A number of the University's general faculty members desire greater transparency of policy and equal treatment within their respective departments, according to a recent Faculty Senate faculty satisfaction survey.
The survey, issued by the Faculty Recruitment, Retention & Welfare Committee of the Faculty Senate, showed that some members of the general faculty feel the rules regarding their positions "need to be more explicit," said Gertrude Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement.
The term "general faculty" refers to non-tenure-track faculty and "has a special meaning here at the University," said Milton Adams, vice provost for academic programs.
General faculty are divided into two categories: administrative and professional faculty, and academic and research faculty, he said. Deans and other administrative officials are considered part of the administrative and professional branch, while professors and research assistants are academic and research faculty, Adams explained.
The main difference between tenured and non-tenured faculty is that the latter focus on teaching and research, whereas the former often have other departmental responsibilities, said General Faculty Council Chair Peter Norton, an assistant professor in the department of science, technology, and society.
"To some perspectives, the non-tenured track faculty are sometimes viewed as less than full partners in their departments, and full partners in others," Norton said.
This inconsistency in general faculty members' roles has led general faculty members to call for greater transparency in their department roles, Norton added.
"We would like to be able to participate in the governance in our department," he said.
During the past 30 years, the number of general faculty members employed by the University has gradually increased, Adams said, attributing this increase to several factors, such as the growth of the student body and the need for research at the University.
In comparison, however, "the number of tenured faculty has grown much more slowly," he said.
Regardless, non-tenured faculty are, "clearly meeting a need ... and making a contribution to academic life at the University," Adams said.
It has been brought to the University's attention that the role of academic and research faculty needs to be better defined in University policy, Norton said, adding that he met with a group of deans in the provost's office last week to discuss the issue. Norton said he gave a brief presentation that voiced the general faculty's call for increasing transparency.
The University administration has been very receptive to the general faculty's concerns, according to Arthur Garson, executive vice president and provost, "just to make really sure that the policies are up to date, as they should be."
Currently, a divide between tenured and non-tenure-eligible faculty only "happens in some departments," Norton said. There are departments where there are no distinctions between types of faculty, and then there are some departments in which general faculty members are very active, but are not included in department functions, he noted.
In terms of University policy, members of the general faculty are supposed to be considered "full citizens" on the University's staff, Norton explained. In some cases, however, the academic and research general faculty are being entirely left out of the governance of their departments, he added. They are not invited to departmental meetings nor kept informed about departmental news, which has caused a great deal of concern among members of the academic and research general faculty, he said.
The issue of defining the general faculty's responsibilities has come up in past years, Fraser said, and as a result, University "policy changed to require that non-[tenure] track faculty have annual written reviews."
These written reviews, Fraser said, gauged faculty performance and provided feedback in the hope of alleviating past concerns.
Because the issues at hand -- primarily transparency and the role of general faculty -- are more along the lines of departmental concerns, Norton said, it is unclear at this time whether a change needs to be made to University policy or within the schools and departments themselves.
Regardless, it appears that "the solution will have to be specific to schools and departments," Fraser said.
According to Faculty Senate Chair Ricardo Padron, the Faculty Senate will "take a hard look at the policies governing the general faculty" and is already planning a task force committee that will focus on evaluating University policies.
The committee is expected to include both members of the General Faculty Council and the Faculty Senate, Padron said
One possible solution might be to have "non-tenured track faculty committees for each school," Norton said, noting this would allow committee members to check whether practices are uniform throughout their departments as well as to assist their departments in other ways, he said.
While Adams said the concerns of the general faculty are significant, he also pointed out that this issue is not unique to University.
"It exists nationwide in a lesser to greater degree, depending on the [university]," he said.
Fraser added that compared to other universities' non-tenure track faculty, those at the University are "overall happy with [the faculty's] collegiality."
Garson added his office is investigating the issues further.
"We're looking at it with a very, very open set of eyes," Garson said. "We want to make sure that the absolute best is done ... for everybody that works here."
Padron said the University community can expect more information regarding the issues in the near future, adding that a complete version of the faculty satisfaction survey will be released online in preparation for the March 11 Faculty Senate meeting.
Read More
PBS NewsHour correspondent speaks on bringing humanity to international conflict
By Grace Little | 23 hours agoSchifrin's work exploring Putin’s Russia, his coverage of COVID-19 and his reporting in Afghanistan and Ukraine have earned him various accolades.
Spring meal swipe drive aims to tackle food insecurity at the University
By Nicolas Biernacki | YesterdayU.Va. Dine facilitated the drive by converting each meal swipe donated by a student into one pound of food that is then donated to the CFP.
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | 2 days agoA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
