Section 5: Faculty Development

Introduction

Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions, while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts.” (Excerpt from University Mission Statement, 2023-27 Strategic Plan. In accordance with the University’s mission, faculty members have been selected for their commitment to excellence in teaching, their ability in research and creative activity, and their interest in public service. The assignment of responsibilities and evaluation processes, the promotion and/or tenure process, opportunities for sabbatical and professional development leave, recognition of achievements, and membership on the graduate faculty help promote this commitment to excellence and facilitate the overall professional development of faculty.

Academic Freedom

Academic freedom and responsibility are essential to the full development of a university’s faculty and apply to teaching, research and creative activity, and assigned service. In the development of knowledge, research endeavors, and creative activities, a faculty member must be free to cultivate a spirit of inquiry and scholarly criticism and to examine ideas in an atmosphere of freedom and confidence. A similar atmosphere is required for excellence in university teaching. Consistent with the exercise of academic responsibility, an instructor must have freedom in the classroom to discuss academic subjects. The university student must likewise have the opportunity to study a full spectrum of ideas, opinions, and beliefs, so that the student may acquire the critical thinking skills crucial to success in life and occupation. Objective and skillful exposition of such subject matter is the duty of every instructor, and the university does not serve to shield individuals from experiences of ideas and opinions that differ from their own.

The faculty member must fulfill his/her responsibility to society and to his/her profession by manifesting academic competence and scholarly discretion. They are members of a learned profession and an academic officer of a university and should be mindful that these roles may be inseparable in the public view. FSU Policy 3-1, Policy on Academic Freedom, is found at: https://regulations.fsu.edu/policies/academic-affairs-and-provost.

The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) states that “institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition.” However, membership in the academic profession, and thus, academic freedom, carries with it an awareness of certain responsibilities, both in performance of university duties and duties outside the university. These responsibilities are set forth in the AAUP Statement on Professional Ethics (1966 statement revised and adopted June 1987) and are stated below:

The Statement

Professors, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. Their primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. To this end, professors devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly competence. They accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty. Although professors may follow subsidiary interests, these interests must never seriously hamper or compromise their freedom of inquiry.

As teachers, professors encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. They hold before them the best scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Professors demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors. Professors make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to ensure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’s true merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student. They avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students. They acknowledge significant academic or scholarly assistance from them. They protect their academic freedom.

As colleagues, professors have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. Professors do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and defend the free inquiry of associates. In the exchange of criticism and ideas professors show due respect for the opinions of others. Professors acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues. Professors accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of the institution.

As members of an academic institution, professors seek above all to be effective teachers and scholars. Although professors observe the stated regulations of the institution, provided the regulations do not contravene academic freedom, they maintain their right to criticize and seek revision. Professors give due regard to their paramount responsibilities within their institution in determining the amount and character of work done outside it. When considering the interruption or termination of their service, professors recognize the effect of their decision upon the program of the institution and give due notice of their intentions.

As members of their community, professors have the rights and obligations of other citizens. Professors measure the urgency of these obligations in the light of their responsibilities to their subject, to their students, to their profession, and to their institution. When they speak or act as private persons, they avoid creating the impression of speaking or acting for their college or university. As citizens engaged in a profession that depends upon freedom for its health and integrity, professors have a particular obligation to promote conditions of free inquiry and to further public understanding of academic freedom.

Assignment of Responsibilities

Policy

The professional responsibilities of faculty members comprise both scheduled and nonscheduled activities. All faculty members are assigned annually in writing their duties and responsibilities in teaching, research and other creative activities, service, and any other specific duties and responsibilities. This assignment will be made at the beginning of employment, and thereafter, by the end of each Spring Semester for the coming year. This policy applies to those holding regular, visiting, provisional, research, affiliate, or joint appointments, regardless of the appointment FTE. It is not applicable to those on adjunct and courtesy appointments, who are typically given an employment contract or letter of agreement that outlines the assignment at the time of the appointment.

Considerations in Assignment

Faculty members who are earning eligibility for tenure or promotion must be given assignments throughout this period of their career that provide equitable opportunities (in relation to other faculty in the same department) to meet the required University criteria and departmental standards for promotion and tenure. These criteria include performance in all three areas of teaching, research and scholarly or creative activity, and service. The balance of these three areas will vary throughout all faculty members’ careers and among the various disciplines. The annual evaluations of faculty, as well as evaluations for promotion and tenure, are based on the assignment of responsibilities.

Supervisors responsible for making the assignment will ensure that the assignment:

• is reasonable;
• provides opportunities to applicable faculty members to progress toward meeting the criteria and standards for promotion and tenure;
• provides opportunities to fulfill applicable criteria for merit salary increases;
• is consistent with the faculty member’s qualifications; experience, including professional growth and development; and preferences, to the extent practicable;
• meets the minimum full academic assignment in terms of 12 contact hours of instruction or equivalent research and service; and
• considers the needs of the program or department/unit.

Twelve-Hour Law Compliance

The Twelve-Hour Law (Florida Statutes 1012.945) requires that each full-time equivalent faculty member who is funded by state funds teach a minimum of 12 classroom contact hours per week or perform complete equivalent assignments each term (see Teaching Load in Teaching and Student/Faculty Interactions Section 7). University compliance with the Twelve-Hour Law is monitored using the Faculty Assignments, Commitments, & Effort Certification Tracking (FACET) system.

Duty Restrictions for Specialized Faculty

The following restrictions on percentages of assignments of responsibility apply to positions in the specialized faculty tracks. These duty restrictions do not apply to other non-tenure-track faculty positions that are not listed below:

Teaching & Teaching Support

• A full-time specialized faculty member in the Teaching Track (Teaching Faculty I, II, III) shall normally be assigned no less than 75% teaching responsibility and no more than 5% research responsibility, averaged over any academic year, except as specified for those with certain in-unit administrative codes [See Section 9.10(b)(6) of the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement].
• A full-time faculty member in the Instructional Support track (Instructional Specialist I, II, III) shall normally be assigned not less than 75% service responsibility in the area of instructional support, and not more than 5% research responsibility, averaged over any academic year, except as specified for certain in-unit administrative codes [See Section 9.10(b)(6) of the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement].

Research & Research Support

• A full-time specialized faculty member in the Research track (Research Faculty I, II, III) shall normally be assigned not less than 75% research responsibility, and not more than 5% teaching responsibility, averaged over any academic year, except as specified for those with certain in-unit administrative codes [See Section 9.10(b)(6) of the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement].
• Directed Individual Studies (DIS) may be considered part of the research assignment for a full-time faculty member in the Research track.
• Only under the following combination of circumstances, and for a one-semester-per-emergency situation, may a faculty member in the Research track be given a temporary teaching assignment to teach a single non-DIS course:
  • The course is a specialized graduate-level course required for degree-seeking students, that is regularly offered and is not a “special topics,” “selected topics,” or “seminar” course;
  • There is a bona fide emergency, in which the faculty member assigned to teach a course becomes incapacitated or otherwise becomes unable to teach the course, either while the course is already in progress or so near the start of the term that there are students enrolled in the course and no workable alternative way of teaching the course to those students can be found;
  • The faculty member is not willing to perform the teaching assignment as a dual-compensation appointment, or;
  • There is no one else qualified to teach the course, or those who are qualified already have a maximum teaching assignment for the semester that cannot be adjusted to meet the need of teaching the course in question and are unwilling to teach the course as overload on a dual compensation appointment.
• A full-time specialized faculty member in the Research Support track (Assistant in Research, Associate in Research, Senior Research Associate) shall normally be assigned not less than 95% combined responsibility in research and service in support of research, and not more than 5% teaching responsibility, averaged over any academic year, except as specified for those with certain in-unit administrative codes [See Section 9.10(b)(6) of the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement].

“Abnormal assignments” are those that provide for unique opportunities that benefit the University. Such assignment requests shall be reviewed by the President, Provost, or representative within thirty (30) days, and if approved, reported within 10 days to the Director of Human Resources and the UFF.

If a faculty member is assigned an in-unit administrative code, some portion of the minimum assignment in the area of specialization required by Sections 9.10(b)(1)-(4) above may be replaced by a service assignment.

For part-time positions, the percentages above shall be pro-rated, relative to the total appointment.

These duty restrictions only apply to the first 100% FTE appointment. They do not prevent a faculty member from accepting a supplemental dual-compensation appointment outside of the area of specialization.

A faculty member in a specialized faculty position may not hold a concurrent split appointment between multiple tracks.

For information regarding specialized faculty members’ participation in graduate education, see “Graduate Faculty Status” and “Graduate Teaching Status” at the end of this section.

Honorific Working Titles

Faculty members within the Teaching and Research tracks may be granted an honorific working title containing the word “professor,” as specified in the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement, under the following conditions:

• such a title may only be granted with the recommendation of a majority vote of the tenured faculty of an academic department/unit offering a degree program, in recognition of scholarly accomplishments within the granting department/unit’s academic field.
• the criteria and procedures for awarding such an honorific working title shall be the same as for promotion or initial appointment to the corresponding tenure-track rank, except:
  • the department/unit and college/unit that evaluates the nomination and recommends the granting of the title may be different from that in which the faculty member is employed, if the faculty member is employed in a non-academic unit.
  • the expectations in research, teaching, and service shall be scaled proportionally to the assignment of duties.
• notwithstanding the provisions above, faculty appointed at the Panama City Campus who are assigned to the Teaching Faculty series may use the appropriate Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, or Teaching Professor honorific working title under the following conditions:
  • the faculty member holds a terminal degree in a field relevant to the faculty member’s teaching area(s), and
  • a special Panama City Committee on Honorific Working Titles for Teaching Faculty, appointed by the President or designee and consisting of three senior Panama City Campus faculty members, recommends in a secret ballot that the faculty member be granted the honorific working title, and
  • the President or designee approves the recommendation.
• the faculty member may use the honorific working title in place of the name of the faculty member’s position classification for the following purposes:  correspondence, publications, business cards, web pages, and applications for contracts and grants. The University may use this title in Bulletins, University directory listings, and other publications. The entire phrase, including the modifiers “teaching” or “research,” must be used.
• notwithstanding any of the above, wherever the terms “professor,” “associate professor,” and “assistant professor” appear without a modifier in all University documents, they shall apply only to the tenured and tenure-earning position classifications (9001 Professor, 9002 Associate Professor, 9003 Assistant Professor, and 9009 Eminent Scholar). Examples of published University documents for the purpose of this provision include, but are not limited to: the University Constitution, Faculty Senate Bylaws and other Faculty Senate documents; the Faculty Handbook; college and department bylaws; University rules and policy memoranda; University reports to external agencies.

Communication of Assignment

The supervisor will contact the faculty member prior to making the final written assignment or making any changes to that assignment.

The assigning authority must forward the assignments to the dean of the college or equivalent (the same administrator responsible for review of the annual evaluations) for review and approval. The reviewer ensures the assignments of responsibilities are submitted in a timely manner and contain a level of detail appropriate for forming the basis for the annual evaluation. When the dean of the college (or equivalent) is the assigner, the assignment of responsibilities must be forwarded to the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement for review and approval.

The faculty member will be granted, upon request, a conference with the person responsible for making the assignment to express concerns regarding the assignment in relation to the faculty member’s qualifications and experiences, including professional growth and development and preferences; the character or demands of the assignment; the needs of the program or unit; and the opportunity to fulfill applicable criteria for tenure, promotion, and merit salary increases. If the conference with the person responsible for making the assignment does not resolve the faculty member’s concerns, the faculty member will have, upon written request, the opportunity to discuss those concerns with an administrator at the next higher level. If concerns that the assignment was imposed arbitrarily or unreasonably are not resolved, the faculty member may proceed to address the matter (if in-unit) through the assignment dispute resolution procedure found in Appendix H of the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement or through the Faculty Senate Grievance Procedure (if out-of-unit). Other claims of alleged violations of the Agreement with respect to faculty member assignments are subject to the provisions of Article 20, Grievance Procedure and Arbitration.

Supplemental Summer Assignments

In addition to the academic year assignment given to nine-month contract faculty members, a supplemental summer assignment may be given. The supervisor who has the responsibility for making annual assignments of responsibilities for faculty also has the responsibility for making supplemental summer assignments. Supplemental appointments will be offered in accordance with departmental/unit written criteria and rotation policy in a fair and equitable manner.

Available supplemental appointments shall be offered equitably and as appropriate to qualified employees, not later than five weeks prior to the beginning of the appointment, if practicable, in accordance with written criteria. The University criteria and the department/unit criteria and rotation policy shall be posted in each department/unit.

The following University criteria should be considered in selecting faculty to be offered supplemental summer appointments:

• Available supplemental offerings funded from the University’s supplemental summer allocation to colleges are intended specifically to fulfill the academic needs of students. Supplemental funds are provided primarily to support the teaching programs of the departments and are not generally available for other activities.
• In making such appointments, the assigning authority should consider, but not be limited to, the following factors: the academic needs of students and/or the students’ demands for programs; the budgeted resources available to the department; the programmatic needs of the department; and the qualifications of the faculty members available to teach the courses deemed necessary to offer during the summer. Decisions about which courses to offer will be based on programmatic needs, student demand, and budget availability.
• As soon as practical, the assigning authority will notify each faculty member regarding the department’s plans for the supplemental summer program. Each faculty member will be requested to indicate in writing if they are interested in receiving a supplemental appointment and, if appropriate, to state course assignment preferences. The faculty members’ responses will be considered by the assigning authority when making the assignments. Faculty members must indicate whether they want to teach during the summer within two weeks of their chair’s request for faculty teaching preferences.
• Supplemental summer assignments shall be offered to qualified faculty members before anyone who is not a faculty member, provided that the interested faculty member specifies whether they want to teach during the summer within two weeks of the assigning authority’s request for faculty teaching preferences.
• A faculty member who obtains their own summer employment (e.g., a research grant or other award) shall not be omitted from the consideration for subsequent supplemental appointments because of such employment.
• No final commitment for an appointment to be funded from the University’s supplemental summer allocation shall be made until the department’s final allocation is confirmed.

Summer Appointment Compensation

A faculty member shall receive approximately the same total compensation for teaching a course during a supplemental summer appointment as the faculty member received for teaching the same course or a course similar in credit hours, size, and content, during the academic year, regardless of the length of the supplemental summer appointment.

Evaluations

Policy

The basic purpose of the evaluation is to: acknowledge performance; communicate performance effectiveness; aid in improving performance in assigned duties; and if necessary, develop a performance plan to assist in correcting deficiencies in faculty performance. The evaluation process assesses the quality of performance in the functions of teaching, research or creative activity, service, and any other duties that may be assigned. This faculty member’s history of annual evaluations will be considered in recommendations and final decisions on tenure, promotions, salary increases, and reappointment or non-reappointment. Therefore, it is critical that all faculty members receive constructive and specific feedback that results in continuous improvement.

Faculty members, other than those on a personal leave of absence (or those who have received notice of non-reappointment or are not entitled to receive notice of non-reappointment), must be evaluated annually during the Spring Semester (for the previous calendar year). Faculty members on leave for professional purposes (such as sabbatical, professional development, or a research leave) are evaluated based on a report of the accomplishments made during the leave. Departmental evaluation guidelines should ensure that members on approved leave are not penalized in the evaluation process.

A faculty member holding joint appointments will be evaluated in each department with copies of both evaluations, marked concurrent, in the faculty member’s one evaluation file. Each department chair (or equivalent) will evaluate the faculty member only with respect to the duties within that unit. Such concurrent summaries will be forwarded to the dean of the college in which the faculty member holds a faculty position. This procedure ensures that each person holding a faculty position is evaluated annually and that all factors are considered in such an evaluation.

Faculty members must be notified at least two weeks in advance of the date, time, and place of any direct classroom observation or visitation made in connection with the annual evaluation. A report of the observation must be submitted to the faculty member within 10 working days of the observation date whenever the observation is used in the evaluation process.

The criteria and procedures discussed below pertain to the annual evaluation of faculty members. In cases of misconduct or incompetence of a faculty member, consideration should be given to initiating disciplinary proceedings pursuant to FSU/UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement Article 16 and University policy (See Faculty Human Resources Section 4 in the Faculty Handbook). Adjunct instructors must be evaluated by department chairs each semester that they teach, in accordance with FSU Policy 3A-6, “Evaluation of Instructors of Records.”

Criteria

Each department/unit must have (on file and posted on the website) specific written criteria and procedures by which to evaluate faculty members consistent with the University criteria and the FSU/UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement. The annual evaluation is based upon the assigned duties (see preceding section on Assignment of Responsibilities) and will consider the nature of the assignments and quality of the performance in terms (as applicable), of:

• teaching effectiveness, including determining goals and objectives for student learning; designing learning experiences congruent with those goals; improving continuously based on evaluation of results, reflection; and accessing the scholarship of teaching and learning in the discipline. Elements of teaching effectiveness may include:
  • participation in activities designed to foster reflection on the faculty member’s teaching goals, strategies, and course design;
  • evidence of ways in which the instructor has stimulated students’ critical thinking skills;
  • adherence to accepted professional standards in meeting responsibilities to students;
  • student course evaluation results;
  • considerations such as the number of students taught, format, and available support such as TAs or mentors;
  • peer evaluations of teaching based on class observation; and
  • course structure that is consistent with learning goals and objectives.
• effectiveness in engaging students and stimulating student learning by means or methods such as lecture, discussion, assignment and recitation, demonstration, laboratory exercise, practical experience, and direct consultation with students. The evaluation shall include consideration of effectiveness in imparting knowledge and skills, effectiveness in stimulating students’ critical thinking and/or creative abilities, the development or revision of curriculum and course structure, and adherence to accepted standards of professional behavior in meeting responsibilities to students. Other considerations should include the number of students taught, format, preparation time, whether the course is required or elective, availability of assistance and other University instructional duties, such as advising, counseling, supervision of interns, as well as relevant material submitted by the faculty member such as class notes, syllabi, student exams and assignments, and peer evaluations of teaching. The approved written objectives for each course should be considered in evaluating teaching.
• research, including contributing to the discovery of new knowledge, development of new educational techniques, and other forms of creative activity. Evidence of research and other creative activity may include, but not be limited to:
  • published books; chapters in books;
  • articles in refereed and un-refereed professional journals;
  • musical compositions, exhibits of paintings and sculpture;
  • works of performing art;
  • papers presented at meetings of professional societies; reviews;
  • research and creative activity that has not yet resulted in publication, display, or performance; and
  • success in obtaining external support.

The evaluation should include consideration of the faculty member’s productivity, including the quality and quantity of the faculty member’s research and other creative programs and contributions during the period under evaluation; and recognition by the academic or professional community.

• service that is related to and furthers the mission of the University, including service on departmental, college, and university committees, councils, and senates; service in appropriate professional organizations; participation in professional meetings, symposia, conferences, workshops; service on local, state, and national governmental boards, agencies and commissions; and service to public schools. Evaluation of service should include its contribution to:
  • the orderly and effective functioning of the faculty member’s academic unit (program, department, college) and/or the total University;
  • the University community;
  • the local, state, regional, and national communities, and scholarly and professional associations;
  • other assigned university duties, such as academic administration; and
  • other responsibilities that may be appropriate to the assignment.

Evaluations for department chairs should consider responsibilities of the chair such as departmental planning and goal setting; assignment of work responsibilities and resources; fiscal responsibilities; recruitment and hiring, mentoring, and evaluation of faculty; handling of personnel issues involving faculty and staff; academic program responsibilities; implementation of University policy; and communication both within the department and with administrators regarding the department.

Sources of Evaluation

Evaluation of a faculty member’s performance may include data from the following sources where appropriate:

Chair’s/Supervisor’s Evaluation: The chair of the department or the administrator of a comparable academic unit shall review and evaluate the teaching, research or creative activities, service, and other university duties of each member of that department during each academic year.

Peer Faculty Evaluation: Each unit shall develop procedures for peer evaluation of faculty members’ teaching, research or creative activities, service, and other university duties when appropriate.

Student Course Evaluation: Students shall evaluate teaching and, when appropriate, other university duties performed by the faculty member. The teaching effectiveness of each faculty member may be evaluated in writing by students currently or previously enrolled in his/her classes.

Self-Evaluation: Each faculty member shall submit an annual evidence of performance to the chair of the department or other administrative unit.

Other University Officials: A faculty member may be evaluated for duties performed under the supervision of deans, directors, and academic vice presidents, or any other university official who may supervise the faculty member’s activities.

Individuals to whom the faculty member may be responsible in the course of a service assignment: Public school officials, for example, should provide information when a faculty member has a service assignment to the public schools.

Procedures

Performance evaluations for faculty must be conducted annually during the Spring Semester. These annual reviews should be based upon the assigned duties for Spring, Summer, and Fall for any given calendar year, although departmental criteria may extend the review period to include previous years. Any evaluation process should take into account the nature of the assigned duties as outlined in the annual Assignment of Responsibilities and the quality of the faculty member’s performance of those duties. The administrator responsible for the annual evaluation shall request each faculty member to submit, annually, a report of Evidence of Performance (EOP) in teaching, research or creative activities, service, and other University duties (where appropriate). The EOP report must be submitted after the end of the calendar year and will cover the preceding calendar year. Each department/unit should specify in detail the required format and minimal content of the EOP. Please refer to Article 10 of the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement and to the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement’s annual letter on Annual Performance Evaluations for more detailed information. Many departments utilize the Summary of Accomplishments Report available in the Faculty Expertise and Advancement System (FEAS) in the annual evaluation process.

The annual evaluation will be in writing on the required Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary form. The faculty member will be offered the opportunity to discuss the evaluation with the evaluator prior to it being placed in the faculty member’s evaluation file, a copy of which will also be made available to the faculty member. For faculty members not yet tenured or promoted to the highest position available in their class, a progress towards promotion/tenure letter (see Progress Towards Promotion and/or Tenure later in this section) must be attached to the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary form that provides specific feedback to the faculty member regarding their progress toward promotion and/or tenure (applies to both tenure-track and specialized faculty members). These appraisals are part of the annual evaluation and must be included in the promotion and/or tenure eBinders. Examples of progress toward promotion and tenure letters are available on the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement website.

The evaluation will be signed by the evaluator, the faculty member being evaluated, (who may attach a statement to the evaluation), and the academic dean or director, and is placed in the faculty member’s one evaluation file. When the dean of the college (or equivalent) is the evaluator, the annual evaluation must be forwarded to the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement for review and signature. The required signature of the faculty member being evaluated certifies that the required discussion of the rating has taken place; it does not imply that the faculty member agrees with the rating. If a faculty member does not agree with the evaluation content, they may utilize the process for appealing an Evaluation Summary (see Provision for Appeal below). A copy of the evaluation should be made available to the faculty member being evaluated.

In the case of an evaluation rating of “Does Not Meet FSU’s High Expectations,” the evaluator will fully document the less-than-satisfactory performance prior to discussion with the faculty member. After discussion is completed and attachments made, if any, the faculty member will indicate that the evaluation has been reviewed by signing the evaluation and indicating the number of pages attached.

Non-tenured faculty members whose overall performance is rated “Does Not Meet FSU’s High Expectations” in any given year shall be placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). A tenured faculty member whose overall performance is rated “Does Not Meet FSU’s High Expectations” in three (3) or more of the previous six (6) evaluations shall be placed on a PIP. A PIP shall be developed in one or more areas of assigned duties. The PIP shall be developed and written by the faculty member’s supervisor in concert with the faculty member. It must include specific performance goals and timetables to assist the faculty member in achieving at least a “Meets FSU’s High Expectations” rating. Specific resources, as identified in an approved PIP, shall be provided by the department/unit. Examples of recommendations/resources include, but are not limited to: working with the Center for the Advancement of Teaching; auditing a course; participating in a webinar or webcast; working with or observing the work of an outstanding professor; etc. If the faculty member and the supervisor are unable to agree on the elements of the PIP, the dean will make the final determination on the elements of the document.

A copy of the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary form must be forwarded with any PIP to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President through the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. The PIP shall be approved by the President or representative and attached to the Annual Evaluation Summary Form. The supervisor will meet periodically with the faculty member to review progress toward meeting the performance goals. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to successfully complete the PIP.

Upon completing the evaluation discussion with the faculty member, the evaluator will forward the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary to the reviewer. The reviewer will normally be the dean of the college in which the faculty member holds the position. When the dean of the college is the evaluator (i.e. in colleges and schools without department chairs or directors), the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary shall be reviewed by the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. If the reviewer agrees with it, they will so indicate by affixing their signature. In the event they disagree, the reviewer may discuss the area of disagreement with the preparer of the summary, at which time two courses of action are available:

• The reviewer may submit their own Evaluation Summary, or
• The evaluator may revise the original summary. Evaluators (department chairs or equivalent) are encouraged to discuss the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary with their respective reviewer (deans or equivalent) prior to discussing it with the faculty member being evaluated.

On the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary form, the provision under TEACHING for certification of Spoken English Competency (see section on Spoken English Competency below) should be utilized only:

• to certify competency following completion of options for remediation specified with a related “Does Not Meet FSU’s High Expectations,” either in the prior year’s annual evaluation or with an original appointment, or
• to call into question a previous certification of competency.

If “Does Not Meet FSU’s High Expectations” is noted in Spoken English Competency, options for remediation are to be communicated in writing with a copy attached to the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary form. A copy of the Evaluation form with attachment should be sent through the dean to the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement.

Provision for Appeal

When a faculty member is dissatisfied with the Faculty Evaluation Summary, including the determination of failure to successfully complete a PIP, the appeal process allows the faculty member to register their disagreement in writing. In addition, review may be sought through normal administrative channels beginning at the departmental level.

If the faculty member is not satisfied with the Summary prepared by the evaluator (department chair or equivalent), they may request a review, in writing, to the reviewer (dean or equivalent) within 30 days after being informed of the evaluation. The dean, like the department chair (or equivalent), should have complete freedom of action in seeking to settle or resolve differences concerning evaluation summaries. Within 15 days of receipt of the written request for review, the reviewer must meet with the faculty member to discuss the request, then reach a decision within 15 days of receipt of the written request and report it to the faculty member.

If the faculty member is not satisfied with the reviewer’s decision, they may request in writing a review from the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement within 15 days after the reviewer’s decision. The Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement must, within 15 days of receipt of the written request, meet with the faculty member to discuss the request. The Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement will reach a decision within 15 days of the written request and report it to the faculty member.

An appeal of the decision of the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement may be made to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Such a request for review shall be made in writing within 15 days after the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement’s decision. The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will reach a decision within 15 days after receiving the written request and report it to the faculty member.

Progress toward Promotion and/or Tenure Letters

In addition to the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary form, department chairs (or equivalent) must prepare and attach to this form the Annual Progress toward Promotion and/or Tenure letter for faculty members not yet tenured or promoted to the highest position available in their class (please note that this includes specialized faculty). The only exceptions are for years in which faculty members receive second and fourth-year reviews or third-year reviews (see below). Progress toward promotion and/or tenure letters are intended to provide clear and specific feedback regarding what the faculty members need to accomplish to achieve promotion and/or tenure in their department. To assist in preparing these letters, you may refer to the examples of evaluation letters on the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement website.

Second-Year and Fourth-Year Reviews/Third-Year Reviews

(Note: Prior to the 2019-20 academic year, pre-tenure faculty members were required to undergo second and fourth-year reviews. During 2019-20 and beyond, those faculty received third-year reviews. Specifically, Assistant Professors hired July 1, 2019 or later have received a tenure review in their third year. Assistant Professors hired before July 1, 2019 and who have not yet had a 2nd-year review may choose between a 2nd and 4th year set of reviews or a 3rd year review. Assistant Professors hired before July 1, 2019 and who have already had a 2nd year review should have a 4th year review.)

For faculty members in tenure-earning positions (and not yet tenured), in-depth reviews of progress toward promotion and tenure are conducted by the unit’s Promotion and Tenure Committee in the faculty member’s third (previously second and fourth) year of tenure-earning service (including tenure-earning service credit given at the time of hire from prior tenure-earning service at another institution). As a complement to the annual evaluation process, they are intended to help determine whether a faculty member is making the appropriate progress towards meeting the Department/College and University tenure criteria and to assess the probability of the candidate attaining tenure by the seventh year of tenure-earning service. The required narrative from the Promotion and Tenure committee that summarizes the review (second and fourth, or third) should be communicated in writing to the dean and should replace the progress toward promotion and/or tenure letter for that year. It may follow the examples of evaluation letters in the progress toward promotion and/or tenure sections, with appropriate modifications to reflect authorship.

If it is determined that a faculty member is not making the necessary progress toward meeting the promotion and tenure criteria, the dean should consider whether issuing a notice of non-renewal is appropriate. Please refer to the example notice of non-renewal on Canvas under Administrative Tools for Deans.

The required narratives from the Promotion and Tenure committee that summarize the 2nd and 4th, or 3rd year reviews should come from the committee to the Chair or Dean. These reviews are mentoring opportunities during which the department/unit’s Promotion and Tenure Committee shall provide specific feedback and advice reflecting expectations for tenure and how the faculty member is progressing toward meeting those expectations. The faculty member shall meet with the department/unit’s chair to discuss the report. Tenure Review Report(s) shall be included in the tenure eBinder. Assistant Professors hired with credit toward tenure shall have credited years included in the determination of the timing of the third-year review unless an alternative schedule is mutually agreed upon by the faculty member and their supervisor.

Post-Tenure Review (PTR)

Implemented in 2023-24 to comply with Florida Law and Board of Governors Regulation 10.003, the post-tenure review is designed to assess tenured faculty members’ accomplishments over the five-year period since their last comprehensive review of performance (either through the promotion and tenure process, the sustained performance increase, or their last post-tenure review).

• Eligibility for post-tenure review will be determined by the university based on two sets of faculty: those who have been employed for five full years as a tenured faculty member, and, during the first five years of implementation only, 20% of those faculty who have been in a tenured position for longer than five years.
• Faculty members who are in administrative roles are not eligible for post-tenure review.
• Like annual evaluations, post-tenure reviews are based on the faculty member’s assignment of responsibilities as well as relevant material from the personnel file, including any disciplinary actions.
• Possible outcomes of post-tenure review, depending on the rating determined by the Provost, include: a monetary reward, a Performance Improvement Plan, or a proposed termination.

For more information, see FSU Regulation 4.073 and the FDA website at: https://fda.fsu.edu/faculty-development/post-tenure-review.

Evaluation File

When the Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary has been reviewed by the appropriate reviewer, it will be filed in the faculty member’s official evaluation file together with any attachments and the record of any Post-Tenure Review Process or other evaluative material. The contents of the faculty evaluation file are confidential and are not to be disclosed except to the applicable faculty member, those whose duties require access, or upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

There should be one evaluation file containing all documents used in all evaluation processes, including the eBinder prepared for the purposes of tenure or promotion decisions. When evaluations and other personnel decisions are made, the only documents that may be used are those contained in the evaluation file. The custodian of the file is to give the faculty member a copy of any documents that are placed in the evaluation file. The faculty member should be notified of the identity of the custodian as well as the location of the evaluation file.

Any notice of proposed disciplinary action should be sealed to prevent it from being integrated into the annual evaluation process, as well as any materials removed from the evaluation file pursuant to the resolution of a grievance.

Spoken English Competency

Upon hire, each new faculty member and their department chair must certify that they are competent in spoken English. The competency in the Spoken English Language of new teaching faculty, including adjuncts, is certified by the respective department at the time of hire (currently “50” or above on the SPEAK test).

In the event a supervisor finds a teaching faculty member to be potentially deficient in English oral language skills, either at the time of hire or as part of the annual evaluation process, options for remediation must be communicated in writing as an addendum to the Annual Evaluation Form.

Help in determining the competence of international teaching assistants and faculty is available through the Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES). (In the FSU General Bulletin, Spoken English courses are listed in the School of Teacher Education under the EAP prefix.) CIES offers evaluative services which can assist deans and chairs in making decisions about an individual’s level of oral proficiency. Among these services is the SPEAK, a test replicating the Test of Spoken English (TSE) but administered and scored at Florida State University. The SPEAK is administered at the end of each semester, and the scores are available within three to four days of the date the test is administered. Departments are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to receive an initial estimate of a teaching assistant’s speaking ability. Course offerings, as well as test dates for SPEAK tests, are sent to department chairs and are available on the CIES Web site.

Non-Renewal of Contract

Non-Renewal of Tenure-Earning Faculty (Non-Reappointment)

The FSU Constitution (Florida State University Regulation 1.004(6)(b)7.a) provides that a faculty member employed in a tenure-earning position may not remain in service as a nonpermanent member of the faculty for more than seven years, regardless of rank or unit. Untenured faculty members employed in tenure-earning positions for two or more years are entitled to a one-year notice of non-reappointment. (Those in tenure-earning positions for fewer than two years are entitled to a one-semester notice of non-reappointment.) All such faculty members who are not awarded tenure by their sixth year should be issued notice of non-renewal effective at the end of the spring semester of their seventh year. Faculty who are given a notice of non-renewal after the 6th year of service may be considered for tenure in their 7th year. If a faculty member is awarded tenure during the seventh year, the non-renewal notice becomes void.

Non-renewal may also occur as a result of a tenure-earning faculty member’s annual review of progress toward promotion and tenure, when the evidence of performance does not show a trajectory that will lead to meeting promotion and tenure standards. Non-renewal notice templates are posted on the “Administrative Tools for Deans” on Canvas. Copies of all non-renewal notices must be sent to the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement and the Office of Human Resources.

Non-Renewal of Specialized Faculty

Specialized Faculty members are entitled to a minimum amount of notice as outlined in the BOT-FSU UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 12, and the Florida State University Constitution (FSU Regulation 1.004). If notice is required, you must provide this information before the faculty member’s appointment expires. Additionally, the end date of the current employment contract must be honored in all notices of non-renewal; if the current employment contract expires after the required minimum notice period, note that employment will cease at the end of the contract. 

E&G Funded faculty (does not include Visiting Faculty or Adjuncts):

• Minimum of one (1) semester’s notice if the faculty member is in their first two (2) years of continuous university service (or its equivalent of 19.5 weeks for 12-month faculty) in the position and is not on a multi-year appointment
• Minimum of one (1) year’s notice if the faculty member has two (2) or more years of continuous university service in the position and is not on a multi-year appointment
• Minimum of one (1) year’s notice if a faculty member is on a multi-year appointment and classified as a Teaching Faculty II, Research Faculty II, Instructional Specialist II, Associate in Research, Associate Curator, or Associate University Librarian
• Minimum of two (2) years’ notice if a faculty member is on a multi-year appointment and is classified as a Teaching Faculty III, Research Faculty III, Instructional Specialist III, Senior Research Associate, Curator, or University Librarian

“Soft Money” (C&G) Funded Faculty:

Faculty members on multi-year appointments (MYAs) funded through “soft money” (e.g., contracts and grants, sponsored research funds and grants, and donations trust funds) may have their appointments curtailed should funding become unavailable in the contract or grant from which the faculty member’s salary is funded. The early curtailment shall be effective on the same date that the funding ceases on the contract or grant. Faculty members whose C&G or other “soft money” funding is not ending are subject to the following conditions of non-reappointment.

• Minimum of 30 days’ notice if a faculty member is classified as a Teaching Faculty I, Research Faculty I, Instructional Specialist I, Assistant in Research, Assistant Curator, Assistant University Librarian, is in the first five years of continuous university service in a faculty position, and is not on a multi-year appointment.
• Minimum of 90 days’ notice if a faculty member is classified as a Teaching Faculty I, Research Faculty I, Instructional Specialist I, Assistant in Research, Assistant Curator, Assistant University Librarian, has five or more years of continuous university service in a faculty position, and is not on a multi-year appointment.
• Minimum of one (1) year’s notice if a faculty member is classified as a Teaching Faculty II, Research Faculty II, Instructional Specialist II, Associate in Research, Associate Curator, or Associate University Librarian and is on a multi-year appointment.
• Minimum of two (2) years’ notice if a faculty member is classified as a Teaching Faculty III, Research Faculty III, Instructional Specialist III, Senior Research Associate, Curator, or University Librarian and is on a multi-year appointment, provided that funds are available in the contract or grant.
• Minimum of one (1) year’s notice if a faculty member had five or more years of continuous university service in a faculty position as of June 30, 1991.

Those Not Entitled to Written Notice

• Faculty members who are on a visiting appointment;
• Faculty members who are employed in an auxiliary entity; and
• Adjuncts, who are contract employees and who are not classified as faculty.

Faculty not entitled to notice of non-reappointment should not be given additional written notice of non-reappointment because it is already contained in the employment contract, which includes the statement, “Your employment under this contract will cease on the date indicated. No further notice of cessation of employment is required.”

Non-renewal notice templates are posted on the “Administrative Tools for Deans” on the FDA Website. Copies of all non-renewal notices must be sent to the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement and the Office of Human Resources.

Promotion and/or Tenure

In recognition of past achievements and potential for continued growth and scholarly contributions in the future, the granting of promotion and/or tenure is one of the most important decisions made by any university. Since the policies and processes for promotion of the tenure-track and specialized faculty differ, each process is discussed separately in the following sections.

Promotion and/or Tenure of Tenure-Track Faculty

See annual memorandum on the Promotion and Tenure Process from the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement.

Definition of Tenure

The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) states that “tenure is a means to certain ends: specifically: (1) freedom of teaching and research and of extramural activities, and (2) a sufficient degree of economic security to make the profession attractive to men and women of ability. Freedom and economic security, hence, tenure, are indispensable to the success of an institution in fulfilling its obligations to its students and to society. After the expiration of a probationary period, teachers or investigators should have permanent or continuous tenure, and their service should be terminated only for adequate cause, except in the case of retirement for age, or under extraordinary circumstances because of financial exigencies.”

A faculty member who has been granted tenure by the President of the University will have the status of a permanent member of the faculty and remain in the employment of the University, with guaranteed annual reappointment for the academic year, until the faculty member voluntarily resigns; voluntarily retires; is terminated for just cause; or is laid off as a result of adverse financial circumstances, reallocation of resources, reorganization of degree or curriculum offerings or requirements, reorganization of academic or administrative structures, programs, or functions; or curtailment or abolition of one or more programs or functions.

Disclaimer

Tenure may only be attained if granted by the President of the University. University policy disclaims any possibility of “de facto” tenure. Thus, any informal agreement, either oral or written, has no authority to make a commitment for the attainment of tenure. Likewise, failure to give timely notice of non-renewal will not result in the attainment of tenure, but rather the right of another year of employment at the University.

Policy

All tenured and tenure-earning faculty members below the rank of tenured full professor are considered for promotion or tenure, or both, if applicable, by the department in which their rank is held. Faculty members do not apply for promotion or tenure. Elected promotion and tenure committees provide advice to the chair (or equivalent) as to whether the record of each candidate for promotion and/or tenure meets the appropriate University and department/college criteria.

The promotion and tenure committee system provides one of the most important ways in which faculty participate in the governance of the University. This process strongly affects the quality of teaching, research, and service at Florida State University. Members of these elected committees serve in a fact-finding capacity by independently reviewing each of the promotion and/or tenure eBinders submitted to them. Committee members at each level will hold closed meetings during which they may ask questions for clarification about the record of a candidate as presented in the candidates’ file but may not discuss matters not contained in the file. University procedures provide that there will be no advocacy (or dis-advocacy) of any candidate and that only the record as presented in the file will be considered.

The University Promotion and Tenure Committee advises the President regarding whether each candidate meets the criteria for promotion and/or tenure. Committees at other levels advise the appropriate administrator (chair/school director, dean). Therefore, these elected members should be among the most experienced and qualified faculty members on campus and must be committed to reading and evaluating the files of all candidates being considered. See Section B.1. of the FSU Constitution (FSU Regulation 1.004) and annual memorandum on the Promotion and Tenure Process for additional information regarding promotion and tenure committees and the composition of these committees.

Tenure-earning faculty may be elected to departmental committees (as well as to committees in colleges without departments) as long as the majority of the members are tenured. Only tenured faculty may be elected to college committees with departments. The University Promotion and Tenure Committee is comprised only of elected tenured faculty, with at least one representative from each college (the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement serves as ex officio member and chair). Deans are not eligible for election to the University Committee, but each dean’s eligibility to function in some relation to the college promotion and tenure committee is subject to the governing bylaws of the college.

All eBinders are forwarded with the secret ballot votes of each individual committee member at each level to the next level committee, and ultimately to the President for a final decision, unless the candidate withdraws their eBinder from consideration within five (5) working days of being informed of the results of the secret ballot vote at a given level.

Each faculty committee involved in the Promotion and Tenure process (e.g. department; school, if applicable; college; and university) prepares and submits a narrative summary of its meeting.

Seven-Year Rule (FSU Regulation 1.004)

The FSU Constitution provides that no person “may remain in the service of the University as a nonpermanent member of the faculty of any college or other academic unit in any rank or combination of ranks for a total of more than seven years” (Seven-Year Rule). This includes the Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor ranks and visiting appointments in those ranks, and the rule applies to all service time, whether tenure-earning or not.

All or part of the time in visiting appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor or above may be accepted as tenure-earning if mutually agreed upon in writing by the academic dean and the faculty member at the time of subsequent appointment to a tenure-earning position. If a faculty member has held such visiting appointments for more than one year and transferred in no tenure-earning time from another institution, it will be necessary to accept some of the visiting time as tenure-earning in order that the person can be eligible for tenure consideration before the seven-year maximum is reached.

University Criteria for Promotion and Tenure

When first employed, each faculty member must be apprised of what is expected of them, generally, in terms of teaching, research and other creative activities, and service in relation to the standards within their specific academic department. If and when these expectations change during the period of service of a faculty member, that faculty member must be apprised of the change.

University Promotion Criteria

• Promotion to the rank of associate professor shall be based on recognition of demonstrated effectiveness in teaching, service, scholarly or creative accomplishments, and recognized standing in the discipline and profession, as attested to by at least three letters from outstanding scholars outside the University.
• Promotion to the rank of professor shall be based on recognition of superior teaching, service, scholarly or creative accomplishments of high quality, and recognized standing in the discipline and profession, as attested to by at least three letters from outstanding scholars outside the University.
• Typically, an assistant professor is considered simultaneously for promotion and tenure during the 6th year of service. Although the usual amount of time in a given rank prior to be considered for promotion is 5 years, demonstrated merit, not years of service, shall be the guiding factor. Promotion is not automatic, nor is it regarded as guaranteed upon completion of a given term of service. Early promotion is possible where there is sufficient justification. Faculty who are given a notice of non-renewal after the 6th year of service may be considered in their 7th year.

University Tenure Criteria

• The criteria for awarding tenure are the same as those for promotion to the rank to which the candidate is being considered for promotion (or the rank held by the candidate if the candidate is not being considered for promotion). Tenure, however, is guaranteed neither by promotion nor by previous attainment of the rank of associate or full professor.

Among the three areas of teaching, scholarly or creative activity, and service, evidence regarding scholarly or creative activities is most difficult to judge. Over the years the promotion and tenure committees have normally looked for evidence related to national (or international) standing. For promotion to Associate Professor, the expectation has been that the candidate clearly is becoming recognized nationally and internationally as a scholar or creative artist in a field; for Professor, it has been that the candidate now has become so recognized. Of course, the evidence for this standing is different in different fields. The FSU Constitution seeks to accommodate the variety of disciplinary practice throughout the range of academic fields among the faculty by requiring that the University Promotion and Tenure Committee have at least one representative from each independent college.

Eligibility

Faculty are typically considered for tenure during the 6th year of service in a tenure-earning position, including any prior service credit granted at the time of initial employment or any visiting time agreed to count as tenure-earning. A faculty member may be considered for early tenure during the 5th year of tenure-earning service provided they have submitted a written request and obtained their dean’s approval for consideration. The justification for early consideration will be included in the Dean’s letter in the Promotion and Tenure eBinder.

Normal time-in-rank to be considered for promotion to associate professor is during the 6th year of service in that rank. However, consideration for early promotion is possible any time prior to the 6th year when sufficiently justified by demonstrated merit. Typically, an assistant professor is considered simultaneously for promotion and tenure during the 6th year of service.  Faculty who are given a notice of non-renewal after the 6th year of service may be considered in their 7th year.

A faculty member eligible to be considered for promotion and/or tenure may withdraw from consideration within five working days of being informed of the results of the secret ballot vote at any level.

Credit of Tenure-Earning Service at Time of Hire

(See Administrative Tools for Deans on FDA website: https://fda.fsu.edu.)

Any tenure service credit transferred from another institution must be agreed upon in writing by the dean of the college involved at the time of the original appointment and documentation must be contained in the eBinder. All or a portion of such credit may be withdrawn in writing, one time, by the faculty member prior to the time the faculty member becomes eligible to be considered for tenure by the department promotion and tenure committee. A professor may be given up to four years of tenure service credit agreed upon in writing at the time of appointment from prior tenure-earning service elsewhere. An associate professor may be credited with up to three years and an assistant professor may be credited with up to two years. (Note that copies of all such agreements should be shared with the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement and the Office of Human Resources at the time of hire.)

Modification of Tenure-Earning and Service Record

It may be necessary to modify a faculty member’s tenure service record, e.g. stop the tenure clock, due to special circumstances such as a leave of absence, an original mid-year appointment, an administrative assignment, or a personal circumstance that substantially impeded the progress toward tenure. The circumstances shall be defined as including, but not limited to: childbirth or adoption; personal injury or illness; care of ill or injured dependents; elder care; death of a closely related family member resulting in need for extended dependent care; lack of access to necessary facilities, equipment or other resources for an extended period of time due to natural disasters, health epidemics/pandemics, environmental issues, or other factors.

Semester(s) during which a faculty member is on a compensated or uncompensated leave will not be creditable for the purpose of determining eligibility for tenure, except by mutual agreement of the faculty member and their dean. See Faculty Human Resources section 4, Faculty Handbook, for more detailed information regarding requesting a leave of absence and approval.

If a faculty member is originally hired after the beginning of an academic year, is given an administrative assignment, or wishes to withdraw tenure service credit transferred from another institution at the time of the original appointment by FSU, an agreement may be made between the faculty member and their dean not to count such time as tenure-earning or toward the seven-year service rule. Contact the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement for appropriate wording.

A faculty member may request an extension of the tenure-earning period for one year from the Chair with the approval of the President and Dean or representative before being considered for tenure. The circumstances must have substantially impeded the progress toward tenure. These circumstances may include but are not limited to: childbirth or adoption; personal injury or illness; care of ill or injured dependents; elder care; and death of a closely-related family member resulting in need for extended dependent care. They may also include lack of access to necessary facilities, equipment, or other resources for an extended period of time due to natural disasters, health epidemics/pandemics, environmental issues, or other factors.

Promotion and/or Tenure eBinders

Deans have the responsibility to ensure that the promotion and/or tenure eBinders are prepared in compliance with established requirements and that the material in the eBinders is organized as indicated in the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement’s annual memorandum on the Promotion and Tenure Process. Although faculty members are not required to prepare their own eBinders, they are expected to participate in preparing them. The Promotion and Tenure process is managed electronically through a custom-designed workflow available through OMNI-HR.

All eBinders are forwarded from committee to committee unless the candidate withdraws their eBinder from consideration within five working days of being informed of the results of the secret ballot vote at a given level. The process culminates in a final decision by the President, who then reports the general results to the Board of Trustees. See Section B.1., FSU Constitution (FAC 6C2-1.004) and the annual memorandum on the Promotion and Tenure Process for specific procedures to be followed in a given year. At the conclusion of the annual process, all eBinders are stored in the candidate’s academic department.

Tenure Upon Appointment

FSU departments and colleges may recommend to the Provost and President via the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement that a faculty member hired at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor be granted tenure upon appointment at FSU. Typically, tenure should be requested prior to the appointment of the faculty member, and in no circumstances should it be requested any later than 3 months after the appointment begins.

Petitions will be considered by a five-member subcommittee of the University Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee via each individual member’s secret ballot. Members of the subcommittee are appointed by the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement at the beginning of the fall semester and will serve for the duration of their terms on the University P&T Committee.

The standing subcommittee of the university-wide P&T Committee will review individual cases on an as-needed basis. Any member of the 5-member subcommittee may request a meeting of the subcommittee to discuss whether a candidate’s record meets the criteria for tenure in the candidate’s department. Recommendations from this subcommittee are reviewed and approved/denied by the Provost and the President. The following evidence should be organized and submitted electronically to the Office of the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement for distribution to the five-member subcommittee of the University P&T Committee for review.

Evidence to be compiled:

• Approval by the unit’s P&T committee via each individual member’s secret ballot.
• Approval by the unit’s tenured members via each individual member’s secret ballot.
• Approval by any other regular reviewing committee in the college or, if appropriate, by a subcommittee approved by the full committee via each individual member’s secret ballot.
• Approval by the dean.
• An endorsement letter from the dean that includes detailed information on the candidate’s teaching, research, and service history as well as an explanation of why this individual is worthy of tenure upon appointment. Any additional contents of the eBinder are left to the discretion of each dean, as different program areas value different supporting documentation to make a case for granting tenure.
• Evidence of excellence in teaching
• Three outside letters of recommendation directed specifically to Florida State University. Letters must have been written within the previous 18 months and must not be from the faculty member’s current institution or from FSU.

Upon the approval by the President, the Dean or Provost, as appropriate, will include the following statement in the offer letter: “The President will report to the Florida State University Board of Trustees that they have approved granting you tenure upon appointment in the Department of ___________.” If the candidate is a non-resident alien, the following statement should be used in the offer letter: “The President will report to the Florida State University Board of Trustees that they have approved granting you tenure in the Department of ___________ effective upon the date of your obtaining permanent residency.”

Promotion of Specialized Faculty

Criteria for Promotion

When first employed, each faculty member shall be apprised of what is expected of him or her, in terms of teaching, research and other creative activities, and service, and any other duties involved. All faculty members shall be apprised of any change in the initial assignment of responsibilities.

Criteria for specialized faculty promotion focus on meritorious performance of assigned duties in the faculty member’s present position, since these positions have assignments in specific areas (e.g., assignment in research or teaching only, rather than an assignment in all three areas of teaching, research, and service), in addition to degree and time in service. While it is possible that a pattern of sustained meritorious performance of assigned duties could be assessed on the basis of a record shorter than five years of service, typically at least five years of evidence is needed. Thus, most specialized faculty members are considered for promotion during their fifth year of service. Department chairs and other supervisors should ensure that the record of any candidate who is recommended for promotion before that time contains enough evidence to justify consideration. Performance is reviewed in the annual evaluation process, which determines salary actions, retention, and recommendations for promotion. See also “Minimum Time-in-Rank Requirements for Promotion” below. Promotion decisions for specialized faculty will take into account the following:

• annual evaluations
• annual assignments
• fulfillment of the department/unit written promotion criteria in relation to the assignment
• evidence of sustained effectiveness relative to opportunity and according to assignment

Teaching Faculty track

• evidence of well-planned and delivered courses
• summaries of data from Student Perceptions of Courses and Instructors (SPCI) questionnaires
• letters from faculty members who have conducted peer evaluations of the candidate’s teaching
• ability to teach multiple courses within a discipline/major
• other teaching-related activities, such as instructional innovation, involvement in curriculum development, authorship of educational materials, and participation in professional organizations related to the area of instruction

Instructional Support track

• evidence of contributions in support of instruction, as attested to by internal letters from faculty members at FSU
• other teaching-related activities, such as instructional innovation, involvement in curriculum development, authorship of educational materials, and participation in professional organizations related to the area of instruction

Research Faculty or Curator track

• scholarly or creative accomplishments of high quality, appropriate to the field, in the form of scholarly or creative books and peer-reviewed scholarly publications
• success in obtaining external funding, as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants
• recognized standing in the discipline and profession, as attested to by letters from outstanding scholars outside the University
• other research-related activities, such as contribution to the discovery of new knowledge and development of new creative activities or educational techniques.

Research Support Faculty track

• evidence of contributions in support of research, as attested to by internal letters from collaborators at FSU
• other research-related activities, such as contribution to the discovery of new knowledge and development of new creative activities or educational techniques.

University Librarian and Information Specialties track

• demonstrated excellence in the candidate’s specialized area of librarianship
• participation in continuing education in the form of appropriate academic course work, workshops, institutes, or conferences
• participation or membership in professional associations
• attainment of an advanced degree
• publications
• evidence of commitment to the service concerns of the University or the community

Specialized faculty members who have been assigned an administrative code shall be subject to the normal promotion criteria and procedures for the applicable rank. They may not substitute performance of their administrative duties for qualifications in teaching or research. The duty assignments of such employees shall accord them an opportunity to meet the criteria for promotion; however, the number of years it takes a faculty member to meet the criteria in teaching or research and scholarly accomplishments may be lengthened by reduced duty assignments in those areas; the number of years over which such accomplishments are spread shall not be held against the faculty member when the promotion case is evaluated.

Minimum Time-in-Rank Requirements for Promotion

Specialized faculty are typically reviewed for promotion at the end of 4 years of service in their current rank. Early promotion is possible where there is sufficient justification and there has been enough time-in-rank to demonstrate evidence of sustained effectiveness relative to the faculty member’s assignment. For faculty members who are recommended for promotion early, justification for early promotion must be included in the chair’s/director’s/supervisor’s (or equivalent) letter.

A faculty member hired at the first level (Teaching Faculty I, Research Faculty I, Assistant Curator, Assistant in Research, Instructional Specialist I, and Assistant University Librarian) may bring in no more than two (2) years of credit for prior service. A faculty member hired at the second level (Teaching Faculty II, Research Faculty II, Associate Curator, Associate in Research, Instructional Specialist II, and Associate University Librarian) may bring in no more than three (3) years of credit for prior service. Any credit for prior service must be specified in writing at the time of hire. Please note that bringing in credit does not guarantee promotion but allows for the candidate to be considered earlier than is typical.

Policy & Procedure

Promotion in the Specialized Faculty ranks is achieved through meritorious performance of assigned duties in the faculty member’s present position.

Faculty members holding regular or research appointments in the following positions are eligible to be considered in the promotion process for specialized faculty:

• Assistant in Research
• Associate in Research
• Teaching Faculty (I and II)
• Instructional Specialist (I and II)
• Research Faculty (I and II)
• University Librarian (Assistant and Associate)
• Curator (Assistant and Associate)

Non-tenure track faculty who are not in one of the specialized faculty classifications are not eligible for promotion.

In conjunction with the annual evaluation process, each department (or center/institute) must review and evaluate each specialized faculty member’s readiness for promotion, in relation to the above criteria. This review is documented in the annual progress towards promotion letter. Based on the outcome of the review, the department chair (or supervisor) shall determine whether to request that the faculty member participate in the preparation of a promotion binder as described in the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement, Appendix J and the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement website. The Office of Faculty Development and Advancement offers a workshop on specialized faculty promotions early in each fall semester.

Specialized faculty promotion recommendations are reviewed by the elected Promotion Committee of the department (or center/institute) which recommends action on the nomination of each candidate. The department chair (or supervisor) will also independently review the binders of all prospective candidates in that department (or center/institute) and recommend action on the nomination of each candidate. The department chair (or supervisor) will submit the binders of all candidates, except those withdrawn by a candidate, to the dean (or director) with a report of departmental (or center/institute) committee recommendations taken via a secret ballot and the department chair's (or supervisor’s) recommendations on all submitted binders of all candidates.

The applicable dean (or director) considers these recommendations after independently reviewing each candidate’s record and then submits their advice regarding whether the candidate meets the appropriate promotion criteria to the President or designee via the Office of the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. The bylaws of a college/unit may also designate a faculty committee to review all specialized faculty promotions within the college/unit.

The Office of the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement confirms that the candidate meets the eligibility requirements for consideration, then forwards the recommendation to the President or designee for final approval. Recommendations should be submitted to the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement by the date specified on the annual letter regarding the Specialized Faculty Promotion Process.

The recommendation of the applicable review committees and those of the department chair (or supervisor) and dean (or director) constitute a recommendation to the President regarding whether the candidate meets the written criteria for promotion, based on their independent evaluations of the promotion files.

All recommendations (to approve or deny) from the dean (or director), and all applicable review committees, are forwarded to the President or designee for final action via the Office of the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement, unless the candidate withdraws their file from consideration within five working days of being informed of the results of the consideration at any given level.

Each faculty member shall be informed of their prospective candidacy, have an opportunity to assist in preparing the binder and to add any relevant information prior to review by the departmental committee, and to be informed in writing of the results of the recommendations at each level of review.

All departments/units must have written promotion criteria and procedures for all applicable specialized faculty (in-unit and out-of-unit) which are available in the department/unit, posted on their Web sites, and on file in the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement. All procedures culminate in submission of recommendations via the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement to the President for formal approval. All actions are effective at the same time as tenure track faculty promotions, which is the beginning of the next academic year.

Retention of Evaluative Information

University regulations require that there should be only one file in which all written materials used in the evaluation process are maintained (see Evaluation File section under Annual Evaluations above). Therefore, any evaluation of a faculty member placed in promotion files becomes a part of the faculty member’s one evaluation file.

Sabbaticals

Policy

Sabbaticals are made available to increase a tenured faculty member’s value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional development, research, writing, or other forms of creative activity.

For tenured faculty members covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the University provides one sabbatical at full-pay for one semester per each 20 eligible faculty members and an unlimited number of two-semester sabbaticals at half-pay. All sabbatical proposals must meet the conditions of the sabbatical program.

Although the University provides the opportunity for sabbaticals, no additional funds are provided to replace the faculty members who go on leave. It usually falls to colleagues of the absent faculty member to help assume the responsibility of ensuring that her or his essential duties do not go unattended. However, for two-semester sabbaticals at half-pay, OPS funds may be converted from the unused salary half-line of the sabbatical to appoint extra teaching assistance.

Types of Sabbaticals

Faculty members may apply for sabbaticals for one semester at full-pay or for two semesters (i.e., one academic year) at half-pay, or they may apply for both types, although only one type can be awarded to the individual applying. The request for both types may be included in the same proposal, or the requests may be made in separate proposals.

Eligibility

Full-time tenured faculty members covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement with at least six years of full-time service are eligible for sabbaticals.

A faculty member who has taken a sabbatical leave is not normally eligible for another sabbatical until they have completed at least six years of full-time service following the previous sabbatical leave. One must already be tenured to apply for a sabbatical and may apply or re-apply at the beginning of the sixth year of service for a sabbatical to be effective the seventh year.

Application and Selection

The sabbatical application consists of the Faculty Sabbatical Application, the Faculty Sabbatical Application Supplement, a two- page sabbatical proposal, an up-to-date vita that includes the applicant’s obligation to graduate students, and the form entitled Summary of Assignments of Responsibilities and List of Courses Taught, which includes percentages of effort.

The proposal should describe the program and activities to be followed while on sabbatical, the expected increase in value of the faculty member to the University and the faculty member’s academic discipline, and the specific results anticipated from the leave.

Each year the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, on behalf of the University Committee on Sabbaticals, invites applications to be submitted in October.  The specific deadline appears in the annual invitation. The annual invitation and forms are available on the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement website.

Applications are submitted through the department chair and academic dean, who each recommends approval or disapproval. Dean’s approval is required for any application to be reviewed by the University Committee on Faculty Sabbaticals. Any application disapproved by the chair but approved by the dean will be reviewed by the Committee. The dean forwards all approved applications to the Committee via the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement. If either the department chair or academic dean recommends disapproval, the reason(s) is stated on a page attached to the Faculty Sabbatical Application.

The University Committee on Faculty Sabbaticals, composed of eleven tenured faculty members (elected by tenured faculty members) and the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement (serving as ex officio member and chair), will review one-semester and two-semester applications, rank the one-semester applications, and submit recommendations to the President. In ranking the one-semester applications, the Committee will consider:

• the benefits of the proposed program to the faculty member, the University, and the profession;
• an equitable distribution of sabbaticals among colleges, departments, and disciplines within the University;
• the length of time since the faculty member was relieved of teaching duties for the purpose of research and other scholarly activities;
• the length of service since previous sabbatical or initial appointment; and
• any staffing considerations expressed by dean or department chair.

The President will make appointments from the list and consult with the Committee prior to making an appointment that does not follow the committee’s ranking.

One-semester and two-semester sabbaticals at half-pay will be granted unless it is determined that the conditions set forth in the sabbatical program will not be met or that departmental/unit staffing considerations preclude such a sabbatical from being granted. In this latter instance, the faculty member will be provided the sabbatical the following year, or at a later time as agreed to by the faculty member and the chair or dean. The period of postponement will be credited for eligibility for a subsequent sabbatical.

No more than one faculty member per ten in a department or other professional unit need be awarded a sabbatical at the same time. The University is not required to award sabbaticals to more than one qualified applicant in any given department or other professional unit.

Conditions of the Sabbatical Program

1. While on sabbatical, the faculty member’s salary will be one-half pay for two semesters (one academic year) or full-pay for one semester.
2. Contributions normally made by the University to retirement and social security programs will be continued on a basis proportional to the salary received. University contributions normally made to faculty insurance programs and any other faculty benefit programs will also be continued during the sabbatical. Faculty members must contact the Benefits Office in Human Resources at 644-4015 prior to any leave of absence, with or without pay, to ensure correct and timely payment of contributions for insurance coverage.
3. Eligible faculty members will continue to accrue annual and sick leave on a full-time basis during the leave.
4. While on leave, a faculty member will be permitted to receive funds for travel and living expenses, and other leave-related expenses, from sources other than the University such as fellowships, grants-in-aid, and contracts or grants, to assist in accomplishing the purposes of the sabbatical. Receipt of funds for such purposes will not result in reduction of the faculty member’s University salary. Grants for such financial assistance from other sources may, but need not, be administered through the University. If financial assistance is received in the form of salary, the University salary shall normally be reduced by the amount necessary to bring the total income of the sabbatical period to a level comparable to not more than 125 percent of the faculty member’s current year salary rate. Employment unrelated to the purpose of the sabbatical leave is governed by the provisions and policies regarding Conflict of Interest and Outside Employment and Activities. An employee on a two-semester half-pay sabbatical may supplement their half-pay salary from a grant administered through the University up to the amount that will bring the total salary of the sabbatical period to the employee’s normal salary.
5. The faculty member must return to the University for at least one academic year following participation in the program. Another paid or unpaid leave of absence should not be requested immediately preceding sabbatical leave or for one academic year following the conclusion of the sabbatical leave.  Agreements to the contrary must be in writing prior to the sabbatical and approved by the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. Return to the University of salary received during the leave will be required in those instances where neither of the above is satisfied.
6. The faculty member must, within 60 days after the start of the next semester following the leave, provide a written report describing the faculty member’s accomplishments during the leave to the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. This report is to include information regarding the activities undertaken during the sabbatical, the results accomplished during the sabbatical as they affect the faculty member and the University, and research or other scholarly work produced or expected to be produced as a result of the sabbatical. The faculty member is also to provide a copy of this report to the department chair and dean for use in the annual evaluation process.
7. Faculty members on sabbatical leave are eligible for promotion and for salary increases.

Professional Development Leave

Policy

Professional development leave is made available to increase a specialized faculty member’s value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional development, research, writing, or other forms of creative activity. The purpose of the professional development leave program is similar to the sabbatical leave program, but is in support of specialized faculty members covered by the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement who are not tenured and who are not in tenure-earning positions.

The University provides one professional development leave at full-pay for one semester or its equivalent for each 20 eligible specialized faculty members covered by the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement contingent upon meeting the conditions of the professional development program.

Although the University provides the opportunity for professional development leave, no additional funds are provided to replace the faculty members who go on leave. It usually falls to colleagues of the absent faculty member to help assume the responsibility of ensuring that her or his essential duties do not go unattended. Since the salary of the employee while on leave must still be paid from its regular source, employees supported on contracts and grants and Auxiliary funds are eligible only if the terms of the contract or grant or Auxiliary budget permit salary to be paid to an employee on leave.

Types of Professional Development Leave

Eligible faculty members may apply for a professional development leave for one semester (or equivalent) at full-pay or two semesters at one-half pay. Leave at full-pay may be requested for up to one semester, taken for a shorter length of time or for equivalent intermittent periods.

Eligibility

Full-time specialized faculty members covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement with three or more years of service are eligible for professional development leave, except those faculty members who hold tenure-earning or tenured positions.

An employee who has taken a professional development leave is not normally eligible for another leave until they have completed 3 years of full-time service following the previous leave. One may apply or re-apply at the beginning of the third year of service for a professional development leave to be effective the 4th year.

Application and Selection

The professional development leave application consists of the Professional Development Leave Application form, an up-to-date vita, a letter of support from the supervisor, and a two- or three- page proposal that outlines the project or work to be accomplished during the leave including a description of the activities to be followed, the expected increase in value of the employee to the University and the employee’s academic discipline, and the specific results anticipated from the leave.

Each year the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, on behalf of the Committee on the Professional Development Program, invites applications to be submitted in October. The specific deadline appears in the annual invitation. Applications are submitted through the department chair, program director, or center director, and the academic dean of the college in which the applicant holds an appointment, or through the director of an equivalent unit (e.g., the Dean of the Libraries). The dean or director will forward the applications to the Committee on the Professional Development Program via the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement. The annual invitation and form are available on the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement website.

The Committee on the Professional Development Program is composed of one research associate and two specialized faculty members, appointed by the President; the Dean of the University Libraries, the Vice President for Research, and the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement (who serves as chair). After review of the applications, the Committee submits recommendations to the President, who will grant the awards.

In evaluating applications for leaves, the Committee on the Professional Development Program considers:

• the merit of the project proposed: statement of need/problem; clarity of proposal operation, realistic time frame, and qualifications of individual to accomplish project;
• the benefits of the completion of the proposed project or work on the productivity of the department or function of which the employee is a part, to the University, and to the employee;
• the length of service of the applicant;
• the length of time since the applicant has been relieved of duties for purposes of professional development; and
• an equitable distribution of awards among the various units of the University.

No more than one faculty member per ten in a department or other professional unit need be awarded a professional development leave at the same time.

Conditions of the Professional Development Leave Program

1. While on professional development leave, the faculty member’s salary will be one-half pay for two semesters (one academic year) or full-pay for one semester (or equivalent).
2. Contributions normally made by the University to retirement and social security programs will be continued on a basis proportional to the salary received. University contributions normally made to employee insurance programs and any other employee benefit programs will also be continued during the professional development leave.
3. Eligible faculty members will continue to accrue annual and sick leave on a full-time basis during the leave.
4. While on leave, a faculty member will be permitted to receive funds for travel and living expenses, and other leave-related expenses, from sources other than the University such as fellowships, grants-in-aid, and contracts or grants, to assist in accomplishing the purposes of the leave. Receipt of funds for such purposes will not result in reduction of the employee’s University salary. Grants for such financial assistance from other sources may, but need not, be administered through the University. If financial assistance is received in the form of salary, the University salary shall normally be reduced by the amount necessary to bring the total income of the professional development leave period to a level comparable to not more than 125 percent of the current-year salary rate. Employment unrelated to the purpose of the leave is governed by the provisions and policies regarding Conflict of Interest and Outside Employment and Activities. A recipient on a two-semester half-pay leave may supplement their half-pay salary from a grant administered through the University up to the amount that will bring the total salary of the leave period to the faculty member’s normal salary.
5. The employee must return to the University for at least one academic year following participation in the program. Another paid or unpaid leave of absence should not be requested immediately preceding professional development leave or for one academic year following the conclusion of the professional development leave. Agreements to the contrary must be in writing prior to the leave and approved by the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. Return to the University of salary received during the leave will be required in those instances where neither of the above is satisfied.
6. The faculty member must, within 60 days after the start of the next semester following the leave, provide a written report describing the employee’s accomplishments during the leave to the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement. This report is to include information regarding the activities undertaken during the leave, the results accomplished during the leave as they affect the faculty member and the University, and research or other scholarly work produced or expected to be produced as a result of the leave. The faculty member is also to provide a copy of this report to the department chair, director, and dean for use in the annual evaluation process.
7. Faculty on professional development leave are eligible for promotion and for salary increases.
8. A faculty member who takes a professional development leave and fails to spend the time as stated in the application will be required to reimburse the University for the salary received during such leave.

Faculty Awards

Florida State University provides faculty with numerous opportunities for faculty peers to recognize special achievements in teaching, scholarly or creative activity, and service. Awards offered by peers in one’s home institution frequently position faculty for further regional and national recognition.

Regional, national, and international awards accelerate a faculty career and benefit the department and University in tangible ways. They raise the public profile and reputation of faculty and the University, thereby serving as a valuable tool in increasing national rankings. Faculty awards listed in the annual CMUP Top American Research Universities (TARU) report serve as a metric in the State of Florida Board of Governors performance funding matrix and help to determine funding levels for the University. (Complete list of TARU awards) The following list includes a brief description and website, if available, of internal awards for FSU faculty requiring peer or student nomination and selection by peers and administrators.

Teaching and Advising Awards

FSU offers eight teaching and advising awards. Students, alumni, faculty, administrators, and community members may nominate outstanding faculty for a variety of accomplishments: Foundational Course Excellence; Outstanding Teaching in the Major; Outstanding Undergraduate Advising; Outstanding Graduate Teaching; Community Engaged Teaching; Inclusive Teaching and Mentoring; Innovation in Teaching; and Excellence in Online Teaching.  Other related awards include:

Graduate Faculty Mentor Awards

The Graduate Faculty Mentor Awards recognize faculty mentors whose dedication to graduate students and commitment to excellence in graduate education and mentoring have made a significant contribution to the quality of life and professional development of graduate students at Florida State University.

Honors Thesis Mentor Award

The Honors Thesis Mentor Award was established to recognize and honor faculty members whose direction and mentorship of Honors Thesis research or creative activity has significantly contributed to the enhancement and quality of undergraduate education at Florida State University.

Undergraduate Research Mentor

The Undergraduate Research Mentor Award recognizes faculty commitment to undergraduate research. Recipients, nominated by students, demonstrate a substantive and long-term involvement in undergraduate research.

University Undergraduate Advising Awards

University Undergraduate Advising Awards recognize outstanding faculty and staff advisors. Winners are nominated by students who have been beneficiaries of their services. These individuals dedicate their time to ensuring that students receive the best possible advice related to their courses and their career choices. The recipient receives a $2000 award.

Developing Scholar Awards

The Developing Scholar Awards program is designed to recognize Florida State University faculty who are several years advanced into their careers. This competition is intended to help identify FSU’s future academic leaders. The recipients receive a one-time stipend that is to be used to promote the awardee’s program of research or creativity during the academic year following the award’s presentation.

Developing Specialized Faculty

The Developing Specialized Faculty award recognizes the outstanding research and/or creative activity of FSU researchers who are not in a tenured or tenure-track line. This award program recognizes successful FSU specialized faculty members who are several years into their careers, and is intended to identify and honor FSU's future research/scholar/scientist leaders. A one-time stipend is offered to promote the awardee’s program of research and creativity.

Distinguished Research Professor Award

The Distinguished Research Professor Award recognizes and honors outstanding scholarly research and/or creative activity among those Florida State University full professors having national and international visibility. Recipients of this award receive a one-time stipend and the distinction of using the title “Distinguished Research Professor” while at Florida State University.

Distinguished Teacher Award

The Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes and honors outstanding teaching among those Florida State University faculty who have received a University Teaching Award at least five years prior to being nominated for the Distinguished Teacher Award. The successful nominee must document continued excellence in teaching for the five years since receipt of the original University Teaching Award. Recipients of this award receive a one-time stipend and the distinction of using the title “Distinguished Teaching Professor” while at Florida State University.

Distinguished University Scholar

The Distinguished University Scholar (DUS). This award has been designed to recognize outstanding research and/or creative activity of Florida State University researchers who are not in a tenured or tenure-track line. It is intended that the recipients have long-standing track record of research and/or creative activity at FSU and occupy more senior levels in their respective positions

Emerita/Emeritus Status

Professor Emerita/Emeritus

By action of the Faculty Senate, the title “Professor Emerita/Emeritus” may be assigned to a retired, tenured member of the faculty who upon due consideration of service to Florida State University and upon recommendation by the academic dean, support by the department and college, and approval by the President. Recommendation for emeritus status should be submitted by the dean of the appropriate unit through the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of the University.

Dean Emerita/Emeritus

Upon approval of the President of the University, the title “Dean Emerita/Emeritus” may be assigned to a faculty member who is completing service as the dean of a college or in one of the university-wide deanships in the Division of Academic Affairs. “Dean Emerita/Emeritus” is an honorific title which recognizes outstanding service to Florida State University and its academic programs. The title is awarded upon completion of the deanship and is retained upon retirement of the faculty member from the University. Under separate procedures established by the Faculty Senate (see above), faculty members holding the “Dean Emerita/Emeritus” title are also eligible for designation as “Professor Emeritus” upon retirement.

Recommendations for designation as “Dean Emerita/Emeritus” of a college originate with the faculty of the college and are submitted through the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President for approval. For the university-wide deanships in the Division of Academic Affairs, recommendations are originated by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, with the advice and consent of the Faculty Senate Committee most closely related to the function of the deanship, and submitted through the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement to the President for approval.

The “Professor Emerita/Emeritus” and “Dean Emerita/Emeritus” titles will be appropriately indicated in the catalog listing of faculty members.

Extraordinary Accomplishments Program

Faculty members who are recognized with a national or international award listed on the Top American Research Universities (TARU) report are granted a permanent salary increase through the Extraordinary Accomplishments Program.

Fred L. Standley Award for the Florida State University Academic Librarian of the Year

Presented by the Friends of Florida State University Libraries, the Fred L. Standley Award honors an outstanding faculty member within the University Libraries at the Florida State University for significant contributions to campus, state, national and/or international research librarianship, and library development.

Named Professorships

Marie Krafft Professorships

The Marie Krafft Professorship was named to honor the late Marie Krafft, who served as a professor of chemistry at FSU for three decades. Krafft joined the FSU faculty in 1984 and gained widespread recognition for her contributions to organometallic chemistry and synthetic organic chemistry. She mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. In 2009, she received the University Undergraduate Teaching Award in recognition of excellence in teaching. Krafft professors are often deemed "Super Professors" because of the high quality of their character, vision, and intellect.
(In 2020, the Francis Eppes Professorship was renamed to the Marie Krafft Professorship.)

McKenzie Professorship Awards

McKenzie Professorship Awards, funded by Sarah P. and W. Guy McKenzie, Sr. (formally funded by the FSU Foundation), honor full-time, tenured, full professors who exemplify high standards of performance in teaching, research, and service.

Named Professorship Program

The President and Provost’s Named Professorships are a means of recognizing outstanding faculty who exemplify high standards of performance in teaching, research, and service within a specific discipline/profession. The professorship carries with it a base salary increase. Such Professorships shall consist of a title to be determined at the time of the establishment of the Professorship. The title and the funds will be retained by the faculty member while engaged as a full-time employee at Florida State University.

Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor

The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor award is the highest honor faculty can bestow on a colleague. To be eligible for this award, the faculty member must be a tenured professor, have been at the University for at least ten years, and have achieved true distinction nationally and/or internationally in his/her discipline or profession. Although scholarly distinction is the primary qualification, emphasis is placed on the evidence of quality teaching, including the directing of graduate research, as well as service to the University and academic community.

Ralph Stair Prize in Innovative Education

First awarded in 2013, the Ralph Stair Prize in Innovative Education is awarded biennially to an individual or collaborative team at FSU who has developed innovative education approaches (such as textbook, Internet sites, distance learning tools, etc.) that demonstrate the potential of having great impact nationally and internationally. The prize includes a monetary award from the endowment for the Ralph Stair Prize in Innovative Education.

Faculty Professional Development Opportunities

Full information about current research funding award opportunities are available on the Office of the Vice President for Research Web site.

Center for the Advancement of Teaching

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) provides a space for collegial exchange about teaching and learning, bringing together faculty at all levels and across disciplines, to hone their expertise in facilitating learning and to promote our collective project of providing our students with a preeminent education. We curate research on how humans learn and provide programming and services to help our colleagues apply it in their own classroom practice. CAT promotes student success at FSU by supporting the faculty in the important and challenging work of crafting transformative learning experiences, and by fostering a culture in which effective teaching is valued and rewarded.
Please visit the CAT website or contact CAT at: pro-teaching@fsu.edu.

Council on Research and Creativity Awards

Each year the CRC sponsors several funding awards programs for FSU faculty that are intended to stimulate and promote a better environment for research and scholarship in all disciplines. Each highly competitive program carries a different level of financial support to be used as a salary supplement or to support research and creative activities.

Faculty Travel Grants

Each fall and spring semester, the Provost supports Florida State University’s strong presence in the research community by providing up to $1,000 ($1,500 for international travel) to individual tenure-track faculty members who are presenting peer-reviewed papers at national and international conferences.

Office of Distance Learning Teaching Support

Instructors can obtain assistance in designing and delivering courses, assessing student performance, and integrating technology into the classroom through teaching enhancement offered by the Office of Distance Learning. They can also visit online support for information about teaching web-supported and online courses, and for workshops and Web sites on the technical skills used to teach and manage those websites. The Center for the Advancement of Teaching will also be established during the 2016-17 academic year and will provide programs, resources, and activities that supports instructors and academic units in elevating pedagogy across campus. 

Office of Faculty Development and Advancement

The Office of Faculty Development and Advancement (FDA) offers multiple avenues for academic career development. Opportunities include, but are not limited to: national award and fellowship application and proposal writing workshops; blind peer review for award proposal development; facilitation of the national award application/nomination process; and identification of career appropriate awards. To expand the search for career appropriate awards, faculty may consult the Faculty Awards Catalog, a database housing information on 5,000 competitive faculty awards.

The Office of Faculty Development and Advancement (FDA) also creates programs to support faculty career development. This includes faculty writing retreats, faculty learning communities, mentoring programs, promotion and tenure workshops, guidance for department and college leadership, and New Faculty Orientation.

The Office supports the work of faculty through FEAS – the Faculty Expertise and Advancement System – which allows faculty to keep university administrators and the public current with their achievements. It spearheaded the development of the Instructor Credentials System to approve, store, and report instructor credentials.
Please visit the FDA website or contact FDA at: fda-faculty@fsu.edu.

Professional Development Leave

Professional Development Leave is made available to specialized faculty members covered by the FSU/UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement and the process is coordinated by the Office of FDA. Such leave is made available to increase a faculty member’s value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional development, research, writing, or other forms of creative activity. See “Professional Development Leave” in this section for further detail.

Sabbaticals

University Sabbaticals

Sabbaticals for professional development are made available to tenured faculty members covered by the FSU/UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the process is coordinated by the Office of FDA. Such sabbaticals are granted to increase a tenured faculty member’s value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional development, research, writing, or other forms of creative activity. See “Sabbaticals” in this section for further detail.

Internal Sabbaticals

At the discretion of their supervisor, faculty members may be given 100-percent-research assignments that would increase the faculty member’s value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional renewal, planned travel, study, formal education, research, writing, or other experience of professional value, but would be without the ‘University Sabbatical’ designation.

Graduate Faculty Roles

Graduate Faculty Membership

Membership in the Graduate Faculty establishes the eligibility of faculty to participate in graduate education. The appropriate status must be approved prior to the teaching of a graduate course, supervising a master’s or doctoral student, or serving on a student’s committee.

There are four different categories of membership: Graduate Faculty Status (GFS); Graduate Teaching Status (GTS), Co-Master’s Directive Status (CMDS), and Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS).

Graduate Faculty Status (GFS)

Graduate Faculty Status (GFS) establishes the eligibility of faculty to teach all graduate-level courses; to sit on all graduate-level committees; to chair or co-chair graduate student thesis, treatise and dissertation committees; and to participate fully in all components of graduate education, research, and service. As noted below assignments to and limitations from individual GFS responsibilities (teaching, research, student committees, and service) for any GFS member are delegated to the unit-level authority where such assignments of responsibilities are made.

Graduate Faculty Status: Appointment

Appointment to Graduate Faculty Status (GFS) is generally reserved for members of the faculty who hold tenured and tenure-earning appointments in graduate degree-granting departments or programs. Appointment to GFS must be by affirmative super majority (2/3) vote of all individuals who hold GFS in the department (or school/college) and approval by their department chair/program director, their academic dean, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Newly hired faculty may be appointed to Graduate Faculty Status (GFS) as a condition of their appointment to a tenure-earning position in a graduate degree-granting department upon approval of the appropriate departmental faculty, chair, dean of the college, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Assignments to and limitations from individual GFS responsibilities (teaching, research, student committees, and service) for any GFS member are delegated to the unit-level authority where such assignments of responsibilities are made. Subject to consideration of special circumstances, minimum qualifications are: (1) completion of the doctorate or its equivalent and (2) proven expertise in the teaching area.

Each academic unit (colleges and departments) shall adopt specific written criteria that its faculty must meet in order to be appointed to GFS. Subject to consideration of special circumstances, these criteria shall indicate the terminal academic degree and/or the level of professional experience and scholarship required for a faculty member to be appointed to GFS. Faculty holding GFS are expected to actively engage in graduate education through teaching, mentoring and research supervision, and service. They should show evidence of research-based scholarship and/or creative work resulting in peer-reviewed publications or equivalent work.

Each unit’s written GFS criteria are subject to approval by their academic dean, the Graduate Policy Committee, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Departments and Colleges will determine these criteria and procedures for appointments according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to approval of the dean of the college or school. Names of new GFS appointees will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for confirmation.

Under special circumstances qualified persons who are members of the FSU Specialized (and non-tenure track) Faculty may be appointed to Graduate Faculty Status (GFS) under the above procedures. Under no circumstances does this provision apply to persons holding adjunct or “Visiting-in-Lieu-of” adjunct appointments to the faculty.

Members of the Specialized (and non-tenure track) Faculty who are approved for GFS may serve only as a co-major professor of a doctoral committee alongside another co-major professor who must be a member of the tenure-track or tenured faculty (Assistant, Associate, Full Professor, or Eminent Scholar) and holding GFS. The specialized or non-tenure track faculty member must also be approved by the chair of the department for service on the specific committee. NOTE: For any doctoral committee, the major professor or at least one co-major professor must be a member of the tenure-track or tenured faculty (Assistant, Associate, Full Professor, or Eminent Scholar) of the department/unit in which the degree is to be granted. If the doctoral degree is sought in an interdisciplinary area of study, the major professor or at least one co-major professor must be a tenure-track or a tenured faculty member in a department/unit related to the area of interdisciplinary study. However, those who are not members of the tenure-track faculty who served as the major professor of an active doctoral dissertation committee between the dates of July 1, 2008 and July 1, 2013, shall remain eligible to direct doctoral treatises and dissertations.

Members of the Specialized (and non-tenure track) Faculty who are approved for GFS are eligible to serve as the major professor of master’s thesis committees. They are not eligible to serve as the University Representative or sole chair on doctoral dissertation and treatise committees.

Graduate Teaching Status (GTS)

Graduate Teaching Status (GTS) establishes the eligibility of faculty to teach graduate-level courses for which they meet the University’s standards for credentialing (see FSU Policy 3A-2). A person must be appointed to Graduate Teaching Status (GTS) to be eligible to teach graduate courses.  Members of the Specialized (and non-tenure track) Faculty holding GTS must be separately appointed with Co-Doctoral or Co-Masters Directive Status in order to serve on graduate student committees as a member and/or to co-direct master’s theses and doctoral dissertations and treatises. 

Graduate Teaching Status: Appointment

Appointment to Graduate Teaching Status (GTS) is required for members of the Specialized (and non-tenure track) Faculty to teach graduate courses. Graduate Teaching Status (GTS) does not accord eligibility to serve, co-chair, or chair master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation committees nor to perform other functions of graduate education without further appointment (see below). GTS may be awarded for multiple academic degree programs with the approval of the appropriate department, college, and the Dean of The Graduate School. A faculty member with Graduate Teaching Status may be the instructor of record for 5000, 6000, and 7000-level courses.

Subject to consideration of special circumstances, minimum qualifications are: (1) completion of the doctorate or its equivalent and/or (2) proven expertise in the teaching area. Under special circumstances qualified persons who are not regular members of the FSU faculty may be hired into a “Visiting-in-Lieu-of” qualifying position and appointed to GTS on a temporary basis (up to three years) with the approval of the dean of the college and the Dean of the Graduate School. Temporary graduate teaching status expires at the end of the appointment period and must be renewed by the academic unit if further teaching is intended. Post-doctoral Scholars (9189) are eligible to be nominated for GTS for the duration of their postdoctoral appointment for a maximum duration of 4 years. A courtesy appointment does not need to be established. Additional justification needs to be provided/attached to the temporary GTS application which explains the individual’s teaching experience and how the instructional assignment fits into the Post-doctoral Scholar’s training plan at FSU. Renewals may be requested by the academic unit.

Persons holding appointment as adjunct faculty are not eligible for GTS. Exceptions to this policy may be made by requesting Courtesy Faculty status in an appropriate classification code as well as GTS for such persons through the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement and the Dean of The Graduate School. For example, an FSU employee meeting the required criteria for appointment to GTS, but who is appointed as an A & P Program Director, would need to be approved for status as a courtesy faculty member and subsequently approved for GTS in order to teach a graduate course.

Academic units will determine criteria and procedures for GTS appointments, according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to approval of the dean of the college or school. The criteria will be subject to the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee. Names of new GTS appointees will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for confirmation.

Normal policy forbids graduate students from teaching graduate courses, or co-listed courses. Exceptions can be requested as follows: Colleges where a master’s-level professional degree is the normal terminal degree may request approval from the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement through the Dean of the Graduate School for doctoral students to teach in a practice-oriented master’s-level course in a specific semester under the supervision of a regular tenured or tenure-earning faculty member with Graduate Faculty Status (GFS). The request for approval shall include (a) justification for the request, (b) details of the course, (c) full CV of the student in question, and (d) details of the supervision arrangement. Approval must be given prior to the teaching of a specific graduate course or courses and must be renewed annually. Under no circumstances may a graduate student be appointed as a member of another student’s advisory and examining committee.

Co-Master’s Directive Status (CMDS)

Co-Master’s Directive Status (CMDS) establishes the eligibility of Specialized, Non-Tenure Track, and Courtesy Faculty to serve as the co-major professor for a master’s student or to be an additional member of a student’s committee. Participation as such in a student’s committee does not count towards the minimum number of GFS members.

Co-Master’s Directive Status: Appointment

Members of the Specialized (and non-tenure-earning) Faculty must be appointed to Co-Master's Directive Status (CMDS) to serve as an additional member or co-major professor of a master’s thesis committee. An FSU tenure-track faculty member (Assistant, Associate, Full, Eminent Scholar) with GFS must serve as the other co-major professor and the committee must include at least three members with GFS. A person holding CMDS may also serve on committees for doctoral students, provided each such committee includes at least four members with GFS.

Under special circumstances qualified persons may be appointed as courtesy faculty through the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement to participate as part of a student’s committee. Such courtesy faculty must also be approved for temporary Co-Master’s Directive Status (CMDS) through the Graduate School to serve as an additional member or co-major professor of such a committee. Requests for CMDS must state the specific student committee(s) for which approval is requested.

Subject to consideration of special circumstances, minimum qualifications are: (1) completion of the doctorate or its equivalent and (2) proven ability to conduct scholarly research and publish in reputable media or to perform equivalent scholarly or creative works.

Academic units will determine criteria and procedures for CMDS appointments, according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to approval of the dean of the college or school. The criteria will be subject to the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. Names of new CMDS appointees will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for confirmation.

Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS)

Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS) establishes the eligibility of Specialized (and Non-Tenure Track), and Courtesy Faculty to serve as the co-major professor for both doctoral and master’s students or to be an additional member of such students’ committees. Participation as such in a student’s committee does not count towards the minimum number of GFS members.

Co-Doctoral Directive Status: Appointment

Members of the Specialized and non-tenure-earning Faculty not holding CMDS must be appointed to Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS) to serve as an additional member or co-major professor of a doctoral dissertation or treatise committee. An FSU tenure-track faculty member (Assistant, Associate, Full, Eminent Scholar) with GFS must serve as the other co-major professor and the committee must include at least four members with GFS. A person holding CDDS may also serve on committees for doctoral and master’s students, provided each such committee includes at least three members with GFS. 

Under special circumstances qualified persons may be appointed as Courtesy Faculty through the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement to participate as part of a student’s doctoral committee. Such Courtesy Faculty must also be approved for temporary Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS) through the Graduate School to serve as an additional  member or co-major professor of such a committee. Requests for CDDS must state the specific student committee(s) for which approval is requested.

Subject to consideration of special circumstances, the minimum qualifications for appointment are: (1) completion of a doctorate or its equivalent, (2) attainment of recognized professional stature in the discipline by virtue of substantial post-doctoral or equivalent scholarly or creative work, and (3) experience in the supervision of graduate students.

Academic units will determine criteria and procedures for CDDS appointments, according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to approval of the dean of the college or school. The criteria will be subject to the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. Names of new CDDS appointees will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for confirmation.

A faculty member in a department not granting the doctorate may be considered for Co-Doctoral Directive Status in a degree-granting department or authorized degree program. Requests may be submitted either at the faculty member's initiative or at the invitation of the department. In each case the department shall follow its customary procedures for nominating faculty members for Co-Doctoral Directive Status, and nominations shall be forwarded by the academic unit to the school- or college-wide committee in accordance with the procedures above. Final confirmation rests with the Dean of the Graduate School.

Qualified Specialized (and Non-Tenure-Track faculty) may hold co-master’s or co-doctoral directive status in more than one degree program. A faculty member with CMDS or CDDS in one FSU department may also be granted CMDS or CDDS by other academic units or authorized degree programs. Each area granting CMDS or CDDS would utilize its own criteria and procedures as outlined above.

Special case of the College of Law

In addition, Graduate Teaching Status (GTS), Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS), and Co-Master’s Directive Status (CMDS) are automatically granted to faculty members in the College of Law who hold tenure-track appointments and possess an appropriate terminal degree (e.g., J.D.). The rationale for this policy is that these faculty are hired for the purpose of only educating post-baccalaureate students, unlike other segments of the university where faculty are hired to teach undergraduates and must be granted GFS or GTS to teach graduate students and engage in graduate education activities in their disciplines. A tenured faculty member in the College of Law cannot serve as an official University Representative on a doctoral dissertation committee unless GFS is awarded to that faculty member by an eligible graduate program. However, since this policy also grants CDDS and CMDS to College of Law faculty, they can serve on master’s and doctoral committees and co-advise a student in an official capacity, though they cannot count towards the minimum number of GFS members required for such committees.  

Faculty Who Depart the University for Reasons other than Retirement

For faculty who depart the University for any reason other than retirement, the department or program in which directive status is held will review the faculty member’s status and the committees the faculty member serves on or chairs. If the department or program wishes to continue the faculty member in some or all of these roles, it may provide a courtesy appointment and nominate the faculty member for temporary Co-Master’s Directive Status (CMDS) or temporary Co-Doctoral Directive Status (CDDS)-, as needed, so the faculty member may continue as a co-chair or additional member for those students who have already begun their thesis/dissertation at the time of the faculty member’s departure. If the faculty member is serving as committee chair, the department will then designate a current or new member of the committee with GFS as co-chair of the committee. Faculty members who depart the University may not accept additional students in this capacity, nor may they serve as the University Representative on committees. Nominations for this limited Co-Master’s or Co-Doctoral Directive Status , following the usual process, will be sent to the college committee, to the dean’s office and then to the Dean of the Graduate School for confirmation.