To: Department Chairs, College of Education

From: C. Kent McGuire, Dean

Subject: Faculty Load Policy

Date: February 4, 2005

Context for creating new policy

First, thank you for your thoughtful suggestions about how to create a new policy to guide faculty load assignments. Your recommendations were helpful in the development of the policy.

I want to explain that we take up this issue at this point in time for several important reasons. We have just finished establishing new strategic priorities for the College that will require us to change some of what we currently do and add new programs and new initiatives. Such adjustments highlight the need to look closely at each faculty member's contributions to advancing our mission.

In addition, standards have changed over the years and the current central administration places great value on research productivity. Most faculty members hired in this climate will identify as research faculty and expect to be held accountable for their accomplishments in the area of research. Faculty hired at a different point of time had no such expectations placed upon them. These differences suggest the need for a differentiated staffing model that identifies some faculty as research faculty and others as teaching faculty. We undertake these classifications as a means of respecting and valuing each faculty member. As a College of Education, we recognize the importance of teaching and the achievement represented by those who do it well.

An added concern arises out of our need to husband our resources. As a College, we lack the administrative infrastructure common in many other colleges at Temple and elsewhere. In order to create that infrastructure, as well as to finance new initiatives and compensate for the loss of income we are experiencing as a result of declining student enrollments, we need to allocate resources wisely and look for opportunities to economize and become more cost-effective.

All this emphasizes the critical importance of using our most valuable resource, faculty time, in the most productive way.

Load Policy

The base load for research/graduate faculty will be 3/2. Faculty actively conducting research and with a consistent record of publication will be reduced to 2/2. Criteria considered in making this designation will include grants received, number and quality of publications and contribution to the College's strategic priorities. Junior research faculty will continue to be assigned 2/2.

The base load for teaching faculty will be 4/3. Faculty who publish or conduct research occasionally, take on administrative assignments or otherwise contribute to the work of the College will be reduced to 3/3. Faculty who only teach and perform no other responsibilities or contribute in no other way to the College will be assigned 4/4 loads.

Consistent with other colleges, non tenure-track faculty (Lecturers) will teach 4/4.

Every faculty member is expected to advise students, and every graduate faculty member is expected to supervise dissertations and participate on dissertation committees.

In addition, every faculty member is expected to perform College and University service and professional service in their academic fields. Service remains one of the three areas of evaluating for merit, hiring, promotion and tenure. While no additional compensation will be generally associated with those activities. For approved administrative assignments or extraordinary service, the Dean in consultation with Department Chairs, may grant course release or additional compensation. 

Implementation of the policy

Load assignments will be determined each year by the department chairperson in consultation with program coordinators and reviewed and approved by the Dean.

We will gather information from faculty vitae, which will enable us to review each faculty member's teaching, research and service records each semester in order to determine their designations and base load assignments. We will ask department chairs to recommend designations before the dean's office reviews them.