Academic Procedures
Academic Procedures
There are several galleries on campus that are dedicated to use for student and departmental exhibitions. These academic galleries are a vital resource, providing the opportunity to showcase work to peers, faculty, and the general public. Student exhibitions are an important part of an education in the visual arts, as well as provide valuable contributions to creating a vibrant and thriving campus. With the exception of MAAM (Mass Art Art Museum), all of the exhibitions fall under the Academic Exhibitions umbrella. However, some spaces are managed by different departments (see below). All of the galleries are programmed at least a semester in advance.
The Academic Exhibitions office can be of assistance with identifying appropriate and/or available spaces, submissions processes, scheduling, and other matters related to exhibitions on campus.
For information about exhibition applications, procedures, and schedules, please contact the appropriate department that manages that space as noted below.
Academic Exhibitions:
Francis Euphemia Thompson Gallery - 11th Floor Tower
North Crackatorium - 1st Floor North
Student Life Gallery - 2nd Floor Kennedy
Tower Galleries - 1st Floor Concourse, 2nd Floor Concourse, and West Tower Lobby
Contact: Academic.Exhibitions@massart.edu
Academic Exhibitions office is located in Rm. 103 South Building
Art Education:
Arnheim Gallery - 1st Floor South
Contact: arted@massart.edu
The Art Education office is located on the 1st floor of the South Building.
Studio Foundation:
Brant Gallery - 1st Floor South
Contact: studiofoundation@massart.edu
The Studio Foundation office is located on the 3rd floor of the South Building.
SIM:
Godine Gallery - 1st Floor North
Contact: godinegallery@massart.edu
The Godine Gallery office is located on the 1st floor of the North Building.
Exhibition Guidelines and Safety
It is the student’s responsibility to consult with the appropriate department’s gallery manager regarding site-specific installation guidelines. The department of public safety or facilities may be consulted in certain cases, especially in the case of installations that occur in spaces designated for public use via the public space use form (see below).
When exhibiting, participants and/or curators must make sure that all works are safely secured and that they are not interfering with fire exits, passageway access, lighting, public doorways, or fire safety equipment. Pieces with protruding edges or points must be carefully mounted, or in some cases protected by a visible barrier or stanchions. Works may not be constructed of materials that are health hazards. Open flames/fire are not permitted in any spaces on campus. Water cannot be used in art installations without prior approval. The Academic Exhibitions office can advise on exhibitions and public space use installations to ensure safe and successful results.
Public Spaces
Public spaces on campus include all lobby and hallway areas in the campus buildings, the cafeteria, and all exterior grounds, including areas adjacent to all buildings (including the courtyard). Public areas include displays in street-facing windows that are not assigned for or designated as marketing purposes. A Public Space Use form must be filled out by the student and signed by the appropriate directors, who review issues related to safety and security. Installations or exhibitions in the courtyard require the signature of the faculty advisor.
Academic Year 22-23
Each academic department has been assigned a corridor near its own studios for the display of work which may be provocative, exploratory, or developmental work. While health and safety regulations must be followed at all times, appropriate department chairs and faculty members set aesthetic standards for public departmental exhibitions areas.
Legal Liability for Exhibitions
Every effort will be taken by members of public safety to ensure that an exhibition is protected. However, the college assumes no liability for the theft and/or vandalism. All work is exhibited at the student’s own risk.
Planned and Unexpected Class Absences
Faculty are contracted to teach classes when scheduled. Absences, however, are sometimes unavoidable.
Planned absences for professional reasons (conferences, exhibitions, etc.) must be requested in advance in writing to the appropriate department chair and to the Dean of Faculty in Academic Affairs. The request needs to specify the days of class and assigned committee meetings missed, as well as plans for covering these absences via colleague or alternative assignment, and be attached to an Authorization to Travel form, which includes information concerning any expense to the college.
If a faculty member is unable to come to the college because of illness or other personal matters on a day when they are scheduled to teach a class, they must call their department assistant before the class is scheduled to start. The department assistant will post a sign on the classroom door notifying students of the faculty member’s absence that day. Faculty should email their students directly as soon as they know they will not be holding class. A written notice of the absence and a request for extended absence must be made to the Vice President for Academic Affairs as soon as possible.
Mandatory Attendance for Full Time Faculty
Opening Day is typically held in the morning the day before the first day of classes in a semester. The President's Office sets the agenda.
MassArt Day (formerly Faculty/Staff Day) is held once each year (typically held on March 24th) providing an opportunity for the faculty and administration to explore issues of common concerns. The academic vice president, in consultation with the MSCA Chapter President, sets the agenda. There are no day classes held on MassArt Day and all benefited faculty are expected to attend.
The Academic Awards Ceremony is a school-wide ceremony during which academic awards and honors are announced and presented to outstanding MassArt students. Faculty are encouraged to attend this celebration and offer their congratulations in person. Academic Awards Ceremony is traditionally held on the evening preceding Commencement.
For Commencement, faculty are required to walk in the commencement ceremony and witness graduations.
Normally two or three honorary degrees are awarded during the commencement ceremony. Information about the nomination process is distributed during the spring semester of the previous year. Faculty are encouraged to submit nominations for consideration by the department chairs, college president, and Board of Trustees.
As a courtesy to the faculty, summaries and references to a few pertinent articles of the latest contract, with special emphasis on changes in the conduct and instrument of faculty evaluation, are included in this section. However, the contents of this handbook have not been approved by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and should not be taken to represent a sanctioned interpretation of the MSCA/MTA contract. Faculty desiring anything more than a casual familiarity with this information should refer directly to the contract or consult with their union representative.
Faculty Evaluations for Retention/Promotion/Tenure
Faculty are evaluated by their department chairs, a peer evaluation committee, and the academic vice president or dean. Parties involved vary by year and action (see contract). All recommendations are made to the president.
Please note that changes have been made to the third and fifth year evaluation process. Please see the MSCA/MTA contract or the Director of Academic Operations for additional information.
At the beginning of the academic year, each department chair receives from the academic vice president, a complete list of the unit member faculty in his/her department indicating the actions for which they are being evaluated that year. Any questions about individual faculty status should be addressed to the department chair. Only classroom visitations by department chairs and student evaluations are conducted for first year faculty.
1) Notification of Intent
Any faculty member seeking reappointment, promotion or tenure should notify his/her department chair by April 1st of the preceding year in order that the chair may conduct classroom visitations during both spring and fall semesters. This notice should be in writing and may be brief.
2) Dossier
A: Cover Letter
When, during the fall, candidates for these actions submit materials to their chair, the materials should be accompanied by a cover memo requesting action. In the case of tenure and promotion, this may be a detailed request.
Academic Affairs has been asked to say here that faculty who are submitting materials for personnel action are strongly encouraged to include a narrative which specifically addresses the teaching effectiveness criterion, as set forth in Article VIII, section A1(a) (“including pedagogical experimentation in lectures, seminars, internships, independent studies and other instructional settings.”) While the structure and content of the narrative will vary from individual to individual to fit particular needs, the narrative may include such topics as the instructional goals of the faculty member and the methods/approaches used to accomplish them, the faculty member’s assessment of how effectively these goals are being met, a description of what the faculty member does to insure that his/her courses reflect current thinking and content in the discipline, and the faculty member’s interpretation of student evaluation form data, especially as they reflect trends over time and over types of courses.
B: Forms
Accompanying a request for personnel action, faculty must submit the forms included in the contract as Appendices A-1 and B (used as a cover sheet for a comprehensive resume.) Form A-1 is used by faculty to indicate what their activities have been and to provide materials as evidence supporting claims.
Two other evaluation forms contained in the contract as Appendices D-1 and D-2(a) require faculty members to review and sign them after they have been completed by the department chairperson and/or the peer review committee. Form D-1 records the results of any classroom visitation by an evaluator. (The department chairperson is required to visit department instructors at least once during the semester in which they are being evaluated and to meet with them before and after the visit.)
Form D-2(a) is an overall evaluation of faculty performance. The completed evaluation is passed on to the faculty member being evaluated. He/she has ten days within which to respond in written form. The complete evaluations and all supporting material are then forwarded to the academic vice president.
3) Peer Evaluation Committees
Each department is required to establish a peer evaluation committee responsible for conducting the evaluation of each full-time candidate for reappointment during their 2nd or 4th year, and if they choose, 6th year of employment, or for promotion. The peer review committee is composed of two tenured members of the department elected by the department as a whole, and one tenured member from the same or another department, or from the library, who is selected by the faculty member being evaluated. The chair sends the committee the candidates materials, including the A-1 and B-1 forms, for review. The committee conducts classroom visitations (each member visiting at least one course) using D-1 forms, and records its final evaluation on a D-2(b) form. Comments on the evaluation report may reflect only the majority opinion of the committee. When the committee has met with the candidate to discuss the evaluation, the candidate has ten days to respond. The committee then forwards it to the department chair, who in turn send it on to the academic vice president.
4) Schedule of Evaluations
Deadlines for the submission of materials for all personnel actions are contained in the annual Personnel Calendar, included in the contract as Appendix M-1. Important personnel action dates include:
September 30: Deadline for faculty seeking 2nd-6th year reappointment, promotion, and tenure to send materials (including written requests and A-1 and B forms) to chair. Deadline for formation of department peer evaluation committees
October 1: Deadline for faculty to send sabbatical requests for the following year to chair
April 1: Faculty submit notice to department chair and academic vice-president of intent to seek reappointment, promotion or tenure the following year
Please see Appendix M-1 of the contract, the Personnel Calendar, for specific dates when to expect to be signing off on evaluations by department chairs and departmental peer review committees. After passing through the appropriate channels, final recommendations for tenure and promotion are presented by the president to the Board of Trustees at a series of meeting during the spring semester. Faculty are notified of the trustees’ decisions by the President’s Office.
Promotions
The Committee on Promotions is comprised of five tenured faculty members who will serve staggered, two-year terms. The committee will review recommendations by the departmental peer committees and by the department chairs. The vice president makes no preliminary recommendations on promotions but is responsible for determining the eligibility of all candidates for promotion and transmitting this information to the committee. After receiving the committee’s recommendations, the vice president meets with the committee to discuss any that are contrary to her own.
Tenure
Faculty hired on or after January 1, 2006 at the rank of assistant professor will normally be reviewed for tenure in their sixth year of full-time teaching employment. The Committee on Tenure shall consider the recommendation and all relevant material submitted in support of a candidate’s request for tenure. The committee is composed of two faculty elected at large from the faculty association and one faculty elected by and from the candidate’s department. In addition, the candidate’s department chair shall serve as a consultant to the committee.
Upon conclusion of the review, the committee shall vote and send to the vice president its recommendation. The vice president shall make a recommendation to the president who shall in turn make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which shall make the final decision.
Sabbaticals
Faculty are eligible for contractually supported sabbaticals after they have completed twelve full-time semesters of teaching. Any faculty member seeking sabbatical must submit the Request for Sabbatical Leave form, available in Academic Affairs, to the department Chair by October 1st of the year preceding the requested sabbatical. The chair forwards the proposal along with his or her written recommendation and a detailed sabbatical replacement plan, to the academic vice president. Faculty are expected to present a sabbatical report to the academic vice president within a reasonable period of time after their return. Please be advised that full-year, half pay sabbaticals count as 1/2 year in accrual of retirement privileges.
Please contact the MSCA chapter president or the staff associate in Academic Affairs for additional information.
Please follow this link for a Guide for Faculty/Staff Following the Death of a Campus Community Member.
Full-time faculty are contractually obligated to maintain at least three posted office hours per week, scheduled on at least two separate days, throughout the academic year. During these times faculty should be available in their offices to meet with the students enrolled in their classes, as well as with other students assigned as their advisees by the program coordinator or department chair. Please note that the department chairs may assign additional advising hours to their faculty around the times of mid-terms, finals, and registration.
Part-time faculty should be available to advise those students who are in their class in person or electronically, at a time mutually agreed upon by the student and the faculty member.
Office hours are to be noted on the forms distributed by the department assistants and a copy is to be posted on the faculty member’s office door. This information is to be provided no later than the first week of each semester and should be adhered to. If there are changes in office hours, the department assistant must be notified.
Every Wednesday, from 1:00-3:00, no classes are to be scheduled.
This open time period is set aside for MSCA governance committee meetings, SGA meetings, or all-college meetings and events. Faculty should not schedule faculty meetings or required class meetings during this period.
In creative work, plagiarism is the inappropriate and unethical representation of another’s work as one’s own. In those instances where a significant portion of a creative work is intentionally “appropriated,” plagiarism is the failure to note, orally or in writing, the source of the appropriation. In expository or academic writing, whenever your work incorporates someone else’s research, images, words, or ideas, you must properly identify the source unless you can reasonably expect knowledgeable people to recognize it. Proper citation gives credit where it is due and enables your readers to locate sources and pursue line of inquiry raised by your paper. Students who do not comply may be penalized.
In the event that a faculty member suspects a student has plagiarized work, they may consult the following Student Handbook (https://massart.edu/student-handbook) regarding courses of action.
There are different sources of funds for professional development. First, each department budget should include funds to be used at the discretion of its Chair for the professional development of its faculty. Second, there is a contractually negotiated amount funded by the MSCA and administered by Academic Affairs for full time benefitted faculty; a letter inviting proposals will be sent as soon as the amount available is established. Additional opportunities for professional development funds, like the MassArt Foundation Fellowships (for full time faculty), will be announced through MassArt email.
Qualifications for Appointment:
Candidates must have served MassArt as full- and/or part-time Faculty or Librarian member for a total of a long term commitment and a significant contribution to the College in a permanent (benefited) position at MassArt.
Candidates must be retired or have submitted a letter of intention to retire from the college.
Procedures for Appointment:
Candidates must be nominated for emeritus/a status by a majority of the permanent faculty in their home department; nomination letter is addressed to the Promotions Committee and must include a brief bio of the nominee and evidence of substantial contribution to the college.
Nominations are submitted to the Promotions Committee who will vote on the nominations and recommend them to the Provost/ Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the nomination and then must recommend emeritus/a status to the President.
The President will make the final appointment decision and notify the candidate.
Benefits of Emeritus/a Status:
Have the same library privileges as an active faculty member (must maintain an updated faculty ID card).
Allowed to retain his/her MassArt email account.
Have parking privileges in a MassArt parking lot only Monday through Thursday evenings, and Friday through Sundays all day.
Have the same privileges for Undergraduate (BFA) and/or Continuing Education Courses for Benefited Employees as granted by the College.
The college reserves the right to change any of these privileges at its sole discretion.
The college policy is as follows:
This benefit allows eligible employees the opportunity to take up to three courses a year without cost of tuition or fees with exception of any lab and/or materials fees or continuing education fee directly tied to individual courses.
Enrollment is on a space-available basis, after matriculated undergraduate, graduate, and CE students have already registered.
Per Semester:
free as a non-matriculated student, up to three (3) credits per semester at MassArt
one (1) Continuing Education or (1) undergraduate (BFA) course
Summer:
free as a non-matriculated student, one three (3) credit summer course at MassArt
one (1) Continuing Education
’22 updated
The college has a network of counseling and wellness services for students.
Faculty should act immediately if a student’s behavior poses a potential safety threat to themselves or others, is criminal, or indicates intoxication. In an emergency, call public safety at ext. 7800 (ext. 7810 for non-emergencies). We recommend saving this number in your mobile phone.
The Assessment and Care Team (ACT) provides a systematic and visible process to rapidly identify students who are at risk. If you are concerned about a student, please submit a CARE report form (https://bit.ly/3BM4SAo) to help ACT connect with them. Students-at-risk are defined as those whose actions could potentially pose a threat to personal health and safety, or to the safety of the larger campus community, as well as students who are struggling academically or socially. ACT can also be a resource for those you feel are dealing with food insecurity or homelessness.
Contact the Director of Counseling at ext. 7761 for advice on how to proceed with a student who is disruptive. Faculty are expected to advise students to seek psychological help if, in their judgment, the student presents issues requiring professional assistance. Student Mental Health
You can report various other concerns, in addition to the above mentioned CARE report, here: https://massart.edu/reporting-your-concerns.
Differences of opinion or concerns related to the class are welcome if presented in a respectful manner. Challenging viewpoints is part of the academic experience and should occur in a manner that opens up dialogue and does not threaten any member of the learning community.
Each faculty member is responsible for the classroom environment, which includes creating a setting for the safe and open exchange of ideas by all students. Each student is responsible for ensuring that their own behavior promotes these goals. Disruption of the learning process will not be tolerated and may lead to disenrollment, disciplinary action or a grade of NC, as outlined in the accompanying procedures.
Faculty members should set clear standards of behavior, verbally and in writing, at the start of a course to deter inappropriate behavior.
In all cases involving an individual with a disability, including psychiatric disabilities, physical impairments, and autism spectrum disorder, this policy will operate to make determinations based upon an individual’s behavior rather than upon the individual’s status of having a disability. Students have a personal obligation to obtain medical care for conditions that may affect their conduct, and to take any recommended medications as prescribed by their physicians. Under applicable disability laws, students with disabilities are responsible for their disruptive conduct.
Disruptive Behavior
Disruptive behavior is defined as participating in or inciting others to participate in the disruption or obstruction of any College activity, including but not limited to: teaching, research, administrative actions, Community Standards proceedings, other College business, the free flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic; or of other non-College activities which are disruptive and/or unnecessarily infringe on the rights of non-College individuals or groups.
Disruptive behavior includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Verbally or nonverbally showing disrespect for others.
Using vulgar, obscene, or other inappropriate classroom language.
Preventing others from being heard.
Making disparaging remarks or making slurs based on age, religion, race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation.
Disturbing and/or distracting classroom entrances that impact learning.
Using cell phones, computers or other technology inappropriately during class.
Excessive breaks not part of official accommodations.
Sleeping in class and other inattentive behavior.
Coming to class under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs.*
Threats or physical violence.*
(*This more serious type of behavior should be immediately reported to Public Safety at x7800 for investigation.)
Resolution for Student Issues
When disruptive behavior occurs, whether in the classroom, studio, or another academic environment, a faculty member or studio manager has the right to address the behavior and, if necessary, ask the student to leave for the remainder of the class period or have the student removed from the classroom setting for the remainder of the semester.
If a student exhibits disruptive behavior, the faculty member may ask the student to stop the behavior. If the student does not comply with the professor’s request, they will be asked to leave and the professor will indicate the expected appropriate conduct to be able to return to class. If the student agrees to the faculty member’s instructions and returns to class but subsequently continues to engage in disruptive behavior during future class sessions, the faculty member will forward written documentation of the student’s behavior to the respective department chairperson and submit a CARE report here. This will start the process to schedule an Intervention Meeting. While the courses of action will vary, they may include referral to advising or counseling, reduction in grade, participation in the conduct process (which includes but is not limited to policies and procedures in the EO Plan), or withdrawal from the course without reimbursement.
Students who exhibit behavior that immediately endangers or seriously disrupts the establishment or maintenance of an appropriate learning environment in the classroom are subject to an immediate review by the Associate Dean of the Academic Resource Center and/or the Dean of Students. If, at any time, faculty or students feel threatened, they should call Public Safety at x7800. It will be determined at the time of the incident by the Senior Student Affairs Officer or their designee whether an interim administrative action is appropriate. An Interim Administrative Action is an immediate restriction taken against a student or Student Organization prior to entering into the conduct process regarding the student's alleged violation. Interim measures are considered preventative and purposeful measures to ensure the well-being of all parties involved.
Intervention Meetings
After attempts are made to resolve the issues in the classroom, behavior in the classroom that is not resolved by the faculty member may be addressed by the Associate Dean of the Academic Resource Center, the Dean of Students or ACT through formal or informal intervention meetings. This process can be initiated by submitting a Care report. The outcomes of an intervention between the student and the facilitator may range from verbal agreements to written mandatory structures meant to address the issues or behaviors being addressed. This may include reduction in grade or withdrawal from the course. The facilitator of an intervention meeting may also recommend that a student be required to participate in the student conduct process.
Code of Conduct
Under the terms of their enrollment, individual students and student organizations are bound by the Code of Conduct and acknowledge the right of the College to take disciplinary action for behavior that violates the Standards. If the intervention meeting outcome results in pursuing conduct, the student will be notified in writing via their MassArt email address.
Travel Representing the College or for Professional Development
MassArt faculty are frequently invited to make presentations at conferences, participate in international exhibitions, serve in artists’ residencies, and contribute to their professional disciplines in a variety of ways. The college values and wants to encourage such contributions and leadership opportunities. However, given that faculty members have responsibility to teach during the length of each semester of the academic year, it is preferable that professional travel be accomplished during the Winter Break, Spring Break, or summer. If however such a professional opportunity arises when classes are in session, the following guidelines apply:
Request for Professional Leave during a semester:
The faculty member contacts his/her department chair via email, and requests professional leave for the time needed but no more than one week*.
Within the request, the faculty member describes the professional development opportunity, the costs and source of funds, as well as the plan to cover classes missed. If the chair approves the request, he/she/they then moves it forward via email to the Dean of Faculty in Academic Affairs for approval.
Class Coverage:
Faculty members sometimes give an alternative assignment or ask a MassArt colleague or the department chair to substitute for them. Faculty members may not personally compensate someone to cover classes. The chair of the faculty member’s department, occasionally with the Dean of Faculty, needs to approve the coverage plan. Teaching Assistants (TA) cannot be used as substitutes, given their novice status, unless coverage plan outlines supervision and involvement by the chair or a colleague in assisting the TA.
Faculty travel requests made to the department chair and to the Dean of Faculty need to be submitted in advance but no later than three weeks prior to departure. Please know that the earlier a request is made the better.
Reimbursement for Travel:
Any travel that will require the use of college funds also requires the approval of the faculty member’s department chair, before making travel arrangements. A Request for Travel form must be completed by the faculty member, signed by the department chair and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and submitted to the Business Office prior to the date of travel. The Business Office will not issue any reimbursements without the form on file.
*Travel Anomalies:
Occasionally a rare circumstance may arise whereby a faculty member might require more time, during the academic year, for a professional development opportunity. Faculty members are discouraged from entertaining opportunities that exceed one week of professional leave each semester. However, if such an unusual situation comes up then the faculty member, chair, and Vice President of Academic Affairs need to consult and problem-solve. The department chair and/or the Vice President may approve or deny such a request given previously agreed to responsibilities for MassArt students and their learning/teaching.
The MSCA CBA requires that full time faculty carry a 12 credit teaching load per semester.
Extra credits for certain kinds of teaching may be accrued.
Academic Affairs approves and tracks additional forms of excess credits, such as saved credits for travel courses and excess workloads.
If a full time faculty member supervises a directed or independent study, for each sixteen completed (grades submitted), they accrue one credit. After teaching sixteen such studies, faculty should take a release from teaching one course. MassArt policy limits the number of independent or directed studies supervised by any faculty member to three per semester.