applications listed below:

* Relevance and significance of the project to the candidate’s program of scholarship.

* Focus of the project and likelihood that it could be accomplished during the time proposed.

* Relevance of the project to the Campus and University mission.

* The need to balance requests among the widest number of Faculty.

* The inclusion of undergraduate student research into the Faculty project.

      Proposals are to be no longer than two (2) pages, single-spaced, with 10- or 12-point font and should generally follow the format used by the University Research Council and the University Teaching Council.  Each proposal should include five (5) components:  1) a statement of goals, 2) a description of the procedure to be used, 3) a method of evaluation of success for the project, 4) a method for communication of results, and 5) a statement of the facilities and/or equipment required.  Faculty members who receive workload equivalency through this program are required to submit a two-page summary report to the Campus Dean at the end of the semester during which the workload equivalency was assigned.

5.   Faculty Leaves without Pay.  The University does not provide leaves of absence with pay for faculty. Leaves of absence on a one-year (or less) basis without pay may be arranged through the Campus Dean with the approval of the Provost.  The Campus Dean must give in writing reasons for recommending and individual's request for leave without pay to the Provost.

6.   Sick Leave. Faculty members are required to report sick leave online within seventy-two (72) hours after an absence, whenever possible.

Faculty members who will be absent from campus for professional or personal reasons must submit a Request for Absence Form with the Campus Dean.  The request should be made at least two (2) weeks prior to the planned absence and is subject to the approval of the Campus Dean.  Arrangements for any classes to be missed during the absence must be addressed to the satisfaction of the Campus Dean before approval will be granted.  Attendance at professional meetings is encouraged and approved travel expenses incurred in attending such meetings will be reimbursed when approved prior to travel according to the University's travel policies and are subject to the availability of campus funds.

Faculty members may engage in professional activities outside the university provided the activities do not interfere with the faculty member's teaching, research, or service responsibilities to the Campus, academic unit, academic college or University.   These activities must not compete with University activity or the faculty member’s employment with the University and must be approved in advance by the Campus Dean.  Each academic year, each faculty member must disclose and seek approval for all outside employment.  Any outside employment or other outside activities are subject to the Faculty Code of Ethics and the University’s conflict of interest policies.

1.   Regular Pay.  Regular faculty contracts become effective in accordance with the University calendar.  Faculty salaries are paid bi-monthly over a nine-month or twelve-month period consistent with applicable University policy and procedure.

2.   Overload and Summer Pay.  Compensation for teaching overload and for summer teaching at the Tuscarawas Campus is governed by the CBA.  

3.   Retirement Benefits. Faculty retirement, including Early Retirement, is governed by the University Policy Register.

4.   Other Benefits. Health, dental and other employee benefits are described in the CBA.

5.   Retrenchment. Conditions and procedures governing the retrenchment of Faculty are set forth in the CBA.

All faculty members should be aware of current copyright laws that restrict the copying of published materials.  For further information, contact the University’s Office of General Counsel.

The University’s policies concerning the intellectual property rights of faculty are included in University policy and the CBA.

The University policy regarding misconduct in research and scholarship and the Administrative policy and procedures regarding allegations and instances of misconduct in research and scholarship is included in the University Policy Register.  

The University’s policies and procedures governing Emeritus/Emerita status are included in the University Policy Register.

At the Tuscarawas Campus, Emeritus/Emerita Faculty members are entitled to the following privileges:

              1.  Campus parking pass.

              2.  Off-campus Flashline access

              3.  Library privileges.

              4.  Invited to march at commencement.

              5.  Faculty rates for event admission at the Campus.

Additional information is available from the Office of Academic Personnel.