Standard Five

Faculty

5.1          Faculty categories (e.g., full-time, part-time, adjunct) are clearly defined by the institution as is the role of each category in fulfilling the institution’s mission and purposes.  Should part-time or adjunct faculty be utilized, the institution has in place policies governing their role compatible with its mission and purposes and the Standards of the Commission.

CCSU has two distinct faculty categories as specified by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  These categories are full-time teaching faculty and part-time teaching faculty (Article 1.6.1 and Article 1.6.2).  Full-time faculty are responsible for the majority of instructional load credit at CCSU and part-time faculty may be hired on a semester-by-semester basis to teach courses where full-time faculty are not available.  When hiring part-time faculty, the department chairperson must consider their credentials, experience, and teaching merit (Article 4.6).

5.2          The preparation and qualifications of all faculty are appropriate to the field and level of their assignments.  Qualifications are measured by advanced degrees held, evidence of scholarship, advanced study, creative activities, teaching abilities, and relevant professional experience, training, and credentials.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between CSU and the AAUP define the preparation and qualifications for full-time and part-time teaching faculty (see Articles 5.3.1, 5.3.2, 5.3.3, and 5.3.4).  These standards are primarily based on possession of an earned doctorate or the appropriate terminal degree along with years of service at an accredited college or university.  For example, instructors are required to have an earned master’s degree, assistant professors must have an earned doctorate or terminal degree or three years of full-time university service at the rank of instructor or higher, plus a master’s degree and an additional full year of study above the master’s level.  At the beginning of the 2007-2008 academic year, 79% of full-time faculty had an earned doctorate or appropriate terminal degree, 18% had a master’s degree, and 3% had some other academic degree appropriate for that field (http://www.ccsu.edu/planning/IR/FastFacts/At-a-Glance/Submenu/Factsheet%20F2007.pdf).

5.3          There are an adequate number of faculty whose time commitment to the institution is sufficient to assure the accomplishment of class and out-of-class responsibilities essential for the fulfillment of institutional mission and purposes.  Responsibilities of teaching faculty include instruction and the systematic understanding of effective teaching/learning processes and outcomes in courses and programs for which they share responsibility; additional duties may include such functions as student advisement, academic planning, and participation in policy-making, course and curricular development, research, and institutional governance.

In the fall 2007 semester, there were 432 full-time faculty and 453 part-time faculty.  CCSU carefully monitors faculty workload based on the CSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 10.51) and must provide load credit reports to academic departments by the fifth week of the semester.  The primary responsibility of teaching faculty is classroom instruction.  The Collective Bargaining Agreement states that full-time teaching members shall have a workload of twelve load credits per academic semester (Article 10.2) and that teaching faculty are evaluated, in part, through the use of student opinion surveys (Article 4.8.11) and workload credit activity (primarily classroom instruction)(Article 4.11.9.1).  CCSU has placed a renewed emphasis on other methods of understanding teaching/learning processes such as peer reviews of teaching and academic program assessments.  Full-time instructional faculty are required to provide academic advising to students (Article 10.0).  Full-time instructional faculty are fully involved in academic planning by serving on the University Planning and Budget Committee, policy-making through the Faculty Senate, and curricular development in the University Curriculum Committee.  In fact, any additions or changes to the university’s curriculum must be introduced and approved by the University Curriculum Committee.
 

5.4          The institution employs an open and orderly process for recruiting and appointing its faculty.  Faculty participate in the search process for new members of the instructional staff.  The institution ensures equal employment opportunity consistent with legal requirements and any other dimensions of its own choosing, compatible with its mission and purposes, it addresses its own goals for the achievement of diversity of race, gender, and ethnicity.  Faculty selection reflects the effectiveness of this process and results in a variety of intellectual backgrounds and training.  Each prospective faculty member is provided with a written contract that states explicitly the nature and term of the initial appointment and, when applicable, institutional considerations that might preclude or limit future appointments.

Instructional faculty are recruited and hired in accordance with policies and procedures of CCSU's Office of Diversity and Equity that comport with federal and state AA/EEO laws and regulations and the CSU-AAUP contract.  [LINK TO OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND EQUITY WEB PAGE AND HIRING PROCEDURE].  In accordance with these policies, the membership of every search committee must reflect the diversity of the institution, and the search committee must use recruitment sources that will reach underrepresented groups and a diverse applicant pool.  A representative from the Office of Diversity and Equityy meets with all search committtees prior to the commencement of each search to ensure that the committee is aware of the policies, procedures, and legal requirements for the search. Faculty appointments are made in accordance with the requirements of the CSU-AAUP collective bargaining agreement [LINK TO AAUP CONTRACT, ARTICLE 4.7 AND 4.7.1].   Prospective faculty members receive a written contract letter that specifies the term of appointment, salary, and any special conditions that may affect future appointment or promotional decisions (LINK TO AAUP CONTRACT, ARTICLE 4.7 and Appendix A-1).

5.5          Where graduate teaching assistants are employed, the institution carefully selects, trains, supervises, and evaluations them.

CCSU does not employ graduate teaching assistants.
 

5.6          Faculty are accorded reasonable contractual security for appropriate periods consistent with the institution’s ability to fulfill its mission.  Salaries and benefits are set at levels that ensure the institution’s continued ability to attract and maintain an appropriately qualified instructional staff whose profile is consistent with the institution’s mission and purposes.

The CSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining requires that full-time tenure track faculty be initially appointed to a probationary period of no less than one year and no more than three years (Article 4.8.1).  Tenured appointment is given upon completion of not more than seven years of full-time service.  In terms of salary and benefits, the AAUP publishes an annual report that compares faculty salaries and benefits by type of institution.  CCSU is considered a IIA university (Master’s Institution).  In comparison to other IIA institutions, the 2007 average salary rating for CCSU full-time faculty was between the 60^th and 79^th percentiles (a rating of 2 out of 5, with 1 being the highest and 5 the lowest) for professors, associate professors, and assistant professors.  Instructors were ranked in the 80^th to 94^th percentiles (a rating of 1).  For average overall compensation, professor and assistant professor were ranked in the 60^th to 79^th percentiles and associate professors and instructors were ranked in the 80^th to 94^th percentiles.  For average overall compensation, professors and assistant professors were ranked in the 60^th to 79^th percentiles while associate professors and instructors were ranked in the 80^th to 94^th percentiles. 
 

5.7          Faculty assignments and workloads are consistent with the institution’s mission and purposes.  They are equitably determined to allow faculty adequate time to provide effective instruction, advise and evaluate students, contribute to program and institutional assessment and improvement, continue professional growth, and participate in scholarship, research, creative activities and service compatible with mission and purposes of the institution.  Faculty workloads are reappraised periodically and adjusted as institutional conditions change.

CCSU carefully monitors faculty workload based on the CSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 10.2) and provides compensation for other types of workload credits outside of the classroom.  The Collective Bargaining Agreement states that the instructional load for full-time teaching faculty is 12 load credits, where one class hour of lecture equals one load credit (Article 10.2). Load credit is also given for supervising student teachers (10.2.1), class sizes over 40 students (10.3), specialized assignments such as social work practicums, field experience, nursing clinical practice, coaching, video tape instruction, and instructional student activities (10.4), independent study direction (10.4.1), Master’s Thesis direction (10.4.2), and departmental administrative responsibilities (10.6).  The Collective Bargaining Agreement also provides reassigned time for research (10.6.4), curriculum development, faculty development, and instructional enhancement (10.6.5).  Reassigned time may be given for grant funded research that brings indirect cost funds to the university (10.10).

The faculty instructional and total workload has remained relatively stable from the 2002-2003 academic year through the 2006-2007 academic year (See chart below).

Faculty workloads are reviewed every academic semester by the Academic Dean, the Department Chair, and the individual faculty member.  Midway through each academic semester, department chairs are given a faculty workload summary and are asked to verify its accuracy.  Department chairs then meet with faculty to review their workload credit.  Faculty who have workloads over 12 hours limit are given a reduced workload the following semester.  Through an agreement with the CCSU-AAUP, department chairs and academic deans are required to submit workload reduction reports for faculty who have accumulated an overload in credit hours.

5.8          The institution avoids undue dependence on part-time faculty, adjuncts, and graduate assistants to conduct classroom instruction.  Institutions that employ a significant proportion of part-time, adjunct, clinical or temporary faculty assure their appropriate integration into the department and institution and provide opportunities for faculty development.

The CSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement states that the percentage of part-time faculty should not be more than 20% of full-time faculty (Article 10.8).  However, the University can exceed the goal of 20% by 1% for the 2007-2008 through 2010-2011 academic years.  The percent workload of part-time faculty was 15.22% in the 2004-2005 academic year, 16.42 in the 2005-2006 academic year, and 16.16% in the 2006-2007 academic year.  In addition to this formula stated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CCSU is developing additional metrics to monitor faculty workload and the instructional experience for students that will provide a more robust picture of faculty activity.

CCSU attempts to integrate part-time faculty into departments and the institution several different ways.  For instance, part-time faculty have representation in the CCSU-AAUP and the CCSU Faculty Senate.  In addition, part-time faculty are eligible to receive university funding for travel and faculty development (Collective Bargaining Agreement Article 12.10.1). 

5.9       In a faculty handbook or in other written documents that are current and readily available, the institution  clearly defines the responsibilities of faculty and the criteria for their recruitment, appointment, evaluation, promotion, and, if         applicable, tenure.  Such policies are equitable and compatible with the mission and purposes of the institution; they provide for the fair redress of grievances, and they are consistently applied and periodically reviewed.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) serves as the de facto faculty handbook.  There is no single compendium of policies associated with contract implementation and other faculty matters, although most policies are readily available on-line at the websites of the offices or divisions that administer the policies (e.g., human resources, academic affairs, sponsored programs, information technology, etc.). A revision to the 1996 Faculty Handbook is in progress, and the associate deans in the academic schools are working to compile all policies in a single manual.

All members of the collective bargaining unit (full-time and part-time) receive the contract when they are appointed; an overview of the contract is included in the faculty orientation process.  Printed versions of new contracts are distributed promptly to faculty, and the CBA is also available online and as a searchable CD. The current contract went into effect August 25, 2007 and continues in force until August 25, 2011.  Although several procedural changes have been implemented since the last NEASC evaluation, the evaluation criterion (quality) and categories of evaluation in the contract are the same.  The most significant change, effective with the 2007-2011 CBA, is that the Provost now makes the decisions on promotion and tenure unless she or he disagrees with two preceding levels of review, in which case the president decides.  In the past, the president was the deciding authority in all cases, and no specific role was specified for the chief academic officer.

The CBA describes the responsibilities of the faculty, and administrative and peer responsibilities associated with the evaluation of the teaching faculty. In addition to addressing the appointment and evaluation of teaching faculty, the CBA also includes criteria and procedures for appointing and evaluating librarians, counselors, and coaches since they are represented by the same collective bargaining agent (AAUP). This section will focus on the criteria and procedures for full-time and part-time faculty who are members of academic departments offering the University’s academic programs.

Several sections of the CBA are pertinent to NEASC Standard 5: Article 4,  Professional Rights and Responsibilities, in addition to describing the responsibilities  of the faculty, defines faculty appointments  and standards for renewal,  tenure, and promotion, and defines the procedures which the University must follow.  Of particular importance are the “Evaluation Criterion and Categories for Full-Time Teaching Faculty” found in section 4.11.9.  Article 5, Faculty Participation Procedures, describes minimum standards for appointment and promotion to each of the degrees in terms of degrees and years of service (from earned master’s for the rank of instructor through terminal degree plus eight years of university service, including five at the rank of associate professor, for appointment or promotion as full professor), and for the title CSU Professor" and emeritus status. The “Promotion and Tenure Policy for Tenure-Track Teaching Faculty” (ratified by the Faculty Senate on May 14, 2007 and during Fall 2007) clarifies the process relating to evaluation.  For example it specifically addresses fairness in the evaluation of creative activity, saying that evaluation “shall reflect realistic expectations for faculty consistent with the 12-hour teaching load”, with the understanding that faculty receiving research reassigned time and/or sabbatical leaves may have proportionally higher expectations. The CBA provides a grievance process (see Article 15); 7 grievances related to faculty tenure and promotion and 2 related to part-time faculty appointments have been filed and settled or withdrawn since 2004.

5.10    Faculty are demonstrably effective in carrying out their assigned responsibilities. The institution employs effective procedures for the regular evaluation of faculty appointments, performance, and retention.  The evaluative criteria reflect the mission and purposes of the institution and the importance it attaches to the various responsibilities of faculty e.g., teaching, advising, assessment, scholarship, creative activities, research, and professional and community service.  The institution has equitable and broad-based procedures for such evaluation applying to both full- and part-time faculty, in which its expectations are stated clearly and weighted appropriately for use in the evaluative process.

Assuring faculty effectiveness is a shared responsibility of faculty and academic leadership (dean and provost) that has been defined in the contract and elaborated in the new Senate policy referenced above.

Basic demographic data about faculty appointments, retention, and evaluations are collected by the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and/or Human Resources, and they are reviewed periodically by groups such as the Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee.  An exit interview process implemented in the last year provides information about reasons for leaving the university.

The contractual criteria for evaluating and recommending full-time teaching faculty is the quality of activity in five categories:  Load credit (typically teaching, but also load reassigned for department chair, research, student supervision, etc.); creative activity appropriate to one’s field; productive service to the department and university; professional activity; and years in rank.  The contract specifies that the five categories will be weighed in order. Thus, quality of teaching (and other activities for which reassigned time is awarded) is weighed ahead of the quality of scholarly activity. In addition, the CBA mandates the use of student opinion surveys when evaluating classroom teaching.  The use of peer review through observation is encouraged, especially in pre-tenure reviews.  These requirements further underscore the centrality of teaching in the mission and traditions of the University.

There is no specific contractual process for evaluating the quality of part-time faculty, although the contractual basis for assigning part-timers to available courses – the department chair’s determination of credentials, experience, and teaching merit – implies that the chair has the responsibility for determining the effectiveness of part-time teachers. Some departments have included a procedure for evaluating part-time faculty in their by-laws.

5.11     Faculty accept the responsibility for ensuring that the content and methods of instruction meet generally accepted academic and professional standards and expectations, and that considerations of program improvement are informed by a shared understanding of what and how students are learning in the program.

There is near universal agreement that CCSU is, first, a teaching university. This places a heavy responsibility on faculty both to understand and apply high professional standards to the work of teaching and learning. Evaluation of load bearing activity (which for the majority of teaching faculty is their course load assignment for teaching) is weighed first in the evaluation of faculty for renewal, promotion, tenure, and periodic post-tenure review. Artifacts of teaching – course syllabi, assessment tools such as rubrics, student course evaluations as required by the CBA, peer evaluations of teaching  – are reviewed by the department evaluation committee, academic dean,  university promotion and tenure committee, and the provost.  Quality of teaching, including keeping current in the field, is weighed first in the faculty evaluation process.  During the 2007-2008 academic year departments will be implementing “Promotion and Tenure Policy for Tenure-Track Teaching Faculty” which requires them to define standards for teaching quality.

A major strategy for assuring that quality of the content and methods of instruction has been to incorporate standards for programmatic and professional accreditation by appropriate national accrediting bodies (see Appendix __).

Since the last comprehensive evaluation, there has been an increased recognition about the role of assessment in assuring that content and methods of instruction meet generally accepted academic and professional standards and expectations.  In addition, there has been an increased awareness of the potential for using data about student learning and outcomes assessment to drive program improvement.  Although coordinated in the past by the associate vice president and the dean of the graduate school, beginning in 2007 assessment is assigned to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to reflect the new focus on institutional outcomes including student learning outcomes.  Reports of CCSU faculty assessment projects funded by CSUS grants can be viewed at their website.  

5.12     The institution provides its faculty with substantial and equitable opportunities for continued professional development throughout their careers.  Such opportunities are consistent with and enhance the achievement of the institution's mission and purposes.  Faculty accept the obligation to take advantage of these opportunities and otherwise take the initiative in         ensuring their continued competence and growth as teachers, scholars, and practitioners.

Faculty members have opportunities, available resources and contractual expectations to continue their professional development across their tenure at the University.  Resources include contractually specified processes for funding, sabbatical leaves, and reassigned time and additional non-contractual resources.

The CSU-AAUP contract includes “special funds” dedicated for faculty travel to professional conferences to support research, scholarship and professional development, as well as separate funds available as competitive internal grants to support non-travel research and scholarship activities, curriculum development and general faculty development activities.

Faculty and curriculum development funds are available through competitive internal grants.  Ninety percent of faculty-development funds are available for full-time faculty.

5.13     The institution protects and fosters academic freedom of all faculty regardless of rank or term of appointment.

Academic freedom is contractually guaranteed by the CSU-AAUP contract (article 4.2).  This article states that full freedom in research and publication as well as freedom to discuss assigned subjects in the classroom are fundamental faculty rights.  A contractual process for dealing with allegations of violations of academic freedom is specified in the contract. The contract specifies a process for the formation of an Academic Freedom Committee which “shall have the power to adjudicate substantive issues and to direct a remedy”.

Academic freedom and related issues may also fall within the CSU-AAUP contractual grievance process. 

5.14     The institution has a statement of expectations and processes to ensure that faculty act responsibly and ethically, observe the established conditions of their employment, and otherwise function in a manner consistent with the mission and purposes of the institution.  

The CSU-AAUP contract  specifies that no faculty member shall be discriminated against in violation of federal or state statutes (Article 3) and specifies faculty professional rights and responsibilities (Article 4).

Under state law, State of Connecticut Employees, including the CCSU faculty, are guided by the Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees.  In addition, the Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees has prepared an Ethics Statement (May 2006) that further elaborates on ethics requirements for all employees connected to the Connecticut State University System.  In January of 2006, the University assigned the duties of Ethics Compliance Officer (ECO), a position required by state law, to an attorney reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer but who also responds to Presidential inquiries and works in conjunction with legal Counsel to the President.  The ECO is responsible for the coordination of ethics compliance, information, training, and counsel to all state employees on campus.

5.15     Instructional techniques and delivery systems, including technology, are compatible with and serve to further mission and purposes of the institution as well as the learning goals of academic programs and objectives of individual courses.  Methods of instruction are appropriate to the students’ capabilities and learning needs.  Scholarly and creative achievement by students is encouraged and appropriately assessed.  Students in each program are taught by a variety of faculty in order to ensure experience in different methods of instruction and exposure to different viewpoints.

The mission and purpose of CCSU centers on teaching and the University encourages faculty to use a variety of instructional techniques and delivery systems.  CCSU has a Center for Teaching Excellence and Leadership Development that assists faculty by coordinating professional development activities and teaching resources, while helping faculty assess the outcome of student learning.  In addition, the majority of courses are considered to be small in size (e.g., have less than 40 students), which affords faculty the opportunity to be better acquainted with students’ capabilities and learning needs.

The first portion of the CCSU mission statement states “We encourage the development and application of knowledge and ideas through research and outreach activities.”   Courses include field studies, practicums, debates, case studies and independent research, all of which require that students apply and manipulate the knowledge they acquire in readings and lectures.  Lectures are richer for the technology available in smart rooms which allow multimedia use within the classroom.  In addition, Vista Blackboard is available for all courses, which allows web-based interactive teaching outside of the classroom.  To ensure that the instruction is appropriate to the capabilities of students, placement tests are given in math and language.  As students progress through their majors, prerequisite courses prepare them for the higher level concepts in senior level courses.  Seniors demonstrate their ability and achievement through capstone experiences within their departmental major.  Scholarly and creative work by students, many times their capstone experience, is regularly presented to the University community during Undergraduate Research Day, Graduate Research Day, Psychology Research Day, Biomolecular Sciences Research Day, student theatre productions, musical performances and gallery displays.  In addition, students often present their independent scholarly work at local and National meetings.  Assessment of these projects is therefore not only departmental, but University wide.  Nationally presented student work is evaluated by experts and scholars within that discipline.  While students in some small programs do not have opportunities to take classes with a variety of faculty, all students at CCSU reap the benefit of a diverse and academically talented faculty during their general education course requirements. 

5.16     The institution endeavors to enhance the quality of teaching and learning wherever and however courses and programs are offered. It encourages experimentation with methods to improve instruction. The effectiveness of instruction is periodically and systematically assessed using adequate and reliable procedures; the results are used to improve instruction. Faculty collectively and individually endeavor to fulfill their responsibility to improve instructional effectiveness. Adequate support is provided to accomplish this task.

In addition to CSU-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement provisions for faculty development and sabbatical leave (Article 5.12), there are numerous campus programs that provide opportunities and funds to enhance the quality of teaching and learning.  For instance, CCSU has a Center for Teaching Excellence and Leadership Development (CTELD) that allocates faculty and curriculum development funds and sponsors faculty development workshops.  Experimentation in teaching methodology is encouraged through numerous venues, including the Honors program, First Year Experience courses, writing across the curriculum (WAC), Study Abroad programs, online courses, student learning colloquia, and learning communities. There are also opportunities that integrate a community service experience through service learning courses and programs such as through the Center for Public Policy and Social Research and the School of Education.  This project, a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) initiative, with CCSU having core membership in the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) Leadership Cluster. Also, in all academic departments, faculty are required to be evaluated by students. These evaluations are taken into consideration by the Department Evaluation Committees when considering promotion and tenure. Faculty are encouraged to use the results of these evaluations to assess their teaching effectiveness and to revise their pedagogy accordingly.

5.17     The institution has in place an effective system of academic advising that meets student needs for information and advice and is compatible with its educational objectives.  Faculty and other personnel responsible for academic advising are adequately informed and prepared to discharge their advising functions.  Resources are adequate to ensure the quality of advising for students regardless of the location of instruction or the mode of delivery. 

CCSU uses a two-tiered advising system.  The Advising Center advises non-matriculated students and students who have not yet declared a major. The Advising Center assists students in scheduling their general University requirements and in getting acquainted with the resources available to them on campus.  Students preparing to enter the Professional Program or the Business School may receive additional advisement from the Deans of those Schools. 

Once a student declares an academic major, they are assigned an academic faculty advisor within that department.  The Banner system, used for registration, requires a pin number which the student must obtain from their faculty advisor, which ensures that the student actually consults their advisor each semester.  A faculty advisor guides students within the major, helping them select courses and independent projects that fulfill their career needs as well as their departmental major requirements.  Advisee assignment procedures vary by academic department as does the training of faculty advisors.  Most departments divide advisees equally amongst departmental faculty and train new faculty with a mentoring system.  Faculty advisors are available during office hours and by email communication for students who are enrolled in distance learning courses.

In addition to the University catalog, the Faculty/Student Handbook, the Advising Center and their faculty advisor, undergraduate students also have access to student degree evaluations on-line, which delineates their progress towards graduation.  To evaluate this advising structure, the University regularly surveys the departmental chairs and conducts student satisfaction surveys.  The results of these surveys are used to improve the advising system.

5.18     With the administration, the faculty work systematically to ensure an environment supportive of academic integrity.

CCSU highly values personal integrity as fundamental to faculty and student interaction. Student academic integrity is clearly stated in the CCSU Student Handbook, Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs, and the University website (http://www.ccsu.edu/AcademicIntegrity/. Faculty are encouraged to include a statement on academic integrity in their course syllabi. Allegations of student academic misconduct are adjudicated by the University Judicial Officer. Also See Sections 4.35, 4.36.

5.19     All faculty pursue scholarship designed to ensure they are current in the theory, knowledge, skills, and pedagogy of their discipline or profession.  The institution defines the scholarly expectations for faculty consistent with its mission and purposes and the level of degrees offered.  Scholarship and instruction are integrated and mutually supportive.

The scholarly expectations for CCSU faculty are defined generally in the CBA as “creative activity appropriate to one’s field such as delivering papers at professional conferences, production/performance of artistic works, research, study, and publication.”  The “Promotion and Tenure Policy for Tenure-Track Teaching Faculty” provides a more specific definition of scholarship at CCSU, and consistent with the importance of teaching in the mission of the University, references the four categories of scholarship in Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered (1990).  The value of scholarship in the life of CCSU’s academic community is underscored publicly in several ways. The CSUS Trustees have established an annual award for scholarship which recognizes one CCSU faculty each year. A sample of faculty scholarly work is listed in the Annual Report, and faculty scholars are featured in the in-house Central Courier.  Nearly 15% of the faculty receive internal research grants each year, and 5% receive sabbaticals to support their scholarship and professional development.  When proposing projects, faculty typically draw a strong link between the creative work or research they propose, and their teaching and other professional responsibilities.

5.20     Where compatible with the institution's purposes and reflective of the level of degrees offered, research is undertaken by faculty and students directed toward the creation, revision, or application of knowledge.  Physical, technological, and administrative resources together with academic services are adequate to support the institution's commitment to research and creative activity. Faculty workloads reflect this commitment.  Policies and procedures related to research, including ethical considerations, are established and clearly communicated throughout the institution.  Faculty exercise a substantive role in the development and administration of research policies and practices. 

Pursuit of research, publication and other scholarly activity are contractual expectations for full-time faculty.  Article 4.11.9.2 states that “creative activity appropriate to one’s field, such as delivering papers at professional conferences, production/performance of artistic works, research, study, and publication” is to be the second most strongly weighted factor when evaluating and making recommendations for promotion and tenure.

Reassigned time for research is contractually determined.  The contract specifies that a minimum of 108 credit hours of reassigned time for research per semester must be granted with a maximum of 6 hours reassigned per faculty member.  This represents approximately 3% of total load credit.  The most recent data available (2006-2007 Faculty Load Report Summary) indicates that full time faculty load is comprised mainly of teaching activity, with approximately 81 % of load hours accounted for by teaching.  This percentage varies by School from a high of 88% (School of Technology) to 69% (School of Business).

Faculty have input on research policy and practice.  For example, CSU-AAUP research grants, a contractually mandated resource, are reviewed and funding decisions are made by committee specified by the CBA.  Committee members across recent years have all been faculty.  Funding decisions in the School of Arts and Sciences for Dean’s Research Initiative Grants are made by a committee of faculty department chairpersons in the School in consultation with the Dean.  The Human Studies Council, our Institutional Review Board with ethics and procedural oversight of human research studies conducted at CCSU or by CCSU faculty, staff or students currently has 73% faculty membership and is chaired by a member of the faculty.  The committee works cooperatively with Academic Affairs primarily through the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

All full-time faculty are provided with basic resources to pursue scholarship, such as computers which are cyclically updated on a three or four year basis.  Basic software, updated regularly, is also provided.  The Information Technology Committee identifies priorities for faculty use of technology.  Higher priority has generally been given at the university level for technology requests directly impacting instructional rather than scholarship activities.  Additional software, hardware and other equipment needs required for research are typically purchased through existing department budgets or with grant funds to individual faculty when such are available.  Departments may request budget increases annually through the university budgeting process. Such requests are prioritized with input from departments, deans and the Provost.  Bond money or other monies from cost savings elsewhere are sometimes available to support laboratory and other research needs as a function of the determined priority of the need.  Dedicated lab space, technology and staff to support research are available in some disciplines. CCSU encourages faculty to seek internal and external grant and contract funding to support their scholarship activities.  The Office of Sponsored Programs supports the grant application process.

5.21   Scholarship, research, and creative activities receive encouragement and support appropriate to the institution’s purposes and objectives. Faculty and students are accorded academic freedom in these activities.

Academic freedom in research and publication are fundamental faculty rights and are contractually guaranteed as per the CSU-AAUP contract (article 4.2).  See standard 5.13 for further detail. 

Research and scholarship are supported by a number of contractual mandates and other elective processes, including internal and external grants, funding for travel to professional conferences to support the presentation of research, reassigned time for research and scholarship, support from the CCSU Foundation and additional support from the President to support faculty scholarship.  Allocations for internal grants, travel and reassigned time are contractual and subject to collective bargaining.

Institutional Effectiveness

5.22     The institution periodically evaluates the sufficiency of and support for the faculty and the effectiveness of the faculty in teaching and advising, scholarship, service, and as appropriate to institutional mission, research and creative activity.  The results of these evaluations are used to enhance fulfillment of the institution’s mission.

Although there are regular opportunities for participation by the Faculty Senate and its standing committees such as the University Planning and Budget Committee, it is the collective bargaining process that affords the most formalized periodic opportunities for reviewing and negotiating about the sufficiency of the faculty, the adequacy of faculty support, and the mechanism for assuring quality appropriate to institutional mission.  Contract negotiations have resulted in regular increases in the minimum standards for award of sabbaticals, travel funds, faculty development grants, curriculum development grants, research grants, research reassigned time, and retraining for full-time faculty. Part-time faculty have access to 10% of the funds awarded for travel and professional development.  In addition, class size norms are set in Article 10.3 which provides for additional load credit for classes that exceed 40 students.  Article 5.17.2 specifies that course limits will be based on sound educational principles, and describes the consultative process to be used in determining course limits.  For example, this has resulted in additional limits to class size in freshman composition classes, lab classes, graduate seminars, and many other courses.

The effectiveness of individual faculty members follows CBA requirements (see Article 4 and Article 5).  Of particular note are the annual pre-tenure evaluations; the contractual procedures for tenure and promotion evaluations; and the evaluation of tenured faculty at least every six years. A procedure for special assessment to address problems and concerns is also available at any time should a faculty member’s academic dean or the provost deem it necessary. The new “Promotion and Tenure Policy for Tenure-Track Teaching Faculty” further defines the University’s collective understanding of the categories of evaluation, charging each academic department to define in writing during 2007-2008 the standards they will use for evaluating faculty effectiveness.

Evaluation of the alignment of institutional investments and resource allocations with institutional mission is included in the charge of the University Planning and Budget Committee, a standing Senate committee which consists of elected faculty and ex officio administrative members.  Their work is supported by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

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