SPECIAL MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE

FOR THE DISCUSSION OF PROMOTION AND TENURE 

APRIL 29, 2013 – 104 GORE HALL

OFFICIAL MINUTES

Members Present: T. Angell, A. Ardis, B. Ackerman, K. Booksh, N. Brickhouse, J. Busch, V. Cassman, J. Courtright, J. Daniel, P. Dhurjati, P. Duker, R. Dyer, D. Ford, M. Gaffney, D. Galileo, N. Gaines-Hanks, N. Getchell, J. Gillespie, R. Golinkoff, M. Gutierrez, S. Hansen, S. Hastings, T. Hsu, J. Jebb, A. Johnson, J. Jordan, J. Kallal, C. Mason, K. Matt, M. McLeod, J. Morgan, J. Morrison, A. Muenchow, J. Mycoff, S. Pollack, A. Poorani, D. Reisman, K. Rogers, D. Satran, S. Shabo, C. Shen, G. Shriver, A. Sivaraman, H. Tanner, N. Targett, B. Thibault, E. Tranby, M. Ussery, T. Vermeer, G. Watson, M.Werth, L. Winn, R. Wisser, G. Wolf

Members Excused: M. Buell, J. Custer, M. Gilbert, L. Gottfredson, P. Laux, B. Ogunnaike, L. Okagaki, M. O’Neal, M. Parent, M. Portnoi, M. Rieger, C. Riordan, M. Robinson, I Vogel

Members Absent: A. Jones, D. Miklitz, N. Seymour, A. Shermeyer, B. Weber

April 15, 2013

TO:                  Senators and Executives

FROM:            Katherin Rogers, Vice President  

                        University Faculty Senate

SUBJECT:      Special Faculty Senate Meeting April 29, 2013

            In accordance with Section 1.2, Bylaws and Regulations of the Faculty Senate, Section VI Special Meeting, the President of the University Faculty Senate will hold a special meeting of the Faculty Senate on Monday, April 29, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. in 104 Gore Hall for the discussion of Promotion and Tenure here and the University of Delaware.

The Agenda will be as follows:

AGENDA

I. Adoption of the Agenda – Approved as Presented

II. Approval of the Minutes: April 8, 2013

III. Announcements: Senate President Sheldon Pollack 

IV. Regular Agenda

I. Old Business:

a. Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Sheldon Pollack, Chair) with the concurrence of the Promotion and Tenure Committee (Tom Kaminski, Chair) for the revision to the Faculty Handbook section 4.4.4 regarding Promotion and Tenure “Departmental Responsibilities” (attachment 1) (attachment2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.4.4 (“Departmental Responsibilities”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware provides that department promotion and tenure committees “should” include a separate document identifying the specific external reviewers who were nominated by the candidate versus those nominated by the department committee; and

WHEREAS, department committees at times do not follow such recommendation to include such a document in the dossiers of candidates identifying which party selected the external reviewers whose letters are included in the dossier; and

WHEREAS, it is important that members of college and University promotion and tenure committees as well as deans and the provost be provided with such information in order to make informed decisions with respect to the candidate’s case for promotion and/or tenure; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Section 4.4.4 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to require that a separate document identifying the specific external reviewers who were nominated by the candidate versus those nominated by the department be included by the department promotion and tenure committee in the candidate’s dossier.

35-Yes, 15-No Votes and 3-Abstentions. Resolution passes.

b. Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Sheldon Pollack, Chair) with the concurrence of the Promotion and Tenure Committee (Tom Kaminski, Chair) for the revision to the Faculty Handbook section 4.1.2 regarding Promotion and Tenure “Secondary, Joint, Adjunct, And Visiting Faculty Appointments” (attachment 1)  (attachment2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.2 (“Secondary, Joint, Adjunct, and Visiting Faculty Appointments”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware uses the title “adjunct faculty” to apply to those “members of the academic staff who are appointed for a limited period of time during the year(s) in which they are actively involved in the teaching and research program of the University,” are paid no stipend, and whose appointments “are annual only;” and

WHEREAS, such use of the title “adjunct faculty” is unique to the University and does not conform with that of most other universities, who generally apply the title “adjunct faculty” to part-time faculty who teach courses on short-term contracts; and

WHEREAS, to avoid confusion and bring the University’s usage of the title “adjunct faculty” in conformance with common usage in the academic world as well as common practice at the University itself; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Section 4.1.2 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to provide that the title “adjunct faculty” be given to those persons who teach a course or courses on a supplemental contract and who are not otherwise fulltime faculty of the University, and at the same time, those faculty who are presently given the title “adjunct faculty” shall henceforth be given the title “affiliated faculty” (Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor).

  A “sense of the Senate” vote was taken. The result was 31-Yes, 11-No Votes and 0-Abstentions. A motion was adopted to postpone the issue to the September meeting.

c. Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Sheldon Pollack, Chair) with the concurrence of the Promotion and Tenure Committee (Tom Kaminski, Chair) for the revision to the Faculty Handbook section 4.4.4 regarding Promotion and Tenure “Departmental Responsibilities”  (attachment 1)  (attachment2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.4.4 (“Departmental Responsibilities”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware provides that untenured faculty may serve on department promotion and tenure committees; and

WHEREAS, the same provision provides that a minority of the faculty serving on a department promotion and tenure committee may be junior faculty who are “below rank” to the candidate; and

WHEREAS, it is important that all members of departmental promotion and tenure committees hold tenure in decisions that involve the granting of tenure and that all members of the committee be at or above rank to the position for which the candidate is applying because faculty who do not hold tenure and/or who are “below rank” to the candidate lack the necessary experience and qualifications to make informed decisions regarding the merits of the candidate’s case; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Section 4.4.4 of the Handbook shall be amended to provide that participation on department promotion and tenure committees shall be limited to those faculty who are at or above rank to the position for which the candidate is applying, and in decisions that involve the granting of tenure, limited to those faculty who hold tenure.

 A motion was made to amend the word “participation” to “voting” and the motion was seconded. 28 – yes; 12-No; Abstentions – 5. Thereafter, action on the motion was postponed. Provost Brickhouse will check with the legal counsel on whether this resolution will result in contract violations.

d. Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Sheldon Pollack, Chair) with the concurrence of the Promotion and Tenure Committee (Tom Kaminski, Chair) for the revision to the Faculty Handbook section 4.1.1 regarding Promotion and Tenure “Faculty Appointment Policy”    (attachment 1) (attachment2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.1 of the Faculty Handbook (“Faculty Appointment Policy”) of the University of Delaware provides that the faculty in a department must approve any faculty “appointment” to the department; and

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.1 further provides that the academic rank of the new faculty member must be approved by the Provost, and appointments with tenure must be approved by the Provost and President; and

WHEREAS, there is no express provision for faculty participation in the decisions as to the academic rank or whether tenure will be granted in the case of such an appointment; and

WHEREAS, it is important that faculty who are at or above rank to the candidate approve the academic rank of such an appointee and faculty with tenure approve the granting of tenure to such an appointee; and

WHEREAS, it is important that the faculty and administrators who are making such decisions have sufficient information to make an informed decision with respect to the appropriate rank of such appointee, and where relevant, whether tenure should be granted; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Section 4.1.1 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to provide that the academic rank of a faculty appointment must be approved by department faculty who are at or above the proposed rank of the candidate, and that in the case of appointments with tenure, department faculty with tenure must approve the granting of tenure to such candidate; and be it further

RESOLVED, that Section 4.1.1 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to provide that departments shall set forth requirements in their promotion and tenure documents describing what materials (including external letters of review) substantiating excellence in scholarship and/or teaching must be provided by a candidate for a faculty appointment in that department at a rank higher than their rank in their current academic position and for any faculty appointment that includes the granting of tenure to a candidate who does not already have tenure in their current academic position.

 John Morgan proposed an amendment that was seconded. 43- Yes. 1- opposed. 3-abstentions

A motion was made to refer the resolution back to committee and seconded. The motion passed.

II. New Business:  

The New Business Items are for discussion only

a. Reform of the Promotion and Tenure Process Memo (attachment)

b. New Standard for Promotion and Tenure for All Faculty (attachment 1) (attachment 2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.6 (“Non-Tenure Track Faculty”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware provides that non-tenure track faculty may be hired as “instructional, clinical, public service or research faculty;” and

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.6 further provides that non-tenure track faculty must meet the requirements for the rank of instructor and may hold a rank higher (i.e., assistant, associate, or professor) so long as they meet the “same criteria” for such academic rank as is required for tenure track faculty; and

WHEREAS, Section 4.4.1 of the Faculty Handbook requires that tenure-track faculty seeking a promotion must at a minimum demonstrate “excellence” in either scholarship or teaching and high quality in all other categories (including service), and Section 4.4.2 of the Faculty Handbook permits departments to require that tenure-track faculty seeking a promotion demonstrate “excellence” in both scholarship and teaching, and some departments have adopted such standard; and

WHEREAS, many non-tenure track faculty have no workload assignment to scholarship or service, and others have no workload assignment to teaching, and thus many non-tenure track faculty are unable to satisfy the aforementioned requirements for promotion; and

WHEREAS, it is important to provide non-tenure track faculty with a fair opportunity for a promotion in rank; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Sections 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to adopt a new standard for promotion and tenure, one requiring that all faculty seeking a promotion or tenure demonstrate evidence of “excellence in their academic endeavors,” and that the faculty in their departments and academic units shall provide specific details and guidance as to what constitutes excellence in one’s academic endeavors in that department, unit, or relevant academic discipline.2

Item was for discussion only. No vote was taken

c. Titles for Temporary and Continuing Non-Tenure-Track Faculty (attachment 1) (attachment 2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.6 (“Non-Tenure Track Faculty”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware provides that non-tenure track faculty may be hired at the rank of instructor; and

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.6 (“Non-Tenure Track Faculty”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware further provides that non-tenure track faculty may be hired as “instructional, clinical, public service or research faculty;” and

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.6 further provides that non-tenure track faculty must meet the requirements for the rank of instructor and may hold a rank higher (i.e., assistant, associate, or professor) so long as they meet the “same criteria” for such academic rank as is required for tenure track faculty; and

WHEREAS, at a university aspiring to achieve national prominence as a research institution by encouraging scholarship among faculty, it is important to reserve the traditional academic titles of assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor to those faculty who conduct and excel in scholarship; and

WHEREAS, it is also important to provide non-tenure track faculty with a fair opportunity for a promotion in rank as well as an appropriate title; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Sections 4.1.6 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to provide that non-tenure track faculty who are hired and promoted in rank shall have titles appropriately identifying the workload assignment for which they were hired and in which they have excelled, taking into account that the title of full professor shall be reserved for those who demonstrate, among other things, excellence in scholarship, and accordingly, only tenure track and tenured faculty shall hold the traditional academic titles of assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor.

Item was for discussion only. No vote was taken

d. Promotion for Instructors (attachment 1) (attachment 2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.1.6 (“Non-Tenure Track Faculty”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware provides that non-tenure track faculty may be hired at the rank of instructor; and

WHEREAS, no opportunity for promotion is available to non-tenure track faculty who hold the rank of instructor, even those who undergo a satisfactory peer review and receive the requisite approvals from their chair/director/dean and the provost; and

WHEREAS, it is important to provide instructors with an opportunity for a promotion in rank (and title) to establish an equitable system for our colleagues who are instructors; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to provide for three ranks of instructor (specifically, instructor I, instructor II, and instructor III) and allow for promotions in rank for instructors who meet the criteria for promotion set forth in the Faculty Handbook, attain a satisfactory peer review as well as the required administrative approvals following the six-year probationary period and then again following the peer review after the three-year and four-year contracts; and be it further

RESOLVED, such promotions in rank for non-tenure track instructors shall be accompanied by salary adjustments comparable to those provided to faculty upon promotion to associate and full professor unless such salary adjustment was already provided to that faculty member.

Item was for discussion only. No vote was taken

e. Requirements for Promotion to Full Professor (attachment 1)  (attachment 2)

WHEREAS, Section 4.4.2. of the Faculty Handbook (“Minimum Standards for Promotion”) of the Faculty Handbook of the University of Delaware provides that the rank of full professor is reserved for those who have established reputations in their fields and whose contributions to their profession and the University's mission are excellent; and

WHEREAS, the rank of full professor should be

further limited to those who possess a national reputation for excellence in their scholarship and have had a positive impact in their academic field or discipline through their scholarship; be it therefore

RESOLVED, that Section 4.4.2 of the Faculty Handbook shall be amended to provide that those eligible to hold the rank of full professor must possess, in addition to all other requirements, a national reputation for excellence in their scholarship and have had a positive impact in their academic field or discipline through their scholarship.

Item was for discussion only. No vote was taken

V. Introduction of New Business:

Such items as may come before the Senate.  (No motion introduced under new business, except a motion to refer to committee, shall be acted upon until the next meeting of the Senate.)

Meeting was adjourned at 5.35pm.