Department of Visual Art and New Media Handbook

• Bylaws
• Policy Document
• Procedures
• Guidelines
• Form

Spring 2016, rev. March 30, 2018

Spring 2016, rev. March 30, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GOVERNANCE AND DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE

• Mission Statement
• Department Philosophy
• General Governance Structure
• Department Chair Duties
• Department Chair Appointment Process
• Associate Chair Duties
• Associate Chair Appointment Process
• Computer Lab Directors Duties
• Personnel Committee
• Curriculum Committee
• Recruitment Committee
• Technology Committee
• Gallery Committee
• 24-Credit-Hour Review Committees
• BFA Review Committees
• Faculty Advising
• Faculty Mentors
• Faculty Exhibition
• Awards of Excellence
• Senior Seminar

REAPPOINTMENT, CONTINUING APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION POLICIES

• Introduction
• Teaching Effectiveness
• Scholarship
• Professional and University Service

CRITERIA FOR REAPPOINTMENT, CONTINUED APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION

• Regular timeline for reappointment
• Timeline based on Prior Service Credit
• Regular timeline for promotion to Associate Professor
• Regular timeline for promotion to Professor
• Early review for continuing appointment or promotion in rank
• Annual Timelines for Faculty Reviews for Reappointment, Continuing
• Appointment, and Promotion
• Process and Documentation for First-year Review
• Process and Documentation for Reappointment past the First-year
• Process and Documentation for Continuing Appointment and Promotion
• Criteria for Promotion
• Appeal Process
• Review of Adjunct Faculty

Sources Cited

• Boyer, Ernest. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1997.
• Seldin, Peter. The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions. Bolton MA: Anker, 1997.
• Seldin, Peter. Changing Practices in Evaluating Teaching. Bolton MA: Anker, 1999.

GOVERNANCE AND DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media is to provide a balanced, comprehensive undergraduate education within the complex world of artistic disciplines. Our goal is to advance studio practice as well as theoretical and historical studies through the development of creative, practical, and conceptual skills. This encourages student understanding of cultural, philosophical, and historical settings for contemporary art.

Department Philosophy

The Department of Visual Arts and New Media offers students an opportunity to experience a disciplined program in art within the context of a liberal arts education. Students are challenged to gain knowledge and expertise in visual expression and historical context whether their goal is a professional career, advanced study in the arts, or simply a greater understanding of art and its cultural impact. The curriculum balances contemporary and traditional technologies, issues and practices through a dynamic mix of studios, lectures, and seminars.

Students begin with introductory studies emphasizing visual literacy and basic technical ability with a variety of tools, methods, and materials. Critical thinking and conceptual problem solving are stressed as students gain expertise in creative and communicative expression through written, two- dimensional, three-dimensional, and time-based forms. Philosophical, theoretical, and historical perspectives are considered and investigated throughout the program. Mastery and understanding of the creative process through inquiry, development, evaluation, and presentation allows students to establish a confident methodology as they progress through a carefully planned sequence of courses.

Students learn to address societal, cultural, and individual messages and to consider the implications of aesthetic decisions. Dynamic leadership is provided by the faculty, who are active professionals with diverse backgrounds. The faculty are practicing artists and scholars immersed in projects that enhance their individual fields and invigorate their classroom environments. They carefully guide students to seek depth within their individual disciplines and breadth in their understanding of the creative world.

Whether the goal is a career or advanced study in the visual arts or simply a greater understanding of art and technology’s cultural impact, the curriculum includes a dynamic mix of studios, lectures, and seminars. Our graduates in the Department of Visual Arts and New Media possess a unique set of hybrid skills that provide a critical edge for leadership positions in the competitive and evolving marketplace. Many Visual Arts and New Media graduates have successful careers in corporate and public settings as art directors, working artists and designers, teachers, creative freelancers, and owners of pottery studios, photo studios and design firms. Others work as photographer’s assistants, web designers, gallery directors and curators, and in the special effects industry. Visual Arts and New Media students have also continued their education in graduate programs around the country.

General Governance Structure

The Department of Visual Arts and New Media is administered by a department chair. The chair delegates to various committees, coordinators, and staff members specific responsibilities such as curricular review, recruitment, exhibition and technological concerns. The chair allocates individual budgets for the program areas within the department. The program area faculty either select a budget administrator or collectively agree on expenditures. In areas where there is only one faculty member, that faculty member is automatically the budget administrator for that area. For all other areas of departmental governance, decisions are made by committees with diverse representation or by the department chair with appropriate input from faculty.

Department Chair Duties

The chair serves as a leader and manager of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media. The chair works with faculty and staff to articulate and implement departmental goals and strategies and represent the best interests of the group within the campus community. The chair must also serve as a liaison between the department and the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts, representing the needs and expectations of both to the other. Specific duties and responsibilities of the chair include the following:

• Provide academic leadership in the oversight and direction of ongoing operations of the department;
• Articulate university and departmental mission and policy to the faculty, staff, and students within the department;
• Facilitate departmental meetings;
• Maintain departmental records;
• Assign faculty teaching loads within the department;
• Supervise and evaluate all departmental faculty and staff personnel in accordance with university policy;
• Prepare recommendations to the Dean on matters of staff and faculty retention, hiring, corrective action, and termination in accordance with collective bargaining agreements of the university;
• Evaluate and recommend faculty for retention, continued appointment, and promotion;
• Evaluate and recommend faculty for Merit/Equity (DSI), leaves, and awards;
• Assign departmental faculty to campus-wide committees;
• Oversee all departmental committee work;
• Administer departmental grants;
• Serve as lead author of program review;
• Facilitate curriculum development, reevaluation, and revision, student advisement processes, and all other educational activities of the department, including student internships;
• Resolve, when possible, student academic grievances and student requests for academic exceptions;
• Collaborate with the Dean and other appropriate Fredonia personnel on student disciplinary procedures, issues of sexual harassment, academic probation, suspension and/or expulsion, and all other relevant aspects of student life;
• Collaborate with the Academic Information Technology Services (ITS) department in assessing and addressing the technology needs of the department;
• Collaborate in projects related to art with the Alumni Association;
• Supervise all aspects of the physical plant in relation to department functions, including the monitoring of safety issues, the appropriate labeling and use of dangerous materials, and oversight of ventilation requirements;
• Prepare appropriate departmental budgets according to university policy and procedures;
• Evaluate and make recommendations regarding academic planning initiatives in terms of educational and financial viability;
• Prepare and submit staff and faculty payroll information;
• Oversee all departmental facilities and equipment to ensure safe and generative educational environments for all Fredonia students;
• Collaborate with department faculty, other department chairs, and the Dean on long-range college and departmental planning;
• Collaborate as necessary and as requested by the Dean with all administrative units of the university, including Finance, Operations, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Enrollment Services, Registration, Summer Programs, Advancement, Alumni Relations, and Publications;
• Serve as liaison with other academic and administrative departments and the greater academic and professional community;
• Support departmental and college-wide performances and exhibits;
• Attend official college functions including graduation, all-school meetings, and others as requested by the Dean or Provost; and
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Dean.

The department chair may delegate many of these duties, but it should be understood that he or she is ultimately accountable for all required departmental functions.

Department Chair Appointment Process

The following is the process by which the Department of Visual Arts and New Media will select their department chairperson upon the occasion of that position becoming open. Nothing in this policy shall supersede the Chair Selection Policy approved by the University Senate on Nov. 16, 2016, nor any written policies in the Faculty Handbook or the Policies of the Board of Trustees. The department will comply with all administrative deadlines as specified in the Academic Calendar of Academic Affairs for each academic year.

Nominations and self-nominations for the departmental chair should be presented to the chair of the Department Personnel Committee (DPC) by submitting a current curriculum vita (CV). Only tenured faculty can apply for departmental chair position. The DPC chair will compile the CVs and distribute them to all full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty. If the chair of the DPC is nominated for the department chair position, then the DPC will select another member to serve in the role of DPC chair to oversee this process.

Nominated faculty members for the departmental chair position will present their plans for the future of the department at a meeting of the full-time tenure-track faculty. The chair of the DPC will arrange that meeting. Separate faculty meetings will take place for each nominated faculty member or one faculty meeting can be scheduled to review the departmental chair presentations. The nominated faculty member will also address any questions presented by the faculty members during the meeting. A nominated faculty member cannot attend the faculty meeting where another nominated faculty member is presenting. After the last nominated faculty member has presented his/her position, the nominated faculty members will leave the room and a written vote will take place. Only those faculty who are full-time and are tenured or hold tenure-track positions can attend these meetings and vote. Whenever possible, two members of the DPC will tally the votes and present the totals to the department as a whole. A written memo outlining the vote will be presented to the nominated faculty members.

Recommendation for chair will be determined by a voting majority. The department recommendation for chair will then be forwarded to the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts. After appropriate consultation with the department, the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts will forward the recommendation to the Provost/Vice-President for Academic Affairs. The department chair position is a three-year term. For reappointment of the chair after one term we will refer again to the guidelines listed in this VANM Faculty Handbook. Nothing in this policy shall supersede any written university policies.

Associate Chair Duties

The associate chair serves as an assistant to the department chair of Visual Arts and New Media. The associate chair works with the department chair to implement departmental goals and strategies and represent the best interests of the faculty and students within the campus community. Specific duties and responsibilities of the associate chair include the following:

• Serving as chair of at least one major department committee;
• Serving as liaison between the adjunct faculty and the Department;
• Assisting the chair in developing the annual departmental plan;
• Periodically reviewing department policies and initiating changes with consultation of the chair and appropriate faculty;
• Assisting the department chair in organizing and implementing assessment procedures;
• Ensuring advisement material is up-to-date;
• Developing procedure and scheduling of 24-Credit-Hour and BFA reviews;
• Serving in an advisory capacity to the department chair; and,
• Performing other duties as observed by the associate chair to be needed and/or assigned by the Department Chair.

If an associate chair is not selected, the department chair is responsible for performing the work normally assigned to an associate chair.

Associate Chair Appointment Process

Once the department chair has been appointed, he or she may request approval of an Associate Chair position from the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts. If approved, , nominations will be requested. The departmental chair will meet with each candidate and discuss his or her plans as associate chair. After all the applicants have been interviewed, the chair will give a written notice of his/her decision to the applicants.

The associate chair position is a three-year term. An associate chair may be considered for reappointment but must go through the process again, unless the chair that selected him/her remains in office. The chair can then request the same associate chair or review new applications.

COMPUTER LAB DIRECTORS

The department chair assigns a Lab Director to each computer lab space. The Lab Director is a faculty member who teaches in that facility. All Lab Directors serve on the department’s Technology Committee.

Lab Director Duties

• • Direct the organization of the room, equipment, and software to best facilitate instruction in the lab with the assistance of the Information Technology Services (ITS) Mac Lab Technician.
  • Represent concerns of instructional lab area to the departmental Technology Committee.
  • Serve as a liaison between ITS staff and the faculty teaching in the computer labs.

DEPARTMENTAL PERSONNEL COMMITTEE (DPC)

The DPC is responsible for helping the individual in creating the Teaching and Professional

Portfolio (also known as “the dossier”). The committee assists the department chair in the creation of a timeline for the individual applying for reappointment, continued appointment, and/or promotion. The DPC is required to be involved in the peer review process and to aid in the written summary report of the faculty member’s student evaluations for inclusion in the faculty member’s Teaching Portfolio. The DPC is further required to organize a consulting meeting between appropriate faculty members and the department chair to discuss the materials of faculty members applying for reappointment, continued appointment, and/or promotion in accordance with the timeline. See HARP, section III for more on the DPC.

As preparation for classroom observations, the DPC discusses the elements of a successful discipline-specific observation with the faculty member, and these guidelines for peer review will be distributed to all members of the department. Tenure-track faculty members will always

be observed by two individual faculty members during one classroom visit. The two faculty involved in the observation will be tenured faculty in the department (a third faculty member may participate if the junior faculty member has a mentor and requests his/her participation in the observation of the class). In the first year, tenure-track faculty should be prepared to be observed before the first reappointment decision. During a tenure-track faculty member’s second year of teaching at Fredonia, the faculty member is to be observed twice by already tenured faculty. One of the observations will be conducted early in the first semester and the observation report formally submitted before the chair writes the reappointment letter to the third year . Another observation will be done during the second semester to be included in the reappointment to a fourth year (unless that review is waived and then the observation report will be included in the subsequent renewal dossier). After the third and fourth year reappointments, tenure-track faculty will be observed once a year by at least one member of the DPC and the chair of the department until the year after a tenure decision.

The DPC chair presents the faculty member’s materials to the appropriate faculty (appropriate faculty is defined as any tenured full-time faculty member who holds a rank higher than the individual applying for reappointment, continued appointment, and/or promotion). All appropriate faculty have the responsibility to examine carefully all of the material presented

by the individual. The appropriate faculty will meet and consult as the DPC in reaching a decision regarding renewal, continued appointment, and/or promotion. A summary report of this meeting is prepared by the DPC chair and given to the department chair. Upon receipt, the department chair will write an evaluation letter with recommendations to the Dean. A copy of the summary report and chair’s evaluation will be given to the faculty member under review and becomes part of the faculty member’s permanent file in the department office.

REVIEW BY DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The department chair will make his/her letters of recommendation available for review by the DPC upon request.

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

The Curriculum Committee consists of three members of the Department appointed annually by the department chair. It should include representatives from diverse areas of the Department. The committee is formed by volunteers. The chair of the department selects the chair of the committee from the volunteers.

It is the responsibility of the Curriculum Committee to consider and prepare all departmental curricular action that is submitted for inclusion in the Fredonia Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. This committee is also charged with initiating discussions of curricular issues that may not be ready for action, but which may, nevertheless, affect academic programs and resource allocation within the department. Actions and/or issues may be submitted to the committee by department faculty or by the department chair, they may also originate within the Curriculum Committee. The committee is expected to work closely with all appropriate parties including the faculty in programs under consideration and the department chair. The associate chair should be aware of all curricular deadlines posted in the Academic Affairs work calendar.

The following duties are performed by the Committee for each curricular action:

1. Initiate or receive review proposals for
   1. All new courses, requirements or programs;
   2. Changes in existing courses, requirements or programs; and,
   3. Elimination of courses, requirements or programs.
2. Complete the required curricular change forms as required by Academic Affairs.
3. Present curricular proposals to the faculty for discussion and vote. A simple majority is required for a curricular proposal to be approved. If a proposal is not approved, the committee may take it back for revision and resubmission.
4. If the proposal is approved by the faculty, it is then submitted to the department chair for endorsement and follows necessary steps required by Academic Affairs for endorsement.
   

RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE

The Recruitment Committee consists of three faculty members that represent a variety of areas in the department. The committee is formed by volunteers. The chair of the department selects the chair of the committee from the volunteers. Additional faculty members may be brought in

by the committee on a volunteer basis for special projects such as a production of a departmental brochure or CD-ROM, additions to the departmental website or facilitating a specialized recruitment workshop.

Committee Responsibilities:

• Prepare information and promotional materials on the department for use by the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, Admissions and/or Marketing and Communications;
• Create a timeline for prospective student Portfolio Reviews;
• Attend recruitment activities organized by Admissions;
• Visit local high schools and community colleges to acquaint faculty and students with the department and its programs;
• Arrange for tours of facilities and/or classroom visits with prospective students who are making campus visits and request a tour of the department;
• Work with the Admissions Office to follow up on recruitment of Visual Arts and New Media students who participant in Open Houses or campus tours;
• Work with the department chair to maintain ties with alumni and develop alumni outreach programs.

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The Technology Committee consists of all faculty members who also serve as Lab Directors in the department. The committee is formed by volunteers. The chair of the department selects the chair of the committee from the volunteers. The committee’s charge is to track and make recommendations regarding technology within the department. The primary focus of the committee is digital technology.

Committee Responsibilities:

• Meet regularly to discuss the technological issues of the department and advise the department chair on technological issues. Consider equipment accessibility and operation to accommodate the greatest number of students, create guidelines for use and security of the labs, research new hardware and software needs, and discuss other issues relevant to optimal operations of the Visual Arts and New Media computer labs;
• Regularly survey faculty for technological needs. Maintain and review current lists of these needs and make recommendations to the department chair;
• Prepare request lists for ITAB funding and other technological opportunities. All request lists are submitted to the department chair. The department chair should be aware of all relevant proposal deadlines; and,
• A member of the Technology Committee will serve on the university ITAB Committee.

GALLERY COMMITTEE

The Gallery Committee works in consult with the Marion Gallery Director and serves as a faculty advisory board regarding the gallery’s programming, outreach, and exhibition initiatives, including the Department of Visual Arts and New Media Visiting Artists Program lecture series. Committee members review and offer suggestions for future exhibitions and guest speakers with an eye towards presenting a balanced variety of media, subject matter, conceptual and aesthetic approaches by contemporary artists and/or scholars whose work might best enrich the art-going experience of Fredonia’s campus and community members and the western New York region more generally.

24-CREDIT-HOUR REVIEW COMMITTEES

24-Credit-Hour Review committees are made up of all full-time faculty in the Department of Visual Arts and New Media and are responsible for conducting the 24-Credit-Hour Review of all students who have completed 24 credit hours of study in Visual Arts and New Media classes (usually at the end of the sophomore year as well as second semester transfer students). The tally includes credits in Visual Arts and New Media studios, art history, and media theory courses but excludes VAP. The dates for reviews will be determined by the chair and/or associate chair of the department.

The full-time faculty, evenly divided, constitute review committees. Each student will be assigned a room and review committee, which will meet with individual students for approximately thirty minutes. The 24-Credit-Hour Reviews will take place on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday prior to Spring Registration. The required teams will be composed of three full-time faculty members. Reviews take place in rotation between RAC 320, 321, 323, 328, 231, 239 and McEwen 106. Each review lasts for a thirty-minute time period (with fifteen-minute breaks in between reviews).

The aim of the 24-Credit-Hour Review is to help each student achieve the goals set forth in the Department Mission Statement and Philosophy. During the review, the committee should question the student about his/her choice of major, discuss degree options, and articulate what the student needs to accomplish to succeed in the department. The committee will complete a review form and rate the student in specific categories using a scoring system from 6 to10 points (with 10 as the high score). Completed review forms will be given to the departmental assistant.

At the completion of the review, the departmental secretary will place a copy of the 24-Credit-Hour Review form in the student’s file, where it will be available for viewing by the student and interested faculty. Students and advisors will discuss the review process during Advisement week. Consultation with the advisor and major-area representatives will determine course selection for the following semester.

BFA REVIEW COMMITTEES

Students wanting to apply for the BFA degree may do so after completing a minimum of 27 credits in Visual Arts and New Media courses. In order to apply for BFA degree status, applicants must have attained at least a 3.0 average in all Visual Art and New Media courses, including Art History, with a 2.0 required for courses taken outside the department to qualify for the BFA Review process. Students with a 3.25 or higher GPA in all Visual Art and New Media courses and 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA and a score of 3.5 or greater during the 24-Credit-Hour Review may be granted acceptance into the BFA program without committee review; however, this is dependent on faculty recommendation and approval from the intended major area. Native Fredonia students cannot apply for BFA status after completing six semesters of Fredonia coursework; transfer students cannot apply after completing 4 semesters of Fredonia coursework. In areas heavily impacted by enrollment, only a limited number of students may be admitted to the BFA program. Students wishing to double major after acceptance into a single major must seek approval from the new major area, which may require a second BFA Review. To complete a double major, students must fulfill the requirements of both degrees without substitution of required courses.

All BFA students are required to participate in Senior Exhibition. Reviews will occur in the fall semester (prior to pre-registration). Students must select a committee of three full-time Visual

Art and New Media faculty to serve as their review panel; one faculty member must represent the major; the remaining two must be from outside the individual major area. Students must contact the chosen faculty members individually to discuss their intention to apply for the BFA well in advance of the scheduled review time frame. The dates for the reviews will be determined by the chair of the department.

The faculty member from the concentration chosen will serve as chair of the review committee and is responsible for checking the student’s folder to verify that a minimum of 27 credits in art have been taken and that the GPA is sufficient. Students are required to submit (at least one week in advance to all members of the review committee and the department secretary) a written statement about their work. The content of this statement should be discussed with the chair of the committee in advance. It should contain a statement explaining why the student wishes to gain BFA status. After consideration/discussion, the committee will complete the BFA Review Evaluation form and return it to the department chair for appropriate processing.

A student whose initial application for the BFA degree is rejected may reapply after one additional semester of study. The student may choose two different faculty members for the second review panel, but must still include the faculty member from the chosen major area.

FACULTY ADVISING

Course Selection and Registration

Advising at Fredonia is recognized as “Individualized Teaching.” Each student in the department will be assigned a faculty advisor. The advisor is each student's primary source of information on course selection, progress toward a degree, and the exploration of possibilities given each student's unique attributes and abilities. In-coming freshman and transfer students are encouraged to meet their advisors during the first week of classes to become familiar with them and the advising process. Advisors will meet with their advisees during Advising Week (prior to course registration), whenever a student may need to discuss adding or dropping courses, change in majors, or department review procedures. Each student has an advising folder located in the department office. This file contains student transcripts, registration forms, review sheets, high school transcripts, transfer credit approval forms, and advising check sheets. These files are always available for faculty use and will be distributed by the department secretary to each individual advisor during Advising Week.

Student Groups

Faculty may serve as advisors to the departmental Student Organizations: Animation/Illustration Group, Art Forum, AIGA, and Cinema Alternatives. The Student Association creates policy and approves budgets for all student groups.

Departmental Representation to University Committees

Service to the university is required of all members of the faculty. All ranked faculty are expected to participate in service to the committee and governance structures of the university and contribute to routine university functions. Faculty shall, at a minimum, serve on university committees and assume an appropriate share of school duties.

FACULTY MENTORS

In the first year, all tenure-track faculty will be mentored by the department chair (or Associate chair, if appointed). The chair will assist first-year faculty with understanding the policies and procedures associated with the department and the university tenure and promotion process. The chair will also help to acclimatize recent hires to the Fredonia environment. After the first year, the Personnel Committee will serve in a mentoring capacity. The committee will be involved in the junior faculty member’s tenure and promotion process as an initial reader of his/her tenure and promotion dossier; it will also speak on behalf of the junior faculty during the department’s reappointment and tenure decision meetings. Upon request a junior faculty member may be provided with an individual mentor. Becoming a faculty mentor is voluntary and requires working with the assigned junior faculty member for all of the years leading to the junior faculty member’s tenure decision. Faculty mentors may be asked to participate in classroom observations as well as to identify areas for improvement.

FACULTY EXHIBITION

Every two years a faculty exhibition will take place in the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery. The exhibition serves two purposes: to showcase the talent of the working professionals in the department and to demonstrate to the student body and campus community that the Visual Arts and New Media faculty are working on current issues within their fields, expressing ideas and working through visual problems. The intended audience for the exhibition is the university, local, and regional community, and in particular, the students in the department. It is expected that all of the practicing studio faculty will participate in this exhibition. Junior faculty teaching in the studio areas are required to exhibit as part of their service obligations to the university, department, and students in the Visual Arts and New Media program.

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Awards of Excellence are paper certificates presented to graduating seniors at awards night every semester. Awards are intended to recognize a student’s outstanding accomplishments in a media area. Recipients are selected by faculty. Each faculty member is eligible to select a student(s) that is deserving of this recognition. Areas with more than one faculty member should confer to determine if more than one student should be recognized; however, in some semesters no students might be identified. On occasion multiple students may be awarded in one area, but it is expected that this is an exception rather than routine in order for the certificate to remain meritorious. There is no qualification that the student recognized must be a major in that area, i.e., studio students may be recognized by art history, a graphic design major may be recognized by photography, etc.

SENIOR SEMINAR

ARTS 400: Senior Seminar is a one-credit, graded course. The instructor of record is the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery Director. All BFA students are required to enroll in ARTS 400 to present an exhibition of their work (although some students may choose another exhibition venue, with departmental approval, for course credit). BA students who have created a significant body of work may enroll in this course, but participation is not a graduation requirement for the BA degree. Any BA student who wants to enroll in Senior Seminar must have faculty approval to register, and their participation may be subject to available space. Faculty may encourage interested senior BA students to consider exhibition opportunities in the Fall semester when enrollment is typically light. Art History majors are not required to participate in ARTS 400.

The Senior Seminar instructor is not involved in assessing the student's individual theme but instead provides guidance through the steps of a professional exhibition process. All students enrolled in ARTS 400 must work with their major area faculty to discuss/determine/evaluate the work exhibited. At the beginning of each semester the ARTS 400 instructor will distribute an exhibition contract/proposal that must be completed by both the faculty “sponsor” and exhibiting student. In this proposal students define what they plan to exhibit and faculty approve. It is understood that what is in the contract is then acceptable for exhibition. Students who deviate from the agreed upon proposal may be withdrawn from the exhibition and/or fail the course as deemed appropriate by the ARTS 400 instructor in consultation with the faculty sponsor. The Gallery Director/ARTS 400 instructor shall keep the faculty informed of student progress and/or problems with the students participating in the exhibition and shall solicit feedback from faculty as to the nature and design of the student exhibits. As early as possible prior to the exhibition opening, a day for faculty review will be scheduled as part of the ARTS 400 curriculum. This review is not intended as a critique session of the work (which should have occurred prior to this review) but an installation evaluation/consultation.

REAPPOINTMENT, CONTINUING APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION POLICIES

The purpose of this document is to formulate a guide for teaching, research, and service expectations for the Department of Visual Arts and New Media. The Department works within the requirements set forth in the Policies of the Board of Trustees (Articles X and XII), Personnel Policies as printed in the university faculty Handbook on Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion (HARP), and the current UUP Agreement. Nothing in this document shall be construed to supersede either the Policies of the Board of Trustees or those stipulated in the university faculty HARP.

The mission of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media is to provide a balanced, comprehensive undergraduate education within the complex world of artistic disciplines. In support of this mission, each faculty member of the department is expected to be engaged in three areas that will then be used to evaluate faculty for reappointment and/or continuing appointment and promotion: teaching effectiveness, scholarship, professional and university service. See HARP guidelines, section IV, “Appointment, Reappointment, Review, and Promotion of Tenure-Track Faculty.”

Effective Teaching of students is the most important area in an evaluation; however, the Department of Visual Arts and New Media believes that a faculty member’s effectiveness and growth are directly related to and enhanced by scholarly or creative activity. Therefore, the department expects that each faculty member be involved in scholarly research or creative activity. Service applies to the non-teaching needs of the department and the university, such as committee work, mentoring, and department or university assignments as well as service to students, the community, and/or one’s professional field of endeavor.

The following criteria in the three categories shall apply to evaluations made at all phases of a faculty member’s career in the Department of Visual Arts and New Media at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS
see also HARP IV.A.1

As Fredonia’s “Vision Statement” makes clear, Fredonia aspires to transform our students, our region, and our world through experiential, intellectual and creative endeavors within the traditions of inclusive community and purposeful inquiry.Visual Arts and New Media faculty members should have the desire, the knowledge, and the skills with which to improve teaching effectiveness. In order to encourage such professional growth and to evaluate its progress, the department uses the following set of guidelines for tenure-track faculty and faculty seeking promotion.

General Criteria

The evaluation of teaching effectiveness utilizes a variety of information sources. Because teaching is best evaluated by its effect upon students, various measures of student change, academic achievement, critical thinking skills, and attitudes should be included. An important component for evaluation will be the perceptions of students expressed in comments and ratings on course evaluation forms. It is important, however, that these perceptions be supplemented by input from other relevant sources. Each source of information – student, peer, administrator, self- assessment– offers important but limited insights. No single source is enough for tenure, promotion, or reappointment decisions.

Documentation of Teaching

Because teaching portfolios are highly personalized products, no two are exactly alike. Content and organization will differ from one faculty member to another. It is the prerogative of the candidate to organize the materials in a way that he/she determines to be the most effective means of documentation.

Material required for Reappointment decisions:

• A one-two page self-appraisal by the faculty member that will reflect on teaching progress made since the last renewal and which will identify goals for the subsequent reappointment period;
• A copy of last academic year’s annual report as it pertains to teaching responsibilities, updated between submission time (May) and reappointment review period;
• Summaries of Student Evaluations since last reappointment;
• Summaries of Peer Reviews since last reappointment;
• Examples of student artwork/student writing or exam samples since last reappointment.

Material for Continuing Appointment decisions must include but is not limited to the following:

• A statement of the faculty member’s personal teaching philosophy, strategies, objectives and methodologies;
• A listing of teaching responsibilities, including course titles, numbers and enrollments;
• Representative course syllabi detailing course content and objectives, readings, assignments, projects and quizzes;
• Representative student product illustrated through slides, CD/DVD or printouts or through writing samples;
• Student evaluation results;
• Description of curricular revisions, including new course projects, materials or assignments;
• Instructional innovations and their assessment;
• Description of steps taken to evaluate and improve one’s teaching, including changes resulting from self-evaluation, research or student feedback;
• A self-appraisal by the faculty member that reflects on teaching effectiveness made since joining the Department of Visual Arts and New Media; and,
• Evaluations from members of the faculty who have observed the professor in the classroom.

Optional material that can be included within the Continuing Appointment Teaching Portfolio:

• Statements from colleagues who have reviewed the professor’s teaching materials, such as course syllabi, assignments, testing and grading practices;
• Honors or other recognition from colleagues, students, or professional organizations;
• Statements by alumni on the quality of instruction;
• Examples of student growth through scores on pre- and post-course reviews or narrative evaluations;
• A record of students who succeed in advanced study in the field;
• Student exhibition or publication in the discipline;
• Information about the effect of the professor or his/her courses on student career choices, securing employment or graduate school acceptance;
• Unsolicited student letters;
• Letters from student internship supervisors or employers attesting to student competence;
• Any artifacts attesting to student accomplishment relating to one’s course (for example, a student work produced in a course that is professionally exhibited or a student project that wins an award);
• Student course or teaching evaluation data from sources outside Fredonia Assessment procedures; and,
• Documentation of teaching development activities such as attending workshops, conferences or seminars.

SCHOLARSHIP
see also HARP IV.A.2

The Department recognizes scholarship as a key component of faculty responsibility. Scholarship has a complementary and overlapping relationship with teaching and service that establishes the underlying, driving force for creating a community of learners, a fundamental mission of the university. The nature of professional activity in which our faculty are engaged within the context of a comprehensive, selective, diverse, residential institution demands a broad based approach towards recognizing and categorizing scholarly achievements.

General Criteria

A primary focus of the department is the preparation of individuals for a variety of future careers in visual arts and new media disciplines. We believe that all faculty members must be actively engaged in scholarly and/or creative activity to maintain their own professional focus and growth, to provide examples for students, and to support the missions of the department and university. We realize that research and creative activity can take many forms and fully endorse the broadened conception of scholarly activity including the scholarships of discovery, integrationand application, and teaching. The different forms of scholarship should not be viewed as hierarchical.

In the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, scholarship/research/creative activity can take many forms. Regardless of their specific nature or category, all substantial scholarly activities should embody the following characteristics:

• The activity requires a high level of discipline-related expertise;
• The activity can be validated as a scholarly or creative contribution;
• The activity and its results can be documented;
• The activity and its results can be peer-reviewed; and,
• The activity has significance or impact within the intended community.

Types of Scholarly Activity

A given activity may fall into one or more scholarly categories. It is the prerogative of the candidate to indicate how he/she feels the activity should be categorized to determine the most effective means of documentation, which might include catalogues, brochures, copies of publications, copies of reviews, etc.

The Scholarship of Discovery is basic research or creative work. The Scholarship of Discovery is an essential element of the department’s mission and a valued contribution by any candidate. Activities that fall under the category of scholarship of discovery may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Creating and presenting and/or exhibiting original works of artistic expression and design which may take place within various venues such as university/college galleries, professional galleries, museums, in professional publications, film and animation festivals, alternative and virtual spaces;
• Having work acquired by a public collection or included in a published reference material or database or receiving gallery representation;
• Publishing scholarly monographs or books that advance understanding of the discipline;
• Original research findings published in scholarly journals or professional publications;
• Presentations of creative endeavor or original research findings in written or oral form
• within appropriate venues;
• The organization of a panel, conference session or symposium;
• Authorship or co-authorship of successful grant applications, fellowships, awards, residencies
• and commissions which represent recognition for creative/research activity;

The Scholarship of Integration is “making connections across the disciplines, placing specialties in larger context, illuminating data in a revealing way, often educating non-specialists” (Boyer 18-19). The Scholarship of Application is the use of one’s own discipline to solve consequential social problems beyond what would ordinarily be called “service” and is supported with “the rigor – and the accountability – traditionally associated with research activities” (Boyer 22). The Scholarship of Integration and the Scholarship of Application are essential elements of the department’s mission to promote creative and professional activities in the visual arts and new media and to contribute to the overall mission of the university. Items that fall under the category of scholarship of application/integration may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Citations, reviews for publication, critical writing, textbooks, peer-reviewed scholarship of teaching, developing curriculum guidelines or framework in an interdisciplinary context;
• Published biographies in a book, anthology or catalogue;
• Published critical reviews of interdisciplinary creative or scholarly projects;
• Published interdisciplinary curricular materials;
• Curatorial activities, organization and direction of Public Artworks;
• Invitations to serve as a Visiting Artist or Artist/Scholar-in-Residence;
• Submitted grant applications for applied research and performances;
• Production of a commissioned work for installation and/or publication;
• Production of contracted work;
• Presentation of integrated or applied research in written or oral form within appropriate venues;
• Development of professional resources to be used by other artists or professionals;
• Service on a task force and or steering committee;
• Evidence of professional expertise lent to professional organizations, serving as an exhibition juror or peer-review panelist, consulting or serving as an outside evaluator; and,
• Service as chair or team member for program or curricular reviews and/or participating on an accreditation team evaluating other educational entities.

The Scholarship of Teaching is defined as a scholarly approach to teaching. The Scholarship of Teaching, like other scholarship, must find an audience beyond the individual faculty member’s classroom and provide evidence that the pedagogy has been researched in relation to the particular subject matter. “Pedagogical procedures must be carefully planned, continuously examined and relate directly to the subject taught” (Boyer 24-25). The Scholarship of Teaching is recognized as an essential element of the department’s mission and an essential element of every teaching candidate’s performance. Activities that fall under the category of scholarship of teaching may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Publishing a textbook;
• Creating peer reviewed curriculum development;
• Improving the effectiveness of one’s own teaching through peer review;
• Assessing effectiveness of new learning technologies through peer review;
• Facilitating student exhibitions outside of the university (documented by review);
• Authoring grant applications for developing and refining pedagogy;
• Developing educational resources to be used by other educators;
• Writing reviews of books and textbooks in area(s) of expertise; and,
• Presenting written, oral, or electronic documents within appropriate venues related to pedagogy.

Documentation of Scholarly and Creative Activity.
See HARP Appendix D.

In short, a way of providing evidence of accomplishments is a listing of scholarly and creative activities in a vita. The full vita should list all scholarly and creative activities with representative evidence provided in the professional portfolio. The department does not expect a copy of every activity to be included as evidence, but does expect the candidate to use good judgment in selecting the evidence presented. Quantity is not the criteria, but the quality of the activities and the accomplishments they document. If the Personnel Committee wishes to review something not included in the portfolio, members of the committee can ask the candidate for that evidence.

Material required for Reappointment decisions:

• A one-two page self-appraisal by the faculty member that will reflect on scholarly and/or creative progress made since the last renewal and which will identify goals for the subsequent reappointment period;
• Copy of last academic year’s annual report as it pertains to scholarly and/or creative activity, updated between submission time (May) and the reappointment review period,
• Updated Curriculum Vitae; and
• Personal artwork/research writing samples.

Material for Continuing Appointment decisions must include but is not limited to the following:

• A statement on research activity and its significance;
• A current and up-to-date Curriculum Vitae;
• An artist statement or research philosophy;
• A description of exhibitions, publications (whenever possible with a description of the juror and the selection process), presentations and creative projects as appropriate to the field or type of scholarly activity;
• Examples of selected artwork (i.e., documentation of current creative work, copies of manuscripts, copies of published work, CDs or DVDs of professional projects, external reviews of creative or professional work);
• Letters of acceptance for publication, exhibition or presentation; and
• Description of scholarly activities in progress.

PROFESSIONAL AND UNIVERSITY SERVICE
see also HARP IV.A.3

The acquisition of experience and knowledge through teaching and research is of little value if it cannot be shared. Service is of several kinds. It includes serving productively on various committees from the department to the university level, participating in professional organizations and public bodies, and providing professional expertise to business, industry, schools, organizations, and colleagues. Therefore, faculty members are expected to serve the larger community, both within the university structure of shared governance, and within the Fredonia/Dunkirk community. As practitioners in their respective fields, faculty members are also expected to offer service at a national level to their learned society or professional organization.

Types of Service Activities

Service activities would include, but are not limited to the following:

• Membership on departmental, college, or university committees;
• Serving as a Lab or Studio Director;
• Maintaining and/or supervising a departmental lab or work space;
• Grant writing for departmental benefit;
• Department, College of Visual and Performing Arts, or University fund-raising;
• Student placement in internships;
• Advising Student Organizations;
• Scheduling and/or sponsoring an on-campus student exhibition or event;
• Assisting departmental committees without serving as an active member;
• Department or university level administrative work;
• Membership in a professional organization;
• Holding a board or administrative position in a professional organization;
• Organizing or supervising a program or event for a professional organization without pay; and,
• Pro Bono work.

Documentation of Service Activity

Material required for Reappointment decisions:

• A one-two page self-appraisal by the faculty member that will reflect on service activities since the last renewal and which will identify goals for the subsequent reappointment period,
• Copy of last academic year’s annual report as it pertains to service, updated between submission time (May) and the reappointment review period.

Material for Continuing Appointment decisions must include but is not limited to the following:

• A statement by the faculty member describing the service activity, its significance, and how the activity affected the university;
• List of relevant service activities including duties and position (if held);
• Description of significant service activities, particularly with documented results;
• Materials developed as a result of service activities (e.g., policy manuals, by-laws, public art work); and,
• Technical reports and/or publications.

CRITERIA AND TIMELINES FOR REAPPOINTMENT, CONTINUED APPOINTMENT, AND PROMOTION

Fredonia's faculty will continue to be dedicated teachers and also practicing scholars and performers/artists whose continuous learning animates their teaching. The university both requires and will foster their research, creativity, and other professional service as members of our learning community. It is expected that all Visual Arts and New Media faculty will be actively involved within various creative/professional activities and that the levels of peer review as described below will be used as a means for making evaluations relative to reappointment, tenure, and promotion. Within evaluations for promotion, the level of expectations of peer review necessary for advancement will increase through the ranks.

Regular timeline for reappointments: refer to HARP sections III and IV.

Process and Documentation for First-year Review (including faculty with or anticipating prior service credit)

By December 1, first-year faculty members submit a 2-3 page Reappointment Statement and a current curriculum vitae to the DPC (see HARP, section III. ). The Reappointment Statement should address the following questions:

• What experiences, credentials, and scholarly/creative interests will be especially helpful as you define and continue in your role in your department?;
• What will you be doing in the next year to continue to develop as an instructor and advisor?;
• What scholarly/creative activities are you planning for the next year? How do these activities fit into your goals for establishing a record of scholarship/creative activity that will lead to continuing appointment?;
• In what service roles—such as committees, curriculum, and assessment—do you see yourself making the greatest contributions?

The Reappointment Statement and CV will be reviewed by all faculty in the department at or above the rank of the candidate being evaluated. By December 15th the DPC submits recommendation, signed ballots, and reappointment statement to the department chair and candidate. The candidate has five working days to appeal to the chair. The department chair will then submit a recommendation, signed ballots, and reappointment statement for second-year reappointment to the Dean by January 15. The candidate has five working days to appeal to the Dean. Reviewing a Reappointment Statement differs from reviewing a full dossier in that the questions shift from evaluating evidence to providing feedback on a new faculty member’s plan for professional development. In the fall of the second year there will be an opportunity to review the full dossier of activities and accomplishments in the current academic year.

Process and Documentation for Reappointment past the First-year

The reappointment dossier should address teaching effectiveness, scholarly ability, and service responsibilities as defined in HARP, section IV. The dossier shall be submitted to the appropriate persons or committee according to the established timeline. There will be different dates for these meeting as non-tenured faculty members eligible for reappointment have different deadlines determined by their years of service to Fredonia. Candidates must submit their complete dossier to the committee on the date specified in their reappointment timeline. Dossiers will be reviewed by members of the DPC, who will consult with the candidate to make recommendations for changes or to request further information. This review will be conducted within the department only; no contact will be made to external references cited in the submitted material during this initial review.

Candidates will then submit their dossiers to the department chair for consideration by all tenured faculty in the department on the date established in HARP, . After the candidate’s dossier is submitted for faculty reappointment, each tenured faculty member must review the materials presented by the individual applying for reappointment. Faculty with questions about any of the material contained in the dossier must first consult with the candidate to request clarification or further explanation. If after this consultation, validation of information is still required, concerned parties will contact the department chair, who may then contact external references listed in the material and inform concerned parties of the results. Upon completion of the review process, the tenured faculty will meet for discussion and evaluation of all non-tenured faculty members eligible for reappointment at least two weeks prior to the departmental deadline concerning reappointment decisions as determined by the timeline set forth in HARP, . At these meetings, consideration will be given to an individual’s progress towards continued appointment with special emphasis placed on those individuals who are in the year prior to the last year in which tenure proceedings may be instituted. Each tenured faculty member must review the materials presented by the individual applying for reappointment and communicate to the department chair his/her recommendations. Based on these recommendations, the summary recommendation prepared by the DPC chair and the DPC written ballots, the department chair will write a letter of recommendation to the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The candidate under review will be given a copy of the chair’s recommendation and the DPC ballots as they are forwarded to the Dean. The Dean will then forward his or her recommendation, the dossier, DPC ballots, and the department chair’s recommendation for consideration by the university Provost and President.

Process and Documentation for Continuing Appointment and Promotion

The continuing appointment dossier should address teaching effectiveness, scholarly/creative ability, and service responsibilities as defined in HARP, section IV. The dossier shall be submitted to the appropriate persons or committee according to the established timeline. Dossiers will first be reviewed by members of the DPC, who will consult with the candidate to make recommendations for changes or to request further information. This review will be conducted within the department only; no contact will be made to external references cited in the dossier during this initial review.

Candidates will then submit their dossiers to the department chair for consideration by all tenured faculty in the department on the date stated in the HARP handbook. After the candidate’s dossier is submitted, each tenured faculty member must review the materials presented by the individual applying for continuing appointment. Faculty with questions about any of the material contained in the dossier must first consult with the candidate to request clarification or further explanation. If after this consultation validation of information is still required, concerned parties will contact the department chair, who may then contact external references listed in the material and inform concerned parties of the results. Upon completion of the review process, the tenured faculty will meet for discussion and evaluation of all non-tenured faculty members eligible for continuing appointment at least two weeks prior to the departmental deadline as determined by the timeline set forth in HARP.

Each tenured faculty member must review the materials presented by the individual applying for continued appointment and promotion, and communicate to the department chair his/her recommendations. Based on these recommendations, the summary recommendation prepared by the DPC chair, and the DPC written ballots, the department chair will write a letter of recommendation to the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The candidate under review will be given a copy of the recommendation and the DPC ballots as they are forwarded to the Dean. The Dean will submit these materials and the candidate’s dossier to the Provost, who makes them available to the Academic Personnel Committee (APC) for review. The APC’s role is to ensure another level of faculty input in the review process, to provide a campus-wide perspective on candidates being reviewed for continuing appointment and promotion, and to ensure that department criteria were used in the evaluation of the candidate’s record. The APC recommends to the Provost, who recommends to the President, who submits recommendations to the Chancellor. At each step up to the President, the candidate has five working days to appeal. See HARP section III.

Criteria for Promotion

The Department of Visual Arts and New Media recognizes the further elaboration of the standards of promotion in academic ranks as outlined in the Policies of the Board of Trustees and university faculty Handbook on Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion. All promotional deliberations will include an evaluation according to the general criteria specified by the Policies of the Board of Trustees and in HARP, section IV., which becomes increasingly rigorous with each subsequent rank as outlined below.

Faculty seeking promotion must adhere to the times and dates as stipulated in HARP. Prior to applying for a promotion, faculty members should seek consultation with the department chair to inform him or her of their intention to apply for promotion. Particular attention should be paid to the criteria for promotion established in HARP. A faculty member seeking promotion may ask for a mentor at his or her discretion.

Faculty should notify the department chair of their intent to apply for promotion by September 1 and formally submit their dossier to the DPC for review by October 1. Only tenured faculty from the ranks above those of the applicants for promotion will meet to discuss the materials

submitted for application and communicate their recommendations to the department chair. Based on these recommendations and on the dossier, the department chair will write a letter of recommendation to the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Criteria for promotion is as follows (see HARP section IV):

For Reappointment, the candidate will provide evidence that he/she is engaged in appropriate teaching and service activities as well as creative/professional activity in which the level of selection and/or recognition encompasses a review process at a local and regional level outside the university. This is the expected level of creative/professional activity required of all departmental faculty. By pre-tenure review, the candidate should broaden the level and/or recognition of creative/professional activity to a wide regional or national level.

Continuing Appointment and Promotion to Associate Professor require a demonstration of continued effectiveness in teaching combined with a significant level of creative/professional activity while an Assistant Professor through a combination of wide regional, national, or international exhibitions, performances, presentations, refereed publications and/or other forms of broadly defined scholarly achievements that are recognized by experts in the field beyond Fredonia. In addition, the candidate must make substantial contributions in appropriate department, university, community, and professional service. Continuing appointment and promotion are separate personnel recommendations but are normally decided simultaneously.

For Promotion to Full Professor, both the cumulative record and work done while an Associate Professor are considered. Promotion to Full Professor for the candidate requires a significant demonstration of continued effectiveness in teaching and substantial evidence of creative/professional activity. The substantial level of creative/professional activity required of all departmental faculty is a sustained, cumulative record of peer-reviewed creative/professional activities at the national or international level. The candidate will also have taken a leadership role in appropriate department, university, community, and professional service.

Appeal Process

During the years leading to continuing appointment, candidates have the right to appeal to the Dean should the recommendation of the Chair not be favorable. Upon receipt of the recommendation of the department chair, the candidate will have five business days in which to appeal a non-renewal or reappointment with reservation decision by the department or the department chair. Upon receiving notice of such appeal, the department chair shall call a meeting of all tenured faculty at the earliest possible opportunity. The candidate will be given an opportunity at that meeting to present his or her case to the department in person and address all relevant issues and questions. After such a meeting the faculty will re-consider their recommendation. The result of this reconsideration shall not be subject to further appeal at the department level. The appeal process must be completed at least two business days prior to the deadline for forwarding recommendations to the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Review of Adjunct Faculty (See HARP, Section V.)