Workload

Workload Policy: Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty

Tenure-track faculty are generally individuals whose focus is on instruction, research, and scholarship. This proposed policy is directed toward the tenure track faculty and would entirely replace the current “point system.”

Brief History and Description

At least 15 years ago the “point system” was developed as a method of awarding course releases, and thus helping to define faculty teaching workload. Points were earned for various faculty activities, but mentoring 2 PhD students was the main pathway towards accumulating enough points for a course release. 

Over the past 9 months I have received input from several important sectors of the SoK community making it clear that it is time to revise our system of managing and assigning course releases to be more equitable, cost effective, easier to track/manage, and to best support faculty. 

Since March, a group of about ~10 faculty members/school leaders have been developing several potential models, comparing them with other benchmark universities and using our sophisticated SoK analytic capabilities to assess impact (financial, academic, balance of teaching, etc). Over the summer, we took the best aspects of each model to create a solution attempting to optimize as many aspects as possible. During the fall semester, we collected faculty comments via three in-person discussion groups, anonymous and attributable electronic conversations, reports from program chairs about program discussions, whole school faculty meeting conversations, individual emails and direct comments, and discussions in the associate deans and program chair meetings. The most significant changes resulting from the fall discussions are a) simplification of the assistant professor workload across all programs b) developed criteria for health sciences faculty entering and remaining on the 3 course per year teaching schedule c) removal of the “teaching focus” from the SM options d) clarifying this as a 2-3 year pilot program. Following another round of commenting and discussion at the January 2024 school-wide faculty meeting the decision was made to consolidate the sport management and health sciences tenured faculty program into one. We’ve clarified that faculty with external research funding have the option to take either the course reduction or the $10,000 research funding. No changes to the assistant professor proposal were made.

Guiding Principles

To create a teaching/workload structure that: 

• • • Puts our school at the forefront of innovative thinking with regards to workload balance

    • Acknowledges the time required to secure and manage externally funded research teams including the time required to submit high quality grant and contract proposals. 

    • Aligns with teaching loads in our widely varying sub disciplines compared with other universities

    • Supports faculty on their way to tenure and promotion

    • Provides options for faculty members to meet their differing needs

    • Allows faculty members some flexibility to align their workload with what they excel at

    • Improves the equitable distribution of resources across all faculty

    • Simplify the course reduction process

    • Facilitates growth of our external funding support (research grants and contracts)

    • Enhances the student experience

    • Supports curricular optimization within each program

    • Helps us recruit and retain the best faculty

Standard Teaching Expectations

All tenure-track assistant professors: 

During the initial four-year appointment period, the teaching expectation will be 3 courses (minimum of 9 credit hours in total) per academic year. In addition, TT assistant professors will receive two course releases to use at their discretion during this period. (The wording will be updated for new faculty hires but remains equivalent to our current practice with the expectation of teaching 10 courses in the first 4 years). 

• There will be no need to adjust contracts of assistant professors currently in their first 4 year contract.

• In the event of an unsuccessful 3rd year review, the teaching load will be set at 4 courses (12 credit hours) per year for the final year.  

Following a successful 3rd year review, the teaching load will remain 3 courses (9 credit hours) per academic year until the tenure review. 

• Assistant professors who are currently in their second pre-tenure contract (years 5 through the tenure review) will require a contract adjustment/MOU to update the teaching expectation from 4 to 3 courses per year. 

• If there are remaining discretionary course releases from the 1st contract, they may be carried over into the 2nd pre-tenure contract. Course releases are not able to be carried forward after tenure. 

Assistant professors who will be reviewed for tenure before the first 4 year contract is up will need to meet with the ADFA and Dean to discuss the implementation details. 

Special circumstances, such as NIH K awards, may change course release offerings. 

At any time during the pre-tenure period, additional course releases can be obtained with external funding buyouts at our standard rate.

Tenured associate professors and professors 

This will be a 2-3 year pilot, and each faculty member may choose from the following teaching load incentive models:

Externally Funded Research Focus - Active, Externally Funded Research 

• Teaching (9 credit hours) 45%

• Research/Scholarship 45%,

• Service 10% 

In recognition of the time-consuming nature of submitting, managing, and implementing externally funded research programs, faculty who have current external research expenditures (as PI, Co-PI, etc.) of at least $50,000 in direct costs per year or who have submitted grants or contracts with a proposed budget(s) totaling at least $50,000 in direct costs in the year prior to implementation will automatically move to a 3-course load (9 credits). In each case, the grants/contracts are expected to include indirect cost recovery or its equivalent.

In addition, they may buy out teaching/additional courses per the school’s research buy-out policy. The cost to buy out each course will be 20% of the faculty member’s University Year base pay plus benefits. Faculty may buy out an additional two courses per year. A third course buy-out will be allowed with approval from the Program Chair and the appropriate Associate Dean(s); approval is based on the program’s ability to deliver the appropriate curriculum. 

• No cost extensions will be eligible for up to one year, if the projected spend is over $50,000. Additional no cost extensions must be approved by the ADR.

• We will review eligibility in January each year. We will also be generous with the review and take into consideration new awards that may come in after the review dates.

• Awards, when the faculty member is not the sole investigator, will be eligible as long as they are receiving a sub-award in SoK that meets the minimum award criteria. 

• Awards with multiple SOK investigators will be allowed to receive the credit as long as the total award is greater than $50,000 per person in direct costs/year. (An award with 3 SOK investigators would need to be $150,000).

Research / Scholarship Focus - Current Standard

• Teaching (12 credit hours) 45%

• Research/Scholarship 45%

• Service 10%

Faculty wanting to maintain the standard four course teaching load (minimum of 12 credit hours in total) per academic year or faculty who are not participating in the “externally funded research focus” described above will receive an incentive of $10,000 in discretionary funds per academic year to support their research and scholarship. The funds may be used for anything supporting professional activities (participant costs, supplies, travel, publishing fees, student stipend in support of research, memberships, etc.). The funds will not carry over per academic year and can not be used for personal salary. 

Implementation Details

Initial implementation 

Faculty who have current external research expenditures (as PI, Co-PI, etc.) of at least $50,000 in direct costs per year or who have submitted grants or contracts with a proposed budget(s) totaling at least $50,000 in direct costs in the year prior to implementation will automatically move to a 3-course load (9 credits). In each case, the grants/contracts are expected to include indirect cost recovery or its equivalent.

Faculty who do not reach this threshold may either stay with the 4-course (12 credit hour) load or submit a one-page statement explaining their plans and progress to submit external funding. The statements (and a meeting if necessary) will be reviewed by the associate deans with content area experts, as needed, and a recommendation made to the dean for a decision about the course load.

Annual review for external funding activity

In January of each year the office of the ADR will report on externally funded research; this will be an administrative review. Those faculty with external research expenditures of at least $50,000 in direct costs or who have submitted grants or contracts with a total proposed budget(s) of $50,000 in direct costs in the year prior to implementation will automatically stay on a 3-course load, and no additional action is necessary. In both cases, there is a requirement to have indirect cost recovery or its equivalent. Faculty who would prefer to teach the full 12 credits may receive the $10,000 research supplement but will need to notify the program chair, ADFA and Dean.

Faculty who have neither current awards nor submissions will be notified by the ADR office and may either go to a 4 course (12 credit hour) load beginning in the following fall semester or submit a one-page statement explaining their plans and progress to submit external funding. The statements (and a meeting if necessary) will be reviewed by the associate deans with content area experts, as needed, and a recommendation made to the dean for a decision about the course load; this should occur in January - February.

The goal is for faculty to thoughtfully submit high-quality external grant/contract proposals at a rate that is the most appropriate for the type of research. The intent is to provide enough flexibility to handle the nuanced situations of individuals and not set exact criteria. Below are a few examples:

Faculty who have concrete plans and/or evidence of progress on a high-quality proposal(s), meeting the minimum threshold, that will be submitted in the following year should stay on the 3 courses (9 credit hours).

The primary intent is for faculty to pursue external funding. Internal sources of funding may be considered in exceptional situations and would need to be explained in the one-page statement if the faculty member does not reach the $50,000 external expenditure minimum through other pathways.