Faculty Development FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Grants

Q: When will I receive the stipend portion of my grant?
A: CSU and CRAC: Stipends will be added to your payroll check shortly after the beginning of the new fiscal year as both grants are awarded during the summer.
FDAC: No stipends are awarded for FDAC professional development grants.
MRRC: Stipends will be added to your payroll check in approximately 1-2 months.

Q: How much grant money is left in my Banner Org?
A: Please contact Jennifer Hudson at x25357 or via e-mail at hudsonj1@southernct.edu to find out available balances. Please note that Ms. Hudson has Read-Only access to Banner. For finance questions and/or concerns, please contact Ajay Chhabra at x26852 or via e-mail at chhabraa1@southernct.edu.

Q: May I have a copy of the RFP?
A: Faculty Development distributes requests for proposals for the grants it administers via e-mail and also via the Faculty Development web page: http://www.southernct.edu/faculty_development/grants/

Q: When is the due date for project proposals?
A: Each grant administered by Faculty Development has its own due date for project proposals. See the link above.

Q: Was I accepted for the grant?
A: You will receive a letter indicating whether or not your proposal has been funded. 

Q: Did I file a report yet?
A: While we keep this data on file, we also suggest that you keep a copy of any grant reports submitted to our Office.

Q: What are the reviewers looking for and what are the criteria?
A: Each committee has its own respective criteria for a given grant. Please check the request for proposals and guidelines for the given grant. 

Q: What happens if I don't use all of my grant funds?
A: If there are funds remaining in your Banner Org. after the grant cycle ends, they will be returned to the general account for the appropriate grant.

Q: Why didn't I get funded for "x" grant?
A: The most common reason why a grant proposal does not get funded is because the project outlined in the document does not meet the criteria or fit the purview of the specific grant for which it has been submitted. Often, such proposals may be better suited for a different type of Faculty Development grant or funding source. Faculty Development offers recommendations for improving proposals and/or locating other funding sources.

Q: Who do I contact about travel money, travel policies and travel procedures?
A. While Faculty Development can answer most general questions related to all travel associated with FD-administered grants, more specific questions about travel expenses, policies and procedures can be directed to Accounts Payable at ext. 26844 or viewed at http://www.southernct.edu/accountspayable/travel/.

Q: I started the grant with "x" proposal, but "blank" happened and I had to change the grant, what do I do?
A: Should there be an amendment to your grant, please submit an official memorandum to the respective grant review committee explaining the reason and logistics for the change. Please copy the Director as well as the Grants Manager of Faculty Development on the memo. The grant review committee will then review the request and make recommendations to  the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Q: Are part-time faculty eligible for grants?
A:  Part-time faculty members are eligible for Faculty Development Advisory Committee (FDAC) grants. 

Yale Library Card

Q: When may I start using the card?
A: Generally, the turn around time for the acceptance letter from Yale Sterling Memorial Library is a few days from the date of application submission.

Q: How often may I use it?
A: You may use your Yale Library Card as often as you wish during your granted 3-month period.

Q: Where do I pick up the acceptance letter?
A: All letters of acceptance are received electronically from Yale Sterling Memorial Library.

Q: May I have an exception to the 3-month cycle?
A: Exceptions to the 3-month cycle are not granted. However, faculty members are encouraged to apply early for the next 3-month cycle if they wish. 

Q: Are part-time faculty eligible for Yale Library Cards?
A: Yes.

publicity for events 

Q: Can you distribute a message about my event via the all-faculty e-mail list?
A: We respect electronic mailbox capacities and so we do not send out e-blasts for individual events. All events get included in our Weekly Calendar, which is usually disseminated on Fridays in time for the next week.

Q: How do I make a submission to the Weekly Calendar?
A: Please send an email to facultydevel@southernct.edu. Include a brief description of the event you wish to publicize as well as its date, time and location.

Q: What is the deadline for Weekly Calendar?
A: The deadline for submissions to the Weekly Calendar is the Tuesday afternoon of the week prior to your desired publication time.

Guest Speakers

Q: How do I allocate funds from my grant to pay a guest speaker?
A: If the amount you wish to pay a guest speaker is under $2,999, complete a Services and Honorarium Request Form, which may be downloaded from our web page. If the amount you wish to compensate a guest speaker is $3,000 or above, complete a Personal Service Agreement (PSA). This form may be obtained from Faculty Development. Additionally, the University will need a completed W-9 form for the speaker, which may be downloaded from our web page. All paperwork should be submitted to Faculty Development at least three weeks prior to the speaker's presentation. Please contact Faculty Development at x25358 with any questions about the completion of paperwork.

Q: How will my guest speaker receive compensation?
A: After the speaker's presentation, submit a Voucher/Disbursement Form to our office. This form is available on our web page and is necessary to release the funds from your grant. Accounts Payable will then mail a check to the speaker.

 
New Faculty concerns

Q: When will I get my first pay check?
A: There is a two-week hold back period before you may anticipate your first
Payroll check.

Q: Where are some good restaurants close to campus?
A: Delaney's Restaurant, Bella's CafΘ, Lena's CafΘ and Confections are all located along Whalley Avenue once you make a right off of Fitch Street from campus.

Q: How do I arrange for computer service?
A: Contact the Academic Computing Center, x26444, to set up your Windows and MySCSU accounts and login names and passwords. We also highly recommend you stop by the Faculty Technology Walk-In Center located in Buley Library, Room 309 A, x25061, for instruction on how to use the various platforms, applications and tools available to support your teaching.

Q: How do I arrange phone service?
A: Contact telecommunications at x25453.

Q: What is the policy for dealing with disruptive students?
A: In the case of a disruptive student, faculty should inform the Dean of Student Affairs, the Department Chairperson, and the Academic Dean in writing that a warning has been issued to a student. These guidelines are detailed in the SCSU Policy for Dealing with Disruptive Students. The University has a zero tolerance policy for classroom disruptions.

Q: Who do I approach if I have a student problem?
A: In the case of immediate danger, faculty should contact campus police at x25375. If you are dealing with a disruptive student, please contact Christopher Piscitelli, University Judicial Officer, at x25870, piscitellic1@southernct.edu. If you have a student in your class who seems to be dealing with a given issue, please refer him or her to Counseling Services at x25475.

Intellectual Property

Q: What is the policy regarding faculty assigning their own intellectual property to students?

A: All faculty who assign their own intellectual property to students must complete an Ethics Commission Compliance Information Form (either the Electronic Version or Word Format). The Provost's memo on the issue of intellectual property appears below. Please read very carefully.

September 22, 2011

TO:               All Faculty

FROM:           Marianne Kennedy

                    Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

ALL FACULTY MEMBERS WHO ASSIGN THEIR OWN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TO THEIR STUDENTS SHOULD READ THIS MEMO IN ITS ENTIRETY

The State Ethics Commission has long held that a state employee may not profit from the sale of a publication to a group of individuals that he or she oversees.  In April, 2001 the Commission (in Advisory Opinion No. 2001-7) ruled that this general prohibition applies to university professors requiring that their students purchase textbooks or other intellectual property created by the professor. A professor may only profit from assigning his or her intellectual property to his or her own classes
 
provided that the Universities establish protocols for insuring that potential conflicts, misuse of office and impairment of independence of judgment are all proscribed.  Specifically, the Commission has proposed and the Universities have agreed that a review system will be set in place whereby  requests to utilize a professor's text for his or her class will be ruled upon, in advance, by a board composed of individuals not subordinate to the professor involved in the request.

Advisory Opinion No. 2001-7 is available, in its entirety, on the website of the State Ethics Commission.
 
       http://www.ct.gov/ethics/cwp/view.asp?a=2305&q=301480
 
The Office of Academic Affairs and the Faculty Senate of Southern Connecticut State University have established the required protocols.
 
In order to allow instructors to use their own course materials without violating the Ethics Commission's rulings, Southern Connecticut State University will follow the procedure set forth in the following paragraphs.

ASSIGNMENT OF TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

In a course taught by a faculty member, the requirement to purchase a textbook or other intellectual property authored or prepared by that faculty member may be interpreted as "obtaining financial gain for himself or herself" [within the meaning of Connecticut General Statutes, section 1-8 ( c ), of the Code of Ethics for Public Officials.] unless the faculty member receives prior approval for such use or directs any financial gain to an SCSU student scholarship fund, or to a recognized 501-C3 entity, within thirty days of receipt.(Advisory Opinion 2001-7)

Therefore, all full time and part-time faculty who require their own students to purchase the faculty member's intellectual property are required to provide notification to the Provost on a form developed by the Office of Academic Affairs.
 
If this information reveals that the faculty member will gain financial benefit from this requirement, formal approval will be necessary.
 
In such cases the Provost shall appoint an ad-hoc committee of three faculty members drawn, if possible, from both inside and outside the department of the instructor making the assignment. Before appointing the committee, the Provost shall consult with the instructor whose assignment of his or her intellectual property is being reviewed
 
The ad-hoc review committee shall consider requests, justification and evidence submitted by affected faculty members.  After considering all appropriate materials, the review panel may approve requests meeting one or both of the following requirements:
 
a)      the text is recognized as the standard in the field, or
b)      the text offers a unique perspective on the topic of study
 
Instructors whose application to require purchases of intellectual property has been reviewed may appeal the committee's decision to the Dean of the school, and to the Provost, in that order.

NOTE:  Approvals will be valid for two academic years.
 
In order to begin this process for 2012-2014, please notify the Office of Academic Affairs by December 1, 2011 if during any semester of AY 2012-2013 or AY 2013-2014 you will require your own students to purchase intellectual property that you have created, whether or not you gain financial benefit from it.

Similarly, if you have not previously received approval for either semester of 2011-2012, please contact the Provost's office immediately.

Miscellaneous

Q: What are standards for Promotion and Tenure?
A: Please visit http://www.southernct.edu/employment/uploads/textWidget/wysiwyg/documents/P__T_2007-08.doc

Q: Are tuition waivers available for family members of faculty?
A: Tuition Waiver is available for full-time faculty, their spouses and their children under the age of twenty-five if the members have at least one semester of service (see Article 13.13 of the AAUP/BOT Collective Bargaining Agreement). You must complete a Tuition Waiver form, obtained and approved in the Human Resources Office, and presented to the Bursar's Office when registering. This waiver may be used only on the four CSU campuses.

Q: Can Faculty Development create name tags for a function?
A: Only if the event it is funded by Faculty Development monies.

Q: How do I RSVP when I wish to attend a workshop?
A: Please RSVP by sending a short email to facultydevel@southernct.edu. (We are currently developing a system within our web page that will streamline the RSVP process.)