Effective date:                                                    Latest Rev. date: 

 

UNIT CODE OF OPERATIONS

 

DEPARTMENT OF/UNIT NAME
Department of Psychology

 

SCHOOL/COLLEGE OF
Arts and Sciences

 

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

 

Code Approval

 

1.   Approved by the tenured faculty of the Unit:                                                                       

 

      Chair, Unit Code Committee:                                  Date: 

 

2.   If changed, reapproved by tenured faculty:

 

      Chair, Unit Code Committee:                                  Date:  5-28-08

     

3.   Submitted to Dean for advice:                                 Date: 

 

4.   Reviewed/recommended by Faculty Senate Unit Code Screening Committee:

      Chair:  Garris Conner                                              Date:  2/28/08 and 5-30-08

     

5.   Approved by the East Carolina University Faculty Senate:

 

      Chair of the Faculty:  Janice Tovey             Date:     pending

6.   Approved by East Carolina University Chancellor/or designee:

 

      Chancellor:                                  Steve Ballard                   Date: pending
#08-14   May 21, 2008 (with exceptions)                             (Effective Date)

                                                                                  

 

Revision of Code: _X__           Complete; or ____       Part(s) Effective: __X__

 

 


Code of Operations of the Department of Psychology

 

East Carolina University

 

 

 

PREAMBLE

THIS CODE ALLOWS FOR FACULTY PARTICIPATION IN AND ESTABLISHES

PROCEDURE FOR THE UNIT’S INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND IS CONSISTENT

WITH ALL APPLICABLE APPENDICES OF THE EAST CAROLINA

UNIVERSITY FACULTY MANUAL.


I. Departmental Goals/Mission

 

Pursuant to the philosophy of East Carolina University, the Department of Psychology pledges itself to (1) foster educational excellence in curriculum, instruction, and scholarship at both the graduate and undergraduate levels; (2)  promote psychological research and scientific inquiry through attendance at professional conferences, professional contacts, and publications; (3) provide opportunities for students to learn from a variety of experiences; (4) foster a culture that values diversity, encourages interaction, and negotiates the differences among us; (5) uphold the standards of professional ethics and academic integrity; (6) promote multidisciplinary collaboration; (7) support academic freedom and shared governance; and (8) foster professional and public service.

 

II. Faculty Definitions

 

A. Faculty Eligible to Vote for General Departmental Business


Faculty members in the Department of Psychology (i.e., full-time fixed-term, probationary-term, and permanently tenured) who hold academic rank or title within the department and whose departmental duties include at least one-half of the normal teaching/research duties as practiced in the unit or who are on leave of absence are eligible to vote on departmental business unless otherwise specified in Appendices D and L of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual.

 

B. Faculty Eligible to Vote for Tenure & Promotion Decisions


The definition of voting faculty outlined in Appendix D (Tenure and Promotion Policies and Procedures of East Carolina University) of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual applies.

 

C. Faculty Eligible to Vote Under Appendix L

 

The definition of voting faculty outlined in Appendix L of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual for making recommendations on code content to the permanently tenured unit faculty members and in the quadrennial evaluations of the effectiveness of unit programs applies.”

 

D. Graduate Faculty


The Graduate Faculty of the department are those individuals who are members or associate members of the Graduate Faculty as defined by Appendix F of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual and meet criteria established by the department as described in Appendix A of this document.

 

III. Administrative Organization of the Department

 

A. Department Chair

 

i. Definition

The Chair is the chief administrative officer of the department. The selection and tenure of the office of the Department Chair shall conform with established University policies.”

 

 

ii. Duties of the Department Chair

a)represent the department in its relations with other units and divisions of the university;

b)administer the affairs of the department in accordance with the policies of the department, the college, and the university;

c)  inform the faculty of all administrative decisions or actions affecting the faculty and department;

d)evaluate annually each faculty member’s teaching, research, and service in accordance with criteria established in this code;

e)be responsible for the scheduling of classes in consultation with the Schedule Committee;

f)   be responsible for the advising and registration of students in cooperation with the student’s faculty advisor;

g)manage the operation of the departmental office and its staff;

h)  have responsibility for proper space utilization and for all equipment and supplies belonging to the department;

i)   allocate research space and equipment;

j)   prepare and be responsible for the departmental budget and budgets for all other funds assigned to or belonging to the department;

k)  each Fall, discuss current budget allocations with the faculty and prepare a summary of the previous year’s allocation and expenditures;

l)   submit proposed Personnel Committee recommendations, other actions and proceedings of the department to the requisite university officials, offices, and/or units;

m) conduct negotiations for the hiring of new faculty members;

n) preside over departmental meetings and supervise the writing and distribution of departmental minutes;

o) approve the submission of grant proposals;

p) ensure that all personnel actions are in accordance with the East Carolina University Faculty Manual;

q) ensure that code procedures and university and state regulations are followed;

r) be responsible for the departmental annual report, make the annual report available to the faculty and discuss the report with the faculty in the fall;

s) coordinate directorships and academic programs in the department; and,

t) perform other functions as advised or recommended by departmental faculty.

 

 

B. Associate Chair


i. Definition

If the Department Chair desires, an Associate Chair will be nominated by the Department Chair and approved by a majority of the eligible voting faculty present at the meeting.  Individual faculty who submit an absentee ballot will also be considered present for voting purposes.  The Associate Chair will serve for a two-year term. There is no limitation to the number of successive terms the individual may serve.  Compensation shall be negotiated with the Department Chair.

 

ii. Duties of the Associate Chair

The Associate Chair assists the Department Chair with the day-to-day operations of the department, excluding personnel and budgetary issues. Specific duties are assigned by the Department Chair.

 

C. Director of Health Psychology Doctoral Program

 

i. Definition

There shall be a Director of the Health Psychology Doctoral Program.  The Director shall be nominated by the Department Chair, in consultation with the Advisory committee, and elected by a majority of the eligible voting faculty present at the meeting.  Individual faculty who submit an absentee ballot will also be considered present for voting purposes as specified under VII. Meetings of this document .  This position is for a 5 year term.  Compensation shall be negotiated with the Department Chair.

 

ii. Duties of the Program Director:

a)     hold the appropriate license and credentials for the program;

b)     supervise advising, recruiting, admissions, and teaching assignments, in conjunction with the program faculty;

c)      establish, maintain and administer internships, practica and field placements required by the program and ensure that appropriate supervision is provided;

d)     supervise the review and modification of program information in both printed and electronic formats;

e)     seek and maintain appropriate program accreditation;

f)        serve as a member of the Graduate Assembly;

g)     execute all other administrative duties and decision-making functions delegated to the director by the Department Chair.

 

D. Masters/Specialist Graduate Program Directors

 

i. Definition

There shall be Graduate Program Directors for the Clinical, General, and School Psychology areas.  Directors shall be nominated by the Advisory Committee or nominated from the floor and elected by a majority of the eligible voting faculty present at the meeting.  Individual faculty who submit an absentee ballot will also be considered present for voting purposes as specified under VII. Meetings of this document.   Elections for the Directors shall follow this schedule:  School – April 2008; Clinical – April 2009; General – April 2010.  Terms of office shall be for three years, and shall begin May 31 and run for three years or until their successors have been elected.  Compensation shall be negotiated with the Department Chair.

 

ii. Duties of the Program Directors:

a)     make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee as necessary

concerning changes in the relevant graduate program;

b)  hold the appropriate license and credentials for that program;

c)  advise graduate students within the Program with respect to fulfilling all

     course, research, examination, internship, and practica requirements as well as Program and University requirements;

d)  process the admission requests for each applicant to that Graduate Program

     which includes maintaining records, along with requests for tuition

     remissions/graduate scholar’s awards, etc.;

e)  after consulting with the Program faculty, recommend to the Department

     Chair the acceptance or rejection of graduate applicants;

f)  coordinate teaching assignments for the Program with the Schedule

    Committee;

g)  establish, maintain and administer internships, practica and field placements

     required by the Program and ensure that appropriate course supervision is  

    provided;

h)  coordinate admission policies for the Program within Departmental policies

    and maintain a record of all applications and actions taken;

i)        handle correspondence with and personal visits from applicants to the

      program;

 j)   serve as a member of the Graduate Assembly;

k)  review and modify Program information in both printed and electronic formats;

l)   seek and maintain appropriate program accreditation and,

m)  execute all other administrative duties and decision-making functions

      delegated to the Director by the Department Chair.

 

E. Undergraduate Program Director

 

i. Definition

The Undergraduate Program Director shall be nominated by the Advisory Committee or nominated from the floor and elected by a majority of the eligible voting faculty present at the meeting.  Individual faculty who submit an absentee ballot will also be considered present for voting purposes as specified under VII. Meetings of this document.  The term of appointment shall first expire at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year, and shall expire every three years thereafter. Compensation shall be negotiated with the Department Chair.

 

 

ii. Duties of the Undergraduate Program Director

a)  make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee as necessary

     concerning changes in the undergraduate program;

b)  communicate to students information concerning the psychology

      undergraduate program, graduate programs, and career opportunities in

      psychology;

c)      review and approve the senior summary and such other forms as are

     designated by the Department Chair;

d)  keep abreast of regulations regarding major, minor, honors, and liberal arts foundation curriculum requirements and inform faculty advisors and students;

e)  aid in the organization and presentation of undergraduate thesis projects; and,

 f)   execute all other administrative duties and decision-making functions

      delegated to the Director by the Department Chair.

 

F. Director of Graduate Assistants

 

i. Definition

The Director of Graduate Assistants shall be nominated by the Advisory Committee or nominated from the floor and be elected by a majority of the eligible voting faculty present at the meeting.  Individual faculty who submit an absentee ballot will also be considered present for voting purposes as specified under VII. Meetings of this document.  The term of office shall first expire at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, and shall expire every three years thereafter. Compensation shall be negotiated with the Department Chair.

 

        ii. Duties of the Director of Graduate Assistants

a)     in consultation with the Department Chair and Program Directors, assign Graduate Assistantships, which shall include Teaching Assistants (TA’s), Research Assistants (RA’s), and Graduate Assistants (GA’s) for appropriate assignments and duties in assisting the departmental faculty;

b)   coordinate the Graduate Assistantship assignments and payroll;

c)   coordinate with the Department Chair course assignments for Graduate Teaching Assistants as needed;

d)      supervise the recruitment, training and monitoring of Graduate Teaching Assistants, following General Administration memorandum guidelines;

e)       provide supervision and instruction to Graduate Teaching Assistants in teaching methodology; assist in structuring and developing the content domain for the teaching of psychology classes by Graduate Teaching Assistants;

f)        supervise evaluation procedures for the Graduate Teaching Assistants;

g)      mediate assistantship conflicts between Graduate Assistants and departmental faculty; and,

h)      perform other administrative functions as designated by the Department Chair.

 

G. Library Representative

 

i. Definition

The Library Representative shall be nominated by the Advisory Committee or nominated from the floor and be elected by a majority of the eligible voting faculty present at the meeting.  Individual faculty who submit an absentee ballot will also be considered present for voting purposes as specified under VII. Meetings of this document.  The term of office shall first expire at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, and shall expire every three years thereafter.

 

ii. Duties of the Library Representative

a)     serve as a liaison between university libraries and departmental members;

b)     conduct surveys to determine psychology staff needs and preferences for ordering books, journals, and other materials.

 

IV. Standing Committees

 

Members of standing committees shall be permanently tenured or probationary-term faculty nominated by the Advisory Committee or nominated from the floor and elected by a majority of the departmental voting faculty present at the April departmental faculty meeting.  

 

As prescribed below, some committees must include representation from faculty of specific rank and tenure status.  Terms of office of standing committee members shall be for two years and shall begin May 31 and run for two calendar years or until their successors have been elected.  Committee elections shall be held at the April departmental faculty meeting. Individual two-year terms within a committee will be staggered so that the committee will retain experienced members from year to year. Thus, only the committee terms that expire in a given year will be up for re-election that year. The Advisory Committee is charged with tracking the terms of committee members and notifying the faculty at least two weeks prior to the April meeting what elections are required that year.

 

Except when stated otherwise, the quorum for standing committees shall be a majority of the members of the committee, excluding ex officio members.  Standing Committee action shall be subject to approval by the department, or by the faculty so specified.  Persons (except ex officio members) shall serve on no more than three standing committees and may chair no more than one.

 

The standing committees of the department shall consist of the:  Advisory Committee, Curriculum Committee, Scholarships & Awards Committee, Schedule Committee, and Personnel Committee.

 

A. Advisory Committee

 

The Advisory Committee shall consist of the Department Chair, ex officio, and five elected faculty members.  Both permanently tenured and probationary-term faculty must be represented on the committee.  The Chair of the committee shall be elected by members of the committee and cannot be an ex-officio member.

The committee shall:

 

i. track the terms of each committee, solicit nominations, and prepare a ballot for each committee election at the April faculty meeting;

 

ii. on at least a biennial basis, study and evaluate the operation of the departmental code, the functions of the committees, and make recommendations for change as deemed necessary and desirable;

 

iii. recommend the creation of new committees and the elimination of old committees as deemed necessary and desirable; and

 

iv. advise the Department Chair regarding matters brought to its attention by the Chair or members of the department.

 

B. Curriculum Committee

 

The Curriculum Committee shall consist of five elected faculty members.  The Chair of the committee shall be elected by the members of the committee.  The relevant Program Director associated with any course under review shall be invited to that specific curriculum meeting.

The committee shall:

 

i. suggest or review proposals for new courses, course revisions, course deletions, Writing Across the Curriculum requirements, program changes, and make recommendations to the faculty;

 

ii. suggest or review proposals for changes in requirements for degrees and make recommendations to the faculty; and

 

iii. the Chair of the committee shall ensure that the proposed departmental changes are transmitted to the appropriate curriculum committees.

 

C. Scholarships & Awards Committee

 

The Scholarships & Awards Committee shall consist of three elected faculty members representing both permanently tenured and probationary-term faculty.  The Chair of the committee shall be elected by members of the committee.

The committee shall:

 

i. coordinate seminars, colloquia, and paper presentations; and

 

ii. solicit nominations and recommend recipients of scholarships and awards to the Department Chair.

 

iii.  arrange for awards presentations to candidates at graduation ceremonies or other events as appropriate.

 

D. Schedule Committee

 

The Schedule Committee shall consist of three elected faculty members.  The Chair of the committee shall be elected by members of the committee.

The committee shall:

 

i. recommend to the Department Chair an adequate schedule of courses to meet the regular requests for such schedules received from the Office of Provost for Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs;

 

ii. recommend each schedule in such a manner as to meet the course needs of Psychology Department majors (both undergraduate and graduate) and minors, as well as the cognate requirements of other East Carolina University curricula; and

 

iii. ensure that faculty members are assigned teaching responsibilities appropriate to their specialty areas, preferences, and course load obligations, consistent with the needs of the department.

 

E. Personnel Committee

 

The Personnel Committee shall consist of seven elected permanently tenured members who have full-time appointments within the department, at least two of whom shall hold the rank of Professor and at least two of whom shall hold the rank of Associate Professor.  In addition to the functions assigned to it by the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix D, the Personnel Committee shall:

 

i. make recommendations to the Department Chair regarding annual evaluations of faculty;

 

ii. receive requests and make recommendations to the Department Chair regarding faculty requests for reassigned time;

 

iii. coordinate peer observation of teaching; 

 

iv. develop and implement mentoring programs in teaching, research, and service for new faculty; and

 

v. serve as a resource to any faculty member seeking ways to improve his or her performance.

 

vi.  perform duties specified in section VI of this document.

 

V. Special Committees

 

A.  Tenure Committee

 

The Tenure Committee shall function as defined in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix D.

 

B.  Promotion Committees

 

The Promotion Committees shall function as defined in East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix D.

 

C.  Cumulative Review Committee

 

The Cumulative Review Committee shall function as defined in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix B.

 

VI. Faculty Personnel Actions

 

A. Selection of New Faculty

 

The Department Chair shall notify and consult with the faculty regarding the number and nature of positions allocated to the department.  Based on faculty input and departmental needs, the Department Chair will designate a search committee chair and the Personnel Committee will select one of its members to serve on the search committee.  The Department Chair, Search Committee Chair and the member from the Personnel Committee will then solicit volunteers and select the committee from the faculty to serve on the Search Committee following appropriate guidelines in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual (Appendices C and D).

 

The search committee shall consist of at least three faculty members including the Search Committee Chair and the Personnel Committee representative, chosen to represent expertise required for screening viable candidates based on the job description.  At least one faculty member should be from outside the specialty area defined in the advertisement.  If the position advertised includes significant graduate program involvement, an additional member of the committee should be a graduate student in at least his/her second year from that program. Position advertisements will be developed by the search committee in consultation with the Department Chair and then submitted for university approval.

 

The committee will review all completed applicant files submitted by the advertisement deadline and identify a short list of no more than ten candidates.  This list and the candidate files will be made available to all departmental faculty for their review and input.  At any time during this process, additional candidates may be added to the short list by the search committee.

 

The search committee will then deliberate and provide the faculty with a recommended list of candidates for interviews.  The Department Chair and search committee will coordinate the interviews and visits of candidates depending on departmental funding.

 

Upon completion of the interviews, the Personnel Committee will convene a departmental faculty meeting to discuss the candidates and solicit input from the faculty.  The faculty shall, by secret ballot, vote on the acceptability of each candidate.  Considering the input of the faculty, the Personnel Committee will forward a list of recommended candidates to the Department Chair. The Department Chair shall forward his or her recommendation to the Dean and inform the departmental faculty of his or her decision.

 

B. Teaching Assignments and Reassigned Time

 

In consultation with the Schedule Committee, the Department Chair shall establish teaching assignments in accordance with Appendix C of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual.

In consultation with the Personnel Committee, the Department Chair shall determine faculty reassigned time in accordance with procedures established in Appendix C of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual.

 

C. Faculty Evaluation

 

The specific weights given to teaching effectiveness, research, and service for each full-time permanently tenured or probationary-term faculty member shall be not less than 25% teaching effectiveness, 25% research productivity, and 10% service.  Allocation of the remaining 40% to these established minima shall follow procedures outlined in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix C, such that the weight assigned to service shall not be greater than the weights assigned to either teaching effectiveness or research productivity.  Within these criteria, the specific weights for each faculty member shall be based on the above criteria and the recommendation of the faculty member in the fall term of each academic year.  The weights may be revised with the permission of the Department Chair before the Personnel Committee deliberations in the spring term.  Fixed-term faculty shall be evaluated annually based on the terms of their contracts.

 

D. Reappointment and Professional Advancement

 

The procedures for reappointment of probationary-term faculty are as follows, which are in addition to those prescribed in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix D. Timelines for promotion and tenure are outlined in Appendix D.  The unit Tenure Committee shall review the Personnel Action Dossier of each probationary-term faculty member prior to the contract expiration at a meeting called for this purpose.  The committee shall recommend reappointment only if the dossier indicates a reasonable probability that the record will eventually sustain a recommendation for permanent tenure and promotion using the criteria described in the Evaluation of Faculty section of this Unit Code.   The Department Chair shall apply these same standards in developing his or her recommendations regarding reappointment.

 

E. New and Subsequent Appointments of Fixed-Term faculty members

 

Fixed-term appointments shall conform to the requirements of Appendix D of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual.  The Personnel Committee shall review all applications for fixed-term positions (full- or part-time) and forward recommendations for fixed-term appointments to the Department Chair.

 

F. Promotion of Faculty

 

The procedures for promotion of faculty are prescribed in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix D. The unit Promotion Committee shall review the Personnel Action Dossier of each faculty member being considered for promotion at a meeting called for this purpose.  The committee shall use the promotion criteria described in the Evaluation of Faculty section of this Unit Code.  The Department Chair shall apply these same standards in developing a recommendation regarding promotion.

 

G. Evaluation of Faculty

 

Documentation and Evaluation of Accomplishments

All permanently tenured and probationary-term faculty shall annually document their accomplishments in teaching effectiveness, research, and service for the academic year.  Fixed-term faculty shall provide information based on the terms of their duties as outlined in their contracts.  These documents will be considered by the Personnel Committee in a meeting called for this purpose.  The Department Chair may be asked to participate in this meeting to give information and provide clarification, but shall not vote.  Each member of the Personnel Committee will evaluate each faculty member; no members of the Personnel Committee shall participate in the discussion or evaluation of their own records.  The committee will discuss the evaluations and determine a single score for each component of the evaluation and an overall score for the evaluation.  These evaluations shall be advisory to the Department Chair who will convey to the faculty member a summary of the committee’s evaluations of each faculty member’s performance in teaching effectiveness, research productivity, and service.  The Department Chair shall provide a narrative explanation of the Chair’s numerical evaluation, on both an absolute and relative basis, of the faculty member’s performance.  This information is to be provided in the letter from the Department Chair to the faculty member, that is prescribed in the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix C.

 

When salary increment funds are available for distribution within the department, the Department Chair shall, as part of the annual evaluation of faculty, using weights and the criteria dictated by this Code and those mutually agreed to by the Department Chair and the faculty member being evaluated, recommend each faculty member’s salary award to the Dean. 

 

H. Criteria for Annual Evaluations and Merit Awards

 

In accordance with the East Carolina University Faculty Manual, Appendix L the following items are to be used in evaluating teaching effectiveness, research, and service.  The location of any item on the three lists is not intended to imply a ranking of importance, nor are the lists intended to be exhaustive or mutually exclusive.  Furthermore, the items on each list are not necessarily of equal weight.

 

i. Teaching Effectiveness:

attendance at teaching-related workshops/presentations;

certification received in professional area;

course development, materials and policies;

curriculum design and development;

instructional workload;

peer evaluation of teaching;

published reviews of textbooks;

special courses;

surveys of student opinion;

student advising;

teaching grants;

teaching awards;

textbooks;

thesis supervision or committee membership; and

related activities.

 

ii. Research/Creative Activities:

articles in refereed journals or other professional refereed publications;

books or chapters in books;

textbooks that contribute significantly to the field;

book reviews in refereed journals or other professional publications;

monographs;

panelist at professional meetings;

paper, symposium or poster presented at meetings of professional associations;

research grant or contract;

editor or coeditor of books, journals, or other professional publications; and

related activities.

 

 

iii. Service to the University, Profession, or Community:

advisement of student organizations and activities;

committee work (department, college, or university level);

consulting activities (non-pai