Faculty Expectations & Responsibilities

Fiscal and Administrative Responsibilities

Faculty members who have authority over funds either through sponsored research or service projects or school sponsored programs and projects are obligated to follow university policies outlined in SPG 500.01.

In addition, faculty are responsible for following School of Kinesiology policies and procedures when committing any university or school funds. Purchasing, travel, and hosting procedures are outlined in the general information section of this handbook. 

Faculty who commit any funds for payroll, goods, or services, have ultimate responsibility to ensure those funds are properly spent, documented, and accounted for. The Kinesiology administrative office provides both purchasing and accounting services. All financial records are filed and maintained within the school’s administrative offices. Faculty who operate larger research and service groups may delegate some of those duties to their own administrative staff. These staff are responsible for adhering to the same policies and procedures outlined in the handbook.

Professional Responsibilities and Mutual Expectations 

This section was designed to communicate key responsibilities we have and mutual expectations SPG 201.96  we share as faculty members of the University of Michigan and the School of Kinesiology. To sustain understanding and to assist new faculty members this section of our Faculty Handbook will be circulated each fall to all returning and new faculty members. Faculty will also be reminded of these responsibilities and expectations during one of the fall faculty meetings.

It is important to note at the outset that academic freedom and the ability to direct our own work are two precious features of our chosen careers as faculty members. Faculty performance is, primarily, evaluated by results. However, the quality of our community and our research and teaching environment also matter. Together, we are responsible for creating a vibrant community of teachers and scholars. Our presence, participation, and sharing of ideas are the essential ingredients of a lively and engaged academic community.

Responsibilities

• Holding a tenured, tenure-track, full-time research scientist track, or full-time clinical instructional track faculty appointment at the University of Michigan precludes a member of our community from holding a faculty appointment at another university without special approval from the Dean. An exception to this approval requirement is visiting faculty appointments at another institution during sabbatical leaves.

• Consistent with (1), faculty members are not permitted to teach in the degree programs of other universities without special approval from the Dean. The same is true for teaching in the executive education programs of other institutions. To avoid conflicts of interest, prior approval must be given by the Dean before a faculty member agrees to participate in any continuing education program of another university or commercial education firm. This applies to faculty involvement in internet-based and other “new media” education programs, as well as programs delivered in more traditional ways.

• Faculty members are permitted to engage in no more than four days per month of outside employment while holding a full-time University of Michigan tenured or tenure-track appointment. Such employment must not detract from the performance of university duties and must not create a conflict of interest. The employment should substantially enhance the faculty member’s teaching and scholarship. All outside employment must be fully disclosed in the Faculty Productivity Report. If a faculty member wishes to increase outside employment beyond this limit for a period of time, he or she should seek approval from the Dean and have his or her University of Michigan appointment reduced accordingly. (Outside employment of faculty is addressed in Regents’ Bylaw 5.12 and in the university’s Faculty Handbook.)

• Faculty members may not accept any gift of substantial value from any student, or any person having business relations with the university, or anyone else based upon the employee's position at the university (Regents' Bylaw 2.16, Gifts to Regents and University Employees).

Mutual Expectations

• The first professional allegiance of faculty holding full-time appointments must be to the University of Michigan and the School of Kinesiology. It is important to avoid conflicts of interest between one’s responsibilities as a U-M Kinesiology faculty member and other types of work, affiliations, and professional activities. For example, service as a director of and owning stock in a student-initiated company while the student is enrolled at the university creates a conflict of interest.

• If a faculty member is presented with an opportunity to create or participate in the development of a program that could be done as a U-M Kinesiology program, he or she should discuss the matter with the Dean to avoid a possible conflict of interest. The same holds true when faculty members consider developing or conducting a program themselves as outside employment.

• To meet minimal commitments of time and effort within Kinesiology, tenure-track faculty members are expected to pursue a variety of activities including the following: teach an assigned number of courses each year, engage in research, fulfill administrative obligations including participation on assigned committees, and in the hiring and tenure processes, attend faculty meetings, and participate in student and faculty educational and collegial functions.

• To fully contribute, faculty must be in residence and active in our community. We recognize and accept the various valid reasons for absences from campus. But long and/or frequent absences without an approved leave of absence create an unsustainable condition for membership in our community. If a faculty member holding a university appointment wishes to be absent from our community for an extended period of time (e.g., a half semester or more) for any reason, he or she should discuss the matter with the program chair, the Dean, and, in most cases, request a leave of absence.

• For our community to work effectively, faculty—especially faculty at the associate rank or higher— need to contribute their fair share in all aspects of the school’s work. For example, new faculty recruiting is a vital activity that can be managed well only with the cooperation of all members of the group. For this and related reasons, it is a good idea for faculty members to keep their program chairs informed as to how they can be reached, especially during leaves of absence or periods of extended travel.

• Obligations to be active in research, perform service, and work with others as a colleague, continue during semesters that faculty are not teaching but hold a university appointment. Faculty are sometimes able to concentrate teaching into a single term to facilitate concentration on research in the non-teaching term(s). In this situation, faculty are expected to be present and fully participate in the life of the group and the school during the non-teaching term(s) in which they hold a university appointment.

• Non-tenured faculty who hold tenure-track appointments must devote most of their professional attention and effort to developing excellence in their research and teaching. Responsibility for service work and “institution building,” therefore, falls primarily on senior faculty. Examples include service as program chair, membership on the Executive and Curriculum Committees, and leading the faculty recruiting process in their programs.

• The Provost’s Advisory Committee on Faculty Mentoring and Community Building publishes a website that provides information on mentoring programs throughout campus and other useful resources. You can review the website at:  facultyhandbook.provost.umich.edu/8-b-resources-for-faculty/