Bylaws for the School of Communication Science and Disorders College of Communication & Information
A PDF Version of the Bylaws for the School of Communication Science and Disorders can be found here.
Sunset/Renewal Provision
These bylaws shall cease to apply after the November 2026 faculty meeting unless they are approved again by a ballot vote of a majority of the voting members of the faculty.
Revised: 08/19/21; Approved: 08/23/21
Minor revision: 04/08/2022; Approved 04/08/2022
These are the bylaws for the School of Communication Science and Disorders in the College of Information at Florida State University. These bylaws were last approved on 08/23/2021 and revised on April 8th, 2021 by a majority of the applicable voting members of the department and on June 13th, 2022 by the College and the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement.
I. Bylaws
A. Adherence with Other Governing Documents. At all times, department policy shall adhere to and be consistent with all university policies found in the FSU Constitution, the BOT-UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement (if applicable to the college), the Faculty Handbook, and the Annual Memorandum on the Promotion and Tenure Process issued by the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement.
B. Bylaws Revision. Any of the above operating procedures or specific policy statements referred to in the above may be changed at any time, by a two thirds majority vote of the resident voting faculty. A proposal for change must be circulated for at least one month in advance of voting on the issue.
C. Substantive Change Statement. Faculty and staff members are expected to be familiar with and follow the Florida State University Substantive Change Policy as found on the university web site https://sacs.fsu.edu/substantive-change-policy/
II. Membership and Voting Rights
A. Faculty Membership. a. The faculty of the School of Communication Science & Disorders shall consist of those persons holding full-time, part-time, our courtesy appointments at the rank of Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors), as well as Teacher I, II, & III, Associates in/Assistants in Communication Science & Disorders, and Research I, II & III. Faculty may be working under active assignments, serving on sabbatical, on leave, or retired (with or without emeritus status).
b. Selected faculty (e.g. visiting professors, doctoral level grant personnel) may be invited to meetings at the discretion of the Director, may participate in discussions, and may serve as additional members of various committees at the request of the Director and with their concurrence. However, they will not be voting members.
c. A student representative will be selected annually by the voting faculty to attend meetings as appropriate. The student representative will not be a voting member.
B. Department Membership. In addition to the faculty defined in II.A above, the following are members of the School of Communication Science and Disorders: adjunct instructors and staff.
C. Faculty Voting Rights. Voting membership of the School shall be defined as all persons with academic rank who are responsible to the School for full-time annual appointments and who have been hired through endorsement of the majority of the faculty. This includes tenure-earning positions (Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors), as well as Teacher I, II, & III, Associates in/Assistants in Communication Science & Disorders, and Research I, II & III. The voting membership will henceforth be referred to as the School faculty. a. Voting in response to a call for the question is the preferred procedure for voting within the School. Any faculty member can call for a secret ballot on School issues subsequent to faculty meeting discussions, or subsequent to information dissemination about the issues under vote.
b. A quorum must be present at any meeting where votes are taken. To carry, a motion requires a simple majority vote. A member who participates in discussion but is unable to attend a meeting when the vote is taken may vote by proxy. If in any given semester at least 2/3 of the faculty will not be employed (e.g., summer), provisions must be made the previous semester (when a quorum is present) for the conduct of School business during the semester when a quorum will not be present.
c. Voting members of the School who are on leave, sabbatical, or release time may vote on School issues with the understanding that they make an effort to inform themselves of the issue at hand.
D. Non-faculty Voting Rights. Members of the School as defined in II.B. will have voting rights on any committee to which they are appointed but will not have voting rights outside of those assignments.
III. Department Organization and Governance
A. Faculty Meetings. a. School faculty meetings shall be held at the call of the Director. A minimum of one meeting each fall and spring will be held for all School faculty. If more frequent meetings of the School faculty are planned, a schedule will be posted at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters by the Director. Additional meetings may be scheduled by written request to the Director by three or more faculty members in which casethe date and time of the meeting will be provided at least one week in advance of the meeting.
b. The Director of the School shall be the presiding officer (or in his/her absence, a person designated by the Director) and shall provide an
agenda for the meeting. Faculty members may request in writing that items be included on the agenda. c. Two-thirds of the School faculty shall constitute a quorum. (Members on sabbatical or leave do not count in the quorum.) If a quorum does not exist, the meeting may proceed but no votes may be taken.
d. Any meeting where votes are to be taken must be announced at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. This requirement can be waived provided all faculty members are contacted and agree that the emergency nature of the situation requires such.
e. Minutes of the School meetings are to be recorded and distributed for review to the faculty. Minutes will be corrected and approved at the next meeting and will become part of the School archives.
B. Department Chair Selection. a. The Director shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Dean of the College of Communication and Information for a three year term and is eligible for reappointment for subsequent terms of the same duration. School voting faculty members will respond to requests from the Dean about their preferences for a Director by providing a summary of faculty discussion regarding potential Directors and the result of a faculty vote.
C. Department Leadership and Committees. a. School Leadership In addition to the Director, the School’s leadership team includes the Associate Director, Assistant Director, PhD Program Director, Director of Clinical Education, Director of Audiology Services, and the Master’s Program Coordinators for both Tallahassee Campus and Distance Learning. i. Program Director – The person shall be the chief administrative officer of the School including all laboratories and clinics. The Director shall serve as its principal financial officer, authorizing all regular expenditures, preparing and presenting to the faculty an annual budget and an annual financial report at the end of each fiscal year, redistributing budgets at the end of a fiscal year, and meeting emergencies of all kinds, and in consultation with the appropriate committees will:
1. prepare an annual report for submission to the Dean;
2. submit to the Registrar the schedule of classes for each term;
3. assign annual faculty responsibilities (AORs);
4. make an annual evaluation of the performance of each faculty member after conferring with the faculty evaluation committee;
5. recommend to the Dean annual salary adjustments in light of the peer evaluations made by the faulty evaluation committee;
6. confer regularly with each faculty member with respect to professional goals and development; and
7. conduct all faculty meetings.
8. develop, implement and evaluate the strategic plan.
9. coordinate with the chairs of standing and ad hoc committees to respond to challenges and opportunities facing the School.
10. The Director may appoint or call for the election of a Director of the L.L. Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic and others to assist in the performance of official duties.
11. The Director shall coordinate the academic and laboratory programs of the School, reconciling the conflicting demands of the various programs and allocating resources (assistantships, adjunct appointments, capital outlay, and expense funds) to meet the needs of the School.
12. The Director will serve on the various School committees and oversee the accreditation requirements.
13. The Director shall serve as liaison officer and School representative (or shall designate such representative) to offices and bodies outside the School.
Any three members of the School faculty may at any time initiate a petition asking for a vote of confidence in the Director. When the Dean receives this request, he or she shall submit a secret ballot to the membership of the faculty. Two-thirds of the School faculty shall be required to vote no confidence prior to the expiration of a regular term of three academic years. Whenever this is certified, the Dean shall relieve the Director of administrative duties, appoint an acting Director, and initiate a search for a new Director whose initial appointment shall be for a term of three academic years.
ii. Associate Director – This person shall be appointed by the School Director. The duties of this position shall include but are not limited to: 1. Provide administrative support to the Program Director as needed.
2. Act as Program Director in his/her absence.
3. Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the School’s strategic plan.
4. Advise and support the Director in addressing challenges, opportunities, and other matters to ensure harmonious operations of the School.
5. Serve on the Executive Advisory Group.
iii. Assistant Director – This person shall be hired in compliance with all FSU HR guidelines as outlined for the hiring of an
Administrative and Professional (A&P) position.The dutiesofthis position shall include butare not limited to:
1.Provide administrative support to the Program Director byoverseeing dayto day academicadministrative responsibilities andprocesses.
2.Serve on committees as assigned by the ProgramDirector.
3.Attend and represent the Program Director in internaland external meetings asassigned.
4.Serve on the Executive Advisory Group.
5.Advise and support the Director in addressingchallenges,opportunities, and other matters to ensure harmonious operations of the School.
iv.PhD Program Director–This person shall be appointed by theSchoolDirectorand should be a fulltime, tenured facultymember to be eligible for selection.The duties of this position shall include but are not limited to:
1.Serve as primary recruiter and chair of the DoctoralProgram Committee.
2.Monitor student progress.
3.Act asfaculty advisorfor the doctoral program in general.
4.Serve on the Executive Advisory Group.
v.Director of Clinical Education–Thisperson shall be appointed to the position through the Faculty Recruitment process(see section E). The dutiesof thisposition shall include butare notlimited to:
1.Ensurethat all componentsof clinical education arealignedand in compliancewith ASHA CAA accreditationand certification standards.
2.Monitor student clinical progress.
3.Collaborate with the Clinical Placement Coordinator to facilitate student practicumplacements.
4.Serve on the Executive Advisory Group.
vi.Director of AudiologyServices–This person shallbeappointed to the position through the Faculty Recruitment process (seesection E).The dutiesof thisposition shall include butare notlimited to:
1.Oversee day to day operationsof the audiological services of the L.L. Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic.
2.Treat patients of the L.L. Schendel Speech and HearingClinic.
3.Coordinate outreach efforts to the state and localcommunity on behalfofthe L.L. Schendel Speech andHearing Clinic.
vii. Master’s Program Coordinators (Tallahassee Campus and Distance Learning) – The School Director shall appoint a faculty member to serve as the Master’s Program Coordinator for each of the Tallahassee Campus and Distance Learning programs. The duties of this position shall include but are not limited to: 1. Serve as primary advisor for all master’s students of their assigned program.
2. Monitor student academic progress.
3. Work in conjunction with the Curriculum Committee to implement any curricular changes.
4. Serve on the Executive Advisory Group.
b. Standing Committees: Committee term of service will be August to July (unless otherwise specified.) Each standing committee will address strategic goals and objectives set by the faculty annually and in addition address the following assigned responsibilities:
i. Faculty Evaluation Committee – The School Faculty Evaluation Committee shall consist of the committee Director from the prior year and at least three School faculty elected at large. The committee will include at least three members of the faculty in tenure-track positions of which at least two shall be tenured faculty. Plus, at least one member shall be in a non-tenure-earning position. The committee shall be established in January to serve for the calendar year. No faculty member is eligible to serve on the committee in the year in which he or she plans to seek promotion and/or tenure. The School Director shall appoint one of the elected committee members to serve as Chair of the committee. The committee shall: 1. Provide annual peer evaluations of all School faculty according to School guidelines for such.
2. Make recommendations to the faculty regarding evaluation and merit procedures.
ii. Promotion and Tenure Committee – The School Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be a subcommittee of the faculty evaluation committee and consist of at least three members of the faculty in tenure-track positions of which at least two shall be tenured faculty. The committee shall be established in January to serve for the calendar year. No faculty member is eligible to serve on the committee in the year in which he or she plans to seek promotion and/or tenure. The School Director shall appoint one of the elected committee members to serve as Chair of the committee. The committee shall: 1. Assist candidates for promotion and/or tenure in assembling a binder that conforms to university guidelines and UFF agreements.
2. Consider all faculty members below the rank of tenured full professor for promotion or tenure, or both, each year.
3. Decide by majority vote whether to recommend promotion and/or tenure for each faculty member seeking promotion and/or tenure.
iii. Curriculum Committee – The Curriculum Committee consists of at least four members of the School faculty appointed by the School Director to represent the diversity of curricular areas within the School. In addition, at least two appointed student representatives will serve on this committee. The faculty committee members shall serve for a sequence of three academic years. The School Director will appoint the Chair of the committee. The Committee shall have the following primary functions: 1. Define core curricular requirements for the undergraduate and masters programs in the School.
2. Review present curricula, study needed changes and generate data for faculty consideration, and solicit feedback on proposed changes.
3. Provide input into the scheduling of classes for each semester.
4. Monitor curricular and practicum experiences to ensure that accreditation and certification standards are met.
5. Prepare documents for curricular revision to be submitted to college and university committees.
iv. Doctoral Program Committee – The Doctoral Program Committee is comprised of all School faculty members holding graduate faculty status as granted by Florida State University. The School Director will appoint the Chair of the committee to serve a three-year leadership cycle, commencing in the appropriate Fall Semester. In addition, the School Director will appoint one doctoral student to serve on the committee to participate in committee activities other than applicant and student reviews. The purposes of the committee are to: 1. To review applications and make recommendations for admission to the doctoral program in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
2. Define core curricular requirements for doctoral studies within the School.
3. Define the sequential milestones significant to doctoral studies within the School (e.g., admission standards, curricular requirements, the preliminary examination, the dissertation prospectus, the dissertation defense, and committee composition and role).
4. Develop relevant policy to promote the efficient achievement of the milestones of the doctoral program.
5. Establish, revise, and monitor the School policies concerning doctoral studies and doctoral directive and co-directive status.
v. Graduate Advising Committee – The Graduate Advising Committee is comprised of the Master’s Program Coordinators for Tallahassee Campus and Distance learning, Director of Clinical Education and School Director. The School Director will appoint a Chair for the committee, to serve a three-year leadership cycle, commencing in the appropriate Fall Semester. The purposes of the committee are to: 1. To oversee the advising of students in the master’s program in Communication Science and Disorders.
2. Monitor the attainment of sequential milestones significant to master’s students including curricular requirements, the comprehensive examination, the master’s thesis requirements, and knowledge and skill competencies (e.g., portfolio completion).
3. Ensure that graduate students receive an adequate orientation to the program and that requirements, policies, and procedures are communicated clearly through a graduate student handbook.
4. The Master’s Program Coordinators and Director of Clinical Education will liaison with appropriate faculty as needed to assist with preparation and monitoring of academic and/or clinical support plans when required for students who are on academic probation or when needed for students experiencing difficulties in academic or clinical work.
5. The Master’s Program Coordinators will liaison with the Chair of the Admissions Committee, the Director of Clinical Education, the College of Communication and Information Dean of Student Affairs, and the School Director to coordinate advising activities as needed.
6. The Master’s Program Coordinators will liaison with the Curriculum Committee to ensure compliance with Academic Accreditation requirements and will assist the School Director with reports and applications required by accrediting agencies.
vi. Master’s Admissions Committee – The Admissions Committee shall be comprised of at least three appointed School faculty members. At least one member shall be a clinical faculty member. The committee members shall serve for a sequence of three academic years. The School Director will appoint the Chair of the committee. The responsibilities of the committee are to:
1. Review applications and make recommendations for admission to the master’s level programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
2. Rank order master’s level applicants based on application materials which can include but are not limited to GPA, GRE, resume/curriculum vitae, intent statement, and letters of recommendation.
vii. Admissions Appeals Committee – The Admissions Appeals Committee is mandated by the university to allow students to appeal denial for them to enroll in our undergraduate and graduate programs. Two appointed School faculty members shall serve on this committee and one graduate student. The faculty members on the committee shall appoint the student member. The responsibilities of this committee are to: 1. Review the student’s admissions materials and the process used by the Admissions Committee to make the decision.
2. Provide the student an opportunity to present information that s/he thought that the School Admissions Committee may have overlooked or not considered adequately, and
3. Present the student with recommendations in light of the information in the application materials and the student’s presentation. The committee reports these recommendations to the School Director, the college Dean and the Dean of the Graduate School.
viii. Executive Advisory Group – The Executive Advisory Group is a group of faculty members appointed by the School Director to advise and counsel the Director as needed regarding critical issues within the School. Issues concerning budgets, financial planning, School governance, space utilization, and personnel growth and development are examples. Typically, the Director of Clinical Education, Director of Audiology, the Master’s Program Coordinators, and Chairs of the Curriculum, Doctoral Program, and Admissions committees may be appointees to the group. Appointments and reappointments are made at the beginning of each Fall Semester or upon need throughout the year.
ix. Diversity and Inclusion Committee – The Diversity and Inclusion Committee shall consist of at least two faculty members and at least four students. The School Director shall appoint one of the faculty committee members to serve as Chair of the committee. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. Investigate multicultural issues that may affect the success of our students in the academic environt,
2. Provide orienting and bonding opportunities for undergrads from minority populations,
3. Provide support such as mentoring or tutoring for students with culturally based learning style differences,
4. Disseminate information to students and faculty in our School to enhance overall awareness of multicultural issues,
5. Recruit students from traditionally underrepresented populations.
x. Scholarships, Awards and Honors Committee – The Scholarships, Awards and Honors Committee shall consist of at least three School faculty members appointed by the School Director. The committee members shall serve for a sequence of three academic years. The School Director shall appoint one of the committee members to serve as Chair of the committee. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. Developing guidelines for scholarships, awards, and honors administered through the School.
2. Administration of School procedures including soliciting applications, nominations, and conducting elections when indicated.
3. Solicit nominations and recommendations for available university, local, state and regional scholarships and awards from the general faculty and monitor their submission.
4. Ensure that all scholarships, awards, and honors, are recognized at the annual college awards ceremony and at other appropriate venues.
xi. Student Review Committee – The Student Review Committee consists of at least five members of the School faculty appointed by the School Director to represent the diversity of curricular areas within the School. The faculty committee members shall serve for a sequence of three academic years. The School Director will appoint the Chair of the committee. The Committee shall have the following primary functions: 1. Define procedures for review of student’s progress in the undergraduate and graduate programs.
2. Review cases involving students who are not making adequate progress toward completion of the program.
xii. Space Utilization Committee – The School Space Utilization Committee shall consist of five elected members, four faculty and one staff, with one each from the following general areas: Administration, Adult Labs, Child Labs, Audiology, and Speech clinic. The committee shall be established in January to serve for the calendar year. The School Director shall appoint one of the elected committee members to serve as Chair of the Committee. Committee members shall serve a two year term with a limit of two consecutive terms. The committee shall:
1. Periodically, but not less than thrice annually, review and process all short and long term space requests for all shared spaces, offices, labs, and conference rooms in Warren and Diffenbaugh.
2. Provide mediation for space disputes.
3. Make recommendations to the Director regarding space utilization.
c. Ad Hoc Committees: School ad hoc committees may be established as deemed necessary by the faculty or the Director to conduct the business of the School. Members of these committees may be elected by the faculty or appointed by the School Director.
D. Faculty Senators. The School representative(s) to the Faculty Senate will be elected by the faculty for a term determined by the current university policy in collaboration with the College of Communication and Information bylaws.
E. Faculty Recruitment. The Director is responsible for responding to the Dean’s request for hiring proposals. S/he will solicit the views of all the faculty of the School and take due account of these views in responding to the Dean. Should the Dean authorize the School to hire, the candidates are to be evaluated according to the following procedure: 1) The Director appoints an appropriate search committee including tenure and non-tenure faculty. The committee solicits applicants, reviews the applicant pool and presents the information to the faculty. 2) The decision to interview is made by a majority vote of the ranked faculty of the School. 3) After the completion of the interviews, the faculty will discuss and vote to prioritize applicants to the Dean who makes the final decision to recommend to the University for hiring. 4) In the case of a new incoming faculty member who wishes to be appointed with tenure, the decisions about whether to recommend that the university make the appointment and grant tenure are made by majority vote of the full faculty (tenured associate professors vote even in the case of the appointment of a full professor).
F. Unit Reorganization. The Director, in consultation with the Executive Advisory Group and the Dean and in compliance with FSU policies, may reorganize the School to maximize the organizational effectiveness, governance structure, and strategic direction of the School. The Director will discuss substantive changes to the organizational structure of the unit with the Executive Advisory Group. The Director may seek additional input from members of other standing committees. If the Director determines that the reorganization is feasible, desirable, and appropriate, the Director may take necessary steps to reorganize the unit.
IV. Curriculum. Curriculum modifications are generated, reviewed, and suggested by members of the Curriculum Committee. Refer to section III.C.b.iii.
V. Annual Evaluation of Faculty on Performance and Merit
A. Peer Involvement in Annual Performance and Merit Evaluation. Each faculty member’s performance will be evaluated relative to his or her assigned duties. Each faculty member’s performance will be rated annually using the following university rating scale:
Exceeds High Expectations
Meets High Expectations
Official Concern
Does Not Meet High Expectations
i. Each faculty member prepares documentation in February of each year covering activities in the areas of teaching, research and service (and, where appropriate, administration) undertaken during the preceding calendar year according to university policy for submission to the Faculty Evaluation Committee (FEC) and the Director.
ii. Annual Faculty Evaluation. Each faculty member other than the Director (who is evaluated by the Dean) will be evaluated annually by the Director, who will be advised in this by the FEC (members of the FEC will give advice on other members but not on themselves). The results of this evaluation are used as the basis for merit pay increase recommendations (see ‘Merit Pay Increases’ below) and the ‘Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary’. This summary is filled out by the Director and discussed with the faculty member in accordance with university policy. It is then submitted to the Dean and becomes a part of the faculty member’s permanent file.
iii. The evaluation will be conducted prior to the end of the spring semester, after the review by the FEC, and will be based upon performance over the prior calendar year (January 1st to December 31st). Research, service and teaching will be evaluated separately, and their relative contributions to the overall assessment will be weighted in accord with the faculty member’s assignment of responsibilities. Teaching will be evaluated as detailed under ‘Teaching Evaluation’ below. Research will be evaluated in accord with the current standards in the profession. Service will be evaluated in accord with the degree and efficacy of performance.
iv. Annual Letters pertaining to progress toward promotion and/or tenure. Each April, the Director, in consultation with the FEC, writes letters (which are to be included with the annual evaluation summary) apprising all faculty below the rank of full professor of their progress toward promotion and/or tenure. In the case of untenured tenure-track assistant professors, a particularly thorough second and fourth year or third year review is also conducted. v. Merit Pay Increases. The Director has the responsibility of advising the Dean concerning merit pay increases for members of the School. This advice will be based upon the following procedure. The Director, in consultation with the FEC, will first assemble a rank ordering of the faculty by reference to the overall assessment discussed under ‘Annual Faculty Evaluation’ and then follow this ranking in determining the advice forwarded to the Dean.
B. Criteria for Evaluation of Tenure-track Faculty. Refer to Appendix IV.
C. Criteria for Evaluation of Specialized Faculty. Refer to Appendix IV.
VI. Promotion and Tenure
A. Progress Toward Promotion Letter. Each year, every faculty member who is not yet at the highest rank for their position will receive a letter that outlines progress toward promotion and/or tenure. Each April, the Director, in consultation with the FEC, writes letters (which are to be included with the annual evaluation summary) apprising all faculty below the rank of full professor of their progress toward promotion and/or tenure. In the case of untenured tenure-track assistant professors, a particularly thorough second and fourth year or third year review is also conducted.
B. Third Year Review for Tenure-track Faculty. Tenure-track faculty in their third year of service will receive an evaluation of their progress in meeting the department’s expectations for promotion and tenure.
C. Peer Involvement in Evaluation of Promotion and Tenure of Faculty. Please refer to 3.C.b.i.
D. Criteria for Promotion and Tenure of Tenure-track Faculty. Refer to Appendix II.
E. Criteria for Promotion of Specialized Faculty. Refer to Appendix III.
Appendix
Appendix I
Additional School Procedures
1. Assignment of Faculty Responsibilities – An annual assignment of responsibilities is required by the university. These written assignments are agreed upon between the Director and the individual concerned and include assignments in teaching, research, and service. Evaluation of the faculty member will be made on the basis of these mutually agreed upon assignments. Changes in the assigned responsibilities may be made if School or university needs arise. Such changes will be made only after consultation with faculty member and Director and such changes will be made a matter of written record for the purpose of evaluation
2. Faculty Mentor – Each untenured tenure-track faculty member will be assigned a faculty mentor who will provide guidance concerning research, teaching, and service responsibilities. This may involve assistance in the development and funding of a program of research and guidance in course preparation and classroom delivery. Mentors may also serve as a peer evaluator when needed. New clinical faculty will be assigned a mentor to assist them in clinical supervisor and instructor roles. New adjunct faculty will also be provided with a mentor for guidance and support with teaching.
3. Teaching Load – The normal teaching load in the School for a ranked faculty member actively engaged in research and service is three to four courses per year. The Director, in consultation with a faculty member, may alter this normal assignment in recognition of special circumstances. The teaching loads of non-ranked faculty are to be determined by the Director on a case-by-case basis.
4. Assignment of Supplemental Summer Appointments – The Director shall be responsible for making supplemental summer appointments. In accordance with university policy, by April 1 the Director will request members of the School to notify him/her in writing if they are interested in receiving a supplemental summer appointment and give a list of course preferences. The needs of students will be prioritized in making decisions about summer appointments. Financial resources and curricular concerns will also be considered. Priority will further be given to faculty who have requested supplemental appointments in previous years but who have not received one – the greater the number of years, the greater the priority.
5. Academic Policies – With respect to such matters as grading practices, posting and keeping of office hours, and the University Honor Code, etc., the School follows those procedures as stated in the Florida State University Faculty Handbook.
Appendix II.
Criteria for Promotion and Tenure of Tenure Track Faculty
The School of Communication Science and Disorders expects every successful candidate to demonstrate a substantial commitment to both quality and quantity in teaching, research/creative activities, and public service. Promotion decisions shall be a result of meritorious performance and shall be based upon established criteria specified in writing.
The process of earning tenure generally lasts six years, during which the candidate’s teaching, research, and service are evaluated by faculty peers. Annual evaluations are required and a careful and detailed evaluation will occur at the end of the second and fourth years, specifically to serve as the basis for advice to the candidate on the progress being made toward a positive tenure evaluation. At any time during the six-year probationary period, the individual can be notified, with specific advance notice, without cause, that his/her contract will not be renewed. Consistent with the Florida State University Faculty Handbook and Collective Bargaining Agreement, promotion decisions are not merely a totaling of a faculty member’s annual performance evaluations. Rather, the university, through its faculty and administrators, assesses the candidate’s potential for growth and scholarly contribution as well as past meritorious performance.
Listed below are School criteria for evaluating (1) teaching, (2) research/creative activity, and (3) service. However, it is the intent of the faculty that decisions relative to job performance, merit, promotion, and/or tenure reflect the annual assignments of each faculty member.
General School criteria for Promotion and/or Tenure are based on the following:
Teaching Criteria
Candidates should contribute to improving educational outcomes of students in the School and the professional fields. Six categories are suggested for evaluating a faculty member’s teaching.
1. Student teaching evaluations. For junior faculty members these ratings should compare favorably to the School mean for similar courses as the faculty member approaches tenure/promotion.
2. Evaluation of the teaching statement and materials provided by the faculty member.
3. The faculty member’s record of individual mentoring of students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
4. Evidence of teaching scholarship. Examples of this would include personal preparation grants, articles published and refereed publications focused on teaching, and development of teaching materials.
5. Teaching awards.
Research/Creative Activity Criteria
The faculty member is expected to contribute to the intellectual and scholarly vitality of the School and the field. Each faculty member should engage in sustained conduct of meritorious, independent, and original research or scholarship that makes a significant contribution to new knowledge. This research should result in a record of sustained publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals in the individual’s area of endeavor. Quality rather than merely quantity of publications is important. In addition, the School of Communication Science and Disorders recognizes the critical importance of collaboration in research and scholarly activity; that is, the contributions of middle authors in multi-authored publications often represent high quality work. Thus, the specific contributions of the faculty member must be clearly specified for multi-authored publications.
By the time of tenure review or promotion, the faculty member should have completed and made available publications that represent research, scholarship, or other original contributions of such high quality as to gain favorable recognition within her/his discipline at the national level. Such recognition usually will be based on the unique and creative nature of the candidate’s contributions.
The faculty member is expected to contribute products that represent research and creative output. The rate of productivity is expected to increase from the Assistant Professor to the Associate Professor level. To be promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with Tenure the typical expectation would be an annual average of 1.5 high-quality products per year. To be promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor requires sustained production of high-quality research products with an increased number of the products in high-impact publications. The faculty member should exhibit leadership in research efforts by being a senior author of a significant proportion of the independent or collaborative publications and/or creative products. Ultimately, research contributions need to be evaluated in terms of quality and impact. This evaluation will include recognition of the different audiences for scholarly products. Publications in scientific journals would be considered to have greater impact in one’s field than publications in professional practice journals or books.
Service Criteria
Service to the School, college, university, and the community is expected commensurate with the faculty member’s assignment. Evidence of such service should be compiled and evaluated as part of the annual review process. The faculty member also should submit evidence of service to professional organizations and groups.
Annual Evaluations
Annual evaluation should be submitted as part of the review and should include independent peer evaluations and Director evaluations. Faculty members who have a less than ‘Meets FSU High Expectations’ annual evaluation for any year in the evaluation period should attach a written explanation.
Additional Criteria and Procedures:
1. Recommendation for Promotion to Assistant Professor–No requirements beyond those stated above and those stated in the FSU Faculty Handbook.
2. Recommendation for Promotion to Associate Professor–Particular emphasis is placed on development of research skills and publication in appropriate research journals or the development of other creative skills if the faculty member is using creative development time for other pursuits. Recommendations shall be based on the materials presented in the faculty member’s binder that will be prepared by the Faculty Evaluation Committee with the assistance of the candidate and School Director in accordance with university procedures. The candidate must receive a simple majority vote of the School tenured faculty.
3. Recommendation for Promotion to Professor—The candidate should show evidence of national visibility in area of expertise. This can include publication of journal articles, acquisition of external funding, publication of books, development of assessment and therapy materials, or other similar evidence that matches the faculty member’s academic assignment. Also, the candidate should show evidence of participation in and direction of theses and dissertations and graduate education. Recommendations shall be based on the materials presented in the faculty member’s binder that shall be prepared by the Faculty Evaluation Committee with the assistance of the candidate and School Director in accordance with university procedures. The candidate must receive a simple majority vote of the School tenured faculty.
4. Recommendation for Award of Tenure –The candidate must receive a simple majority vote of the School tenured faculty.
5. Promotion Procedures – The tenured faculty shall act as the School Promotion and Tenure Committee for voting on the promotion and tenure decisions of all tenure-track faculty. After the vote by the tenured faculty, the School Director shall write a letter of recommendation based on material in the binder and the vote of the tenured faculty. The tenure and/or promotion candidate shall then have five working days to review the binder and sign the cover sheet before it is forwarded to the College of Communication and Information Promotion and Tenure Committee. If the candidate wishes to write a response to any items in the binder, this response is to be written during the five days before the candidate signs the cover sheet of the binder. Once the candidate signs the binder it will be complete.
These criteria are to be applied in concert with the following University criteria for promotion outlined in the Faculty Handbook and the Collective Bargaining Agreement:
1. Promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor shall be based on recognition of demonstrated competency in teaching, service, and promise of scholarly development. Promotion shall be considered automatic upon completion of the doctorate, but full documentation for promotion of faculty member receiving doctorate shall be submitted with other promotion nominations.
2. Promotion to rank of Associate Professor shall be based on recognition of demonstrated effectiveness in teaching, service, definite scholarly or creative accomplishments, and recognized standing in the discipline and profession.
3. 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 three letters from competent scholars outside the University.
4. Although the period of time in a given rank is normally five or six years, demonstrated merit, not years of service, shall be the guiding factor. Promotion shall not be automatic, nor may it be regarded as guaranteed upon completion of a given term of service. Early promotion is possible where there is sufficient justification.
5. The criteria for awarding tenure shall be 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.
The decision to award tenure shall be a result of meritorious performance and shall be based on established criteria specified in writing. The decision shall take into account the following:
1. annual performance evaluations;
2. the needs of the School/unit, college/unit, and university;
3. the contributions of the faculty member to the academic unit; and
4. the contributions the faculty member is expected to make to the institution.
Appendix III.
Criteria for Promotion of Specialized Faculty
This document outlines specific criteria that the School of Communication Science and Disorders (SCSD) Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee will apply to candidates for non-tenure track promotion. These criteria are consistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, FSU’s Faculty Handbook, and FSU’s minimum requirements for non-tenure track faculty promotion and policies for non-tenure track promotion. They serve both as a guide for the candidate as (s)he works toward promotion and as a standard of evaluation for members of the School P&T committee.
Criteria for Promotion to Teaching Faculty II in the School of Communication Science and Disorders
1. General 1. Master’s degree and five (5) years at the “Teaching Faculty I” rank2. Recognition of demonstrated effectiveness in teaching and service.
2. Teaching and Student Committees
3. Evidence of established and consistently strong performance in teaching, as assessed through student and peer evaluations. More specifically, student evaluations of teaching should indicate:
4. A median score of four or above on Item 13 “Overall Assessment of Instructor” of the SPOT evaluation form for the candidate in nearly every class taught during the three years immediately preceding candidacy for promotion.
5. A median score falling on the positive end of the scale for nearly all other instruction-related items on the state-required SPOT measure, ,for the candidate in nearly every class taught during the three years immediately preceding candidacy for promotion.
6. Evidence of steady (or improving, as the case may be) SPOT ratings over the three years immediately preceding candidacy for promotion. Improvement is particularly expected in classes taught multiple times.
And/or
1. Evidence of positive feedback and comments on the SCSD-based Clinical Educator Evaluation Form.
2. Evidence that the candidate’s courses are of appropriate intellectual rigor and demand, as assessed through syllabi, evaluations of student performance, and other course materials.
3. Service
4. Candidates are expected to have demonstrated an active, constructive role in their unit’s service.
Evidence of service might include contributions to the college, university and academic profession through membership on committees, or leadership in student activities.
Criteria for Promotion to Teaching Faculty III in the School of Communication Science and Disorders
1. General 1. Ph.D. (or terminal degree) or five (5) years’ experience at the “Teaching Faculty II” rank.
2. Recognition of superior teaching and service.
3. Teaching and Student Committees
4. Evidence of established and consistently strong performance in teaching, as assessed through student and peer evaluations. More specifically, student evaluations of teaching should indicate:
5. A median score of four or more on Item 13 “Overall Assessment of Instructor” of the SPOT evaluation form for the candidate in nearly every class taught during the three years immediately preceding candidacy for promotion.
6. A median score falling on the positive end of the scale for nearly all other instruction-related items on the state-required SPOT measure, for the candidate in nearly every class taught during the three years immediately preceding candidacy for promotion.
7. Evidence of steady (or improving, as the case may be) SPOT ratings over the three years immediately preceding candidacy for promotion. Improvement is particularly expected in classes taught multiple times.
And/or
1. Evidence of positive feedback and comments on the SCSD-based Clinical Educator Evaluation Form.
2. Evidence that the candidate’s courses are of appropriate intellectual rigor and demand, as assessed through syllabi, evaluations of student performance, and other course materials.
3. Service 1. Candidates are expected to have demonstrated an active, leadership role in service in their discipline/profession and at School, college and/or university level.
2. Evidence of service might include contributions to the School, college, and/or university through mentoring and leadership on committees, or in leadership in student activities.
Criteria for Promotion to Research Faculty II in the School of Communication Science and Disorders
1. General 1. Master’s degree and five (5) years at the “Research Faculty I” rank.
2. Recognition of demonstrated effectiveness in research and service.
2. Research 1. Scholarly accomplishments of high quality, as attested to by internal letters from FSU collaborators.
2. Dissemination of research results in high quality research journals and conferences.
3. Service
1. Candidates are expected to have demonstrated an active, constructive role in their unit’s service.
2. Evidence of service might include contributions to the college, university and academic profession through membership on committees, or leadership in student activities.
Criteria for Promotion to Research III in the School of Communication Science and Disorders
1. General 1. Ph.D. (or terminal degree) or five (5) years’ experience at the “Research Faculty II” rank.
2. Recognition of superior research and service.
2. Research 1. Recognized standing in the discipline and profession, as attested to by letters from scholars outside the university
2. Success in obtaining and/or participating in external funding, as principal investigator or co-investigator.
3. Service 1. Candidates are expected to have demonstrated an active, leadership role in service in their discipline/profession and at School, college and/or university level.
2. Evidence of service might include contributions to the School, college, and/or university through mentoring and leadership on committees, or in leadership in student activities.
Appendix IV
Faculty Evaluation Rubrics
See below.