Annual Report: Faculty Handbook Committee, 2013-14
Gavin Townsend, Chair
Members:
Gavin Townsend (Art), Claire McCullough (Computer Science), Victoria Steinberg (French), Jim Tucker (Education). Ex Officio: Jocelyn Sanders (Provost’s Office), Deborah McAllister (Faculty Senate President)
Actions:
Most of our work this year was done in response to information we received on April 24, 2013. That’s when the committee met with UT System representatives, Katie High and India Lane, who recommended that we remove most of the contents of Chapter 2 of the Handbook and reconstitute those contents into a new Senate Bylaws document. We were advised to seek approval for a new Chapter 2 by the UT System. The Bylaws, we were told, required only local (campus) approval.
Last September the Handbook Committee drafted a Senate Bylaws document, which essentially fused the language from Chapter 2 with the general structure of the UTK Faculty Senate Bylaws. The committee considered several drafts and put version number six of the document before the Faculty Senate for review on October 3. In response to Senate comments,draft number seven was produced.
On October 17, 2013, the Senate approved draftsof both the Bylaws and the new Chapter 2 of the Handbook.
It took most of the winter to secure full faculty approval of Chapter 2 and the Bylaws, but on February 6, 2014, President McAllister reported overwhelming approval by the full faculty.
On February 8, 2014, the committee officially submitted Chapter 2 and the Bylaws to the Chancellor and Provost for review.
On March 5, 2014, we learned that the Provost had met with Katie High and India Lane, and had been informed that the UT System wanted some changes to our draft of Chapter 2. Those changes were submittedby the chair to the Provost and the Handbook Committee that same day.
On March 20, 2014, the Provost indicated by email his official approval of Chapter 2.
On March 24, the Committee received an email from India Lane with the following line:
“We’ll get the Chapter 2 changes rolling for admin [UT System] approval. The Bylaws do not need separate Board or admin approval – yay!”
The new Senate Bylaws were published by President McAllister to the Senate’s website that day.
As of April 20, 2014, we have yet to receive notice of any approval of Chapter 2 by the UT System or the Board of Trustees.
To-Do list:
1. Consider adding to the Bylaws a line about the responsibility of faculty committee chairs to bring issues to the floor of the Senate when so requested by the Exec or as required by the committee.
2. Add to Chapter 3 (page 7 of 21) of the Handbook the following (this to the calendar):
EDO Deadline to Provost
April 20: Individual Objectives Sheet, Individual Performance Report Form, Individual Evaluation Form, and any other supporting documentation, including the faculty member’s written response to the evaluation, are submitted by the Dean to the Provost (sent to Faculty Records) along with recommendations for “Exceeds Expectations” and “Distinguished” ratings.
3. Change the Handbook (Chapter 5, p. 3) to reflect the need for faculty to attend only one of two commencement ceremonies.This is in response to a formal vote of the Senate on March 20, 2014.
4. Consider changing the Handbook (location yet to be determined) that would reflect the possibility of reduced teaching loads for faculty teaching graduate courses. Beth Crawford is working on some proposed text with the Graduate Council.
5. Modernize all the rest of the Chapters of the Handbook with the stylistic guidelines we established this year for Chapter 2 and the Bylaws
Note: all changes to the Bylaws may be approved by the Senate, as long as those changes are submitted 28 days before a vote. Changes to the Handbook continue to be subject to approval by the full faculty, the administration, and the UT System.
Respectfully Submitted,
Gavin Townsend, Chair of the Faculty Handbook Committee