Standard 5: Faculty
Description
SCSU employs full-time and part-time faculty to fulfill its teaching mission. As of fall 2010, SCSU employed 427 full-time teaching faculty and 607 part-time faculty; all are members of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and covered by its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Of full-time faculty, 75% earned Ph.D.s, and 23% earned master's degrees, many of which are terminal degrees in areas such as English and art. A high percentage of faculty (86%) are tenured at the associate or professor ranks, reflecting both years of experience and peer-ranked quality through the Promotion and Tenure process. In 2010, 322 faculty were listed as "Graduate Faculty," a designation set forth by the Graduate Council. Part-time faculty are hired on a per-course basis each semester to teach a limit of two courses or 8 credits per semester. Part-time faculty qualify for contractual protection and compensation increases based on the number of credits taught. Over 90% of part-time faculty have a master's degree (68%) or a Ph.D. (23%), with a small number of other, professionally certified instructors.
Despite a recent decrease in the number of faculty due to a state-sponsored early retirement incentive and the current state budget crisis that has affected recruitment and hiring of faculty and staff, the number of faculty remains sufficient to carry out SCSU's central mission. In fall 2006, SCSU had 394 full-time faculty. Due largely to a strategy enacted by the former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs that converted a number of part-time positions to full-time positions, the total number of full-time faculty employed in fall 2007 rose dramatically to 436. As of fall 2010, this number had decreased to 427, including one-year emergency appointments. To maintain compliance with the CBA, which calls for the percentage of part-time instructional faculty load credits to be no more than 21%, an additional 39 temporary, one semester, full-time appointments were made in spring 2011, increasing the number of full-time faculty to 466. Due to the state's budgetary crisis, as of fall 2011, SCSU has 433 budgeted full-time faculty positions.
Faculty are bound by four priorities: teaching, creative activity, productive service to department and university, and professional attendance and participation. These priorities are weighted accordingly in the Promotion and Tenure process. Under the CBA, full-time faculty appointments fall within four ranks: instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. Each rank has certain standards that must be met for full-time appointment. As described in Standard 3, teaching faculty engage in a variety of activities as part of our commitment to shared governance, such as curriculum development at the course and program level and serving on departmental and university-wide committees and task forces. Participation in student advisement and academic planning processes are also expected. Faculty are also expected to engage in creative activity and scholarship that complements their discipline and teaching goals. The process for evaluation of faculty, including promotion and tenure, is detailed in the CBA (Article 4) and Faculty Senate documents. Full-time faculty are evaluated annually prior to the award of tenure. A post-tenure professional assessment is required every six years.
SCSU staunchly defends academic freedom for all faculty. The CBA, Article 4.2, sets forth the principles of academic freedom, the procedure concerning claims of violations of academic freedom, including the Academic Freedom Panel and the Academic Freedom Committee procedures and members.
For full-time faculty, the teaching load is 12 credits per semester, which generally equates to about four courses per semester. In some programs, teaching loads may differ according to disciplinary standards. Faculty in the departments of Information and Library Science and Computer Science have reduced teaching loads, as authorized by side-letters to the CBA. The faculty in the Educational Leadership Department, currently the only department offering a doctoral degree program, teach three courses per semester and serve as advisers or sponsors of dissertations, earning three credits of workload for this purpose.
The offices of Human Resources and Diversity and Equity have created and implemented search procedure guidelines for hiring full-time faculty. Faculty participate in the search process as outlined in the university's faculty search procedures. With diversity as a core value of the university, all search committees are expected to aggressively recruit and give full consideration to a diverse pool of applicants to achieve the university's diversity initiatives and to comply with all affirmative action regulations, especially Sections 46a-68-31 through 46a-68-74 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as detailed in the SCSU Affirmative Action Plan. The work of the Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee augments the recruitment and retention efforts.
In accordance with Article 4.7 of the CBA, the terms and conditions of every full-time faculty appointment are contained in the letter of appointment, which states the terms of the initial appointment and any special conditions of appointment pertaining to obtaining degrees and other credentials and explanation of work assignments. and the CBA stipulates minimum and maximum salaries for each rank. Through the CBA, a process also exists for the university to recognize market pay adjustments in faculty salaries based on compelling reasons.
Faculty are supported in their advising, administrative, and research roles. The CBA (Article 10.6.1) provides for load credits for administrative roles, such as department chairperson., Reassigned time for curriculum development, faculty development, and instructional enhancement is also available at the discretion of the President or his designee (typically the dean and/or provost). According to the CBA (10.6.5), SCSU must allocate a minimum of 132 workload credits per semester to these activities. A minimum of 108 credits per semester are awarded for reassigned time for research (10.6.4). In addition, as per the CBA, each year, funds are set aside for faculty travel as well as for grants for faculty development, curriculum related activities, and research on a competitive basis.
Due to the nature of their disciplines and their prominence in general education courses, some departments, including English, mathematics, and world languages and literatures, continue to rely heavily on part-time faculty. Professional departments, including nursing, public health, marriage and family therapy, and business administration continue to benefit from practitioners teaching part-time. Departments with numerous part-time faculty utilize adjunct coordinators and course coordinators to train, mentor, assess performance, and ensure quality instruction. The English Department, with 89 part-time faculty (the highest number in the university), has an exemplary process for recruitment, training, peer evaluation, mentoring, and assessment of part-time faculty. Part-time English faculty participate in orientations and training sessions, where they are provided full exposure to course learning objectives, a syllabus template, and rubrics for evaluating student work. The English Department's course on Teaching College English has become a training ground for excellent part-time faculty.
Other programs support part-time faculty and help ensure quality instruction and integration into the university community. Instituted in 2005, the annual Part-time Faculty Reception and Orientation recognizes the contributions of adjuncts, introduces SCSU leadership and available supports for faculty and students, and provides brief workshops on pedagogy and technology. Since 2007, 134 part-time faculty have participated in the event. Part-time faculty are invited to all faculty development events, including a Teaching Academy, FYE Academy, and SummerTech. As AAUP members, part-time faculty are eligible for travel funds ($750 per year for 2011-2012) and for Faculty Development Advisory Committee funds. They are represented in Faculty Senate and university-wide committees, and SCSU has an annual Outstanding Teaching Award for a part-time faculty member.
SCSU employs two groups of graduate assistants: those that are funded through a competitive process supported by the School of Graduate Studies and those that are funded at the departmental level. The graduate school provides funding each year for 10 graduate assistants and 10 research fellowships. A total of $250,000 is available to support the program, which has been in existence since 2007. Eligibility requirements and selection procedures for the research fellowships and the graduate assistantships are published on the School of Graduate Studies Website. Procedures for training and evaluating graduate assistants and graduate research fellows selected through this competitive process are delineated by the department sponsoring the applicant and vary based on the student's stated goals. Graduate assistants who are funded at the department level are trained and evaluated by faculty within the department in which they work.
Orientation guides for full-time faculty and part-time faculty are distributed during new faculty orientations and are also available on the Faculty Development Website. All faculty are provided a hard copy of the CBA, which is also available online. The Faculty Handbook, distributed to new faculty during orientation, is updated yearly and is available on the Faculty Development Website. The SCSU Employee Handbook is provided to all employees and is also available online. SCSU expects that all employees demonstrate ethical behavior as defined in university policies. Ethics statements can be found in the Employee Handbook and in the AAUP's CBA, Article 4 on Professional Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty.
SCSU has a participative, all-university process in place for ensuring the quality of all new and revised courses and programs. As previously described in Standard 4, faculty play key roles on department and university committees in developing, reviewing, and approving courses and programs to ensure a high quality of instruction and continuous improvement. The offices of Assessment and Planning and Faculty Development provide professional development opportunities regarding the assessment of student learning and course and program-level assessment strategies. In addition to on-campus events, faculty participate in the yearly CSUS Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Conference and regional workshops/conferences sponsored by the New England Educational Assessment Network (NEEAN).
A significant number of faculty have invested their talents into developing the FYE program, which has led to marked increases in student retention, academic achievement, and engagement, as measured by a comprehensive assessment process. In the past three years, a great deal of time and effort has also been invested in the new Liberal Education Program (LEP). Several faculty groups and departmental committees are currently in the process of creating new courses or modifying existing courses to meet LEP goals and objectives, primarily for Tier I courses in Critical Thinking and Technological Fluency and for Tier 2 areas of knowledge.
SCSU faculty are supported by a robust offering of professional development opportunities, internal grants, and awards for outstanding teaching and scholarship. A list of the various resources available for professional development can be found on the Office of Faculty Development's home page. Useful information related to teaching and learning is also posted on the Office of Faculty Development Website. In fall 2010, the Magna series, 20-Minute Mentor, was added to the Website. Here, faculty enter their Banner ID information and may access 12 different programs. Each program lasts less than 20 minutes, yet in each one nationally recognized experts provide specific suggestions on topics such as using groups effectively, learning students names, and employing collaborative teaching approaches.
Since 2007, an annual 2-3 day Teaching Academy has been held in early June with a focus on best practices in pedagogy. The program, with an average annual attendance of 76, includes a nationally/internationally known keynote and a series of breakout sessions on various topics presented by our own outstanding faculty. A similar 2-day FYE Academy is designed for faculty teaching first-year students. This year's FYE Academy in early August attracted 35 faculty participants.
Faculty are provided with other professional development opportunities as well. In May 2010, four faculty members attended Dee Fink's three-day training on "Creating Significant Learning Experiences" in Chicago. Subsequently, a one-day workshop based on Fink's design was held on campus in June 2010, with nearly 35 faculty participating. In anticipation of LEP-building, Teaching Academies for 2009 and 2010 focused significantly on assessment of student learning, collaborative learning approaches, critical thinking across the curriculum, WAC, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Teaching Academy 2011 included a day-long workshop on curriculum design by Dee Fink, which was attended by 75 faculty.
The Teaching Innovation Program (TIP) (2006-2009) funded by a Davis Educational Grant ($265,00) sparked a positive culture change by highlighting excellence in pedagogy and creating an infrastructure for exchanging innovative technology and methods. The TIP offered fellowships, travel funds, workshops, and resource sharing. Fifteen faculty fellows completed nine projects, ranging from assessing the impact of classroom response systems (clickers) to meeting the needs of diverse learners through universal design. A total of 33 faculty were awarded TIP Travel funds to attend conferences that focused specifically on pedagogical practices; 19 presented their teaching innovations at these conferences, and 13 presented at international conferences.
The Curriculum Innovation Program, funded by a Davis Education Foundation Grant for $270,000 over 3 years (2010-2013), provides faculty support and training in assessment, curriculum design, and the creation of significant learning activities. Each year eight competitively selected faculty fellows will be awarded $2000 to create model courses and mentor other faculty in curriculum design. In addition, workshops focusing on curriculum design, mapping, assessment, and student engagement will be held each year. To support further collaboration and resource sharing, a Curriculum Innovation Exchange will be held each semester and related information will be posted on the Faculty Development Website.
Appraisal
Despite the loss of a significant number of full-time faculty due to retirements and hiring freezes, the university has implemented strategies as described above to maintain an adequate number of faculty necessary to support its mission and goals. Although tenure track hires have been minimal since the beginning of the hiring freeze in 2008, SCSU has been able to maintain numbers of full-time faculty by employing approximately 50 temporary emergency hires (special appointments for up to two years), and, this year, the university was able to advocate to the System Office for exceptions to the hiring freeze, filling 24 tenure track lines for fall 2011.
SCSU provides numerous opportunities for faculty to enhance their teaching and scholarly activities and achieve their professional development goals. As per the CBA, $ 701,336 has been set aside to fund these activities during the 2011-2012 academic year. Additionally, SCSU typically exceeds the minimum number of research reassigned credits required by the CBA. For example, over the past three years, 240, 261.5, and 227.5 credits respectively, were awarded for research reassigned time; 216 was the minimum specified in the CBA.
Over the past three years, the Office of Faculty Development has sponsored an average of 35 professional development events per year. The average annual attendance has been approximately 430 faculty, with individual faculty attending an average of 7 hours of on-campus professional development. Additionally, faculty attend more than 600 state, regional, national, and international conferences and trainings annually.
According to the AAUP annual salary survey, SCSU salaries remain competitive in the region in most disciplines, with the exception of hard-to-hire areas such as business, nursing, and communication disorders. Part-time faculty also find SCSU's wages to be higher than those at many other colleges in the state, contributing to the successful recruitment and retention of a relatively stable group of faculty. Most are in higher pay grades merited through highest degree earned, previous experience, and longevity at SCSU.
Faculty responsibilities and expectations for promotion, tenure, and evaluation are clearly communicated in Faculty Senate documents available to faculty via the SCSU Website. The AAUP sponsors yearly workshops on both the promotion and tenure process and the sabbatical leave process. To further delineate and clarify faculty role expectations based on specific professional or discipline standards, a strategic initiative emanating from the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs calls for all academic departments to have a formalized, explicit guide for evaluating faculty and determining the standards required at each professional rank. These guidelines are currently under development and are expected to be completed by fall 2012. An exemplary document that outlines discipline and departmental expectations, as well as expectations for mentoring and assessment by departmental colleagues, is provided by the Communication Department, which completed its document in fall 2010 after more than 12 months of departmental and discipline-wide input. Another strategic initiative originating from the Provost and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs calls for each academic department to formalize a system for training, assessing, and integrating part-time faculty.
Faculty Annual Activity Reports (FAAR) for the past three years reflect consistent innovations to courses as a direct result of assessment efforts. In 2009-2010, 230 faculty reported innovating at least one course based upon assessment, with a total of 596 courses changed.
Diversity measures indicate some progress in gender equity and in recruiting more faculty from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. SCSU benefits from a fairly even gender distribution among faculty. At the professor rank, the higher proportion of males reflects national trends, yet indicates that females should be targeted and encouraged to apply for promotion. In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, as of fall 2010, 16.6% of full-time faculty were from traditionally underrepresented groups, a modest increase over the past four years. During the 2010-2011 academic year, about 11% of part-time faculty were from underrepresented groups.
Projection
The state's economic outlook will most likely continue to affect SCSU's ability to hire full-time, tenure track faculty. The administration will continue to advocate for filling as many tenure track lines as budget will allow and work to maintain the contractual full-time to part-time ratio. To maintain the quality of instruction, all involved in the hiring process will continue to focus on hiring part-time faculty with a minimum of a master's degree.
Teaching and Advising
Description
SCSU faculty employ a variety of instructional techniques, including technology, that support the quality of teaching and learning and meet the needs of a diverse student population. A review of course syllabi indicates that, faculty use a myriad of strategies such as lecture, discussion, laboratory experiences, group activities, internships and clinical experiences, and capstone projects (including theses) to facilitate students' achievement of learning outcomes. Selection of strategies also is based on disciplinary needs and expectations. For example, in professional programs such as nursing and social work, classroom teaching is augmented by clinical practice or field placement experiences that enable students to apply theoretical content to actual client situations. In the arts, strategies focus on teaching students to create artistic work or demonstrate competency through performance (e.g. theatre productions or music performances).
To continuously enhance their teaching efforts, faculty are supported by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Information Technology. A list of all resources and programs to enhance teaching can be found on the Office of Faculty Development home page. In addition, faculty are supported in the area of instructional technology and are encouraged to implement new technology in their teaching. SCSU uses e-Learning Vista and MySCSU, our community e-portal, and faculty are encouraged to use technology for collaborative learning in the classroom, and for engaging students in learning outside of the classroom. To enhance their skills in using instructional technology, faculty receive assistance from the staff of the Teaching and Learning Technologies Group, under the umbrella of the Office of Information Technology. Annually, 20-25 faculty participate in a week-long SummerTech workshop, which provides intensive hands-on training in e-Learning Vista and a wide variety of effective instructional tools. Faculty development workshops also support instructional technology use. In spring 2009, an anonymous donor established a yearly "Technological Teacher of the Year Award" to reward innovation and excellence in instructional technology.
FAAR data for the past three years reflect consistent implementation of new technologies to enhance teaching. In 2009-2010, 198 faculty reported implementing new technology in at least one course, with a total of 570 courses impacted by new technologies. In 2008-2009, 164 faculty reported implementing new technology in at least one course, with a total of 398 courses impacted by new technology. In 2007-2008, 129 reported implementing new technology in at least one course, with a total of 542 courses impacted by new technology.
Faculty-student collaborative research is apparent at the master's and Ed.D. level, but less so at the undergraduate level. FAAR data indicate that faculty are actively engaged as thesis or dissertation major advisers or committee members. FAAR data also indicate that the number of faculty-student collaborations has increased slightly each year since 2007. In 2009-2010, 40 faculty reported co-authoring or co-presenting with students and 7 co-exhibited an artistic exhibition or performance with students. In 2008-2009, 39 faculty co-presented or co-authored with students, and 4 co-exhibited an artistic exhibition or performance. In 2007-2008, 35 faculty co-authored or co-presented with students and 4 co-exhibited an artistic exhibition or performance with students. Since 2007, 71 Honors College students completed honors theses. Departmental Honors, mostly granted for the completion of undergraduate theses or creative projects, were granted to 111 students, representing only a small percentage of our undergraduates.
Faculty are committed to improving their quality of instruction and receive regular feedback on instruction primarily via student-generated teaching evaluations and feedback from department evaluation committee members and department chairmen. Written course and teaching evaluations by students are required at the end of each semester, and faculty are encouraged to gather mid-semester feedback. The written evaluations are summarized by the Office of Management, Information, and Research, and then forwarded to department chairmen, who are expected to review the evaluation and then communicate with individual faculty members regarding their evaluations. Each semester, all online courses are evaluated anonymously using a web-based application designed for that purpose. Students are sent a password by email that is good for one evaluation per course and then disabled. Consistent with the paper evaluation process, results are sent to department chairmen and faculty following the posting of grades. Teaching evaluations are required materials to be considered during renewal, promotion, tenure, and professional assessment procedures. Given our focus on teaching, the quality of teaching is given the greatest weight in reviewing faculty for promotion and tenure. In fall 2010, based on institutional data and in collaboration with the Faculty Senate and AAUP, a revised teaching evaluation form was introduced to increase focus on student learning outcomes.
FAAR data for the past three years reflect numerous, consistent innovations made to courses as a direct result of assessment efforts. In 2009-2010, 230 faculty reported innovating at least one course based upon assessment, with a total of 596 courses changed based upon assessment. In 2008-2009, 234 faculty reported innovating at least one course based upon assessment, with a total of 564 courses changed based upon assessment. In 2007-2008, 238 reported innovating at least one course, with a total of 583 courses changed based on assessment.
Academic advisement for students, particularly first-year students, has improved dramatically in the past three years, providing better services for students and freeing up more faculty time for other student-faculty exchanges. The restructuring of the Academic Advising Center and the institutionalization of online Banner Web features, including degree evaluations that allow for viewing unofficial student transcripts and "what-if scenarios" for potential academic changes, contribute to more effective and efficient student advising. New Student Orientation now includes sessions on academic advising, so students are better prepared to find the tools and resources needed for self-advising and the time that faculty spend advising students each semester is more focused and effective. The FYE Program component in which INQ faculty serve as official advisers during students' first year (or until a major is selected), has contributed to higher student retention rates and to students connecting with academic departments to declare majors earlier in their academic careers. Over the past few years, the Academic Advising Center moved from peer and professional advising to purely professional advising. The Center also advises Liberal Studies majors and assists with group advising for Business, Education, and Nursing students. Each semester the Academic Advisement Center and Faculty Development team up to offer at least two workshops on best practices in Academic Advising.
FAAR data indicate that some faculty are more actively engaged in advising students than others, both formally and informally. In 2009-2010, for example, 244 faculty reported formally advising at least one undergraduate, and 105 reported formally advising at least one graduate student. Additionally, 256 faculty informally advised at least one undergraduate student, and 148 reported informally advising at least one graduate student.
As a way to emphasize the importance of academic advising, starting in spring 2011, an annual award for Outstanding Academic Advising by a faculty member was instituted. The awardee receives a $500 stipend and a plaque bestowed during the Reception for Outstanding Teaching held during the annual Teaching Academy. The process for selecting the awardee mirrors our Outstanding Teaching Award in that it is driven primarily by student nominations obtained via our main campus website and coordinated with input from the Outstanding Teaching Award Committee. This award provides recognition and motivation for those faculty providing excellent academic advising.
SCSU faculty and administration support an environment of academic integrity. Since a great deal of plagiarism is committed due to students' lack of knowledge of proper source citation, plagiarism is addressed directly in New Student Orientation and in all FYE/INQ courses. Workshops for faculty on plagiarism prevention and designing learning activities and writing assignments that require independent, original scholarship are offered on a regular basis through the Writing Across the Curriculum Program and through Faculty Development. A "turn-it-in" function on Banner Web allows students to submit written work that is electronically checked to ensure that the work in not plagiarized. In accordance with the Student Handbook, faculty respond to plagiarism according to the severity of the act, including failure for the assignment, failure for the course, or, in extreme cases, expulsion from the university. A process for reporting instances of plagiarism to assist in tracking multiple offenses is described in the new draft academic misconduct policy.
Appraisal
One of SCSU's strengths is our heavy investment in professional development, particularly in the areas of pedagogy and curriculum development. A survey conducted in spring 2010 by the Teaching and Learning Technologies Group helped identify training needs and preferred methods of delivery. Results are being used to enhance professional development and instructional technology. An additional staff position was added in November 2010, primarily to support faculty teaching in afternoon and evening hours.
The quality of teaching continues to be strong as evidenced by the results of Student Opinion Surveys over the past five years. Although the format of the survey was changed slightly for 2010-2011, a review of items specifically addressing pedagogy indicates that most students, 85% or above, agree or strongly agree that the quality of instruction is high across courses.
The ever-changing terrain and increasing demands for online instruction require continued focus on infrastructure building and faculty development. Given extensive research indicating that hybrid teaching models combining on-campus instruction with online learning lead to increased student engagement in learning, and given student demand for more online courses, a great need for resources for faculty development in online course development and assessment is anticipated in the next several years.
Internal data suggest that, despite overall improvement in academic advising, there is room for additional improvement in advising from various academic departments. NSSE results indicated that in 2007, 63% of first-year students and 56% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising as either good or excellent. In 2010, those numbers increased, with 76% of first-year students and 63% of students reporting good or excellent academic advising. Nonetheless, 2009 NSSE data indicated that 18% of first-year students and 29% of seniors reported a "lack of academic advising" as one of the factors preventing them from making as much progress as they would like on their academic goals. While Banner Web has helped to institute a uniform process, student advising procedures vary across departments, with some using group or peer advising, and some devoting ½-hour to 1-hour appointments to each student.
As the new LEP is launched, timely and accurate advisement will be even more crucial to keep students progressing academically. A new guide to the LEP has been developed for faculty and advisers and is being distributed currently. Training has been and will continue to be available.
Projection
SCSU will continue to provide an array of faculty development opportunities to maintain and enhance teaching and advising, especially around the LEP. Over the next academic year, a more thorough assessment of advising practices, department-by-department, will be completed through collaborative discussions among faculty and academic advisement professionals. Based on findings, further faculty development on best practices in academic advising will be developed.
Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity
Description
SCSU faculty strive for a teacher-scholar model that encourages integration of theory, knowledge, skills, and effective pedagogy. Despite the 12-credit teaching load, advising, and committee work, the majority of SCSU faculty have remained productive in their research and creative activities. Faculty Activity Annual Reports (FAAR) for the past 3 years provide a snapshot of faculty scholarly productivity. In 2009-2010, 321 of the total 405 full-time faculty contributed to the FAAR data collection process, for an 80% response rate. The table below summarizes faculty scholarly activity for the past three years.
Faculty Activity Annual Report: Scholarly Activity
# of Faculty # of Scholarly Productivity
2009 - 2010 181 482 Publications
213 575 Peer Review & Invited Presentations
20 110 Artistic Exhibitions or Performances
2008 - 2009 175 499 Publications
193 519 Peer Review & Invited Presentations
18 69 Artistic Exhibitions or Performances
2007 - 2008 161 416 Publications
175 495 Peer Review & Invited Presentations
13 39 Artistic Exhibitions or Performances
CSUS research grants continue to support and recognize faculty research and creative activity as illustrated below.
CSU Research Grants
# of Faculty $ Totals
2008 - 2009 60 $238,000
2009 - 2010 68 $265,000
2010 - 2011 66 $282,000
Totals 194 $785,000
In response to a strategic planning initiative and strong faculty support, a Faculty Senate Resolution creating a Faculty Creative Activity Fund was approved by then-President Norton in April 2010. In addition to the CBA mandated research funds, the university pledged 0.1% of the university's operating budget to support faculty research and creative activity. The funds are deployed in equal part to supplement CBA funding for travel and for research grants (up to $2500) on a competitive basis. In FY11, $170,000 was awarded to faculty through this fund.
In cooperation with Yale University, SCSU awards a limited number of faculty borrowing privileges for all Yale libraries for three months of access. Focus groups conducted with faculty previously awarded access report that the library holdings were essential to their scholarly activities. Yale's holdings, particularly their historical documents and rare books collections have assisted faculty in many disciplines, especially English literature, history, art history, and anthropology. The total cost of the program for 2007-2010 is $20,530. Over the past three years 33 faculty on average have been awarded borrowing privileges.
External grant activity is encouraged and supported by the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research. In the past three years faculty have garnered over ten million dollars in funds, including grants for the Center for Excellence in Autism Research, a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, a state-wide coalition of 16 colleges and universities to prevent violence against women on campus, and scholarships for students in Education, Health Sciences and STEM Disciplines. Instrumentation grants added new equipment to laboratories, and the Davis Educational Foundation enlarged faculty resources. A summary of external grants received for the past three years is shown below.
Awarded External Grants Summary
# of submitted # of awarded $ Totals
2007 - 2008 77 60 $ 2,839,995
2008 - 2009 68 58 $ 3,353,063
2009 - 2010 85 63 $ 4,049,024
Totals 230 181 $ 10,242,082
SCSU is a Carnegie Affiliate, with a small, but active group dedicated to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Attention to systematic, evidence-based enhancement of teaching and learning is reflected in the published articles, professional presentations and workshops, and internal workshops faculty create related to pedagogy. Our annual Teaching Academy averages 12-15 presentations by our master teachers, who serve as instructors, role models and mentors for their colleagues. A session held on SoTL during the 2011 Teaching Academy resulted in a large group of faculty planning to form a new SoTL Learning Community across campus starting in fall 2011.
An annual celebration of research and creativity event, co-sponsored by the Office of Sponsored Research and Faculty Development, invites faculty to present posters or interactive sessions related to their funded research. All new faculty are invited to present on their current research. An average of 12 presenters and 60-80 faculty and administrators participate each year. In October 2010, a record number of 22 faculty presented research, and faculty attendance surpassed 120. SCSU faculty regularly participate and present at the CSUS Research Conference, held each spring at one of the CSUS campuses.
Each year, the Sabbatical Leave Committee selects 24 faculty for either one semester at full salary or one year at half-salary. Sabbaticals are provided as per the CBA and remain an excellent reward as well as incentive for faculty to focus more intensely on completing scholarly and creative projects, which, in turn, reinvigorate and augment pedagogy. As shown below, faculty have been successful in receiving sabbaticals over the past three years.
Sabbatical Applications and Awards
Applied Granted Percentage
2008-2009 34 24 71%
2009-2010 36 24 67%
2010-2011 24 24 100%
The Research and Scholarship Advisory Committee (RSAC), a continuing advisory body to the Provost, is charged to articulate the research mission of SCSU; provide a forum for exchange of perspectives and experiences among the community of researchers; identify standards and benchmarks of good practice in research, identify desirable resources, practices, and policies for further enhancement of the research and creative climate at the university; and review and report annually on the effectiveness of university policies and practices regarding research. Each of SCSU's schools is represented via appointment by the Provost. RSAC proposed and helped implement the Junior Faculty Fellowship program, which provides 75% research release time to a junior faculty member on a competitive basis.
SCSU's Research Protection Program helps ensure ethical research designs and ethical treatment of research participants. More details are provided in Standard 11. The IRB is comprised of a committee representative of faculty and administrators across campus. In order to apply for IRB approval, all researchers must submit a certificate of completion for the online training course, "Protecting Human Research Participants" administered by the National Institute of Health Office of Extramural Research. Over the past three years, over 700 submissions have been reviewed. While several departments across campus engage in research that does not involve human subjects, the submissions reflect a commitment to ethical research standards. As a further measure, the Research Protection Program reviews any reports of academic dishonesty or unethical research behavior committed by faculty or students.
Appraisal
Despite a 12-credit teaching load and economic pressures, faculty productivity has increased over the past few years. Faculty continue to be engaged in scholarly activities that are consistent with SCSU's expectations and enhance their role as teacher-scholars. Faculty also have been successful in securing internal and external funding for research and other creative activities, but resources and support will be even more crucial in the next few years. Our strategic plan (2007-2012) suggests increasing the pool of reassigned time for research and for reducing the teaching load that faculty carry. Given wide-scale budget cuts, neither of these is predicted for the next few years. However, the university has committed to providing additional funding for scholarship and creative activity (0.1% of the operating budget).
Although the level of faculty creative and scholarly activity has increased significantly over the past decade, more emphasis should be placed on engaging students in such activities. According to the 2011 NSSE, only 14% of seniors have done research with a faculty member, while 36% of seniors reported that, "providing students with more opportunities to undertake research with faculty" is an important component to enhancing their out-of-class learning.
Projection
Support for research and creative activity will continue through the CBA formula and the additional Creative Activity Fund. During the 2011-2012 academic year, RSAC will engage faculty in conversations to identify ways to increase faculty-student research collaborations. Based on a SoTL workshop held during the 2011 Teaching Academy, a faculty group will be forming a new SoTL Learning Community starting in fall 2011.
Institutional Effectiveness
The university regularly evaluates the effectiveness of its faculty support programs. The Faculty Development Advisory Committee, an elected faculty group representing all schools, regularly consults on programs, events, and needs for development. Focus groups are held as needed to evaluate program effectiveness. Since 2007, enhancements have been made to the new faculty orientation process, the new faculty mentoring program, the Teaching Academy, SummerTech, and the Yale Library Card program as a result of focus group input. All faculty development programs are evaluated using written forms that indicate change in knowledge, program quality, whether or not the program met stated objectives, and suggestions for future events or topics. The Office of Assessment and Planning provides data analysis, in most cases documenting statistically significant, positive impact on faculty. Data are used to inform planning and programming decisions.
A survey conducted in spring 2010 by the Teaching and Learning Technologies Group helped identify training needs and preferred methods of delivery. Results will be used to enhance professional development and instructional technology. An additional staff position was added in spring 2011, primarily to support faculty teaching in afternoon and evening hours.
