Information for Faculty

Other Arts and Sciences Policies and Practices

Caveat:  The information provided below is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of policies and practices affecting faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences.  The information below covers some of the subjects that most commonly generate questions from faculty.  Faculty members should consult their departmental handbooks, the Faculty Handbook, the Student Affairs Handbook, the Graduate Catalog, the Undergraduate Catalog, and, perhaps most importantly, the university's Operating Policy and Procedure Manual for more complete information about these and other topics.

Annual Reviews

All faculty members are required to complete an annual review reporting on their teaching, research or creative activity, and service.  The university policy about annual reports can be found in O.P. 32.32, and individual departments and schools within the college may have more specific instructions for faculty within their units about the annual review process.  Teaching evaluations by students as well as chairpersons' evaluations are part of the annual review process.  Faculty members' annual reports, teaching evaluations, and chairpersons' evaluations are all reviewed in the college office, and these materials also become part of the dossiers for tenure review, promotion review, or comprehensive performance evaluation.

Faculty Awards and Honors

A number of university award programs provide recognition and tangible rewards for outstanding faculty members.  A list of the various university awards can be found in O.P. 32.24, which also provides an explanation of what kind of nomination procedure should be followed for each award, what kind of documentation is required for each award, and what campus office processes which award.  Each year, the Arts and Sciences Office sends to chairs and directors calls for nominations for those awards reviewed by the college.
Procedures for Nominations for Horn Professor in Arts & Sciences.

Parental Leave

In the document entitled "Options for Handling a Parental Leave," the college office has collected information from various university sources that may be helpful for individuals considering whether or how to arrange for parental leave.  The university does not have a specific maternity leave policy, but a number of other existing policies and mechanisms can be used to facilitate the arrangement of a leave relevant to pregnancy, childbirth, adoption, or related issues.

Students with Disabilities

United States law requires that universities and all faculty and staff therein make reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities.  Faculty should ask at the beginning of the semester for students with disabilities to identify themselves to the professor in private (after class or during office hours) and indicate what accommodations they may need during the semester.  Faculty are not obligated to provide accommodation unless the student provides proof of a disability for which the accommodation requested is appropriate; at Texas Tech, such proof is provided by written notification from AccessTECH that indicates the student has completed the university's process for establishing the need for disability accommodation.  Faculty should not ask for further proof of disability.  Students presenting other kinds of verification should be referred to AccessTECH in the Student Counseling Center in West Hall.  Any disclosures about disabilities must be treated with confidentially; for example, a student's disability-related accommodations must not be discussed with or in front of other students or faculty.
Faculty members should include in each of their course syllabi a statement such as the following:  "Any students who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact their instructor as soon as possible to make the necessary accommodations.  Students should present appropriate verification from AccessTECH in the Student Counseling Center in West Hall.  No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to the completion of this approved university process."

Course Syllabi and Student Grades

At the beginning of each semester, every faculty member will provide to students a syllabus with information about course requirements, assignments, grading procedures and how the final grade will be determined, attendance policies, and so on.  The Office of the Ombudsman has prepared a helpful guide for developing effective syllabi; the guide is available from the office's website at www.ttu.edu/ombudsman.
A copy of each syllabus will be given to the departmental chairperson and kept on file in the departmental office for at least one long semester beyond the semester in which the syllabus was distributed.
Extra credit should be made available in a class to all students or to no students.  Making extra credit available to selected students opens a faculty member to accusations of discrimination, to grade appeals, and to possible legal action.
Effective with the Fall 2003 semester, Texas House Bill 256 requires institutions of higher education to excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day.  The student shall also be excused for time necessary to travel.  An institution may not penalize the student for the absence and must allow the student to take an exam or complete an assignment from which the student is excused.  Note that HB 256 repeals Section 51.911 (c) of the Texas Education Code requiring students to provide prior written notification to an instructor concerning an intent to observe a holy day.
Posting student grades is highly problematic.  For the protection of student privacy, Texas Tech policy is that no grades should be posted.  However, in the case of very large classes in which it would not be reasonably possible to return test grades individually, grades may be posted, but only by numbers assigned randomly and confidentially, never by names or social security numbers or student identification numbers.
Final examinations and grade records should be retained for at least ninety days beyond the start of the next long semester to ensure that critical materials would be available in the event of a grade appeal.  Faculty who leave Texas Tech must turn over their last final exams and grade records to their School Director/Department Chair.
The responsibility for determining grades and judging the quality of academic performance in a course rests with the instructor assigned to the course.  A grade can be formally appealed only when there is demonstrable evidence that prejudice or arbitrary or capricious action on the part of the instructor has influenced the grade.  The Arts and Sciences Grade Appeals Committee, comprised of faculty members, students, and an associate dean, is charged with reviewing grade appeals.  More information about grades, grading, and grade appeals can also be found in the Faculty Handbook, in the Student Affairs Handbook, and in the University's Operating Policy and Procedure Manual.

Matters of Curriculum

The Arts and Sciences Committee on Academic Programs (ASCAP) is comprised of nine voting members, including seven faculty members, one student, and an associate dean.  This committee reviews proposals for new courses, changes in titles, changes in content, and deletion of courses.  The committee also reviews proposals for new graduate and undergraduate programs.

Professional Behavior

In their interactions with students, other faculty, staff, and administrators, faculty members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner.  Professionally appropriate behavior requires, among other things, that faculty members avoid profanity (including but not limited to profanity of a sexual, scatological, or religious nature); personal criticism of a student's, staff member's, or coworker's appearance, intelligence, or background; and sexual innuendo.  Of course, in the presentation of some subject matters, as in, for example, some literature classes or psychology classes, a discussion of issues related to sex, religion, or other sensitive topics may be entirely appropriate.  In these cases and in all matters, professors must avoid creating an atmosphere which students, staff members, or coworkers find sexually harassing or harassing in any other sense.  Instructors should avoid meeting with students behind closed doors, and meetings that may become confrontational should be witnessed by a colleague or, perhaps preferably, a supervisor.  Furthermore, all student information should be considered confidential; in general, since passage of the Buckley Amendment no one, not even a student's parents, has a right to information about a student unless the student has signed a waiver allowing the release of information.

Civility in the Classroom

The university's Civility in the Classroom brochure, provided by the combined efforts of the Provost's Office and the Office of Student Affairs, provides information and suggestions about dealing with disruptive students and about maintaining a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning.  More information about civility policies can be found at www.studentaffairs.ttu.edu/vpsa/publications/civility2002.pdf.  The Code of Student Conduct outlined in the Student Affairs Handbook also provides useful information about student behavior.

Training and Assistance

All employees, including faculty members, are required to enroll in a seminar on "Non-Discrimination Training" (and, by state requirement, in a nondiscrimination refresher course every two years) and a seminar on "Workplace Violence Prevention Training."  New employees are also required to enroll in a "New Employee Benefits Orientation."  Training on these and other subjects is available from the Training Department; visit the unit's web site at www.training.ttu.edu for a schedule of classes and for more information.
The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center (TLTC), located in the library, provides workshops and training on a variety of subjects related to teaching and other aspects of academic life.  A schedule of events is circulated to faculty every semester; call 742-0133 for more information.
The Advanced Technology Learning Center (ATLC), also located in the library, provides classes and instruction on topics related to computer use, including the creation of web pages and the effective use of common software applications.  A schedule of events is circulated to faculty every semester; call 742-1650 for more information.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides therapists trained to work with all kinds of issues, including relationship problems; depression, burn-out, and other emotional challenges; alcohol and drug abuse; and stress.  There is no cost to the employee for basic EAP support, which can include up to five sessions.  Individuals requiring extended treatment or longer-term services are referred to an appropriate health care provider.  Call 743-1EAP for more information.
Psychological testing, long- and short- term counseling, and psychotherapy are also available through the Psychology Clinic.  Call 742-3737 for more information.

Exit Interviews

In accordance with university policy, all departing faculty members are offered an opportunity to have an exit interview.  Written exit questionnaires are distributed to departing faculty members, and departing faculty can also elect to have an exit interview in person with the college's Exit Interview Committee.  Information gathered from these questionnaires and interviews is used by the Dean to make assessments of and plans for the college as well as the departments and schools within the college.  A summary of information conveyed in each year's exit interviews is also sent to the Provost's Office.

For More Information. . . .

All of the departments and schools that comprise the College of Arts and Sciences have specific written descriptions of their policies and procedures, and faculty members are responsible for obtaining and following the policies and procedures of their individual units.
Each faculty member should have a copy of the latest Faculty Handbook, and the on-line version (available with other official publications at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/ ) is easy to navigate.  Paper copies of the university's Operating Policy and Procedure Manual (usually referred to as the O.P.) can be found in each departmental office, and an easy-to-search version is also available on-line at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/ .

Miscellaneous Information

Official Travel

Various O.P.s provide information about allowable travel and about the procedures for travel reimbursement.  The underlying process involves completing an official application for official travel before the travel commences and then filing an official travel voucher, with documentation of expenses, after any approved travel has been completed.  Contact the Travel Office for details https://www.fiscal.ttuhsc.edu/travel/main/travelhome.asp.  New faculty members may wish to consider consulting well in advance of any official travel with staff members in their school or department offices who are experienced in dealing with university travel.

Terms of Appointment

Faculty appointments are first offered by individual departments with the approval of the dean, and, if the offer is accepted, the arrangement is made official through a letter of appointment that will be sent from the provost.  A new faculty member's appointment is governed by the terms outlined in the letter of appointment.
New faculty members are sometimes surprised to learn that their official term of appointment runs from the first day of September to the last day of May.  One consequence of this practice is that a new faculty member's first paycheck will be distributed on October 1, even though the person will have been on duty since mid-August.  Faculty on nine-month appointments can elect to have their pay distributed over twelve months with full insurance and benefits extended over the summer.
Faculty are expected to be present and available during the terms in which they teach, including the "faculty on duty" week that precedes the beginning of a semester, and are expected to adhere to the arrangements specified in their initial appointment letters and as modified in any subsequent letters governing their employment . 

Sick Leave

Faculty accrue sick leave, and the proper reporting and accounting for sick leave is mandated by the Texas legislature.  University leave forms available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/personnel/forms.aspx must be completed to claim time for sick leave and for jury duty, funeral leave, and other kinds of time away from work.

Benefits and Retirement

The Employee Retirement System of Texas is the state agency that administers and oversees retirement, insurance, deferred compensation, and flexible benefits programs for the State of Texas.  The ERS website is www.ers.state.tx.us . 
The home page of the Personnel Office http://www.depts.ttu.edu/personnel/applicant-information.aspx  contains useful links to obtain information about insurance and other benefits available to faculty, including links to providers of optional retirement programs.

Additional Resources