500 Faculty-Related Policies and Responsibilities

501 Faculty work schedule
Faculty members are expected to be available to teach courses at any time within normal Columbia College Chicago operating hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Schedules are set in consultation with department chairs, and reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate special needs.

Other than official vacation and holiday periods, faculty members, including chairs, are not permitted vacations during the regular academic calendar. The college recognizes that faculty members frequently take work home and/or need to be away from campus for professional and/or faculty developmental activities. However, faculty members are expected to be on campus as reasonably required to facilitate student access and the effective performance of broad responsibilities to the college.

Office hours must be posted each semester and must include specifically designated student advising/assistance hours totaling a minimum of four hours per week. As students may have conflicts with scheduled office hours, faculty members are expected to make themselves available for advising/assistance appointments on a flexible, as-needed basis.

Faculty members are expected to be available to the college before and after fall and spring semesters. During the advising periods, full-time faculty are required to work as faculty advisors. Any exception to these conditions must be approved by the department chair and is subject to the approval of the dean of the appropriate school.

Full-time faculty members are not considered available to the college during officially scheduled academic holidays or during summer months when they are off contract.

Full-time faculty members are expected to use summer breaks to pursue their creative and scholarly endeavors. They are also not excluded from teaching in the summer and will receive additional compensation (up to two courses). Full-time faculty who are teaching are expected to maintain reasonable office hours during the summer session and will be required to provide reasonable service to their departments and to the college as directed by the department chair or school dean.

505 Additional responsibilities
A faculty member may be hired or negotiate with the chair to assume responsibilities that are beyond the usual scope of faculty work. These assignments are subject to the approval of the dean and may include special projects for a specified period of time or on-going administrative work for the department. Typically, release time and/or a stipend accompanies these additional assignments.

505.1 Director
Historically, the title of director was given to members of the full-time faculty who assumed responsibility for cultivating, developing, and supervising a specific program within a department. With the advent of associate chairs and academic managers, this designation fell into disuse. Effective fall semester, 2010, the title director will no longer be used for members of the faculty.

505.2 Coordinator
Typically, the title of coordinator is given to a member of the full-time faculty who, in consultation with the chair and dean, manages multiple sections of a course or a significant number of courses within a department. The coordinator may interview, hire, supervise, and evaluate part-time faculty; schedule courses; organize meetings for full- and part-time faculty; manage internship programs; and other similar duties.

505.3 Summer chairs
Effective summer 2006, chair contracts will be issued from June 1 through August 15. A summer chair is required to be on campus for the equivalent of three-and-one-half days per week. The specific duties of this appointment should be discussed with the appropriate school dean.

505.4 Associate chairs
The associate chair works closely with the chair in the regular operation of the department both internally and externally and with other academic and administrative bodies of the college. In the chair’s absence, or at the chair’s request, the associate chair may represent the department at Chair’s Council, Dean’s Council, or on other deliberative or administrative bodies of the college where appropriate. The associate chair may assist the chair with the following duties and responsibilities:

• curriculum and course scheduling;

• full-time and part-time faculty management and support;
• student advising and orientation;
• policies and procedures, resources and budget;
• recruitment and retention; and/or
• events, inter-department collaborations and co-curricular activities.

The associate chair may be assigned additional duties as needed. The faculty senate recommends that the associate chair position be reserved for tenured faculty. If exigent circumstances require the appointment of a non-tenured faculty, a rationale for the decision must be provided to the dean of the appropriate school.

505.5 Provost’s Faculty Administrative Fellow
The Provost’s Faculty Administrative Fellow is a one-year, non-renewable appointment designed to promote engagement between the academic administration and the faculty of Columbia College Chicago. In addition to the project-based service described below, the Provost’s Faculty Administrative Fellow will function as a two-way conduit between faculty perspectives and the Office of Academic Affairs, advising the provost on faculty concerns, regularly engaging with members of the faculty through public forums, and generally promoting the value of faculty expertise to the administration.

The Provost’s Faculty Administrative Fellow is selected from among the full-time faculty to take on a substantive administrative or curricular project as a primary focus. Integral to academic operations, these projects may include advisement and primary authorship of substantive curricular revisions; providing expertise and oversight to an aspect of strategic planning implementation; coordinating new initiatives with academic support units such as the Offices of Enrollment Management, Advising, and Student Affairs; codifying new models for faculty development; or other areas of need designated by the provost.

Each year, if funding is available, the Office of the Provost will select a project area, announce a search for the position and share a position description for faculty to consider.

The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate will facilitate a process for self-nomination to the position. The Faculty Affairs Committee will then review applications, taking into consideration the following criteria: demonstrated capacity for leadership through shared governance and/or academic leadership, qualifications to take on the proposed administrative or curricular project, institutional knowledge, and overall quality of application. The Faculty Affairs Committee will then forward a short list of finalists to the Executive Committee of the Senate. Once approved, finalist applications will be sent to the provost, who may request additional materials and/or interviews before making the final decision.

510 Policy on summer and J-session teaching
In recognition of the compressed schedules for summer and J-session courses, the following policy for teaching during these sessions has been established.

512 Overload Banking and Compensation Policy
A teaching load with a number of credits above a faculty member’s contractual expectation (18 credits per year for tenure-track and tenured faculty, and 24 credits per year for teaching-track faculty) is considered an overload. At the time an overload is assigned to a faculty member, a compensation arrangement must be agreed upon by the faculty member and chair as part of their yearly workload agreement. That compensation arrangement can come in the form of an additional payment made during the semester the class is taught at the current rate for summer and J-session teaching. As an alternative to an additional payment, up to three credits may be counted towards a reduction of credits taught the following academic year.

In all such cases, the chair and dean must consult about the nature of the compensation. In the event of an additional payment, the payment must go through the academic affairs additional pay approval process. In the event of a reduction of credits, the chair must document the agreed-upon reduction of credits.

515 Independent projects, directed studies, tutorials, and thesis advising
Directed Studies and Independent Projects must be pre-approved by the department chair, and to the extent possible, these activities must be taken into consideration when defining full-time faculty workload expectations each academic year (See Statement of Policy on Tenure, Sections VII and XIV).

In regular practice, delivery of a small number (up to two or the equivalent of 6 credits) of Directed Studies and/or Independent Projects should be considered in the context of regular faculty workload. In these cases, the work associated with supervision of Directed Studies and Independent Projects will be offset by an equivalent reduction in overall faculty service expectations (such as release from some department committee work) or adjustments to teaching assignments.

In rare cases, a full-time faculty member may be approved to teach a larger number (more than two or the equivalent of 6 credits) of Directed Studies or Independent Projects in a single academic year. This should be considered an overload, calculated according to the following equivalencies:

In cases where a full-time faculty member is unable to offset their supervision of Directed Studies and Independent Projects with a reduction in service responsibilities, they may apply the overload rules for banking or payout as described in Section 512 of the Faculty Manual.

Part-time faculty compensation for Directed Studies and Independent Projects is governed by the collective bargaining agreement.Directed Studies

520 Registration periods
There are two periods of student registration each semester—early registration and regular registration. Faculty members from each department serve as counselors to help students with the selection of courses within their fields. Since college graduation and financial aid requirements are complex, faculty members are urged to refer any registration-related questions of this nature to the appropriate administrative office. Schedule revisions are done during add/drop week, held the first week of each semester. Specific information will be made available to the faculty before each registration period. More information can be found here.

525 Release time/stipends
A full-time faculty member who is responsible for a special project or who assumes the responsibility of coordinator may qualify for release time. The responsibilities of coordinator call for continuing obligations assumed by a faculty member as designated by the department chair. The chair and faculty member will consult to clarify whether the position is a term appointment, renewable, subject to rotation, or a condition of hiring. In lieu of release time, a stipend may be agreed upon by the faculty member, the chair, and the dean.

Each semester the school dean will review the agreement between the chair and the faculty member for release time or stipend to confirm that the compensation is consistent with the service. A copy of the written agreement for release time and/or stipends will be sent to the chair and to the faculty member.

530 Sabbatical Leave
The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to support the professional development of tenured faculty members, and to consistently enrich the intellectual and creative vitality of the institution. The intention of a grant of a sabbatical leave is to allow the faculty member an opportunity to pursue a scholarly, creative, educational, and/or professional project that will benefit from focused, uninterrupted time that is not possible concurrent to the usual workload assignment. The sabbatical leave project ought to be clearly defined; it ought to develop, enhance, extend, or contribute to the faculty member's academic area of expertise consistent with and/or to further enrich the faculty member’s role at the college.

Eligibility
Full-time, tenured faculty members who have accrued five or more years of full-time service are eligible to apply for a sabbatical in their sixth year of service. The faculty member granted sabbatical leave may not receive another sabbatical leave until they have accrued six or more years of full-time service at the college after sabbatical was last awarded. Once eligible, a faculty member remains eligible to apply for sabbatical until he or she is awarded a sabbatical leave. Faculty applying for tenure during their 6th year of service are also eligible to concurrently apply for a sabbatical leave. An affirmative granting of a sabbatical leave remains contingent upon the formal receipt of tenure before the sabbatical period begins.

Faculty members serving as chairs, associate deans, deans, assistant provosts, associate provosts, vice provosts or provost are not eligible to apply for sabbatical. After vacating their administrative positions, with appropriate time of service as defined above, these faculty members may apply for sabbatical through the established process. Years of administrative service will count in the calculation of their eligibility to apply for sabbatical.

The Office of the Provost will maintain records of eligibility status, and each year will notify eligible faculty no later than May 1 of the spring prior to the fall deadlines of both their ability to apply as well as the number of semester-long sabbatical awards that will be supported by the college during the current application year. This number will be 10% of the tenured faculty members at the college as of August 16. An eligible candidate applies in the fall semester for sabbatical leave the following academic year.

Sabbatical credit does not accrue while a faculty member is on personal leave from the college. Sabbatical credit does accrue while a faculty member is on FMLA leave from the college.

In extraordinary circumstances, such as an unpaid professional development leave sought in order to accept a nationally and/or internationally recognized fellowship, grant, or accolade that clearly supports the faculty member's creative and scholarly endeavor and will bring distinction to the college, a case may be made in writing to the provost in advance of the anticipated leave that sabbatical credit continue to accrue during the leave. The provost's decision will then be communicated in writing to the faculty member, and the relevant chair(s) and dean(s). The faculty member’s eligibility status will reflect the decision made by the post.

Sabbatical leaves are granted for one semester at full salary; or, as an alternative, the faculty member seeking sabbatical may request a leave of one full academic year at one-half their base salary. Administrative stipends are not included in compensation during sabbatical leave.

Faculty accepting a sabbatical leave are obligated to return to the college at the end of the sabbatical for a period of not less than one year. Failure to do so will require the faculty member to reimburse the college for the amount paid during the sabbatical leave.

Projects focusing on individual course or program proposals are ineligible.

Faculty on sabbatical leave are ineligible to serve on any elected or appointed department or school-wide committee.

Review Process
The review process involves four steps: 1) intention to apply; 2) application; 3) review of application; 4) notification of determination regarding application.

It is the faculty member’s responsibility to provide notification of intention to apply. The intention to apply must be made via a portal in Interfolio. Affirmative notification of intent will be sent to department chair, school dean, associate provost for academic personnel, associate provost for faculty research and development, and director of faculty evaluation.

Following the notification of intention to apply, and at least two weeks in advance of the deadline for the completed application, chairs and deans ought to personally discuss with all faculty members involved any concerns they may have about the impact multiple sabbatical leaves could have on the intellectual or financial health of a department or school. In rare cases where faculty are specifically asked by chair and dean to delay their applications by a year in order to accommodate the needs of the institution and department (i.e. staffing issues in order to best serve students), the dean will send written notification prior to the application deadline that the faculty member, whenever they complete the obligatory year of service following a future sabbatical leave will receive two years of credit toward eligibility to apply for a future sabbatical leave.

A faculty member's application for sabbatical leave will be subject to review and recommendation by the faculty members’ chair, dean, and the Sabbatical Leave Committee.

Following submission of the application, chairs, deans, and Sabbatical Leave Committee will concurrently and independently review and rate the applications relevant to their administrative and service purview and forward their ratings to the provost for consideration. The rubric will be made available to faculty through the Faculty Development Portfolio website, and used by chairs, deans and Sabbatical Leave Committee in rating the applications.

Using the ratings submitted by the chair(s), dean(s) and Sabbatical Leave Committee, the provost will make final decisions regarding the awarding of sabbatical leaves. The Provost will enter the decisions and rationales in Interfolio.

The Office of the Provost will email official notification regarding sabbatical leave no later than the last working day prior to the December semester break. Chairs, deans, and Sabbatical Leave Committee members are to be cc’d. The information in Interfolio will be available to all applicants at that time.

Application and Review Deadlines
All applications for sabbatical leave (whether for Fall, Spring or the full academic year), are due and reviewed as follows:

[May 1]: Notification of eligibility to apply for Sabbatical Leave presented in Interfolio.

[August 20]: Notification of intention to apply made in Interfolio.

[Prior to Monday of Week 4]: Conversation and, if applicable, notification by dean of postponement of Sabbatical Leave application.

[Monday of Week 6]: Deadline for completed application materials submitted in Interfolio for review by chair, dean, and Sabbatical Leave Committee.

[Monday of Week 12]: Deadline for chairs, deans, and Sabbatical Leave Committee to complete all application ratings for provost review.

[The last working day in December prior to the Semester Break]: Official notification regarding sabbatical leave, including semester, will be emailed to applicants. Chairs, deans and Sabbatical Leave Committee members to receive cc.

Application Requirements
A sabbatical application requires the submission of:

  1. a proposal of no more than 2500 words
  2. a current curriculum vitae
  3. relevant supporting materials when mentioned in the proposal (e.g. book contracts, letters of invitation, grant notification, etc.)

A proposal will describe, in complete sentences, the scope and significance of the project for an audience of peers who may not share the same disciplinary expertise as the applicant. The proposal ought to make clear whether this is new or continuing work, and focus on an anticipated outcome, identifying progress that can be measured/noted/recognized at the end of the sabbatical period. Any grants and/or other kinds of support received from outside the college ought to be explained and described, especially in cases where they are relevant to the recognition, completion, and timeframe of the work.

The proposal will be rated according to its ability to clearly articulate:

Applications are submitted in Interfolio.

Post-Sabbatical Reports
Faculty members complete a post-sabbatical report in Interfolio no later than the second Monday of the semester following their sabbatical leave.

Prompts in Interfolio will require the faculty member to:

This archive of post-sabbatical reports will be maintained in Interfolio documenting the creative and scholarly development of the college's faculty. The Office of Academic Personnel, school deans, department chairs, and each tenured faculty member can access this information at any time.

Faculty members who do not submit the required post-sabbatical report by the deadline will become ineligible for subsequent sabbatical leaves.

531 FMLA and Caregiver (Parental and Dependent Care) Leave

When a faculty member takes time away for an approved FMLA and/or a Caregiver leave (parental or dependent), the College must ensure that the student experience is preserved to the greatest extent possible. For this reason, if a full-time faculty member takes a leave for 7+ weeks, all of the faculty member's courses should be reassigned. If the faculty member returns during the semester, service duties (or scholarly and creative work, if applicable) should make up the faculty member's workload. The faculty member may also agree to be scheduled to a sub-session during the affected semester, if applicable.

535 Unpaid leave of absence
Unpaid leaves of absence not related to FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) are granted at the discretion of the college. Normally, such leave is limited to one year. Valid reasons to request an unpaid leave of absence may include, but are not limited to, an offer to teach for a limited period of time (e.g. a semester or year) at another institution of higher learning; an offer to engage in service to an arts organization, social organization, government, industry, or other organization; for the purpose of writing or completing a work of art or scholarship. There is no limitation on gainful employment during an unpaid leave of absence. All full-time faculty, including chairs, are eligible to apply.

Application for unpaid leaves of absence should be made in writing to the department chair and simultaneously to the dean of the appropriate school at least four months before the intended leave. The application should state the purpose of the leave, its expected duration, and any special circumstances affecting the faculty member or the college. Chairs should apply directly to the dean of the appropriate school. Chair leaves must be approved by the provost.

During an unpaid leave of absence, salary increases are suspended. If a faculty member wishes to continue health insurance during an unpaid leave, he/she is responsible for paying the employee premium for up to 12 months on a monthly basis or by paying in advance. Otherwise, the health insurance will cease for the period in question and any claims will be the responsibility of the faculty member. Any 403(b) contributions, flexible spending plan, and commuter benefits are discontinued during the leave. Also, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, and Long Term Disability benefits are discontinued effective one month after the leave begins unless the faculty member elects to convert these benefits. Anyone contemplating such a leave should consult with the Benefits Manager in the Office of Human Resources for additional information on insurance and other employee benefits. More information can be found here.

Faculty members will not be subject to evaluation during an unpaid leave that extends for a full academic year.

An unpaid leave may be extended beyond the agreed-upon time at the sole discretion of the college. Written application to the department chair and simultaneously to the dean of the appropriate school must be submitted at least four months prior to the expiration of the agreed-upon leave, to be considered only in exceptional cases. For chairs, written application must be made to the dean of the appropriate school and provost under the same terms. Failure to notify the chair and the dean prior to the four months deadline may result in termination of employment.

In each instance, an individual’s letter of agreement will be negotiated with the faculty member or chair requesting unpaid leave, specifying date of inception and completion of leave.

For the policy on Extension of the Tenure-Track Period, see Statement of Policy on Academic Freedom, Faculty Status, Tenure, and Due Process (Section XV.C).

This section does not apply to Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leaves of absence, which are governed by a separate policy. For questions regarding FMLA, contact the Office of Human Resources.

540 College/school retreats
Each summer, before the start of fall semester, the college holds either a college-wide all-faculty retreat or individual school-wide retreats. The purposes of the events are to create an atmosphere for the development of collegial relationships; to provide forums for open discussion about issues of concern to the college; to offer forums for discussion of proven teaching approaches and to showcase faculty professional development projects; and to build an academic community. These events are mandatory for full-time faculty.

545 New faculty orientations
Both new full- and part-time faculty are expected to participate in college orientations. These orientations provide faculty members with general information about the college, academic policies, faculty and student support services, and introduce faculty members to some of their colleagues and college administrators. In addition, the orientations offer forums for discussing effective teaching approaches and methodologies. For more information visit the New Faculty Orientation website here.

550 Faculty travel
A faculty member who wishes to travel to professional conferences, meetings, or seminars or to conduct other college-related business must first secure the permission of their department chair to ensure that college funds are available to cover the cost of travel and related conference fees, etc. All airplane, train, and car rental reservations must be made through Administrative Services in order to be reimbursable. Forms for making travel arrangements and reimbursement of travel expenses are available here.

555 Commencement
Faculty members are required to attend the Commencement ceremony for their department. For specific information, see the Commencement website.

560 Outside professional activities
Professional activities outside of the college should be of sufficient scope and quality as to be worthy of recognition in faculty evaluations and should reflect positively on the professional stature and reputation of the individual and the college.

Professional activities should relate in the broadest sense to the discipline in which the faculty member is engaged, and such activities should significantly contribute to the faculty member’s growth and/or stature in that field.

565 Desk copies of textbooks
Desk copies of textbooks received by an academic department or member of the faculty for review may not be sold for either the college’s benefit or individual gain. Desk copies may be retained by the department for reference purposes or forwarded to the College Library to include in its collection.

570 Conflicts of interest
The high ethical standards to which our faculty hold themselves are our best safeguards against conflicts of interest. However, judgments will differ and faculty are advised to consult with the department chair and/or the school dean whenever there are any questions regarding conflicts of interest or the appropriateness of a given outside professional activity.

570.1 Outside employment
Full-time faculty members may not hold two full-time academic positions concurrently.

Full-time faculty members should not undertake any outside employment activities that conflict with the performance of faculty obligations. Outside employment activities do not reduce regular faculty work responsibilities. Any professional efforts requiring release time must be formally contracted in writing with the department chair and are subject to the approval of the school dean.

Full-time faculty members may not engage in any concurrent employment in a salaried position at another institution or place of business (excluding freelance) without prior written approval of both the school dean and the department chair (this provision does not include the receipt of grants, awards, commissions or fees for service).

570.2 Use of the college’s name
Although the college appreciates and encourages mention of the institution in faculty biographical materials, interviews, social media, etc., the college’s name and identity are the exclusive property of the college and, consequently, may not be used in connection with goods or services offered by any faculty member involved in outside work. The college assumes no responsibility for the competence of performance of outside activities engaged in by a faculty member, nor may any responsibility be implied in any advertising with respect to such activities. Official stationery may not be used in connection with outside activities except with respect to academic and scholarly activities. Faculty members may not represent themselves as acting on behalf of the college without prior authorization from the provost.

570.3 Course materials
Under no circumstance shall members of the faculty sell course materials directly to students in their classes. Any course materials that must be purchased shall in all cases be handled through an established commercial vendor.

When a member of the faculty uses a course textbook or other required materials where he/she may receive a financial or other personal benefit, the faculty member must disclose this decision and the potential benefit to the curriculum committee of the department. The curriculum committee will consider whether the text or other material is consistent with the learning objectives of the class. If the curriculum committee decides that the text or other material is consistent with the learning objectives of the class, nothing further need happen; and the question need not be revisited in future semesters. If the curriculum committee decides that the text or other material may not be consistent with the learning objectives of the class, the members will give a written statement to the faculty member who is at risk of a conflict of interest and copy the department chair and the dean of the school.

The department chair will then follow the policies and procedures detailed in the college’s Conflict of Interest Policy available here.

571 Academic Ombudsperson

Overview
The Academic Ombudsperson is a designated neutral and impartial dispute resolution source whose major function will be to provide an informal, voluntary, and confidential resource for addressing and resolving workplace or academic conflicts within the Columbia College Chicago community. This person shall have no previous or existing relationship with the college as a staff or faculty member. Furthermore, while in this position, this person shall not simultaneously serve in any other position within the college. The Academic Ombudsperson’s services are available to the college’s full-time faculty. Part-time faculty represented by C-fac shall continue to address issues through their union representatives.

Purpose and Responsibilities
The Academic Ombudsperson shall act as an advocate for procedural fairness and a neutral source of advice, information, referral, and mediation services to full-time faculty members seeking guidance. The ombudsperson shall keep regular office hours and be reasonably available for both “walk-in” and scheduled meetings with faculty members. The ombudsperson may provide assistance using methods of problem-solving including, but not limited to, listening, identifying and reframing issues, asking questions, conflict coaching, mediation, facilitation, and shuttle diplomacy. The Academic Ombudsperson shall consider the point of view of all parties and not side with any one individual.

More specifically, the responsibilities of the Academic Ombudsperson are:

The ombudsperson shall perform these responsibilities as appropriate given the circumstances of each faculty inquiry or request.

Limitations of Authority
In performing the responsibilities of the position, the Academic Ombudsperson shall not:

The authority of the Academic Ombudsperson is limited to internal academic issues. The ombudsperson shall not address the college's relationship with any third parties.

Reporting and Independence
Confidentiality and Record Keeping
Search Committee
When a search for an Academic Ombudsperson is to be conducted, the provost will convene a search committee and give the committee its charge. The minimum composition of the search committee is to include:

572 Dispute Resolution Procedure for Full-Time Faculty
The purpose of this dispute resolution process is to provide avenues for full-time faculty members to request review of certain employment-related actions and decisions.

This process is limited to addressing disputed actions or decisions, and may not be used to dispute matters that are subject to an existing policy that has an appeal and/or complaint resolution mechanism. This includes, without limitation, the college’s “Statement of Policy on Academic Freedom, Faculty Status, Tenure, and Due Process,” the Curriculum Policy Manual, the “Anti-Discrimination & Harassment Policy,” and the Office of Human Resources’ benefits policies. Decisions regarding faculty appointments, promotions and continued employment may not be disputed through this process.

This process may not be used on a group or “class” basis or to dispute existing or proposed college policy. This process applies to full-time faculty members only. Any individual covered by a collective bargaining agreement must use the applicable grievance procedures of that agreement.

Subject to these limits, a faculty member may use this dispute resolution process to dispute actions and decisions by the college that meet the following criteria:

  1. The action or decision materially, substantially and directly affects the faculty member’s employment;
  2. The action or decision results in the faculty member being treated differently from similarly situated faculty members;
  3. The faculty member believes that there is insufficient justification for the different treatment.

Those who participate in this process are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, respecting the confidentiality of the process and the individuals involved.

572.1 Informal Resolution
Faculty members should always attempt to resolve issues informally, before initiating formal procedures. Many issues can be resolved quickly through good communication, face-to-face meetings, and other informal steps. The college and faculty members are expected to make sincere attempts to resolve issues informally.

Before proceeding to a Formal Dispute under 572.2 below, a faculty member must first take reasonable steps to attempt to resolve the situation informally.

A faculty member should first communicate the issue to the individual who took the action or made the decision (the “decision-maker”) and engage in good faith efforts to reach a resolution. If possible, an in-person conversation should occur. If the faculty member and the decision-maker agree that additional time could produce an informal resolution, then the deadline for submitting a Formal Dispute (addressed below in 572.2) may be extended up to 5 working days. Extensions of time must be confirmed by email.

If the issue is not resolved with the decision-maker, the faculty member is encouraged to address the issue to an administrator one level higher (other than the provost or president) and attempt to resolve it there. If the faculty member and the administrator agree that additional time could produce an informal resolution, then the deadline for submitting a Formal Dispute may be extended up to 5 working days. Extensions of time must be confirmed by email.

572.2 Formal Dispute Resolution
Faculty members may initiate a Formal Dispute if the issue is not resolved informally. A faculty member must initiate a Formal Dispute within 30 working days of the decision or action at issue, unless this deadline is extended as described above in 572.1.

572.2.a Initiating a Formal Dispute
A faculty member initiates a Formal Dispute by submitting a Formal Dispute Form to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. (Formal Dispute Form is available here) The executive committee shall review the Formal Dispute Form to determine if the faculty member has presented a valid Formal Dispute, in whole or in part. No executive committee member may participate in this decision if the person has a conflict with or a vested interest in the resolution of the dispute. If the Formal Dispute meets the criteria outlined above, the executive committee shall promptly convene a Dispute Resolution Committee and forward a copy of the Formal Dispute Form to the Office of the Provost. If not, the executive committee shall notify the faculty member that the Formal Dispute is denied, giving the reason(s) for denial, and forward a copy of the notice to the Office of the Provost.

The faculty member must provide sufficient detail on the Formal Dispute Form to allow the Dispute Resolution Committee to investigate the issue. At a minimum, the Formal Dispute Form should describe the specific action or decision at issue as fully as possible, identify any applicable policy or procedure, identify the relevant individuals, give the date the action or decision occurred, describe the steps taken to resolve the issue informally, and provide any additional relevant facts.

572.2.b Dispute Resolution Committee
The Dispute Resolution Committee shall consist of one member of the executive committee, two additional senators, and two administrators appointed by the provost. No one may participate on a Committee if the person has a conflict with or a vested interest in the resolution of the dispute. All senators must participate on a committee as part of their service in the Senate.

The committee shall attempt to address the Formal Dispute within 15 working days of submission, unless additional time is needed as determined in the sole discretion of the committee. The committee shall investigate the Formal Dispute and make recommendations for resolution.

If the committee determines that any part of a Formal Dispute has merit, it shall send a preliminary recommendation for resolution to the decision-maker. The committee shall work collaboratively with the decision-maker to reach a mutually agreeable resolution, if possible. In any case, the decision-maker shall answer the committee in writing within three working days of receiving the recommendation, either agreeing to implement the preliminary recommendation or explaining why the preliminary recommendation (or any part of it) is not or cannot be accepted.

After receiving the response to the preliminary recommendation, the committee shall send a report to the faculty member, the decision-maker, and the Office of the Provost. The committee’s report shall include any final recommendations and any resolution agreed to by the decision-maker.

572.2.c Request for Additional Review
If not satisfied with the committee’s report, a faculty member may request review by the provost within 5 working days from the date of the report. The provost, or the provost’s designee(s), shall respond to the faculty member, the Dispute Resolution Committee, and the decision-maker within 10 working days, unless additional time is needed. In no case shall the time to respond exceed 20 working days. If a disputed issue concerns an action or decision by the provost, this final request for review may instead be made to the president of the college, in which case the president, or the president’s designee(s), shall respond as described. The decision of the provost (or president if the disputed issue involves the provost) is final and the dispute file shall be closed. Once closed, the committee shall forward the Formal Dispute file to the Office of the Provost, to be stored separately from a faculty member’s personnel file.

575 Academic Personnel files
See Statement of Policy on Academic Freedom, Faculty Status, Tenure, and Due Process (Section XXVI).