10. Participation in Governance and Faculty Development

Governance

Membership of Boston University’s Faculty Assembly is currently defined in the Faculty Handbook as “all faculty of professorial rank and who hold at least one-fourth time appointments.” This definition includes standard and modified professorial titles (research/clinical/of the practice) but leaves out Instructors and Lecturers. Section 3 opens the door for their inclusion, however: “When faculty members with particular ranks or titles in individual colleges or programs are excluded from membership in the Faculty Assembly by its Constitution or the by-laws to it, the faculty of the college or program may petition the Faculty Council to admit such faculty to membership in the Assembly; the Council may do so upon recommendation of the appropriate standing committee, in accord with the by-laws.”

Recommendation:

• The Faculty Council should review the provisions for participation in faculty governance and identify appropriate ways for including faculty who have a considerable length of service at BU but hold Lecturer or Instructor ranks and thus are currently excluded from participating in faculty governance.

Faculty Development

Instructional NTT faculty typically carry a heavier teaching load than their T/TT colleagues and may assume more responsibilities for program and curriculum coordination, outreach, and other activities that enhance the educational process. Yet because effective teaching rests on deep understanding and knowledge of the subject matter, NTT faculty are also typically expected to maintain a certain level of research, scholarship, or artistic achievement in order to remain competent teachers and advisors—and to bring credit to their departments and programs, as well as to the University as a whole. Effective teaching is also revitalized by professional activities of many kinds beyond the walls of the University. It is therefore extremely important to create a professional environment and conditions that allow NTT faculty to work on scholarly projects and maintain and develop their professional knowledge.

Recommendation:

• The Associate Provost for Faculty Development should work with the schools and colleges to establish a faculty development program to ensure that NTT faculty can produce research and scholarship that meets Boston University’s criteria for academic rigor and to ensure that teaching faculty remain professionally active. This program may include but is not limited to:
  • Faculty mentoring
  • Research summer stipends; subventions for publication projects; conference travel funds
  • Course releases: sometimes even a single course release enables faculty to complete scholarly or professional projects
  • Sabbaticals
  • A system of incentives for senior research faculty, such as funds for supporting grant writing and recognizing proven research record and funding procured, that will further the growth of faculty research programs and ultimately external funding. For all internal funding, criteria for eligibility, proposal evaluation, and end-result evaluations should be clearly stated and made broadly available in writing.