Content
Why this Document
This document articulates IANR’s expectations about what it means to be a faculty member within a community of scholars, and the expectations for faculty member contributions to that community for the functioning of the unit, IANR, and the university. It includes descriptions of:
- how these and other contributions to shared governance are recognized in evaluation;
- the use of the Service apportionment category as a tool to acknowledge contributions that are expected to exceed those typically expected of faculty members; and
- how the Service apportionment category is to be used to address inequities.
Responsibilities for and contributions to the functioning of the unit and the university are inequitably distributed among IANR faculty members. A primary motivation for this position statement is to identify how the position description; faculty coaching, mentoring and evaluation; and temporary upadjustments to Service apportionments can be used to address these inequities. The document will a) increase transparency and clarity about faculty expectations and the use of the Service apportionment category; b) provide guidelines to unit leaders for acknowledging and for giving credit for faculty member contributions and for establishing norms related to these contributions; and c) facilitate coaching of faculty members for success by department heads, school directors, engagement zone coordinators, and others.
Introduction
IANR embraces shared governance of the academic enterprise. Effective shared governance entails appropriate contributions from both faculty and administrators in an environment of trust, cooperation and collaboration. The sustainable strength and vibrancy of the university is dependent on effective shared governance.
Faculty Responsibilities for Shared Governance
Faculty governance and contributions to the university community are integral to the ethos of IANR. It is expected that every IANR faculty member will participate fully in faculty governance through active participation in faculty meetings, voting, and other curriculum and program development activities contributing to success within IANR’s teaching, research, and Extension missions. Service apportionments[1] are not given to acknowledge this kind of participation in faculty governance and contributions to the faculty. Regardless of whether they have an apportionment in service, every faculty member is expected to accept and fulfill committee and other assignments relevant to their apportionments in teaching, research, and/or Extension (e.g., Departmental Curriculum Committee; Faculty Advisory Committee in a mission area) and their association with an academic unit (or equivalent) (e.g., Promotion/Promotion & Tenure Committee; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; search advisory committee).
In annual review, annual progress toward tenure and/or promotion, and tenure and/or promotion evaluations, it is expected that supervisors of faculty and those serving on peer review committees will give appropriate acknowledgement and credit for work on committees and in fulfilling other assignments and responsibilities regardless of whether a faculty member has an apportionment in Service.
Service apportionments may be given or adjusted for unique situations where the expectation for service exceeds that which would be regularly expected of the typical IANR faculty member within their apportionment in Teaching, Research, or Extension. For example, a 5% to 10% temporary service apportionment may be appropriate for someone serving as the chair of a P/P&T Committee, Graduate Committee or Curriculum Committee, but not for a member of those committees.
IANR recognizes that service responsibilities have historically been inequitably distributed. Those from groups underrepresented in the academe or administrative unit often carry a greater burden for service on committees and other contributions to the functioning and culture/climate of the unit than those who are not underrepresented. For example, in many STEM disciplines where women and BIPOC faculty members are underrepresented, these individuals are often expected to serve on committees not only for their expertise but also to achieve diversity and/or representation. In many units, early career faculty members may be disproportionately and/or inequitably burdened with service responsibilities. When inequitably distributed, these responsibilities can place demands on these faculty members that put them at a disadvantage for career success. Department heads and other supervisors of faculty are expected to carefully monitor and equitably distribute responsibilities so that no individual faculty member or group of faculty members bears a disproportionate responsibility for service on committees and other contributions to the functioning of the university.
Faculty Responsibilities for Advancing Professions
IANR faculty members have disciplinary expertise and professional affiliations. Every IANR faculty member is expected to contribute to the advancement of the discipline and the profession. While scholarship and other dissemination activities contribute to this advancement, so too does participation on review panels, committees, councils, and boards, among other similar activities. For many faculty members, service to the profession is important to career development and to enhancing opportunities for broader collaboration and professional recognition. IANR expects faculty members to take advantage of opportunities to provide service to the profession, especially if it is related to their apportionments in teaching, research and Extension.
In unique situations, service apportionments may be given or adjusted when the expectation for service to the profession exceeds that which would be normally expected of the typical IANR faculty member. For example, a temporary service apportionment may be appropriate for someone serving in a capacity that requires a time commitment that would take away from their ability to perform expected responsibilities at the university, such as being president of their professional society. For a service apportionment to be granted, the service responsibility must be one that advances the interests of IANR and the faculty member’s administrative unit within IANR and not distract from the mission-driven nature of the faculty member’s appointment. Faculty members are encouraged to talk with their department head (or other equivalent supervisor) before accepting opportunities for service to the profession that may distract from their ability to meet the expectations of their job description and apportionment.
Faculty Responsibilities for Nurturing Environments Where Every Person and Every Interaction Matters
All IANR faculty members are expected to demonstrate collegiality, collaboration/teamwork, and leadership. All are expected to interact with colleagues, students, staff, and the public in a professional and courteous manner. They are all expected to create and nurture environments where every person and every interaction matters. Service apportionments are not given to acknowledge these contributions expected of all members of the faculty.
IANR does not tolerate harassment and bullying in any of its forms. IANR expects every faculty member to eschew behaviors that belittle, marginalize, or otherwise diminish the contributions of others, as well as behaviors that discourage the participation and contribution of faculty, students, staff and constituents. Every faculty member is expected to be an ally for anyone who is being bullied or harassed.
Faculty Responsibilities for Mentoring
All tenure line faculty members are expected to contribute to graduate education by serving on graduate student committees and to mentor students to the profession. All faculty members who are serving on graduate student committees, regardless of whether they have a teaching apportionment, should receive acknowledgement and credit for these contributions in annual and tenure and/or promotion evaluation. Service apportionments are not given to acknowledge graduate student mentoring.
All IANR faculty members are expected to create and nurture environments where early career faculty members can thrive. For many faculty members, this will include opportunities to serve as formal or informal mentors. Formal mentorship is coordinated by department heads and other relevant administrators, in consultation with mentees and mentors. IANR faculty members are expected to contribute, when asked, to the success of others through mentorship. Department heads and other supervisors of faculty are expected to equitably distribute mentoring responsibilities, and to acknowledge and give appropriate credit for mentorship in annual and promotion and/or tenure evaluations.
IANR recognizes that some faculty members, including those from groups underrepresented in the academe, may have unique demands on them as mentors. These demands for their mentorship may decrease short and/or long-term productivity (according to traditional indices), but may make important contributions to the unit, the university, and the profession. Department heads, other supervisors of faculty, and peer review committees are expected to acknowledge and give credit for these contributions in annual and tenure and/or promotion evaluations.
While a service apportionment is not given for graduate advising and mentorship of students, it may be an appropriate mechanism for acknowledging contributions to the mentorship of faculty members that exceed those expected of a typical faculty member. Department heads (and their equivalent) should consult with the dean(s) responsible for the faculty member’s apportionments to determine the most appropriate mechanism for acknowledging these contributions.
[1] There is diversity in base-line Service apportionments across the university. These differences reflect the ethos of the administrative units and the professions represented in those units. IANR has three additional unique factors that contribute to the setting of base-line Service apportionments: a) all IANR faculty members have a position description that includes performance expectations related to contributions to the functioning of the university and the profession, b) faculty salaries are funded by apportionment across teaching, research, Extension, and administration, and c) the influence of the characteristic spirit of engagement, partnership, and service that is Nebraska Extension.
February 9, 2023