4.05 STANDARD FACULTY WORKLOAD POLICY

Effective: June 26, 2026

Purpose:
The institution’s workload policy establishes guidelines that enable the head of each academic unit, under the supervision of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, to manage faculty workload within the unit effectively to support student success and align with the missions of both the unit and the university.

Scope:
This policy applies to all University full-time and full-time equivalent faculty campus wide.

Responsible Office:
The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the faculty through regular shared governance processes, is responsible for developing and implementing the university’s Standard Faculty Workload Policy.

Policy Statement:
Faculty workload is defined as the distribution of a faculty member’s assigned responsibilities across Teaching, Research/Scholarship/Creative Activity, and Service/Outreach during an academic year. Workload is expressed as percent effort, and the total assigned workload shall equal 100% effort for the appointment period unless otherwise specified by the terms of employment or contract.

For purposes of establishing a common conversion standard for instruction, 75% workload effort in teaching is 12 credit hours of instruction per academic semester, with the remaining 25% workload effort divided between scholarship and/or service. 100% workload effort in teaching will be considered 16 credit hours of instruction per academic semester.

With input from the academic units and taking into account duties unique to each school and college, the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will standardize the credit-hour equivalents for teaching-related work.

Course Credit Hour Expectations for Teaching

No full-time or full-time equivalent faculty member can be assigned fewer than 24 credit hours of instruction per academic year without written justification from the academic unit supervisor (Dean) and the written approval of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Student Credit Hour Expectations for Teaching

Taking into account such factors as the unique features of the academic unit, disciplines, modalities, spaces, resources, and accreditation standards, SCH minima will be established for each school and college by the Dean with approval of the Provost.

The SCH minima of each school and college will be reviewed annually by the Provost, with attention to consistency and equity both within the academic units (schools/colleges) and across all of Academic Affairs.

Annual Work Plans are to be generated during the process of annual review.

The Annual Work Plan should be agreed upon between the faculty member and their academic unit administrative supervisor (Dean) prior to the start of the next annual review period.

The Annual Work Plan defines the minimum expected responsibilities for the upcoming academic year but may be revised mid-year by mutual agreement due to factors such as enrollment, staffing changes, grant funding, or institutional needs.

At minimum, the annual work plan shall:

• Specify the percent effort assigned to Teaching, Research/Creative Activity, and Service/Outreach for the academic year
• Identify the expected activities for each category
• Be reviewed and approved by the Dean or supervising administrator, with Dean oversight, in accordance with approved unit procedures and retained as an official record for subsequent evaluations

The school or college Dean is responsible for ensuring that faculty’s annual work plans meet both credit hour expectations and SCH minima for the academic unit.

The school or college Dean is responsible for ensuring equity of workload within the unit.

A typical workplan for tenured or tenure-track faculty is 60-75% teaching, 15-30% research/creative activities, and 5-20% service/outreach. Workload assignments for non-tenure-track faculty shall be defined by the terms of appointment, consistent with the unit’s workload guidelines, university policy, and employment contracts where applicable.

The Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, upon the recommendation of a unit’s Dean, may approve variations to these ranges and/or to faculty’s minimum student credit hours based on accreditation standards and the needs of both individual faculty and the institution as a whole.

The Annual Work Plan, in conjunction with performance standards and benchmarks in the unit’s Faculty Recognition Document (FRD), shall enumerate clear expectations for faculty workload and performance.

Each academic unit’s Faculty Recognition Document and each faculty member’s Annual Work Plan shall contain clear statements of expectations and accountability that recognize merit and hold faculty responsible when they fall short.