Dear Faculty,
I hope that Spring Break gave each of you the opportunity to recharge and refresh. Can you believe we are already halfway through the semester? There is already excitement for graduation and summer break. Please continue to be mindful of your students’ needs toward the end of the semester, and keep up the good work.
As always, thank you for the work that each of you do. The Office of Academic Affairs is here to support you in anyway we can, so please reach out if we can assist!
- Provost Vaught
Dear Chairs,
It’s been a few weeks since the last update. Here are some upcoming deadlines to share with your departments.
RTP:
Sabbatical deadline:
Policies:
The Office of Faculty Development will be holding upcoming Faculty Success Annual Review Trainings for all faculty. We’ll demonstrate the new template for annual reviews along with where to enter teaching, scholarship, and service activities into Faculty Success.
FS Annual Review Trainings will be held on teams the following dates and times:
Please reach out to Trevor Morris ([email protected]) or Laurie Toro ([email protected]) with any questions.
The Software Approval Process is for new software only. Renewals will be added to the process later. Please put a requisition into Wolverine Marketplace for all renewals. All software that is public, and student facing as well as employee software that is used in multiple departments is required to have an accessibility review every 3 years. Please submit an accessibility ticket if needed. Canvas integrated software-based course materials (e.g., McGraw Hill, Connect, Simulations, Online Texts, etc.) are not part of this process, to obtain approval for these, please fill out the Canvas integrated software request. The deadlines for textbooks are as follows: · Summer Semester - February 1· Fall Semester - March 1· Spring Semester - October 1
You and your students can stream for free from the Fulton Library. All you need is a UVID and password! Ditch the DVDs and subscription fees—we offer a wide range of films in our online video databases, including Oscar nominees, educational documentaries, counseling videos, fine art performances, and more. With 17 video databases to choose from, you can embed videos directly into your Canvas courses or stream from your computer.
To search for streaming videos, click the “videos” search tab on the library’s homepage. Search by topic or title, and select the “online streaming” option to filter out DVDs and Blu-rays. If you don’t have a specific film in mind, browse movies in our video databases.
Explore a few of our favorite video databases:
Questions?
For questions about these resources, ask a librarian or stop by the library’s first-floor circulation desk. For assistance adding films to a Canvas course, contact Alan Stephens.
Colleagues and Community Partners,
Please join Utah Valley University President Tuminez, the Woodbury School of Business, and the Women’s Success Center on March 23-24, 2023, for the Women in Leadership Collegiate Case Competition. Student teams nationwide will compete and present innovative solutions to a complex business challenge.
The schedule for the Welcome Dinner with President’s Address, the Final Competition Round, and Networking Reception are outlined in the attached invitation. For catering purposes, RSVP here by March 13.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Kelly Hall, Academic Director, Research Institute at Women's Success Center
Since our last update in February’s newsletter, President’s Council has approved Policy 526 Student Record Adjustments to enter Stage 1 Drafting.
Also, remember to get your comments to your Faculty Senate senator or PACE representative for the following policies, which are in stage 2, Review by UVU Entities:
· Policy 141 Cost Transfers for Sponsored Programs (closes 3/23/23)
· Policy 201 General Fiscal Policies and Procedures (closes 3/23/23)
· Policy 202 Payroll (closes 3/23/23)
· Policy 205 Investments (closes 3/23/23)
· Policy 607 Course-Based Fees (closes 4/13/23)
And anyone in the University campus community still has until Friday, March 17, 2023, to comment on Policy 646 Faculty Appeals for Retention, Tenure, and Promotion, which is in stage 3 Campus Community Review. You may send your comments to the Policy Office or to John Hunt at [email protected].
Finally, on February 23, 2023, the following policies were approved by the Board to become effective in the Policy Manual:
· Policy 210 Independent Contractors
· Policy 251 Traveling on University Business
· Policy 658 Establishment and Administration of Graduate Programs
Utah Valley University’s policy regarding Academic Freedom (found in Policy 635 Faculty Rights and Professional Responsibilities) is based on the guidelines given to us by the Utah Board of Higher Education in its Policy Rule 481, Academic Freedom, Professional Responsibility, Tenure, Termination, and Post-Tenure Review. UBHE Rule 481 Section 3.3 reads:
“The [higher education] institutions are operated for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual faculty member or the institution as a whole. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research. Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom is fundamental in learning. It carries with it duties correlative with rights. . . .
With regards to teaching, the Board states that “Faculty members possess the right to full [academic] freedom in the classroom to discuss their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses of instruction, but they shall be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to the subject being taught.” Section 3.3.1
As for academic freedom in research, the Board states that “A faculty member is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results. Research for pecuniary return should be conditional upon disclosure to and the consent of the officials of the institution.” Section 3.3.2
Finally, with regards to public life, Section 3.3.3 states:
“A college or university faculty member is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When the faculty member speaks or writes as a citizen, [they] should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but the faculty member’s
special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an education officer, the faculty member should remember that the public may judge [their] profession and institution by [their] utterances. Hence the faculty member should at all times strive to be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for others, and should make every effort to indicate that [they]are not speaking for the institution. Section 3.3.3