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r/sac 2007 symposium

 

Summary

As a follow-up to the 2003 Symposium on the Status of Research at Southern, the Research Visibility Subgroup held, on April 13, 2007, a Symposium on the Status of Research and Scholarship Support at Southern, which focused on the gap between the breadth of campus-wide support of faculty research and scholarship and the broader need for support for faculty scholarship and research.

Fifty-four individual from 27 departments (representing all five schools), four offices, and library services registered for the symposium. Following opening comments by Provost Selease Williams, RSAC Chair Jim Mazur, and Mary Brown, Harriet Applewhite gave a review of the literature and results of a recent local survey on faculty work life. Attendees broke into five working groups to discuss the gap between existing support and the broader need for support for scholarship and research, then shared results of that work at a closing plenary session. This list was emailed to registrants to gather any missed ideas.

During the symposium, a Research Support Awareness, Attitude, and Usage Survey was distributed to and collected from participants. Results showed that 80.8% of those completing the survey engage in original research to generate new knowledge or interpretation for other scholars; 19.2% engage in the application of scholarly knowledge to programs that benefit the larger community; and 15.4% engage in pedagogic research incorporating new developments in knowledge and technology. None of survey participants reported being engaged in creative work in the fine and applied arts, literature, music, and theater. Up to a third (30.8%) of survey participants are unfamiliar with some sources of support or unsure how it related to creative activity.

Almost a quarter (23.1%) of survey participants were unsatisfied with their current level of creative activity. Half (50%) have less than 10% of their contractual time to spend on creative activities during the academic semester; and 30.8% spend more than 10% of their non-contractual (waking) hours on creative activity during the academic semester.

 

Suggestions


Summary of Suggestions from April 13 Symposium 

Time

T1 - Better definitions of and expectations for scholarly activity

T2 - Committee work defined by career level and equitably distributed

T3 - Self-declared teaching track or research

T4 - Phase in 9 credit teaching load

T5 - Automatic reassigned time, for example upon receiving a book contract

T6 - Flexible reassigned time (such as 6-9 credits for one semester)

 T7 - option to distribute teaching load throughout the year (fall, spring, summer)

  

Money

M1 - Increased CSU research and curriculum related

M2 - Increased travel funds

M3 - Distribute travel funds equally

M4 - Increased sabbatical leave funds

M5 - Extended automatic reassigned time to all non-tenured faculty

M6 - Support undergraduate research with faculty 

M7 - Encourage buyout of teaching load credits with research grants

 

Recognition

R1 - Scholarship of teaching needs to be valued as creative activity

R2 - Community service needs to be valued as creative activity

R3 - Use of external reviewers for promotion/tenure

R4 - Permit faculty to teach for load credit in the summer

R5 - Permits a faculty member to stop the tenure clock

 

Sources/Resources

S1 - Increased Buley Library resources

S2 - Increase the length of time for which a Yale library card can be issued

S3 - Establish a clerical pool for use by faculty for research and scholarship support

S4 - Increase the databases available through Buley Library

S5 - Increase graduate assistants to be assigned to work directly with a faculty member

S6 - Use independent studies and capstone experiences to support faculty research

S7 - Remodel SPAR to better support faculty

S8 - Utilize re-training grants to enhance faculty knowledge and skills in situ

S9 - Mentoring for faculty in grantsmanship

S10 - Assess research needs among community stakeholders (superintendents, businesses)

 

Administration

A1 - IRB infrastructure that is simplistic and transparent

A2 - Create an intellectual property policy

A3 - Utilize indirect cost on grants to increase incentives for faculty

A4 - Support systems for increased interdisciplinary collaboration

A5 - Restructure all university procedures for simplicity and transparency

A6 - A more interactive / participatory role for RSAC

A7 - Restructure AAUP contract

 

SUGGESTIONS from April 13 Symposium

Time - Routine

[PROBLEM: Current total workload expectations (12 credit teaching load, plus substantial research/scholarly activity, plus department and university committee work) are unrealistic; in addition, support (such as secretarial, student assistants) is limited when available, adding additional labor tasks to faculty workload]

T1 - SUGGESTION: Better definitions are needed as to what constitutes scholarly activity; expectations for scholarly activity need to be set at the department level for various career levels ; these need to be tied to department recommendations for renewal, promotion, tenure [POSSIBLE ACTION: department level action per Academic Strategic Plan 1.2, establish a baseline of productivity for department (by rank)]

T2 - SUGGESTION: Committee work needs to be more equitably distributed; expectations per faculty member at various career levels needs to be defined; these need to be tied to department recommendations for renewal, promotion, tenure; committees need to be streamlined and efficient [POSSIBLE ACTION: department level action]

T3 - SUGGESTION: Conversations should be initiated regarding faculty having planned-flexible-focus or career tracks such as teaching track or research track [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate by department for dean-level discussion yielding requests to provost for consideration]

T4 - SUGGESTION: Phasing in 9-credit teaching load within each department based on level of current research engagement combined with 3-5 year research plan [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate by department or school for dean-level discussion yielding proposals to provost for creating 9-credit teaching load within current resources]

T7 - SUGGESTION: Create a model/option for faculty to distribute teaching load year round (e.g. 6 credits for fall, spring, summer 1, summer 2) [RATIONALE: for some faculty, this would help increase productivity while helping some departments to extend key graduate level offerings in the summer, where they are presently not able] [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate by department(s) or school(s) to establish a task force to conduct community research needs analysis and explore funding options for this research]

 

Time - Release and Leave

[PROBLEM: Concentrated periods for research/scholarly activity (such as sabbatical leave) are limited (not assured/are competitive); 3-credit semester release is inadequate given a remaining 9-credit teaching load to concentrate research/scholarly activity into a single semester]

T5 - SUGGESTION: Create a plan for automatic reassigned time, for example upon receiving a book contract [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussions at dean's level]

T6 - SUGGESTION: Create a model for flexible reassigned time (such as 6-9 credits for one semester) [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussions at dean's level]

 

Money - internal funding

[PROBLEM: access to internal is not available equally to qualified requests]

M1 - SUGGESTION: Increase CSU research and curriculum-related grants and develop a model of distribution that permits time since last award to be a ranking factor among recommended proposals [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussion with AAUP]

M2 - SUGGESTION: increase travel funds available to full-time faculty [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussion with AAUP]

M3 - SUGGESTION: distribute travel funds equally among all faculty who apply in a given fiscal year rather than on a first-come basis until funds are exhausted [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussion with AAUP]

M4 - SUGGESTION: increased sabbatical leave funds so every faculty member with acceptable proposals can expect to receive sabbatical leave [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussion with AAUP]

M5 - SUGGESTION: increase automatic reassigned time (3 credits/year) from first-year faculty to all untenured faculty  [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussions at dean's level]

M6 - SUGGESTION: establish funds to support undergraduate research with faculty  [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussions at dean's level]

 

Money - external funding

[PROBLEM: current teaching load inhibits if not prohibits competitive external funding for projects]

M7 - SUGGESTION: encourage buyout of teaching load credits with research grants [POSSIBLE ACTION: individual faculty-level action and negotiation with dean]

 

Recognition - Scholarship

[PROBLEM: Scholarship/creative activity is loosely defined and various possible activities are not well understood in terms of equality of weight toward renewal/promotion/tenure or weight of a given activity as a unit of scholarship.]

R1 - SUGGESTION: Scholarship of teaching needs to be valued as creative activity [POSSIBLE ACTION:  awareness and clarification through the promotion and tenure process (DECs, chairs, deans, P&T Committee]

R2 - SUGGESTION: Community service needs to be valued as creative activity [POSSIBLE ACTION: awareness and clarification through the promotion and tenure process (DECs, chairs, deans, P&T Committee]

R3 - SUGGESTION: Use of external reviewers (and citation analysis) needs to be valued/weighted in the renewal/promotion/tenure system [POSSIBLE ACTION: awareness and clarification through the promotion and tenure process (DECs, chairs, deans, P&T Committee]

 

Recognition - Work-life balance

[PROBLEM: the academic calendar does not adequately support a work-life balance ]

R4 - SUGGESTION: Create a model of load credit flexibility, for example, permit faculty to teach for load credit in the summer, earning release time to be used during the fall or spring [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussions at dean's level]

R5 - SUGGESTION: Create a model of work-life balance that permits a faculty member to apply to stop the tenure clock for a specified time period and/or permits petition for the penultimate year to take place in the seventh year [POSSIBLE ACTION: initiate discussions with AAUP]

 

Resources

[PROBLEM: current resources do not match well to the new importance of and expected increase in research and scholarship]

S1 - SUGGESTION: increased Buley Library resources including bibliographers to assist in faculty research [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S2 - SUGGESTION: increase the length of time for which a Yale library card can be issued [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S3 - SUGGESTION: establish a clerical pool for use by faculty for research and scholarship support [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S4 - SUGGESTION: increase the databases available through Buley Library [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S5 - SUGGESTION: increase graduate assistants available to be assigned to work directly with a faculty member [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S6 - SUGGESTION: permit students to assist with faculty research for independent study and capstone experience credit [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S7 - SUGGESTION: remodel SPAR to better support faculty grant writing and grant administration needs [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

 

S8 - SUGGESTION: utilize re-training grants to enhance faculty knowledge and skills in situ [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S9 - SUGGESTION: establish one-on-one mentoring for faculty in applying for and administrating federal grants, foundation grants, and discipline-specific grants [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

S10 - SUGGESTION: conduct research needs analysis among community stakeholders (superintendents, businesses, etc.) to assess their current research needs and how interested faculty can participate in fulfilling these needs. [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

 

Administration - SCSU

[PROBLEM: Current policies do not adequately support the more current focus on and expectation for research/scholarship for tenure-track teaching faculty]

A1 - SUGGESTION: create an IRB infrastructure that is simplistic and transparent [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

A2 - SUGGESTION: create an intellectual property policy that protects faculty scholarship, inventions, etc. [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

A3 - SUGGESTION: utilize indirect cost on grants to increase incentives for faculty to secure external funding [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

A4 - SUGGESTION: We need models and support systems for increased interdisciplinary collaboration (dialogue and research) [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

A5 - SUGGESTION: All university procedures needs to be assessed and, where needed, restructured for simplicity and transparency [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

A6 - SUGGESTION: A more interactive / participatory role needs to be developed for RSAC [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]

 

Administration - CSU / AAUP / SCSU Senate

[PROBLEM: Current criteria and weighting for promotion and tenure needs to be updated to the more current focus on and expectation for research/scholarship for tenure track teaching faculty]

A7 - SUGGESTION: Contract restructuring needs to be considered in terms of the requirements for and weighting of criteria for promotion and tenure [POSSIBLE ACTION: ]