Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission SCOF
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The Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission ("SCOF") oversees and advises SEC on matters relating to the University's policies and procedures concerning the academic mission, including the structure of the academic staff, the tenure system, faculty appointments and promotions, faculty research, and faculty governance. In general, the Committee deals with the matters covered by the following sections of the University's Handbook for Faculty and Academic Administrators: I.E.-F., H.2., II.A.-D.
Specific Charges, 2022-2023
- (Overarching charge) Address systemic racism and other forms of inequity by assessing and evaluating ways to change University structures, practices, and biases at the University, school, departmental, and individual levels. Examples include eligibility for leadership roles; differential standards for faculty evaluation and compensation based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, department-level voting privileges; biases implicit in quantitative methods for evaluating faculty; and evaluation of effectiveness of campus mental health and wellness programs.
- Review and comment on workloads, expectations, and differences among school and departmental faculties and identify equity issues that may arise.
- Review and comment on Instructor and Course Evaluation Reports with a focus on their uses in student course selection, improvement of the quality of delivered courses, and hiring, tenure, promotion, and merit-based salary increase decisions.
- In consultation with SCSEP, review and comment on existing methods for eliciting student feedback to enhance learning experiences. Examples include mid-course or ongoing feedback mechanisms available to the instructor to aid in course re-thinking and re-direction and in the identification of students who may need assistance.
SCOF 2022-2023 Membership
- J. Margo Brooks Carthon (Nursing), Chair
- Struan Grant (PSOM/Pediatrics)
- Julia Hartmann (SAS/Mathematics)
- Alexander Reiter (Vet Medicine)
- Emily Steinlight (SAS/English)
- Amy Stornaiuolo (GSE)
- Ex officio:
- Roger Allen (SAS/NELC), PASEF non-voting representative
- A representative of the Senate Tri-Chairs
Guidelines for Faculty Track Change Requests from Schools
For schools wishing to amend the faculty tracks laid out in the Faculty Handbook, the above Guidelines (approved by the Faculty Senate in 2011) must be followed for purposes of the Senate's review. Any supporting documentatoin, including records of approvals in School faculty meetings, should be routed to the Office of the Provost, which then relays the information to the Senate together with a cover letter indicating the Office's position on the proposal.
The documentation is then reviewed by the Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission (SCOF), which will reach out to the School with questions or clarification requests. SCOF meets monthly between September and April. Upon approval by SCOF, it is then reviewed by the Senate Executive Committee (SEC). Upon SEC approval, the Senate's review of the proposal is concluded.
