Published on Aug. 11, 2022

In August 2021, the Office of the Provost requested that all deans and department chairs review workload policies for 9-month faculty. The rationale, process, and timeline for the review is shown in this document, which was created using input from deans, associate provosts, and Faculty Council Chair Kate Trauth. The original timeline was:

• September – December 15, 2021 – Department/College/School workload standards sent to the Office of the Provost; departments work on unit level policies and ensure consistency with College/School level guidelines.
• January 25, 2022 – Office of the Provost review all policies and send changes to departments/colleges
• February 25, 2022– Departments and colleges revise unit workload policies, as needed, and using the college or school’s standards sent to the Office of the Provost.
• March 10, 2022 – Office of the Provost recommendations on all policies are sent to the Chancellor
• March 20, 2022 – Chancellor approves/suggests changes
• April 15, 2022 – All policies finalized and shared with campus
• May 2022 – July 2023 – Faculty alter workload as needed, based on approved workload policies
• August 2023 – Workload policy goes into effect.

First Review: While our original goal had been for units to submit their draft policies by end of the Fall 2021 semester, we received responses from all units towards the end of February 2022. Policies were reviewed by Associate Provost Socarides, Senior VP Martens and Provost Ramchand. Many of the policies submitted in the first round met the standards described in our CRRs and were underpinned by the norms of the ACE report on workload. They were clear and transparent in describing a faculty member’s workload. At the same time, there were some that lacked clarity and/or did not meet the standards described in our CRRs, and hence needed revisions.

Second Review: In order to address the gaps that existed in some of the drafted policies, in March 2022, deans were asked to do a second review. To provide more specificity, strong examples of clear policies were shared with deans. The goal was to have the second review completed in April 2022. With approval from the President, we hoped to finalize these by the end of the semester in late May 2022.

Where are we now: We have received revisions from many, but not all, units. We have reviewed the revisions that were sent to us. The departments that have not completed the second round of review have requested additional time. Given that this process is meant to help clarify workload policies for faculty and is intended to address inequities, it is important that faculty have the time to discuss these policies thoroughly. Hence, while we will begin sharing the policies that were sent back to us, units needing more time will work on their revisions through October 31, 2022.

Next steps: By November 30, 2022, all policies will be shared via links on the Provost website. Until July 2023, departments may continue to make changes as needed. Department chairs and deans should begin working with faculty who may be at risk of not meeting the department’s workload expectations so as to ensure that work performed aligns with their workload policy. Starting in August 2023, departmental workload policies will officially go into effect.

I appreciate every one of our faculty, chairs, and deans for their work on these policies. Workload policies are living documents that need to be continuously reviewed and modified so as to meet institutional goals while being equitable and clear to all faculty. We will continue to have discussions on this topic as we meet individually with departments. Thank you all for your diligence and commitment to ensuring transparency and equity in faculty workload.