THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE Senate Document Number 1488S Date of Senate Approval 1-28-88 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement of Faculty Senate Action: January 28, 1988 PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH OFF-CAMPUS SCHOLARLY ASSIGNMENTS PURPOSE Off-campus scholarly assignments are a means by which UNCA supports continued professional growth for its faculty. Such assignments provide institutional encouragement and support to the faculty in developing, maintaining, and broadening academic and instructional competencies that are valued by the individual faculty member, his or her academic program, and by the university. ELIGIBILITY: 1. All full-time teaching faculty members who have served at UNCA for a minimum of four years are eligible; however, members with tenure will be given preference. 2. No faculty member will normally be eligible to receive an off-campus scholarly assignment more than once every six years. Exceptions may be negotiated for extra-ordinary opportunities which may arise. 3. An off-campus scholarly assignment may be granted for up to one full year. The university will support the recipient with either one semester at full salary or two semesters at one-half salary. The university will also continue to provide paid health and proportional retirement benefits, both pursuant to the current state guidelines. 4. The recipient may elect to count the time in this off- campus assignment toward promotion and tenure, or may defer. The candidate's written proposal should indicate the manner in which the applicant wishes the time to be counted. 5. It is expected that most departments will be able to adjust offerings and assignments to accommodate the off-campus assignment without significantly complicating student programs. In some instances, adjunct faculty funds may be needed to sustain the programs. In all cases, the chairman of the affected department or program director will negotiate in advance with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs the exact level of support for the affected department or program. 6. As a general rule, a faculty member's proposal for an off-campus scholarly assignment must be made at least nine months in advance of the assignment. 7. The faculty member and chairman are strongly encouraged to review the description of "leaves of absence" as _______ ________ described by the Faculty Handbook, to differentiate such leaves from "off-campus scholarly assignments." PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION, APPROVAL, AND ACCOUNTABILITY: 1. Chairmen and program directors should be involved in all phases of developing an off-campus scholarly assignment proposal. Interested faculty members should initiate the process by discussing a proposed project with their chairman. Projects must then be developed as written proposals which involve a detailed statement of the research or other professional development that the applicant expects to undertake. The proposal must also include a section which describes how the faculty member's project is to be evaluated and by whom. 2. The chairman must circulate the proposed project within his or her academic program and must consult with the tenured members of the program concerning the benefits to the applicant's scholarship, to his or her pro- fessional development in teaching, and/or to how the proposal will contribute to the improvement of the academic program and the university. In cases where the chairman has rejected a proposed project, the faculty member may appeal the decision to the VCAA. 3. Once a final draft of the proposal has been accepted and approved by the department chairman, and the time- frame for the off-campus scholarly project identified, the chairman is responsible for arranging all final details of university support with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, after reading the proposal and consulting with the chairman (and in some cases, the faculty member) will approve or deny the applicant's request. The Vice Chancellor will communicate in writing to the faculty member, with a copy to the department chairman, his or her decision. A negative decision must be accompanied by brief but specific reasons for rejecting the application, such as a statement regarding the feasibility of the project, or lack of resources. Rejection of a proposal should include ways in which the proposal might be improved to enhance acceptance in the future. 4. If the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs approves of the off-campus scholarly assignment, a contract for such an assignment will be prepared which will designate the specific conditions and dates for the off-campus scholarly assignment. Where the off-campus assignment requires institutional nomination or approval of the applicant, the Office of the VCAA will be responsible for expediting the process to meet external agency requirements and deadlines. The contract will also require the faculty member to guarantee as one of the conditions for the assignment, that he or she will return to full-time teaching at UNCA for a minimum of one full academic year following the off-campus scholarly assignment. 5. The Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Asheville must grant final approval for all off-campus scholarly assignments. 6. Upon completion of an off-campus scholarly assignment, the recipient must prepare a brief written report describing all professional activities during the period of the assignment, and provide an evaluation of accomplishments. The report, with the chairman's evaluation, or other designated evaluator's comments, must be filed with both the department chairman and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. ____ NOTE: Chairmen who wish to apply for off-campus scholarly assignments should initiate the process with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, but should otherwise follow the general procedures outlined above. LIMITATIONS: 1. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will insure that minorities and women receive an equitable share of off-campus scholarly assignments. 2. Because of normal budgetary limitations, it is assumed that approximately 3% of the total full-time faculty may be allocated off-campus scholarly assignments in any given year. Faculty are encouraged to continue seeking private or federal grant support for fellowships to support additional faculty development, and travel.