SR 20-11 - Resolution on Continuity and Compassion Amid Disruption by COVID-19: Evaluation and Promotion of Faculty

Approve Date: May 11, 2021
Senate Resolution File:
SR 20-11 Resolution on Continuity and Compassion Amid Disruption by COVID-19: Evaluation and Promotion of Faculty

Senate Resolution
WHEREAS the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid University response to the public health emergency put immense pressure on all members of the University community, and puts unique and poorly understood pressures on the institution’s research, scholarship, and creative missions; and

WHEREAS the emergency conditions surrounding the pandemic create social and psychological stress on students and instructional faculty that add to the difficulty of teaching and learning at a college- level; and

WHEREAS the rapid escalation of the world-wide health emergency has disrupted professional travel of faculty, forcing them unexpectedly to cancel attendance at professional conferences and meetings, to cancel presentations in and attendance of colloquia and seminars, and to cancel visits to sources of primary documents; and

WHEREAS limited travel and in-person interaction with disciplinary peers limits a scholar’s ability to realize the goals they have set out in their Professional Development Plan because professional activities are critical to the growth of a scholar. Canceling plans to interact with
their disciplinary peers limits a scholar’s ability to disseminate their work and receive critical feedback from their peers in the disciplines; and

WHEREAS the members of the Academic Senate agree that now is a time that we make every effort to treat one another, our students, and all our CI colleagues with compassion as we all work to preserve our academic and professional standards so the University is positioned to continue its work in Fall 2021.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that tenure-track faculty, librarians, and counselors who have not already received an additional year to their tenure calendar, be permitted to add one year to their tenure and/or promotion clock, should they choose, without prejudice.

Tenure track faculty yet to be awarded tenure as of 1 September 2020 who have already requested that one year be added to their tenure clock (vis a vis Senate Resolution 19-03) may request 3 WTUs of reassigned time for research that is to be applied to their workload during the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 academic years. This time is awarded in recognition of the compromised potential to focus on and conduct research activities beginning March 2020 and going forward. These WTUs do not incur additional research expectations in the subsequent considerations of application for tenure.