Faculty Responsibilities and Workload

A. The purpose of this policy is to identify the elements of faculty responsibilities and workload and direct the annual process by which each faculty member's workload is established.

B. Faculty are subject to The University of Texas System minimum faculty teaching requirements for general academic institutions.

C. Faculty responsibilities shall include:

1. Teaching. The normal teaching load for faculty is 12 Lecture Hour Equivalents (LHE's).
2. Office Hours. Faculty will normally maintain a minimum of eight (8) office hours per week, three (3) of which may be by appointment.
3. Academic Advising. Each faculty member will normally carry an assigned share of advisees.
4. Scholarship/Professional Development.
5. Research/Performance.
6. Departmental/College/University Services.
7. Professionally Related Service to the Profession and the Discipline.
8. Professional Service to the Community.

D. Mix of Responsibilities. For each faculty member, the mix of responsibilities between Teaching, Advising, Scholarship/Professional Development, Research/ Performance, and various forms of Service shall be determined in an annual conference between the faculty member, the Chair and the Dean. Variations in emphasis among responsibilities might, for example, include additional formal classroom teaching in place of research expectations, or in another case might include heightened emphasis upon professional development and reduced service activities. Many combinations are possible within the bounds of Departmental, School/College and University needs, and individual strengths and interests. The annual conference will serve not only as a planning conference for the coming year but also as an assessment conference concerning accomplishments during the preceding year.

E. After the joint conference and agreement by the faculty member, the Chair and the Dean, the plan will be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. During the course of the year, a plan may be revised at the initiation of the faculty member and upon approval by the Chair and the Dean.

F. The Joint Conference Procedure

1. Each Spring Semester a Faculty Workload Planning Calendar shall be published by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
2. The Department Chair shall meet with all probationary and tenured faculty members during the Spring Semester of each year to develop the faculty member's instructional workload for the following year.
3. Following the meeting of the Department Chair with the probationary and tenured faculty member, the Dean, the Department Chair, and the faculty member shall meet in an Annual Planning Conference to determine the faculty member's instructional workload and mix of other responsibilities for the coming year and review the accomplishments of the preceding year.
4. The Faculty Workload Plan will be filed upon acceptance by the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The plan may be amended at the request of the faculty member and the chair.

G. Review

This policy and related procedures shall be subject to periodic review.