Faculty Handbook

SUNY College of Optometry

Faculty Handbook 2022-23

APPENDIX F:

ASSIGNMENT OF PRIMARY SUPERVISORS Approved by Dean’s Council, updated 3 August 2015

One of the most important resources of any college is its faculty. The goal of the primary supervisor policy is to create a structure and process that will help enhance a faculty’s career satisfaction while helping the College achieve its mission. A faculty’s “primary supervisor” will be responsible for faculty supervision, evaluation, and mentoring to achieve professional goals. This revision of the Primary Supervisor Policy reflects the reorganization of Academic Affairs into two departments and the UEC into three clinical services under a Chief Medical Officer. It is anticipated that faculty will seek input from their primary supervisor as their “first contact” for issues they are concerned about or when needing guidance. Primary supervisors include the department chairs, the service chiefs, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the Vice President of Clinical Affairs (VPCA), and the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs (VPAA). Appointments to departments and services, and consequently assignments of primary supervisors, are based on effort allocation calculations (see Guidelines for Calculation of Faculty Effort). Based on effort allocation, some faculty may also have secondary appointments to one or more other departments or services and the respective department chair or service chief will be considered a secondary advisor. The role of the primary supervisor is central to faculty evaluation, advocacy and development. Primary Supervisors must be fair, open-minded, and well-informed. Their role as a primary supervisor will include, but is not limited to, the following tasks: • Input on hiring of faculty in their department or service • New faculty orientation and on-going training • Input on scheduling and assignments • Administrative issues (e.g. coordinating assignments, approving leave request, etc.) • Conducting annual reviews and evaluations based upon specific functions (e.g. teaching, scholarly activities, clinic assignments, service, etc.) • Guidance and mentoring of individual faculty members, including career development and advancement (guide the creation and use of Individual Development Plans) • Recommendations on promotions, retention, and discretionary salary increases The primary supervisor will meet with each assigned faculty at least annually to review the past year accomplishments, establish new goals for the future and identify ways to facilitate these goals, discuss teaching and clinic assignments for the upcoming year, and formulate formal requests for assignment changes. Recommendations for changes will be generated and sent to the VPAA (for all faculty) and, for clinical faculty, also to the UEC Administration (VPCA and COM). To facilitate academic and clinical scheduling for the following academic year these reports should be submitted typically by March 1st each year. 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

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