University Governance

CHARGES TO THE FACULTY RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES COMMITTEE FOR FY-09

Approved by FacEx 06/25/09
Date approved by Faculty Senate: 9/11/08

  • Contact FacEx chair, Nancy Kinnersley (kinners@eecs.ku.edu) for further information or to schedule a meeting with FacEx to discuss recommendations for action on the charges.
  • Minutes of each meeting should be emailed to the Governance Office (govern@ku.edu) as soon as they are approved.  The minutes will be posted to the Governance web site.
  • If the committee is recommending a change to university policy or rules, FacEx must officially receive that recommendation by March 17, 2009 in order to meet timeline requirements for full review by Governance.
  • A final report on the committee’s actions on each of the charges, as well as the committee’s recommendations for FY 09 charges and membership, should be emailed to the Governance Office (govern@ku.edu) by April 1, 2009.

STANDING CHARGES

1.   Monitor and oversee the implementation of university policies related to the rights and responsibilities of the faculty, including the following general areas (1) appointments, promotions, granting of tenure, and non-reappointments; (2) merit evaluations, rewards and sabbatical leaves; and (3) protection of the faculty’s right to privacy.  Ensure that all current policy statements regarding these matters are adequate, appropriate and readily available to all faculty members.  Report issues, problems, and recommendations to FacEx (ongoing).

2.  Respond to inquiries and address issues regarding faculty rights, privileges, and responsibilities as they arise.  Review and comment on reports of investigating committees concerning alleged scientific/scholarly misconduct pursuant to section 9.4 of the University Senate Rules and Regulations.   Communicate with representatives of the AAUP regarding their concerns relating to faculty rights, privileges and responsibilities.  Report issues, problems, and recommendations to FacEx (ongoing).

3.   Continue to inform faculty on an annual basis of their intellectual property and copyright rights, including the authority to limit or deny access to their intellectual property by electronic means, such as cameras and recorders in the classrooms. [Contact University Governance for copy of letter in previous years.]  Develop and communicate information concerning policies that affect faculty rights, privileges, and responsibilities, such as rules on outside consulting.  Report issues, problems, and recommendations to FacEx (ongoing).

SPECIFIC CHARGES

1. Work with the Task Force on the Handbook for Faculty and Other Unclassified Staff to review Handbook policies that will be incorporated into the FSRR or other policy documents, recommend appropriate substantive changes, and comment on or develop appropriate language.
Report recommendations for further action to FacEx.  (ongoing)

2.  Investigate the expectations of different academic units for the teaching, research and service responsibilities for Non-Tenure Track (NTT) faculty, and unclassified staff who teach.  Include information regarding assignment of teaching loads, evaluation of scholarship, and measurement of performance.  Work with the Standards and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure Committee to recommend further steps to promote consistency and clarity of expectations.  Report issues and recommendations to FacEx by March 17, 2009.

3.  Study the reliance on non-tenure track appointments across academic units.  Work with OIRP to gather data in relation to similar developments at peer institutions and AAUP universities.  Identify different classes or types of non-tenure track appointments and discuss problems or concerns with different types of appointment.  Develop recommended guidelines for the use of different types of non-tenure track appointments.  Report recommendations to FacEx by March 17, 2009.

4.  Review Initiative 2015 to determine how implementation of the recommendations therein will impact the rights, privileges and responsibilities of the KU faculty.  For example, Discovering and Innovating Task Force under Recommendation 6: Rewards and Recognition emphasizes a broader set of standards and metrics as the basis for recognizing, acknowledging, and rewarding faculty for discovery and innovation. Working for Kansas task Force under Recommendation 1: Expand reward system for service to Kansas stresses the contribution faculty will make towards service to the state.  Report any concerns or recommendations to FacEx (ongoing).

Supporting documents:

Charges to the Task Force on the Handbook for Faculty and Other Unclassified Staff
Initiative 2015