What's the difference between department chairs, school directors, and area coordinators? 

These are the different terms used in our colleges to describe unit-level leadership. For example, the College of Arts & Sciences has departments and chairs, the College of Visual & Performing Arts has schools and directors, and the College of Business has areas and coordinators. 

How does TTU support faculty members? 

TTU supports all faculty members and works to cultivate and expand resources dedicated to meeting the needs of our faculty. The Office of Faculty Success is a central resource for all faculty members and coordinates with chairs, directors, and area coordinators to provide faculty members with support. Besides this office, faculty members are also directly supported by the following (non-exhaustive list of) offices and units: 
• International Affairs
• Research Services
• Human Resources
• Faculty Senate
• Campus Access & Engagement
• RaiderCanvas Support

What resources does the university offer to support junior faculty in being tenured and promoted?

• The primary/central resource is the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center (TLPDC). The TLPDC offers programs, workshops, and conferences in addition to cups of coffee or tea to assist faculty in connecting with others in our campus community.
• Two signature programs are Academic Milestones and the Faculty Mentorship Academy.   Held in February, Academic Milestones is an annual event which provides faculty members with information and strategies necessary for them to effectively advance through the tenure, promotion, and continuing appointment process at Texas Tech.  As a centralized institutional initiative, the Faculty Mentorship Academy (FMA) actively supports and strengthens existing mentoring programs and efforts on the vibrant campus of Texas Tech University. FMA provides mentorship through mentoring circles, resources, and workshops programs for faculty across the university, and throughout different stages of faculty development.
• Visit https://www.depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/ for more information. 

I have concerns about organizing international travel.  Who should I contact?

Please contact your department chair, school director, or area coordinator about the policies surrounding international travel. Helpful information is available under the Faculty/Staff Resources tab at International Affairs.

Where can I learn more about the University's Sports Facilities?

• Our Department of University Recreation (URec) manages recreational sports facilities and activities. URec has information about faculty memberships available on its website.
• Information about Texas Tech Athletics and its associated programs and facilities is housed on the university's official Athletics website: https://texastech.com/. This includes information about season and single-game tickets for sporting events.

What is the university's policy on campus carry? 

Please review the information about campus carry here. If you have specific questions from reviewing that information, please first share those with your chair, director, or area coordinator. Concerns that cannot be locally addressed may be directed to the Vice Provost for Faculty Success.

How do I gain access to campus systems like TTU Email, RaiderCanvas, and Raiderlink when the semester starts before my hire date of September 1st? 

• Access to software systems like RaiderCanvas and Raiderlink depends on a faculty member having an assigned TTU email and R number. This cannot happen until the faculty member's hiring paperwork is fully processed. If that paperwork is delayed (common reasons include late hire date and backlog at the unit level), the new faculty member cannot be assigned a TTU email address. The sooner the hiring paperwork is fully processed, the quicker the new faculty member can access all TTU systems, including facilities and parking.
• If you experience a delay in your access to RaiderCanvas, please email nfo@ttu.edu so that we can assist you.

How do I gain access to buildings/classrooms/labs? 

Access to buildings and classrooms are generally granted in two ways depending on the building.
• University ID Card (Raider Card): Some buildings and labs on campus require university ID card access permissions. These access requests are granted through your department/supervisor generally through the ePAF process (process used to establish your employment). Please contact your department to ensure that you will be granted access to the correct facilities. To request a Raider Card, please visit the University ID Office website.
• Key Management System: Your department/supervisor will place a request for your key access to facilities. Please contact your department for assistance.

Specifics about parking on campus

Visit the TTU Transportation and Parking Services website for more information. Texas Tech University and System employees can purchase a parking ePermit, which provides on-campus parking on the TTU campus. Parking is managed online through My Parking Account, including permits, contact information, vehicles, and citations. Since parking permits are electronic, ensure your license plate number is correct in your My Parking Account. 

Do I need to attend New Employee Orientation as well as New Faculty Orientation?

No. New Faculty Orientation is designed to meet the unique needs of faculty as they transition to teaching and research at Texas Tech University. New Faculty Orientation replaces New Employee Orientation for those joining Texas Tech under a faculty rank.

Where can I find information about New Faculty Orientation?

• New Faculty Orientation is held twice per academic year - in August and January. Please note that this day is mandatory for all new faculty, including tenure and non-tenure track. If a faculty member's duty point is in Lubbock, the expectation is to attend in person. If the faculty member's duty point is not Lubbock, they will be given a link to participate in this event virtually.
  • Those faculty joining the university beginning in either the summer or fall semesters should attend this session. Learn more about NFO.

Where can I find the sessions that count toward the additional three (3) hours of professional development required as a part of New Faculty Orientation?

The sessions available specifically for new faculty can be found on the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center's registration system under the New Faculty Series tab. Any session listed there will count toward these additional hours.

What hiring paperwork can be completed prior to arrival? 

There are two ways to complete new hire paperwork:
• Kenexa (Brassring) electronic onboarding. To use this option, the employee would have had to apply for their position through the Kenexa portal.
• The link to the new hire documents from the HR website. This option is used for anyone not going through Kenexa (direct hire, spousal accommodation, etc.) Read the Detailed New Employee Checklist for some information about each document.

What hiring paperwork must be completed upon arrival? 

The I9 and E-Verify are the only new hire documents that require an employee to be in-person to complete. All other documents can be completed and submitted to your department prior to arrival.  

Are there required trainings other than New Faculty Orientation that must be completed at the beginning of my employment? How will I know where to find these?

There are several required, self-paced compliance videos available through the Cornerstone learning system. These compliance trainings include mandatory EEO, Title IX, The Clery Act, and Ethical Conduct Compliance Training, New Faculty Orientation - Equal Employment Office, New Faculty Orientation - Faculty Athletics Representative (NCAA Compliance requirement), Safety Awareness, Cybersecurity, and FERPA training that are required by Texas Tech University for all employees regardless of their position. These must all be completed prior to your 30th day of employment (for most faculty, this date will be October 1 for fall hires and February 1 for spring hires) with the exception of FERPA training, which must be completed prior to gaining access to student information for your classes including access to Blackboard. In collaboration with Human Resources, the NFO staff will begin assigning these trainings automatically on or around August 1st to those who already have eRaider credentials and will continue to add them periodically after that as eRaider credentials are established.

How do you know if your contract will continue next year? 

• Lecturers, Research Professors, and Professors of Practice are non-tenure-acquiring positions that are annual appointments until the faculty member holds a continuing appointment. Individuals in these positions who do not yet have a continuing appointment will be notified on or before June 15 if their appointments will be renewed for the next academic year. Tenure-acquiring faculty positions are not annually appointed positions, so pre-tenure faculty members will not receive annual reappointment letters.
• OP 32.20 describes non-reappointment policies and procedures for non-tenure-acquiring faculty members who do not yet hold a continued appointment and for pre-tenure faculty members in their first three years.

I have a 9-month, teaching-focused appointment (Lecturer), but I am interested in doing externally funded educational research during the summers. Is there anything I should know that would impede or complicate that?

There is no issue with this unless you plan to use TTU facilities for that research. In that case, start a conversation with your department chair, school director, or area coordinator. 

Will summer employment be an option for me?

This depends on your position type and your unit's needs. Many full-time faculty on 9-month appointments are offered the opportunity to teach during summer terms. Generally, this is a means of earning additional compensation. Faculty members are also encouraged to seek external funding opportunities supporting summer work. If you have questions, talk with your chair, director, or area coordinator.

As a salaried employee, I have no idea how/when/if I'm to report leave. I don't take leave during instructional hours. So...? And then there's exempt vs. non-exempt. I can't ever remember which is which or what it even means. Exempt from what? Reporting leave? 

• An exempt employee is exempt from reporting hours worked and overtime payments. Exempt employees are paid a salary that is only reduced when the employee does not have enough leave to cover the leave taken and reported. Most faculty positions are considered exempt, according to the Department of Labor. Read this fact sheet for more information.  
• At TTU, most of our faculty are 9-month faculty, and because of State of Texas regulations, 9-month faculty only accrue sick leave. Only 12-month faculty will accrue and report vacation leave. Read OP 32.11 for TTU's faculty policy on sick leave. 
• A nonexempt employee must report hours worked to be paid. Their pay may fluctuate depending on the number of working hours in the pay period. If a nonexempt employee works over 40 hours in one work week, they would be paid overtime; however, since we are a public, state agency, we utilize comp time.  
• More OPs to reference are OP 70.01 and OP 70.17.

As faculty, do we have formal sick days/bereavement days?

TTU's Sick Leave policy is available at TTU/ HR Home/Employee Benefits/Leave/Sick Leave.

How many paid vacation days am I allowed?

TTU's Vacation Leave policy is available at TTU/HR Home/Employee Benefits/Leave/Vacation Leave.

I used my old address in my I-9/W-4 before I moved and got my TX address, how do I change my address?

• Once you have access to Raiderlink, you should be able to update your address from there by following these steps:
  • Go to Raiderlink, select the Employee tab, and under My Texas Tech Information they have the employee dashboard.
  • 
  • From there, select the 4 square looking symbol, and select Banner to get to this page:
  • 
  • Click on the My Personal Information, and there is a section to update your address, phone number, and emergency contacts if needed.
• Generally, if you use a non-Texas address on the W4, the Employee Service Center will reach out to you directly to update that form for tax purposes, but Raiderlink is the most direct and fastest way to update it.

Salary & Benefits Questions

Use of University Funding

How do I access my start-up funds?

• Questions regarding start-up funds should be addressed to your department chair, area coordinator, or school director. Also, Josie Solis, Assistant Vice President for Research, can assist with questions regarding start-up funds.
• For information on allowable purchases and allowable travel, visit New Faculty Hire Package Guidelines.

How does the funding for graduate assistants work?

Please see the Graduate Student Funding document provided by the TTU Graduate School for more information.

How do I get things like an office computer and printer? What can I expect the university to pay for vs. what should I purchase myself? (i.e., computer, programs, office supplies, printing, safety infrastructure, etc.) 

Please contact your department chair, school director, or area coordinator, as this varies by department. 

Where can I find information about how to purchase supplies, software, process contracts, and other purchases?

• Since there is some variation between units, please contact your department chair, school director, or area coordinator for the department specific process.
• Helpful information is available at Procurement Services and in OP 72: Purchasing, Contracting, and Payables.

What are the processes for conference and travel reimbursement?

• Since there is some variation between units, please contact your department chair, school director, or area coordinator for the department specific process.
• Helpful information is available at Travel Services and in OP 79: Travel.

How do I gain access to and use the travel card?

• Please contact your department chair, school director, or area coordinator.
• Helpful information is available at Travel Services and OP 79.03: Use of the State Travel Card.

Life Questions