Each full-time faculty member is obligated to view his/her appointment to a college or university faculty position within The City University as his/her major professional commitment. This commitment obligates the faculty member in two ways: he/she is at once a member of the national and international world of learning and a member of The City University community. Though his/her first responsibility to The City University is that of teaching, he/she recognizes the obligation to be regularly accessible for conferences with his/her students, to participate in appropriate extracurricular undertakings and to serve on various college and university committees and as a member of college and university councils and other assemblies.
The City University of New York is a major research university. A full-time faculty member is expected to create new knowledge in his/her discipline through scholarly research, writing and creative works. He/she constantly makes all efforts to improve his/her professional standing through study and thought, and also through activities such as research, publication, attendance at professional conferences, and the giving of papers and lectures. Such professional involvements also enhance his/her abilities as a teacher and as a member of The City University community; they support the value of his/her activities on campus and equip him/her to participate in significant educational innovations as well as furthering his/her professional stature.
Full-time appointment to a college or university faculty position is a full-time assignment. Faculty members have a responsibility to observe professional standards of behavior in becoming involved in activities supplemental thereto. No employment, consultative or other work outside The City University may be engaged in by a faculty member unless he/she receives prior approval from the P & B of his/her department after full disclosure of his/her total academic commitment, the proposed outside employment, consultative or other work, and other outside work theretofore approved. The P & B committee shall not approve any outside employment, consultative or other work unless such employment or work relates to the professional interests, strengthens the professional competence or enriches the professional performance and does not interfere with the professional standing of the faculty member. No employment, consultative or other work, remunerative or otherwise, shall be approved by the P & B Committee or engaged in if the services of the faculty member to his/her college or the university or his/her ability to meet his/her commitments to his/her college or the University will be impaired thereby. If the departmental P & B approves such employment or work, the amount of time which the faculty member may expend thereon shall be determined by the departmental chairperson after consultation with the faculty member, and subject to the review of the college president. In no event shall the amount of time to be expended on such outside employment or work be or be approved for more than an average of one day a week, or its equivalent during the academic year.
1) Where the best interests of the college or the university make it desirable or necessary to draw upon full-time personnel in one unit or branch for service in another, requests for such service should originate with the principal academic or administrative officer of the requesting unit and have the approval of the principal academic or administrative officer of the other unit. It is the policy of the university and its colleges to achieve exchanges of services, wherever possible, by budgetary interchange or by the balancing of interchanged services, with no additional academic load or extra remuneration for the individuals concerned. Variations from this norm will be allowed only with the special permission of the Chancellor, or the appropriate president.
2) Except as noted below, faculty without any reassigned time will be eligible for consideration for an overload assignment when such assignment is determined to be in the best interest of the college and to serve a specific academic need. Permission to take on an overload teaching assignment will only be granted up to a maximum of one course (up to four classroom contact hours) per semester and not to exceed a total of six classroom contact hours per academic year in most instances, and in no event to exceed eight classroom contact hours per academic year.
3) Faculty with reassigned time during the academic year will not normally be eligible for an overload assignment. In those instances when, for academic reasons, a President approves an overload teaching assignment for faculty with reassigned time, such assignment cannot exceed one course, typically of three classroom contact hours, but in no event to exceed four classroom contact hours, per academic year. Faculty with reassigned time for research are not eligible for an overload assignment.
4) In addition to the overload assignments permitted in paragraph 2.b. 2), a tenured faculty member will be eligible for consideration for additional overload assignments of no more than six classroom contact hours during the academic year in courses offered during the Winter Session, in courses offered exclusively on Saturdays or Sundays, or in courses offered as part of on-line degree programs. Notwithstanding the limitations in Paragraph 2.b.3), tenured faculty with reassigned time for administrative duties are eligible for consideration for these additional overload assignments under this Paragraph 2.b.4).
5) During the academic year, full-time faculty appointed to participate in the doctoral program are expected not to engage in additional teaching. As a matter of general policy, faculty whose programs have been reduced to allow for their participation in the doctoral program are expected to adhere to this rule. Exceptions may be made only for the most powerful reasons bearing on the professional interests of the college and university. The intent of preceding and succeeding paragraphs must apply to these exceptional cases.
The City University regards scholarly activity and research as part of the normal activity and responsibility of the faculty. In fact such activities are part of the basis on which faculty members are evaluated, reappointed or promoted. The public looks to the University as a source of new information, reinterpretations and advancing intellectual activities. Also, the University is looked upon as a community of scholars. This carries the implication of joint scholarly effort and mutual support and availability amongst faculty and students. The faculty is given full-time annual paid employment to cover all the activities of teaching, research, consulting, curriculum development, counseling, committee work, etc.
When special funding in support of research is available, it is presumed to make possible, or easier the scholarly activity that faculty and students wish to or are willing to pursue. Accordingly, it is the policy of the Board of Trustees that there may not be paid any extra compensation to full-time members of the faculty for work done during the academic work year. This limitation applies to research, consulting or any other employment with The City University or any of its associated organizations, regardless of the source of funds. For the particular case of extra teaching, the policy is expressed in Section 2.b above.
Under the special circumstances of an urgently requested short-term assignment, as expressly authorized by the Chancellor or the President, the Chancellor or President may authorize specific extra compensation for a faculty member whose services are so required, to the extent that the short-term assignment represents an overload. This authorization must define both time and money limitations, and must state that it was not possible to relieve the faculty member of other duties to an equivalent extent. Such non-teaching overload assignments will be available to faculty without reassigned time and shall be limited to 150 hours per semester at 60% of the appropriate hourly rate. In the case of assignments which are in the interest of the University or the College, as certified by the Chancellor or President, further adjustments, in the spirit of this paragraph, may be authorized, to meet the needs of particular situations.
Participation in summer activities shall not exceed in total for all such activities three-ninths of the faculty member’s annual salary. This includes, but is not limited to, teaching in a summer session in The City University of New York, performing administrative duties (such as service as a department chairperson), participation in a special training institute (supported by outside funding), and participation in a scholarly research project (supported by outside funding). The faculty member shall report to the college to which he/she is appointed all of his/her summer activities in advance of participating in them to ensure that they do not exceed three-ninths of his/her annual salary.
Where more than one type of involvement beyond the primary commitment is entered into (e.g., extra teaching plus consultation), the total extra involvement shall be controlled by the intent of the preceding paragraphs, jointly considered.
At the regular June meeting, the Chancellor shall report to the Board of the steps taken by the Presidents to implement these regulations and the extent of compliance with the limitations set. The reports shall contain details from the Presidents about all excesses over any of the guidelines herein stated, including the names of all persons involved and the specific reasons for the excesses. The University will continue to monitor overload assignments. Overload assignments shall be reported to the Board of Trustees as part of the annual report.
The City University of New York
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