The policy of SUNY Potsdam on faculty utilization reflects the criteria of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York for the evaluation of academic employees (Policies of the Board of Trustees, Article XII, Title A) and the practice which has been in effect for many years at the College.
While the primary responsibility of full-time faculty at SUNY Potsdam is academic instruction, other responsibilities include, but are not limited to, academic advising, research and/or creative activities, continuing professional development, and campus and community service.
Full-time faculty at SUNY Potsdam normally carry 12 semester hours each semester. These 12 semester hours are not limited to standard classroom teaching, but may include contact with students in credit-bearing lab sections, research seminars, and other learning modes. In the Crane School of Music, the standard load is 24 "Modified Carnegie" units to accommodate studio instruction. Responsibilities are not determined on the basis of student load (i.e., a professor who teaches one or more large sections is not automatically given a course load reduction). Low- enrolled courses (e.g., fewer than 12 students in a lower division course; fewer than 9 students in an upper division course) are reviewed by the dean for possible cancellation and substitution of a
higher demand course. Some faculty also teach tutorials and direct research projects for a few students. Schedules are reviewed before and after pre-registration to assure the effective use of faculty resources while allowing the continuation of courses that are essential to major or other
programs.
Currently, variations on the normal expectations of teaching load are determined by the Deans, the Provost and, in some cases, by the President. Faculty may apply for a course reduction for research and other scholarly activity through the Department and the Department Chair to the Dean's office. Such applications state the purpose of the reduction and carry with them the recommendation of the Department and the Department Chair. Decisions on requested reductions are made by the Provost in consultation with the appropriate dean.
In addition to the reduction granted for department chairs, a reduction in teaching assignment may be granted for such reasons as:
- Administrative assignments (e.g., chair of the Faculty Senate)
- Research and other scholarly activity, as noted above,
- Chair of a major search committee;
- Extraordinary community service.
All full-time faculty are expected to submit an annual report of their activities. The reports are reviewed by the deans and, in the case of decisions regarding discretionary pay, reappointment, promotion and the granting of continuing appointment, by the Provost and the President. Faculty are evaluated, promoted, and receive merit pay increments on the basis of teaching effectiveness, mastery of subject matter, scholarly ability, effectiveness of university service (including advisement of students), public service, and continuing growth. (See guidelines for Academic Appointment and Promotion for detail
regarding procedures and policies.)
The assessment of faculty utilization is an on-going process. As stated in the Faculty Handbook "It is the responsibility of the Deans in consultation with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Department Chairs to develop instructional programs which will result in reasonably equal service to students, the College, and the State of New York from each member of the teaching faculty." Specifically, the Provost conducts periodic reviews of faculty utilization for each academic department, including an analysis of enrollments, number of majors, general education needs, student/faculty ratios, and SUNY benchmark information. When vacant lines are available, they are reallocated to different departments in such a way as to maximize the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the overall academic program.