ACOE_Self-Study

5.5 The program must follow published policies and procedures for faculty recruitment and retention, promotion, tenure (where it exists), academic assignments and responsibilities, sabbaticals, reporting relationships, grievance, and benefits. All policies governing faculty recruitment, appointment, grievance procedures and benefits are subject to the Policies of the Board of Trustees, State University of New York with provisions and agreements between the State of New York and the Union of University Professionals (UUP) pursuant to Article 14 of the Civil Servant Law. The Policies of the Board of Trustees can be found in Appendix IV-1 or http://www.suny.edu/Board_of_Trustees/PDF/Policies.pdf and the current Agreement between the State and United University Professions (UUP) in Appendix IV-7 or http://uupinfo.org/negotiations/pdf/2016-22TA-ratification.pdf. These policies are complemented by College policies on promotion and tenure (page 45 of Faculty Handbook ( Appendix IV-5 or at https://www.sunyopt.edu/pdfs/academics/FacultyHandbook.pdf) and additionally, for clinical faculty, the bylaws of the University Eye Center ( Appendix VIII-6 ). All college faculty of qualified rank or on tenure track are voting members with faculty governance rights. Faculty assignments are determined by the appropriate administration (Academic Affairs or UEC or both) and department chairs and chief medical officer (for clinical assignments) at the time of hiring based on institutional need and considering fully the career goals and objectives of the faculty. Assignments are reviewed annually by the primary supervisors working with secondary supervisors and Academic Affairs or the UEC administration as appropriate. Policies regarding academic assignments and responsibilities, promotion and tenure, sabbaticals and reporting relationships are described in under Standards 5.3 and 5.4. SUNY’s policy on academic freedom is found in page 20 of the Policies of the Board of Trustees ( Appendix IV-1 or http://www.suny.edu/Board_of_Trustees/PDF/Policies.pdf). The C ollege’s policy is fully consistent with this policy. The College maintains and encourages academic freedom and creativity, within the law, for inquiry, teaching and research. Faculty assigned to teach a specific course may, without limitation, determine the content and the means of deliver of that subject matter, but may not use the classroom for matters with no direct relationship to the subject matter of that course. The principle of academic freedom shall be accompanied by a corresponding principle of responsibility, and the effectiveness of faculty in providing quality education and student development will be evaluated through the office of Academic Affairs, the department chairs, national board performance, and student feedback.

Grievance policies for faculty are covered under Article 7 of the current UUP agreement ( Appendix IV-7 or http://uupinfo.org/negotiations/pdf/2016-22TA-ratification.pdf).

5.6 The program must demonstrate its efforts to recruit a diverse faculty. The College seeks to recruit a faculty that reflects the enormous diversity of its students, staff and patients. Recruitment advertisements for faculty positions can be found in Appendix V-11 . Like all optometry programs, we have been challenged in our efforts to recruit underrepresented minorities to the faculty, largely due to the low numbers in the profession of optometry.

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