Applied Professional Studies Department Handbook

Mission of the Department of Applied Professional Studies

Our mission is to integrate excellence in instruction, relevant faculty scholarship, and proactive community service to prepare students from differing backgrounds to be successful, ethical, and globally aware professionals.

We accomplish this mission by:

• Providing students with high quality educational opportunities by engaging them with faculty, local business, regional community, and university organizations.
• Continuously improving the curriculum through ongoing outcomes assessments and innovative courses.
• Supporting scholarly, professional, and pedagogical research that sustains intellectual vitality and enriches student learning.
• Considering scholarly investigations and creative activities as an integral part of the instruction, providing opportunities to students for active learning through practicum, research, and internship.
• Providing the region, university, and broader professional community with the expertise that further strengthens the academic currency of the faculty, and that adds value to these communities.
• Through active involvement in general education and interaction with cross-discipline course work, our programs embody students with life skills that help them become productive citizens and professionals.

CONTENTS

PART ONE: Introduction

PART TWO: Administration

1. Department Structure
2. Department Meetings
3. Scheduling of Classes and Teaching Assignments
4. Advising
5. Department Objectives
6. Committees
7. Procedures for Department Chair’s Designation
8. Amendments to Department Handbook

PART THREE: Other Faculty Responsibilities

1. Faculty Mentor
2. Student Evaluation of Teaching
3. Office Hours
4. Timely Submission of Reports

PART FOUR: Faculty Evaluation Criteria and Procedures

1. Faculty Evaluations for Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure
2. DSI/DSA Distribution

Appendix 1: DSI/DSA Review Form

PART ONE: Introduction

This Department Handbook establishes a structure for faculty governance within the Department of Applied Professional Studies. The Handbook conforms to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of New York and United University Professions, the Policies of the SUNY Board of Trustees, and the provisions of the Fredonia Handbook on Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion (HARP). In some cases this Department Handbook clarifies and refines the procedures set out in HARP.

Since governance must remain responsive to changing conditions within the Department, a process for Handbook revision is an integral part of this document. Both faculty and the chair shall have the power to initiate the revision process.

PART TWO: Administration

1. Department Structure:
   1. Chair:
      The chair of the Department is its unit head. The chair is designated in accordance with this handbook, appointed by the Dean, and facilitates the policies of the Department and the University.
   2. Program Coordinator(s):
      The chair, in consultation with the faculty, may select program coordinators as deemed appropriate to aid in the effective administration of Department programs. Coordinators shall serve at the pleasure of the chair with respect to term and duties.
   3. Personnel Committee:
      The function of the Department Personnel Committee (DPC) is to review full-time candidates for appointment, reappointment, continuing appointment, promotion, and discretionary salary increases (DSI/DSA); and make recommendations to the Department chair based on its review.
      1. The committee shall comply with the requirements of the Fredonia Handbook on Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion (HARP) concerning the committee’s composition, chair, review of materials, ballots, and recommendations.
      2. If there are fewer than three tenured faculty in the department, excluding the chair, additional members of DPC will be selected among the tenured faculty of the School of Business. The Department chair will propose the committee composition to the Dean no later than the end of the second week of classes of the Fall semester. The DPC members will complete their evaluations following HARP regulations.
      3. For DSI/DDA or promotion consideration, the faculty under consideration will not participate in deliberations or recommendations concerning their applications.
      4. Adjunct faculty members shall be reviewed by the Department chair and possibly by his/her designee(s) in the manner specified in HARP.
   4. Other Standing Committees:
      At the beginning of each academic year, the Department chair shall present the makeup of the department standing committees/coordinators to the Department faculty for an endorsement by vote. (See for details Part Two, Section 6.)
   5. Ad-Hoc Committees:
      Such committees as are necessary may be formed by the chair to solicit faculty advice on policy matters.
      
      
2. Department Meetings:
   1. Department meetings shall be scheduled by the chair as needed in order to explore matters of policy that are in need of resolution. After consultation with the faculty, the chair shall set the agenda for faculty meetings and distribute the agenda no less than 72 hours before the meeting. However, a two-thirds vote by the faculty members present, given the existence of a quorum, is sufficient to add an item to the agenda.
   2. Individual faculty members may request that a matter be made an agenda item any time prior to the publication of the agenda. Such a timely request must be honored.
   3. Individual faculty members may request that the chair schedule a Department meeting. Such a request must be honored in a timely fashion.
   4. Roberts Rules of Order shall govern proceedings at all faculty meetings.
   5. Only full-time faculty members may vote at Department meetings. The Department chair is also a voting member.
   6. Quorum for Department meetings is 50% of the faculty members eligible to vote.
   7. Electronic means of communication may be substituted by a faculty member for physical presence at Department meetings. Electronic presence shall count toward a quorum.
   8. The Department chair shall make provision for the taking minutes of the meetings.
   9. Guests may attend the meetings with the consent of the chair.
      
      
3. Scheduling of Classes and Teaching Assignments:
   1. Academic Year:
      Scheduling shall be carried out by the chair in consultation with the faculty. The chair shall determine the final schedule, balancing faculty desires with student needs, staffing limitations, the educational goals of the Department, and University Policies.
   2. Summer, J-Term, and Overload Assignments:
      Summer, J-Term, and academic year overload courses shall be assigned by the chair following the guidelines set by the University. The chair shall solicit volunteers for such assignments from the Department faculty through prior announcement of the proposed course(s). The final decision shall be made by the chair, reflecting University and Department needs and the match between course and faculty member.
      
      
4. Advising:
   Assignment of students to faculty members for the purpose of advisement shall be guided by the following criteria:
   1. Appropriate numbers of advisees shall be assigned to each faculty member with every effort toward making the advising load equitable.
   2. To the degree possible, within the constraint of criterion A, a faculty member shall be assigned advisees majoring in his/her own functional area.
      
      
5. Department Objectives:
   The chair shall prepare, in consultation with the faculty, a statement in writing of the short and long-term Department objectives. This statement shall be an agenda item at the first Department meeting of the academic year.
   
   
6. Department Committees:
   The main department committees and their charge are listed below:
   1. Department Personnel Committee
      Charge: as per HARP
   2. Music Industry Program Committee
      Charge: MI curriculum structure and revisions; catalog revision; track sheets; recruitment materials; promotion; assessment
   3. Sport Management Program Committee
      Charge: MI curriculum structure and revisions; catalog revision; track sheets; recruitment materials; promotion; assessment
   4. Search Committee (if there is a search for faculty/staff positions)
      Charge: Conducting faculty/staff searches
   5. Mentor Sport Management Student Club
      Charge: Working with the club; organizing activities
   6. Mentor Music Industry Student Club
      Charge: Working with the club; organizing activities
   7. Publications Committee
      Charge: Maintaining the web site, preparing the newsletters, preparing brochures for marketing the programs
   8. Library Acquisition Committee
      Charge: Preparing library acquisitions request
   9. Department Senator
      Charge: Representing the Department at the Senate. Informing the department about matters discussed at the Senate. Preparing reports.
   Other committees may be formed, if necessary.
   
   
7. Procedures for Department Chair Designation:
   1. SUNY Board of Trustees Guidelines
      “TITLE C. CHAIRS OF DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS
      § 1. Designation.  The members of the academic staff of each college in charge of the departments or divisions of such college shall be designated as chairs of such departments or division, which designations shall be in addition to their academic rank.
      § 2. Terms.  Chairs of departments or divisions of colleges shall be designated and re-designated by the college chief administrative officer after consultation with appropriate faculty including the department or division concerned.  Such designation shall be for any period up to three years, and renewable; provided, however, that the college chief administrative officer may relieve a designee of duties as chair at any time.
      § 3. Termination of Appointment as Chair.  If the chair of a department or division of a college is relieved of duties as chair, that academic staff member shall retain such rights and privileges as he or she may have by virtue of academic rank.
      §4. Responsibilities.  The chairs of departments and divisions of a college shall, in consultation with their respective faculties, be responsible to the chief administrative officer of the college for the supervision of the personnel and educational program of the departments or divisions for which they serve.  They shall have such other powers, duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the chief administrative officer of the college.”
      The procedures, therefore, govern the process of faculty consultation.
      
   2. Timeline
      The timeline is set by the Fredonia Academic Calendar.
   3. Terms
      1. “Chair” is the Chair of the Department of Applied Professional Studies.
      2. “Faculty” are all full-time faculty.
      3. “Dean” is the current Dean of the School of Business.
   4. Procedure
      1. Before the set deadline for the beginning of Department’s review of Chair (re)appointment, the Dean will consult with the current chair to determine whether he/she wants to continue their service as chair for one more term.
      2. If the current chair wishes to continue serving in this position:
         1. The Dean informs all department faculty that the current chair is willing to continue and invites other nominations or self-nominations in writing to him/her.  The faculty are given at least three days for nominations.  The chair may write a report of his/her accomplishments in their last term.
         2. The Dean announces the nominees and asks them to write a statement.  The statements are distributed to the faculty.  The nominees are given at least three days to write their statement.
         3. The Dean invites the department faculty to send him/her confidential input about all nominees.  The faculty are given at least a week to submit input.
         4. During this week, the faculty may organize a department meeting presided over by the most senior faculty in UUP terms, excluding the faculty running for the position.  The Dean may be invited to this meeting.  At the meeting, the candidates for the position are invited to attend and are privately asked the same set of questions related to department business.  They are given the same amount of time to answer.
         5. The faculty are invited by the Dean to cast a secret, anonymous vote.  The ballots are collected in a sealed box by the Dean’s secretary.  The nominees are allowed to vote.  Faculty who are unable to vote in person on campus may cast their vote by sending the ballot by e-mail. After balloting is complete, the Dean and the secretary count the votes and announce to the department who has a majority or if there is a tie.  The actual count is not announced.
         6. The Dean announces to the department his/her recommendation for the position.
      3. If the chair does not want to continue his/her service for one more term:
         1. The chair invites nominations or self-nominations in writing.  The faculty are given at least three days for nominations.
         2. The chair announces the nominees and asks them to write a statement.  The statements are distributed to the faculty and the Dean.  The nominees are given at least three days to write their statement.
         3. The Dean invites the faculty to send her/her confidential input about all nominees.  The faculty are given at least a week to submit input.    
         4. During this week, the faculty may organize a department meeting presided over by the current chair, excluding the faculty running for the position.  The Dean may be invited to this meeting.  At the meeting, the candidates for the position are invited to attend and are privately asked the same set of questions related to department business.  They are given the same amount of time to answer.
         5. The faculty are invited by the Chair to cast a secret, anonymous vote.  The ballots are collected in a sealed box by the department secretary.  Faculty who are unable to vote in person on campus may cast their vote by sending the ballot by e-mail.   The nominees are allowed to vote.  After balloting is complete, the Chair and the secretary count the votes and announce to the department who has a majority or it there is a tie.  The actual count is not announced.
         6. The Dean announces to the department his/her recommendation for the position.
   5. Additional remarks
      If the chair becomes temporarily unavailable to perform his/her chair’s duties due to illness, leave, or other reasons, the Dean will appoint a temporary chair to perform these duties.  If there are no faculty members that are willing to serve or deemed appropriate, an external chair shall be appointed either from Fredonia or as new incoming faculty.
      
      
8. Amendments to Department Handbook:
   Any faculty member or the chair may propose additions, deletions or changes to the Department Handbook by including such proposals as agenda items for a Department meeting. All such proposals must be formed in advance of the meeting and the language stated as part of the agenda. Approval of such proposals requires a two-thirds vote in the affirmative. 

PART THREE: Other Faculty Responsibilities

1. Faculty Mentor:
   The chair will appoint each first-year faculty member a senior faculty mentor who will advise him or her concerning Department and University policies.
2. Student Evaluation of Teaching:
   1. Student evaluation of teaching has a dual purpose:
      1. to provide a faculty member with feedback from the students on teaching technique, so the faculty member can assess and improve effectiveness; and,
      2. to provide information useful in reappointment, promotion, and continuing appointment decisions. 
   2. Near the end of each semester, before the final examination period, a student evaluation of teaching effectiveness shall be conducted for each course by the University.
3. Office Hours:
   Each faculty member shall post and maintain office hours that are in accordance with the University policy.
4. Timely Submission of Reports:
   1. Each faculty member shall file midterm and final grades by the deadlines established by the University’s registrar.
   2. Each faculty member shall annually update their professional accomplishments contained in the Digital Measures Database by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar. This data is the source for individual and Department annual reports.

PART FOUR: Faculty Evaluation Criteria and Procedures 

1. Faculty Evaluations for Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure
   The following evaluation criteria are considered as appropriate by the Department.
   
   
   1. Meritorious Performance
      Meritorious performance in instruction requires all of the following: 
      • The faculty member is judged to have pursued the general and specific course objectives established by the Department Faculty as a whole as appropriate for the courses instructed.
      • The faculty member is judged to have diligently attended to his/her courses, and is judged to have offered students an appropriate and professional level of out-of-class assistance.
      • The faculty member’s student evaluations are judged as being at least meritorious for the courses instructed. It is recognized that student evaluations should differ according to the level of the course, whether it is a course for only students within a particular major, and also according to the designed content of the course. The Chair and Personnel Committee will consider these factors. In addition, to achieve some semblance of uniformity, student evaluations should be collected only during the last week of classes for each course.
      Meritorious performance inintellectual contributions requires the following:
      • The faculty member maintains academic or professional qualification through intellectual contributions and other professional activities. Intellectual contributions may be cited by year of acceptance or year of publication, but not both.
      Meritorious performance inservice requires both of the following:
      • At least one professional service activity that is external to the University is performed annually. Examples include serving as discussant at an academic or professional meeting that is nationally or regionally recognized, serving as reviewer for a journal, serving as a member of a doctoral committee, providing professional consultation and direction for an outside organization, or serving on a SUNY-wide committee.
      • The faculty member has performed diligently and professionally on all appointed and elected Department, School of Business and/or University Committees.
        
        
   2. Exemplary Performance
      To be classified as exemplary in any one of the evaluation areas, the faculty member must be found to be at least meritorious in that area, and to have performed some of the activities listed below. The number required, and/or combination of activities required for this classification, are left to the discretion of the Chair and the recommendation of the Personnel Committee. In addition, the activities listed below do not exhaust the possibilities that might lead to a classification as exemplary. Faculty members are invited to submit reviews of activities that they believe warrant this classification. Although there is no set formula that automatically admits faculty to being judged as achieving the exemplary classification, faculty who achieve multiple combinations of the activity lists presented here are more likely to be so classified.
      
      Exemplary performance activities in instruction include the following:
      • The faculty member designed and instructed a course that is new to the curriculum.
      • The faculty member played a substantial role in design and development of a new curriculum for an option, or a substantial redesign of an existing curriculum for which he/she had significant course revisions.
      • The faculty member has more course preparations than the average for the Department.
      • The faculty member has significantly more students than the Department average.
      • The faculty member has significantly more advisees than the Department average.
      • The faculty member coauthored a research paper with a student that led to a professional/academic presentation or publication.
      • The faculty member receives a SUNY - Fredonia recognized award for outstanding performance in instruction.
      Exemplary performance activities in scholarship include the following:
      1. The faculty member published a refereed article in an exemplary journal during the evaluation year. An exemplary journal is defined as any academic double-blind-refereed research journal or prestigious nationally recognized professional journal. For DSI/DSA purposes, these intellectual contributions will be cited by year of publication, and not by year of acceptance. For continuation, or promotion and tenure consideration, however, the year of acceptance may also be cited.
      2. A faculty member may also cite journal publications that they consider to be in particularly distinguished journals, i.e. those that are recognized as being among the leading research journals in their business-subject areas. The Personnel Committee will consider these for particular recommendation to the Department Chair.
      3. The faculty member presented a presentation at an exemplary conference during the evaluation year or previous year.  These presentations are defined as being at the leading national double-blind peer-reviewed academic conferences, or the prestigious nationally recognized professional conferences, in business. The Personnel Committee and Department Chair will maintain a list of these nationally prestigious conferences.
      4. The faculty member won an award from a prestigious national level peer-reviewed conference or publication deemed worthy by the Personnel Committee.
      5. The faculty member authored a text published by a reputable nationally-recognized publisher during either the evaluation year or previous year, and that is adopted at another university.
      Exemplary performance activities in service include the following:
      • The faculty member demonstrates truly effective academic leadership in committee service to the Department or University.
      • The faculty member demonstrates truly effective leadership in professional service external to the University. Examples are serving as track chair for an annual regional organizational meeting or serving as officer in a regional organization.
      • The faculty member is elected, either during the evaluation year or previous year, to an upper-level office in a nationally recognized academic or professional organization. The organization must be germane to the instructor’s academic subject.
      • The faculty member is the editor of a reputable academic journal in the subject area of instruction.
      • The faculty member has a leading role at the Senate.
        
        
   3. Preparation of Materials for Annual Evaluations
      Faculty members are responsible for presenting the necessary objective evidence of performance. This material must be presented to the faculty’s Department chair by the deadline date. During the second week of the academic year, the Chair of the Personnel Committee will communicate this deadline date to the Faculty.
      
      The materials required for these evaluations cover the academic year which ends each July. Annual evaluation materials must include a listing of courses instructed, course portfolios for each preparation instructed during the year, a full listing of all intellectual contributions and copies of each if not already on file in the Chair’s Office, and a listing of all service performed with brief text explanations of any distinguished leadership roles fulfilled. The form of the materials presented must follow the outline described in the HARP.
      
      
   4. Promotion and Tenure Considerations
      In consideration of promotion and tenure applications, the Personnel Committee should consider the above listed meritorious and exemplary activities. As a necessary, but not sufficient condition for a positive tenure recommendation, the Department expects a consistent record of classification of at least meritorious in instruction and service, and at least some achievement of exemplary activities in each. For intellectual contributions, the Department expects at least 2 refereed journal articles for a positive tenure recommendation. The quality of journal articles and other publications will also be considered. In addition, the candidate must maintain academic or professional qualifications during the evaluation period. 
      
      For the Department to recommend promotion to Associate Professor, the Faculty member is expected to achieve a consistent level of at least meritorious in all three areas for each of the previous 5 academic years.[1] In addition, the faculty member must maintain either academic or professional qualifications for the entire 5 year period. Also, the faculty member will achieve exemplary activities in each of the 3 evaluation areas for at least 3 of the 5 previous academic years, although not necessarily simultaneously in each of these 3 years.
      
      For recommendation for Full Professor, it is expected that the Faculty member must not only achieve a consistent record of exemplary activities in all three areas, but through accomplishment of the activities listed above, he/she must demonstrate substantial leadership in service as well as substantial accomplishment in research.
      
      
2. DSI/DSA Distribution Policy
   The University President decides about the distribution of DSI/DSA. When recommendations for Discretionary Salary Increases/Awards are requested from the department chair, the procedure below will be followed.
   
   
   1. Introduction
      Eligible faculty who apply will be considered on the basis of the following guidelines. All applicants shall formally apply for the DSI/DSA with their own assessment of the category they think they belong. The annual reports of all who apply will be available to the Department members so that the transparency of the process and objectivity is clear to everyone.
      
      
   2. Categories for DSI/DSA
      1. Exemplary achievements in all areas: intellectual contributions, teaching, and service.
      2. Exemplary achievements in two areas among the three: intellectual contributions, teaching, and service.
      3. Exemplary achievements in one area among the three: intellectual contributions, teaching, and service.
      4. Meritorious achievements in one of the areas; possibly qualifies for minimum DSI/DSA.
      5. Satisfactory performance; may not qualify for any DSI/DSA.
      Personnel Committee will put out a list of applicants who fall in the respective categories and make a recommendation to the chair; the chair will give a day to appeal (but appeal may also put the person in a lower category) and send his/her recommendations to the Dean.
      
      
   3. Procedure for discretionary increase/award
      1. Materials submitted for discretionary award consideration should cover only the appropriate academic year.
      2. The candidates present information in three categories only:  teaching, intellectual contributions, service.
      3. Inequity is considered separately in consultation with the Dean and HR.
      4. Each work may be cited in the year of publication only, even if its preparation required more time and the submission and publication fall in different academic years. 
      5. There will be a separate pool for part-time faculty. They will be evaluated in the same way, but they are not expected to have intellectual contributions or service.
         
         
   4. Evaluation form
      In Appendix 1.