Service Expectations for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in English
The service component of faculty workload refers to professionally-related activity that benefits the university and other educational institutions, or that fosters closer connections between school and community.
Like other faculty members around the university, faculty in English are expected to take part in committee work and other parts of university governance. In a normal year, each faculty member is expected to serve on at least one body at the departmental, college, or university level. Many faculty are involved at all three levels and sometimes in more than one capacity. Additionally, most faculty members make an effort to serve the larger community, using their expertise and skills to educate the public and to work for organizations that serve the public good.
Professionally-related service within the university can include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
participating on departmental/college/university boards, committees, task forces, and councils (including hiring and evaluative committees) participating in faculty meetings serving as faculty advisor for student organizations assisting with recruiting activities reviewing internal grants writing and funding of outreach grants serving on graduate exam and colloquium committees serving as Graduate Faculty Representative outside the department
Professionally-related service outside the university can include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
serving as an officer or board member in a professional organization organizing conferences writing or editing of textbooks serving on an editorial board for a scholarly journal serving as an outside evaluator for tenure and promotion decisions at other institutions serving as an outside examiner for theses and dissertations at other institutions refereeing manuscripts for academic presses refereeing conference papers and organizing sessions refereeing essays for scholarly journals reviewing external grants speaking on professional topics to civic, public, business, or professional organizations working with colleagues in the K-12 system organizing and/or participating in public concerts, exhibitions, productions, readings serving as a consultant (paid or unpaid) to governmental or private groups working with groups that promote the understanding of one’s discipline within the community
Many of these activities, both inside and outside the university, also count, where appropriate, as evidence of teaching and research.
Service should be considered satisfactory, for purposes of tenure, promotion, or post-tenure review, if a faculty member has served effectively in at least one departmental, college, or university capacity each year since the last review or since hire and has also performed at least one form of rofessionally-related service outside the university and served as needed on graduate exam and colloquium committees within the department and as Graduate Faculty Representative outside the department, since the last review or since hire.
Service may be considered superior, for purposes of tenure, promotion, or post-tenure review, if, in addition to meeting the requirements for satisfactory service:
- a faculty member has served effectively on three or more
departmental, college, or university boards, committees, task forces,
and councils (including ad hoc and exam committees) each year since the
last review,
-or- - has served effectively as chair of a university- or college-wide
committee,
-or- - has served effectively as an officer in a professionally-related
organization,
-or- - has received recognition for participation in professional activities
within the academic community outside the University
-or- - has combined some of these activities with more than ordinary professionally-related participation in public lectures, workshops, and other forms of educational outreach.
Evidence of effectiveness might include, for example, committee reports, developmental grants, transcripts of public presentations, letters of support from committee chairs, or other relevant documents. They will be evaluated by the committee conducting the tenure, promotion, or post-tenure review. Some faculty members will have undertaken service well beyond the expectations of the department, even beyond that which merits a superior ranking. Such individuals would be good candidates for the University’s Outstanding Public Service award, and the Chair is encouraged to consider nominating them for this award.
Adopted: November 17, 2006