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Determinations of initial appointment, rank, and the conferral of tenure are made after consideration of experience and training, as well as scholarly activity in Diaspora Studies as determined by the candidate’s professional study area or continuing professional preparation.  Initial appointment is also based on other specific criteria as set forth in the  University Policy Register (pages 3342-6, 3349) and in the Collective Bargaining Agreements.  The designations for some special category faculty are described below:

Generally, faculty members not holding administrative positions are not granted workload equivalents which reduce teaching assignments by more than six credit hours per academic year.  However, extenuating demands beyond the formulation given below will determine whether a faculty member will be granted an equivalency for special services outside the classroom.  Examples include the Assistant to the Chair, Departmental Division Directors and other program or institutional directors, unless elsewhere stated differently.  

Faculty may be assigned special assignments for the department if assigned classes does not make. This may be variable (up to 3) and requires consultation with Chair and/or Dean. Pre-tenure faculty research may receive credit hours release for their first three years. Post-tenure faculty may request productivity release; however, this requires annual review and consultation with FAC and Chair. Not more than 6 credit hours per semester may be requested.

In addition to assigned classroom hours, each full-time faculty member is expected to hold at minimum 5 office hours per week, which may include student consultation and advising, Department service, university service, community service, scholarly research and writing.

Anyone desiring workload equivalencies to perform assignments stipulated in grants or contracts, to complete research projects and/or publications, to perform functions on or off campus, in other departments or for the university must submit a request in writing to the Chair and have the expressed approval of the Chairperson.  The Chairperson shall also be consulted prior to submission of grant proposals and/or acceptance of assignments requiring release time.

Table 1. Workload Equivalents Table

Before the conclusion of each academic year, each continuing tenured Faculty member is to prepare and submit an annual workload summary report.  This report is to identify and update the Faculty member’s scholarly, teaching and service contributions 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 electronically to the Chair by the Faculty member shall be in the form of an annual updated curriculum vitae and the course syllabi for each course or section of course taught by the Faculty member during that academic year.  The purpose of this report is to document the workload, including utilization of the specified workload equivalencies, for that academic year.

The Chair welcomes requests for summer teaching assignments from all full-time Faculty members, qualified graduate students, and members of the part-time teaching pool.  Summer teaching cannot be guaranteed to any individuals in the above list and most summer teaching assignments are for a partial load.  The size, content, and staffing of summer courses are dictated by budgetary constraints and curricular needs.  The Department will endeavor to distribute summer teaching opportunities equitably among members of the bargaining unit without regard to academic rank. Faculty members may elect not to accept a summer assignment. See also CBA Article IX, Section 4.

Responsibility to the students, to the university and to the profession is described in this section of the University Policy Register and need not be reproduced here.  Academic freedom, also described in the Register, is necessary to the mission of the university professor and entails professional freedom as a correlate.  These responsibilities and privileges apply to the Department of Pan-African Studies, as they apply to all professors in other departments, programs and divisions of the University.  

University employment is a trust conferred by public authority for a public purpose.  Such status forbids the employee from placing himself or herself in a position in which private interests conflict with public duty.  Such status, trust and issues of public duty are described in the statutes of the regarding maintaining the confidentiality of information and the receipt of compensation from sources other than the University, and “Offenses against Justice and Public Administration,” relating to private interest in a public contract.  For further information these documents should be consulted.

All faculty and staff are recruited in accordance with the Affirmative Action policy stated in the University Policy Register, 3342-06-02 through 3342-06-04.

Before transmitting recommendations concerning appointments, non-reappointments within limited or probationary appointments, dismissals or promotions, the Department Chairperson should consult with the FAC.  Within the recommendation, the Department Chairperson will review all parties’ responses to the proposals.  All participants should present supporting reasons for their responses and opinions regarding candidates and recommendations.

Standard procedures require that the Chairperson document all recommendations fully.

The following are the criteria for assessing the credentials of potential faculty and staff:

1. Full- or part-time faculty should have some college teaching experience and an advance or terminal degree or the equivalent in experience and scholarly productivity.

2. Full- or part-time IAAA, CPAC or ACT staff need not fulfill any specific educational requirement beyond the baccalaureate degree, if the appointment does not include teaching. If teaching is required, the candidate for the position must have a terminal degree.  However, he or she should have demonstrated interest and at least three years’ experience in working with the lives and affairs of African American and/or African peoples or in relevant professional equivalent fields requiring skills necessary to the post in question.

3. Graduate Assistants should have an academic area and or interest related to Pan-African Studies, have demonstrated academic potential and motivation, and demonstrated interest and skill in communicating salient topics in the discipline.  They should also be able to serve in various capacities.  Teaching, research, student recruitment, tutoring and conference coordination are all critical skills that may be required of Graduate Assistants.  It is also possible for Graduate Assistants to have a split appointment involving more than one of these skills.