SP 16-04 - Policy on Assigned Time for Exceptional Service to Students (supersedes SP 14-12)

From the original policy (SP14-12): Pursuant to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Article 20, Section 20.37, campus senates shall develop policies and procedures to award assigned time to faculty who are engaged in ‘exceptional levels of service’ to students. The CBA is explicit in its language, and all faculty members in unit 3 are eligible to apply (e.g., tenure-track faculty, part-time temporary faculty, full-time temporary faculty and counselors, coaches, and librarians that are part of unit 3). Applications are to be evaluated by a faculty committee. There must also be an appeals process that is binding, and the decision of the appeals committee is not subject to Article 10 (Grievances). The CBA also lays out specific reporting and budgeting requirements.

The CSU will allocate $1.3 million to this program. These funds will be allocated to each campus based on the number of full-time equivalent students at that campus. The cost of assigned time will be based on the minimum salary for Assistant Professors. CI has been allotted 9 weighted teaching units in 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17.

Accountability: The Senate Executive Committee, Faculty Affairs, and the Professional Leave Committee.

Applicability: All faculty unit employees are eligible to apply.

Definition(s):
WTU: weighted teaching unit

Policy:
Procedures: The awarding of assigned time for exceptional levels of service to students shall be as follows.

1. Faculty Affairs shall initiate the process of awarding assigned time for exceptional service by informing the Senate Chair of the number of WTUs funded by the program. A call for applications shall be distributed electronically to all CI faculty by the Academic Senate, along with a link to this policy.
2. Faculty members may self-nominate or be nominated by a faculty colleague. In either case, the application shall consist of a narrative of no longer than one single-spaced page to apply for the assigned time. In the narrative, faculty should describe the exceptional service they will perform as well as the impact it has on student success as described in Article 20.37.  The Professional Leave Committee will determine awardees and forward recommendations to the Provost and to the Chair of the Academic Senate.  The committee shall make a decision before draft schedules are due during the semester previous to the semester during which assigned time is to be granted. 
3. If the committee determines that there are not enough meritorious applicants for the funding during a semester, the committee may decide to bank funds for the following semester. 
4. The Provost or his/her designee will notify the faculty member by email and distribute the funding to the appropriate department for the assigned time.  The Provost or his/her designee will ensure all funds in the pool are awarded in the period of time mandated by the contract.  The Provost or designee will also prepare a report of expenditures for this program and make it available to the faculty through the Chair of the Academic Senate. 
5. Faculty members may appeal the decision of the Professional Leave Committee within ten calendar days of notification.  Should this happen, the Chair of the Academic Senate shall appoint a three member committee to serve as an appeals committee.  The appeals committee shall make a final decision on all appeals for that application cycle prior to the start of the following application due date.
6. Due to the limited amount of funding and the large number of faculty performing exceptional service, no faculty member can receive more than one award per academic year from this pool. 
7. Due to the limited amount of funding and the large number of faculty performing exceptional service, no faculty member can receive more than one award per academic year from this pool. 

CRITERIA

• Assigned time from this pool may be awarded for student mentoring, advising, and outreach, especially as these activities support underserved, first-generation, and/or underrepresented students; the development and implementation of high-impact educational practices; curricular redesign intended to improve student access and success; service to the department, college, university, or community that goes significantly beyond the normal expectations of all faculty; assignment to courses where increases to enrollment have demonstrably increased workload; and other extraordinary forms of service to students.
• Such adjustments shall be in addition to any adjustments already in place on a campus. Faculty members already receiving assigned time for the same general category of activity (e.g. assigned time for excess enrollments, assigned time for committee service) shall not be eligible for support from this pool for the same activities.
• Priority shall be given to applications that demonstrate that the quality of students’ educational experience could not have been maintained without an increase in the faculty member’s workload.
• Qualified applications will be ranked with respect to their contribution to exceptional service to students and awards made to the available limit of funds.
• Applicants will be notified by email on the outcome of their application. Letters of awards will be placed into awardee’s PAF.