Faculty Handbook 2020-2021

SUNY College of Optometry

Faculty Handbook 2020-21

If an individual faculty member performs functions in multiple areas within the College, it is the responsibility of the primary supervisor to seek and communicate input from the secondary and other supervisors who interact with the faculty, either by consultation or through a joint annual meeting with the faculty, so that a comprehensive annual review can occur. It is the faculty’s responsibility to communicate and work with all supervisors (and any other individuals they deem important for their faculty development) to establish professional goals, develop the plans to achieve those objectives, and communicate success or difficulties in achieving those goals. Examples of these interactions include a faculty member working on a research grant who may need guidance from the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research or Director of the Clinical Vision Research Center, or a faculty member who spends only one session in a service who may need guidance or recommendations from a specific clinical service chief, or residency supervisors who regularly interact with the Director of Residency Programs. In these, and similar situations, the faculty should assure that all relevant supervisors are involved in the annual review process. Department/Service Appointments and Assignment of Primary Supervisors All term faculty, whether tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track, or whether full- or part-time, will be assigned a primary appointment in the department or service where the majority of their effort is allocated (see Guidelines for Calculation of Faculty Effort). The department chair, or service chief, of that department, or service, will be assigned as the faculty’s primary supervisor. Many faculty will also have secondary appointments based on effort in those areas, and the Chair, or Service Chief, of that Department, or Service, will also be available to facilitate faculty development and planning as needed. The Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research will also be available to supervise or assist faculty with graduate faculty appointments as needed. The Director of Residency Programs and the Director of the Clinical Vision Research Center will be available to assist residency supervisors and CVRC doctors respectively. Once appointed to a department or service, the faculty will remain with that department or service and primary supervisor assignment unless a change in the allocation of their effort occurs, or a request by the faculty is made to the VPAA or VPCA for reassignment. Faculty have the right to make such requests at any time but are required to provide an alternate plan and rationale for the change, which must be approved by the VPAA and VPCA. It should be noted that there might be circumstances where a faculty’s primary supervisor is not clearly defined. In these instances, the VPAA and the VPCA will determine that faculty’s primary supervisor after consulting with her/him. Finally, Departmental and Service appointments, whether primary or secondary, are not permanent. They will be reviewed annually and may change with changing assignments and plans.

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