Policy Number: AUS-PA0302
Sponsor: Office of Academic Affairs
Effective Date: September 3, 2021
I. POLICY PURPOSE
The American University of Science ("AUS," "University," or "university") provides evidence of the ongoing professional development of faculty as teachers, scholars, and practitioners. Per this standard, AUS is committed to promoting the professional development activities of its faculty members to ensure the following: faculty members’ pedagogical skills reflect time-proven methods as well as current instructional trends and modern delivery modes; faculty members have full opportunity to enhance and acquire emerging technological skills and apply them to instruction; faculty members embrace opportunities to contribute to regional and national forums of research, education policy and practice, and other professional activities; faculty members have an opportunity to participate in growth experiences and share the information, trends, and ideas with other professors or with entire departments after in-house presentations that provide growth possibilities.
II. POLICY APPLICABILITY
The policy applies to all faculties.
III. POLICY STATEMENT
A. Definitions
1. Teaching Faculty: For purposes of this policy, teaching faculty refers to those employees whose primary responsibilities include instruction, scholarly activities, advising and mentoring students, and professional, University, and community service. Academic rank is based on earned academic credentials, teaching experience, scholarly activity and grantsmanship, University service, and professional development and service.
2. Research Faculty: For purposes of this policy, research faculty refers to faculty members responsible for conducting research in an assigned academic unit in the University. Research faculty should seek and secure research funding and establish and maintain an extensive scholarly record as appropriate. Other responsibilities may include teaching, advising, and mentoring students and fostering opportunities for professional development and service.
3. Visiting Scholar: For purposes of this policy, visiting scholar refers to those faculty members who are scholars known nationally or internationally for their exemplary teaching, prestigious research, business or political expertise, outstanding community service, or exceptional creativity in the arts. Visiting scholars who receive appointments are intended to provide substantive input into the teaching or research program of a department, college, school, or University. These appointments are usually for up to one year but may exceed one year at the discretion of the President, the Provost, and the Vice Provost for Academic Standards.
4. Faculty development includes all activities designed to improve faculty performance in all aspects of their professional lives as teachers stimulating and guiding student learning, as scholars, advisers, designers and evaluators of academic programs and courses, academic leaders, contributors to public service, participants in institutional decisions, and other faculty roles for achieving their college or university's mission. Recognized beneficial components of faculty development are professional scholarly and creative development, personal development, and organizational development.
5. Examples of valid, tangible faculty development activities include but are not limited to: Sabbatical or academic leaves to complete a doctorate, expand existing knowledge, learn a new field needed in the curriculum, or achieve other purposes; workshops for improving faculty teaching skills; workshops and internships to enhance faculty roles in academic leadership; seed money grants that enable faculty to pursue larger, external grants or contracts; projects to improve student advising or assessment of student learning; summer grants or summer mini- sabbaticals to develop a needed new program or course, conduct research on teaching, or accomplish other beneficial aims; attendance at academic conferences and meetings; and programs to orient faculty members better and improve their skills.
B. Purposes of Faculty Development
1. AUS's primary goals are teaching, expanding knowledge and creativity, and devoting knowledge to public service. These goals are achieved primarily by and through college and university faculty. Therefore, the efforts of AUS in supporting, developing, and renewing the faculty members directly involved in helping the public learn are vitally crucial to accomplishing the mission and goals of higher education institutions.
2. AUS recognizes the general and specific benefits derived from efforts to improve faculty members' professorial and professional effectiveness. Students of our public colleges and universities rely on current, knowledgeable, and relevant instruction and benefit from research that improves teaching skills and knowledge. The people and economy of West Virginia benefit from new applications of knowledge and technology that enable more and better jobs, a higher standard of living, and enhanced knowledge and quality of life. Faculties and individual faculty members benefit from teaching, acquiring new knowledge, serving public needs, and performing institutional and professional roles more effectively. Our institutions of higher learning benefit from enhanced capacity and flexibility to carry out their missions in an era where it is more practical to enhance or renew the skills and knowledge of existing faculty members.
3. Therefore, AUS affirms the unique, integral contribution of faculty members to the mission of higher education: Teaching, producing scholarly work that contributes to knowledge and creativity, and serving public and institutional needs. The University further recognizes through its policy and actions that the knowledge and skills of faculties and individual faculty members need to be developed, maintained, supported, and renewed, and that the primary responsibility for accomplishing these ends resides at the institutional level.
B. Faculty Eligibility and Participation
1. Eligibility. Any person who is a full-time or part-time faculty member of AUS is eligible for faculty development as determined by each college or university per University policy. Full-time faculty members, including division and department chairpersons, can apply for all faculty development activities. Part-time faculty members are eligible to apply for all faculty development activities and awards except sabbatical leaves, leaves without pay, and mini-grants. Factors to be considered in supporting faculty development for full-time or part-time faculty members include the potential benefits and costs to the institution, the academic program, and the faculty member.
2. Participation. As noted in this policy, faculty members are responsible for improving their professional effectiveness, and public colleges and universities are responsible for encouraging and motivating faculty members to participate in faculty development activities.
C. Responsibility
1. Board of Governors
Policy and support roles. The AUS Board of Governors shall, after appropriate consultation with those groups affected:
Establish system-wide direction, priorities, and plans for faculty development.
Serve as a clearinghouse of information on programs, conferences, fellowships, materials, research, and other matters relevant to faculty development.
Establish, encourage, and support disciplinary, interdisciplinary, administrative, and other consortia or cooperative relationships between AUS and:
Businesses;
Governments.
Sponsor and support statewide and regional conferences and workshops on faculty development on a regular basis.
Sponsor or facilitate faculty exchange programs promoting intrastate, interstate, and international faculty exchanges.
2. The University
Governance roles. In consultation with the faculty, the President shall establish an institutional policy consistent with this policy on faculty development.
1. In consultation with the faculty, the President shall establish a Faculty Development Program. The University may have a separate program for faculty development or a professional development program combining faculty development with other professional development according to the institution's needs and resources. If the University provides a combined professional development program, the appropriate groups representing the participants shall be consulted and involved in creating and operating that program. The University shall conduct in-house faculty and professional development activities through these Faculty Development or Professional Development Programs. Cooperation with the Faculty Development Programs of other colleges and universities is also encouraged. The University is responsible for assessing faculty development needs and utilizing various development activities appropriate to its mission to meet the development needs of less experienced probationary and experienced, tenured faculty. The University should strive for a balance of individual-oriented and group-oriented development activities to achieve a well-functioning program and should periodically evaluate the results of their program.
2. The president and chief academic officers have the responsibility to exert leadership and support of faculty development since such administrative support is instrumental to achieving the personal and institutional benefits of faculty development.
3. In consultation with the faculty, the President should establish appropriate organizational structures, procedures, standards, and criteria for operating and assessing a Faculty Development Program. These structures may include a Faculty Development Committee, Professional Development Committee, Faculty Development Coordinator, and other structures appropriate to the institution's mission, size, and needs.
Financial roles. Research and experience show that faculty development is most effective when dependable, consistent funding enables proper planning and implementation of development programs. To achieve continuity of financial support for faculty development, each public college or university should establish a benchmark level of financial commitment to faculty development, which the college or university should meet or surpass each year. This level can be expressed as a percentage of its Educational and General expenditures or by some other appropriate measure. The level of financial effort should be appropriate to the University's mission and needs and adjusted biennially to reflect changes in mission and needs.
1. The University is responsible for pursuing funding for faculty development, including applying for such faculty development grants or funds as the Higher Education Policy Commission may provide, pursuing other government or private grants or contracts, and reallocating existing campus resources for this purpose.
2. The University is responsible for providing financial and logistical support to operate its Faculty Development Program, including office space, administrative, clerical, and other necessary support.
3. The University is expected to establish a campus faculty leave fund to hire temporary replacements for faculty on leave.
3. Individual Faculty Member
1. Faculty members, per the best traditions of higher education, are responsible for improving their effectiveness in carrying out their professional roles.
2. Applicants for faculty development awards shall complete a faculty development plan, if required by their college or university, for eligibility for faculty development project awards.
3. Applicants for faculty development may be asked to submit to their college or university a detailed plan of activity to be followed.
4. In accepting the award of a faculty development proposal, the person shall sign a statement indicating awareness of and agreement with all the conditions specified in the proposal. Faculty members are responsible for using award funds for the legitimate purposes specified in their plan agreement.
5. Where the college or university deems appropriate, a faculty member shall file with the president or the president's designee a written final report of development activities, results, and anticipated benefits to the faculty member and institution. A written final report may not be appropriate for all development projects.
6. Faculty members engaging in development activities are responsible for sharing their new learning or skills with other colleagues via publication, report, seminar, workshop, tutoring, or other appropriate communication methods among professionals.
D. Funding
1. Funding for faculty development activities may come from appropriated funds, government grants or contracts, private grants or contracts, or institutionally collected and retained fees or faculty improvement fees.
2. Institutional faculty development programs, grants, and activities are subject to the availability of appropriated and other funds for those purposes. As noted before, the University has the responsibility for making a good-faith effort to ensure that adequate funding is available.
E. Authorized Expenditures
1. Compensation to individuals. Funds allocated for faculty development may be used to compensate or pay expenses for faculty members who are pursuing additional academic study or training, engaging in scholarship or other creative activity, pursuing teaching and instructional improvement, serving as faculty development coordinator, or performing other responsibilities consistent with institutional policy or to compensate other individuals to allow faculty members to pursue development activities on released time.
2. Institutional support. Permissible support activities include but are not limited to, providing office space and administrative support for faculty development programs and providing equipment and materials necessary for improving teaching, conducting research, or pursuing other valid development activities.
3. All expenditures must be consistent with institutional policy and regulations.
