Standard Five

FACULTY

Description

Faculty

As a research institution, Boston University regards excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activity—as evidenced by publications, performances, and other intellectual output—as central to the University’s mission. Boston University expects its teaching faculty to be active in research and professional activities, and to use their scholarly productivity to inform and enhance instruction and pedagogy.

The core academic mission of Boston University is fulfilled primarily by full-time faculty members. The University faculty, which includes teaching and research faculty on both the Charles River and Medical campuses, is composed of 2,451 full-time faculty members and 1,169 part-time faculty members. The titles and qualification for faculty ranks are specified in the Faculty Handbook.

Faculty responsibilities are defined in the Faculty Handbook. The expectations for full-time faculty can be divided into three main categories: teaching, research, and service. Service to the University includes mentoring and advising students (that is, in addition to regular teaching duties) and serving on committees at the departmental, school/college, or University level. Committee work generally relates to policymaking, governance, or curricular development and redesign. In order to fulfill all of their responsibilities to the University, full-time faculty members are expected to limit outside professional activities to no more than one day per week.

Teaching duties vary from unit to unit and sometimes within a particular unit, depending on the discipline. In the College of Arts & Sciences, for example, the teaching expectation is four courses per year for faculty in the Humanities; three to four courses per year in the Social Sciences; and two courses per year in the Natural Sciences. In the School of Engineering, tenured and tenure-track faculty teach four courses per year, although faculty members who are actively involved in research may opt to reduce their classroom teaching obligations by “buying out” courses in exchange for externally funded research. In the School of Theology, faculty members teach four courses per year. In Metropolitan College, faculty teach six courses per year. In the College of General Studies, faculty members teach four sections of, and give all lectures for, one core course each semester.

The flexibility and range of teaching expectations among various schools and colleges mirrors the differing expectations for faculty in various academic units in terms of research, scholarship, and creative activity. The proportion of a faculty member’s time devoted to teaching and research is carefully considered. In some instances, teaching expectations are adjusted when faculty members have a demonstrated need for protected time in which to undertake scholarly pursuits. Newly hired junior faculty, for instance, may have a reduced teaching load at some point during their first two or three years, to allow them time to establish their research activities. In the natural sciences and engineering, research-active faculty must spend considerable time in their laboratories to remain competitive as scholars, and that time needs to be spread throughout the academic year. In the School of Education, the teaching load for full-time faculty members was recently reduced from six to five courses per year, in order to encourage research efforts and increase scholarly productivity.

While accommodations are made to reduce course loads when and as appropriate, all full-time teaching faculty at Boston University are expected to teach a minimum of one course per year, regardless of discipline. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Even particularly well-known and distinguished faculty members, such as Nobel Prize winners Elie Wiesel and Sheldon Glashow, maintain active teaching duties.

Faculty members are also expected to continue their teaching and mentoring efforts outside of the classroom. Faculty who instruct graduate and professional students often provide one-on-one instruction and advising in labs, clinics, and professional settings. This kind of interaction, in which advanced students are treated as “junior colleagues,” often contributes directly to the research of the faculty member while simultaneously providing students with individualized instruction and firsthand experience in research, scholarship, and professional training.

The procedures governing faculty appointments are published in the Faculty Handbook. Boston University provides units with guidelines on how to conduct full-time faculty searches that meet the needs and goals of both the unit and the University as a whole, and how to ensure that the searches are conducted in accordance with equal opportunity and diversity goals. Full-time faculty searches are approved by the Office of the Provost and must be supported by curriculum needs.

All appointments of full-time faculty at the (unmodified) Associate and Full Professor rank undergo a full review at a number of levels: the department, unit, dean, and University. Full-time faculty appointments at the rank of Associate Professor and above must be approved by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the President. Appointments of full-time faculty at the Assistant Professor rank do not need to be reviewed by the Board of Trustees. These appointments may be approved by the University Provost, and are then periodically reviewed for reappointment by both the unit and University Provost.

The use of part-time faculty varies within each school and college, based on the mission of the school or college. For example, the College of General Studies, which has a unique system of team-teaching across a highly structured curriculum, does not utilize part-time faculty. In general, the use of part-time faculty at Boston University can be assigned to one of two broad categories of teaching:

1. Supervision of professional training. Where students are placed in professional training situations and practica such as student teaching or fieldwork placement, the on-site supervisor may be given a courtesy part-time faculty appointment—with or without compensation—to provide the necessary on-site supervision (in coordination with full-time faculty of the base school or college). Part-time appointments of this nature are utilized in the School of Social Work, the School of Education, and the College of Fine Arts (CFA), which appoints distinguished musicians as part-time faculty to provide individual private lessons and music instruction for the diverse instruments supported by programs in CFA’s School of Music.
2. Firsthand, up-to-the-minute knowledge of the field. In some schools and colleges, working professionals who hold full-time jobs in their professions are appointed as part-time faculty (often without compensation) to share their knowledge and expertise as current practitioners in the field. Appointments of this kind are most often, but not exclusively, found in the professional schools and colleges. The School of Law appoints sitting judges of federal and state courts as part-time faculty; the College of Fine Arts, professional artists and performers; the School of Management, executives in business and finance; and the College of Communication, working broadcasters, journalists, executives, and creative talent in advertising. In the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Public Health, current and active practitioners—who would not be able to fulfill the responsibilities expected of full-time faculty—enrich the curriculum by teaching in areas of specializations and by supervising BU students in clinics. Metropolitan College, which offers a diverse range of extended education degree programs, many of them part-time, utilizes a combination of full-time faculty (some of whom hold their base appointment in another school or college at Boston University) and part-time faculty, many of whom are active practitioners in their fields. In addition, the School of Theology regularly hosts a Methodist “Bishop in Residence,” who teaches part-time and serves as an advisor on church-related matters.

Finally, it should be noted that some part-time faculty at Boston University’s schools and colleges are senior faculty who have elected to switch to part-time status prior to retirement.

Part-time faculty with the rank of Lecturer are appointed at the school or college level. The dean bases his or her decision to appoint a Lecturer on external letters of reference, past teaching history, and the recommendation of the relevant department chair. Part-time faculty holding the rank of Adjunct, Clinical, Visiting, Research, or Executive-in-Residence are approved by the University Provost after reviewing a complete initial appointment dossier, which includes recommendations from the dean and chair, outside letters of recommendation, and information on the past teaching history of each candidate.

Boston University offers tenure and a variety of multi-year contracts on the Charles River Campus, and rolling appointments on the Medical Campus. Guidelines relating to both kinds of appointments are stipulated in the Faculty Handbook. In addition, Boston University provides faculty and staff on both campuses with a range of benefits comparable to those offered by peer institutions. Information about benefits is published online by the Office of Human Resources.

The Faculty Handbook is an essential resource for faculty at Boston University. It sets forth University-wide standards, procedures, and criteria relating to faculty appointments, evaluation, promotion and tenure, and non-reappointment. Criteria and standards that apply only to schools and colleges on the Charles River Campus or to those on the Medical Campus are clearly identified as such.

To ensure that faculty appointments are handled in a fair, equitable, and consistent way, the terms and conditions of all faculty appointments must be made in writing, as specified in the Faculty Handbook. The Handbook also outlines an appeal process for appeals relating to appointment matters, as well as a faculty grievance procedure broad enough to cover concerns ranging from issues of appointments and responsibilities to issues of academic freedom.

Boston University has a number of policies relating to ethical and responsible behavior which apply to all members of the University community. Some policies, such as the Patent Policy, are specific to each campus. The policies that apply most frequently to faculty members include those relating to academic freedom, copyright, investigator’s conflicts of interest, gifts, external compensated activity, and misconduct in scholarship and research.

Potential or alleged violations of these policies are investigated by the University and formal charges may be brought, following a process outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Depending on the outcome of the hearing, policy violations may lead to termination of employment. Fortunately, instances of faculty members failing to meet Boston University’s ethical standards are very infrequent, which attests both to the institutional emphasis on high ethical standards and to the way in which the faculty daily comports themselves in a manner consistent with the University’s mission.

Teaching and Advising

Instruction at Boston University occurs in a number of settings and formats: large lecture courses, smaller seminars and discussion groups, workshops, clinical settings and fieldwork placements, studio courses, and, in some colleges such as the College of Fine Arts and the College of General Studies, one-on-one and team teaching. The variety of instructional settings is appropriately matched to the needs of diverse academic programs.

The use of instructional technology is supported by a number of offices at Boston University. The Office of Information Technology offers seminars, workshops, and self-paced tutorials to help faculty, students, and staff take advantage of online course technology, popular software, and other electronic means of communication. Classroom Support Services has compiled an online catalogue of technology and services for all classrooms. Students and faculty can search by building and room or by the type of technology desired (for instance, network connection, PA system, projector, VCR, DVD, or some combination of these resources). All new buildings and dormitories have wireless Internet access.

Boston University recognizes the importance of making adequate and informed academic advising available to all students. For undergraduates, the University generally meets this need by maintaining an office of academic advising in each of the ten schools and colleges with bachelor’s-level programs. In many schools and colleges, the individuals working in these offices are faculty members who provide advising duties on a part-time basis. These offices are generally overseen by an assistant or associate dean. In addition to a separate office for undergraduate academic advising, some schools assign student advisees to individual faculty members. In many instances, a faculty advisor is assigned at the time the student declares a major or field of concentration. Faculty advisors and current course instructors have online access to the academic records of their advisees and current students. Faculty members in the largest undergraduate school, the College of Arts & Sciences, meet with incoming students during Summer Orientation to assist them with course selection.

At the graduate level, students are generally assigned a specific faculty member within their discipline as an advisor. In some schools, students at the master’s level are also served by a separate academic advising office for graduate students.

Students are encouraged to gain firsthand research experience, including undergraduates. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) helps match interested students with faculty-mentored research projects. Students can earn academic credit and gain valuable experience, as well as the chance to co-author a published paper detailing their work. UROP provides funds, often matched by the department of the participating faculty member, to pay for laboratory supplies and to provide summer stipends for students. In addition, undergraduates can apply to UROP for grants to cover conference participation and research-related travel.

In addition to formal advising and mentoring roles, faculty members play an important part in helping the University identify and recognize outstanding student work. Undergraduate and graduate students may be recognized for their achievements in scholarship and the arts through a number of internal and external awards and honors: memberships in honor societies including Golden Key and Phi Beta Kappa; the Esther B. and Albert S. Kahn Award in the College of Fine Arts; student filmmaker prizes in the College of Communication; BU Institute for Leading in a Dynamic Economy (BUILDE) collaborations in the School of Management; and the Henry I. Russek Student Achievement Day in the Graduate Medical Sciences. In addition, a number of undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence; in order to maintain such awards, students must continue to attain a high level of academic achievement through the duration of their degree program.

Faculty are also responsible for supervising and monitoring teaching fellows (TFs), as appropriate. Teaching fellows are utilized in a number of schools and colleges, including the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering. In the School of Education and the School of Social Work, teaching fellows work directly with supervising faculty; in the School of Management, TFs are typically monitored by members of their dissertation committees.

Boston University recognizes the need to guarantee the quality of teaching provided by teaching fellows. To this end, the University periodically reviews the process of training, mentoring, and supervising TFs in each academic unit in order to ensure that students receive a uniformly high quality of instruction. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) provides a formal, mandatory orientation program for first-time teaching fellows prior to the start of the fall semester. GRS also offers a supplementary nine-day program for TFs whose first language is not English, to familiarize them with Boston University and with the American classroom more generally. In addition, teaching fellows in GRS take a two-credit course—taught by faculty members in their respective departments—which is specifically devoted to teaching the pertinent subject.

Teaching fellows in any school or college whose native language is not English may be required to take courses in English as a Second Language at Boston University’s Center for English Language & Orientation Programs. These courses are geared specifically to the pedagogical use of English. Teaching fellows may also seek guidance from the Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET), which was established in 2001 to provide advice and mentoring to both regular (full- and part-time) faculty and graduate students with teaching responsibilities. CET publishes a manual entitled “Preparing to be a Teaching Fellow,” which is distributed to all TFs and available online. It clearly outlines the expectations for graduate teaching fellows, and provides tips to help both graduate TFs and their students gain as much as possible from the experience.

Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity

As a research university, Boston University expects all faculty members to be productive scholars and to remain current in the theory, skills, and pedagogy of their respective disciplines and professions. An underlying premise that unites faculty across all schools and colleges at Boston University is the conviction that research and teaching are complementary and that new discoveries augment and sustain our work as educators. Accordingly, decisions relating to faculty recruitment, retention, tenure, and promotion are based on criteria that cover both teaching and research or creative activity.

Boston University provides support for research and creative activities across a wide range of scholarly disciplines, and has also made a strong institutional commitment to interdisciplinary research and scholarship. The University provides sufficient physical, technical, and administrative resources to sustain this commitment to research. Currently, Boston University supports more than 100 research centers and institutes.

BU faculty members make significant contributions to research and scholarship in a wide range of academic disciplines. Evidence of scholarly productivity abounds. Media Relations prepares a round-up of articles and interviews featuring Boston University from the local, national, and international press, which shows that BU faculty members are asked by the media on a daily basis to offer advice and opinions about a range of issues, including current and world affairs, trade and economics, and health and well-being. In 2007, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Boston University’s French department (actually a section within the Department of Romance Studies) and the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations first in the country in their respective fields in terms of scholarly productivity. The Department of English was ranked second by The Chronicle, behind only Harvard University. In all, a total of eight departments at Boston University were ranked among the “top ten” in their respective disciplines on The Chronicle’s Research Universities Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.

A list of award-winning faculty is compiled annually and published in print and online in the magazine Research at Boston University. Each issue of Research at BU also contains themed articles and individual profiles highlighting the work of roughly 40 faculty members, whose diverse research interests reflect the breadth and depth of disciplines at Boston University.

Boston University faculty members keep current with their particular field as a matter of professional pride. To support their efforts, all academic units provide some combination of sabbaticals, course releases, funding for travel and summer research projects, and other supports to encourage and enable continuous professional development. Most academic departments have annual budgets for this purpose, and individual schools and colleges within BU will often supplement those resources. Internal grants are also available from non-departmental units such as the Humanities Foundation.

Consistent with the purposes and needs of the individual academic units and with the overall mission of Boston University, particular attention is paid to providing support for research and creative activity at critical moments in an individual faculty member’s career (e.g., initial appointment, tenure-track review). Faculty members may apply for sabbatical leave under conditions specified in the Faculty Handbook to engage in scholarly and creative activities. They can also apply for “seed grant funds” and other resources—physical and technical as well as financial—to support faculty-supervised undergraduate and graduate research projects. Both junior and senior faculty members are eligible for internal funding and other research supports.

Faculty members are also encouraged to seek external funding. Boston University maintains an Office of Sponsored Research (on the Charles River Campus) and an Office for Research Administration (on the Medical Campus) to help faculty secure and administer external grants and contracts for research and training projects. In 2007–08, Boston University received more than $336 million in externally funded research grants.

Academic freedom is integral to the mission of Boston University. Free inquiry and uncensored discourse are prerequisites for sound teaching and groundbreaking research. As part of the institution’s longstanding commitment to high quality, cutting-edge scholarship, Boston University endorses the 1940 American Association of University Professor’s Statement of Academic Freedom and Tenure.

The Faculty Handbook contains an additional statement, which was approved by the University Council in 2007, upholding the centrality of academic freedom to the research and teaching mission of Boston University. This statement on academic freedom applies to all faculty members, regardless of rank or tenure status. It affirms the right of faculty and students to “engage in research, scholarship, or other creative work in order to expand knowledge, to publish research findings, to teach and to learn in an atmosphere of unfettered free inquiry and exposition.”

The statement on academic freedom also states that the right to academic freedom comes with certain duties and responsibilities. Faculty members are expected to make a commitment to accuracy and integrity in their research, and to clearly distinguish between knowledge and belief in the classroom. Honesty, accuracy, and a respect for differing opinions are also necessary for research, teaching, and learning to thrive.

The Faculty Handbook outlines a grievance procedure in the event that faculty members believe their academic freedom has been infringed, and the Faculty Council maintains a standing Committee on Academic Freedom to monitor any potential violations. In recent years, no grievances alleging a violation of academic freedom have been filed.

Appraisal

Faculty

All Boston University faculty members are expected to be effective teachers and productive scholars who are well regarded by colleagues in their field. In addition, faculty members are expected serve as advisors and mentors to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as collegial and contributing members of the University community. Specific expectations for faculty are clearly outlined in the Faculty Handbook, which lists the following criteria (though not all of them apply to every faculty member):

• teaching effectiveness;
• scholarly and professional achievements;
• research, as evidenced by both published and unpublished works;
• direction of graduate studies;
• advisory and counseling service;
• success in generating external funding to support research and/or other programs;
• service to professional societies;
• service to the programs and administrative work of the University;
• professional activities in the community;
• attributes of integrity, industry, objectivity, leadership, collegiality, and cooperation; and
• success in clinical practice.

The Faculty Handbook notes that these criteria are not listed in order of importance, nor are they to be too rigidly applied. Chairs and others in a position to evaluate faculty members are reminded that “the primary interest of the University [is] retaining and rewarding persons of superior teaching ability and scholarly achievement.” Schools and colleges are now in the process of developing individual statements of Faculty Expectations—which will be discussed in more detail in the Projection subsection—to supplement the expectations outlined in the Faculty Handbook.

Boston University also assesses the quality and scholarly productivity of its faculty through a number of procedures outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Full-time faculty members self-report both institutional and external activities on an annual basis by completing the Faculty Annual Report and the External Activity Report, both of which are available online. Submitted reports are reviewed by department chairs, deans, and either the Provost of the Medical Campus or the University Provost (as appropriate), in order to ensure that faculty members are fulfilling their responsibilities to the University in terms of teaching, research, and service. This annual evaluation requires faculty members to demonstrate continued currency and quality in teaching and scholarship. Intensive review processes are undertaken before decisions about tenure and promotion.

The Faculty Handbook is a living document, which can be modified as needed to ensure that it is consistent with the mission of Boston University and reflects the changing needs of schools, colleges, and the faculty. In the 2006–07 academic year, the University Council Committee on Faculty Policies proposed significant revisions to many sections of the Handbook, based on a careful process of reviewing and rewriting that lasted several years. Input was actively solicited concerning the proposed changes, and feedback received from individual faculty members, deans, and members of the Faculty Council. All proposed changes were then reviewed by the Committee on Faculty Policies, the University Provost, the Provost of the Medical Campus, and the President to ensure that proposed changes were consistent with the mission of the University. The University Council ultimately approved the proposed revisions.

Faculty members are expected to comply with the policies and ethical standards set forth by Boston University. Compliance is determined by means of self-reporting and annual self-declarations on matters such as external funding and external compensated activity. Grant applications, whether federal or private, often require various (enforceable) financial declarations or conditions regarding conflicts of interest by the principal investigator and others to be funded under the grant. In addition, the availability of a wide range of investigatory processes to deal with complaints of violation of the University’s ethical obligations help ensure that ethical and responsible behavior by faculty is the norm, not the exception. In addition, the University recently established a confidential “reporting hotline” operated by EthicsPoint, an independent entity, which can be used to anonymously submit a complaint relating to alleged unethical conduct.

After two decades of nonparticipation, Boston University has resumed the practice of reporting faculty salaries to the American Association of University Professors national salary survey, which simplifies comparisons with other institutions’ salary practices. The Committee on Faculty Diversity and Inclusion (CFDI), which was convened in 2006, has as part of its charge advising the University on “how best to insure that salaries, promotions, and leadership opportunities are given to all faculty on the basis of merit.” In fall 2007, the CFDI sponsored a “climate survey” in which all full-time tenure, tenure-track, and non-tenure faculty on the Charles River Campus and the Medical Campus were asked to report their degree of satisfaction with Boston University. In particular, faculty members were asked about their satisfaction with respect to compensation, workload, mentoring, promotion and tenure, hiring and retention, and life outside of the institution. The overall response rate was 61% (71% for the Charles River Campus and 51% for the Medical Campus). Survey results are available online to the Boston University community on the CFDI website. The council is expected to publish a public report in early 2009.

The CFDI was also asked to identifying strategies that will help the University “develop and sustain an institutional environment that attracts and supports a diverse faculty.” The University Provost, in concert with the University Council Committee on Faculty Policies, will continue to monitor appointment procedures and general compliance with them across the University. Progress toward diversity goals is also monitored by the Director of Equal Opportunity. Reports are available on request at the Office of Equal Opportunity within Human Resources.

Teaching and Advising

Boston University continually assesses and evaluates teaching performance through a process of annual reviews. Assessments of teaching ability are based on student evaluations and observations of classroom teaching. Student evaluations, which are anonymous, are completed for each course at the close of the semester. Evaluations are not standardized across the University, but are administered by individual departments, schools, or programs. The results of the student evaluations are available to faculty after grades are submitted, and are used as information about teaching effectiveness. Each school, department, or program determines the process for communicating with its faculty the results of the student evaluations and annual merit review.

Faculty members who want to improve their teaching and pedagogy are encouraged to do so, either informally through senior faculty mentors or formally through the Center for Excellence in Teaching. Quality teaching is recognized and rewarded, most notably through the United Methodist Church Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award and the Arthur G. B. Metcalf Cup and Prize, which is given to one faculty member each May at Commencement and includes a $10,000 prize. Individual schools, colleges, and departments also honor excellence in teaching.

The international student body at Boston University ranks among the ten largest in the United States. Boston University provides intensive English language instruction through its Center for English Language & Orientation Programs (CELOP) to ensure that students whose first language is not English can successfully complete coursework and other degree requirements. CELOP also offers workshops specifically focused on the pedagogical uses of English to ensure that international students can effectively carry out their duties as teaching fellows and teaching assistants, if applicable.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET) also provides workshops, online resources, and other assistance for full- and part-time faculty related to teaching methodologies and the use of instructional technology. CET functions as both a program, with in-person workshops and seminars, and a virtual center. A collection of audio, video, and print materials on its website guides new faculty members and teaching fellows through the process of preparing a syllabus, ordering books from the BU bookstore, and utilizing online tools via the Faculty Link. Information about upcoming workshops is also posted on the CET website.

Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity

Scholarly productivity forms part of the annual evaluation of faculty performance and is an important criterion in promotion and tenure. Achievements in research, scholarship, and creative activity are explicitly listed among the criteria used to determine decisions relating to salary, reappointment, promotion, and tenure. The description of the ranks and titles for all faculty positions set forth in the Faculty Handbook makes clear the particular level of knowledge, expertise, and achievement expected for each rank.

Scholarly productivity is measured in terms of publications (monographs and other book-length works, articles in refereed journals), performances (for faculty in the arts), and successful applications for external funding. Boston University faculty members are recognized nationally and internationally in their disciplines and professions.

Projection

Boston University aspires to increase both the quantity and the quality of its faculty. The University’s ten-year strategic plan specifies the addition of faculty lines in targeted schools and colleges, including 100 new tenure-track positions in the College of Arts & Sciences alone. The faculty of the School of Management is also expected to grow by 20 new positions over the next ten years. An additional 30 new faculty lines will be reserved for hiring faculty members whose research, scholarship, and teaching crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. The increased emphasis on interdisciplinary faculty is closely related to the University’s commitment to excellence in research and graduate education. In addition to targeted faculty growth, the strategic plan sets aside resources to support faculty development and to update and expand classrooms, laboratories, offices, and studio/rehearsal space to facilitate teaching and learning.

The large numbers of new faculty members will be needed to fulfill Boston University’s vision for enhancing undergraduate education. Faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) teach students in all ten degree-granting undergraduate schools and colleges, in order to provide students with a solid liberal arts background and to allow them to fulfill their general education requirements. As a result, the faculty-student ratio for departments in CAS is in many instances higher than the same department at peer institutions. The Department of English, for instance, which has the largest major in the humanities and one of the largest in CAS, has 28.5 full-time faculty members teaching and advising 437 majors and 47 minors. The faculty-student ratio (1:15.3) is significantly higher than peers at the University of Syracuse (1:10.8); the University of Pennsylvania (1:9.3); and the University of Southern California (1:11.9). Increasing the number of faculty in CAS will help reduce the teaching and advising responsibility within a given department and allow faculty more time for scholarly pursuits.

Boston University recognizes that raising faculty salaries will be critical to advancing BU’s position as a leading university with a strong reputation in both teaching and research. The strategic plan explicitly states, “As we continually increase the profile of our faculty in research and scholarship, we will have to increase faculty compensation and benefits to remain competitive with our peer institutions.” To meet this goal, Boston University is developing a long-term plan for increasing faculty compensation through enhanced operational efficiencies and fundraising.

To ensure faculty participation and buy-in in planning discussions, Boston University adopted a new process for developing University policies—that is, policies with broad application across the various schools and colleges—in 2006. The University Policy Development Process is designed to be as open and transparent as possible. It guides proposed policies through a review process that allows for deliberation and input by relevant stakeholder groups. This process is intended to ensure that modifications to University policies and procedures will be made only with the “advice and consent” of the faculty, and to encourage faculty to play a role in policymaking and governance.

Boston University will continue to hold faculty members to the highest ethical standards. The University would like to maintain a climate in which expectations related to ethical behavior are clearly articulated and widely known. To this end, BU is developing an online repository of policies and procedures to ensure that faculty are aware of and understand the moral and legal obligations applying to them.

In addition, individual schools and colleges at Boston University are currently in the process of developing new Faculty Expectations documents. These documents will articulate in more detail the expectations for faculty members within a specific unit in terms of research, teaching, and service. The criteria, standards, and procedures outlined in these documents must be consistent with the University-wide mandates set forth in the Faculty Handbook. They must also be flexible enough to allow faculty members to balance their teaching and service obligations with their scholarly and creative work. The University Provost has charged the University Council Committee on Faculty Policies with reviewing these documents to ensure that appropriate flexibility is built in.