Memorandum
October 17, 2002
Dr. Evelyn O. Talbott, Chair
Senate Educational Policies Committee
c/o Graduate School of Public Health
A-544 Crabtree Hall
Dear Evelyn:
As I have already indicated at a recent Senate Council meeting, I am pleased to endorse most of the recommendations contained in the Senate Educational Policies Committee’s May 7, 2002 report, “Summary of Part-Time Instructors Survey,” and will act favorably on those which fall within my purview.
With regard to recommendation number one (issuance of ID cards for part-time faculty on an August to August or July to July basis in order to facilitate library access for course preparation), this relates to a broader question of the process by which ID cards are validated for all faculty and staff at the University. The ID validation process is fully automated and is linked to the payroll system. The Director of the Office of Faculty Records advises that under current regulations it cannot process part-time faculty employee record forms and accompanying documents through the payroll system until early in the first month of the pay period (e.g., September). Such cards are valid, moreover, only for the specific months during which the part-time faculty member is on the payroll. However, we have consulted with the Director of the University Library System about devising an alternative. He understands the problem and is prepared to have ULS issue temporary library cards to part-time faculty who need library privileges in the month prior to their being on the payroll. This will require a brief letter from the Dean or Department Chair stating that the faculty member will be assuming teaching responsibilities at the beginning of the following month.
To follow up on recommendation number two in the report, I am pleased to inform you that the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education will augment its mail distribution list for information on its faculty instructional training opportunities to include those part-time faculty members listed as “temporary” in our data base. This should rectify a gap in the previous distribution of such information. Until now, CIDDE’s mailing list had only included “regular” full- and part-time faculty, as well as administrative personnel on all five of our campuses.
With regard to the school-related recommendations (three through five), along with a copy of this response, I am sharing your Committee’s report with the deans and regional campus presidents, and am requesting that they take positive steps to address the Senate’s concerns. This should include the distribution of this memorandum and your report to the department and division chairs within their units.
I want to thank you and your colleagues on the Senate Educational Policies Committee for their efforts in gathering and analyzing the data concerning this important sector of the University, as well as for drawing our attention to ways in which we can improve communications with and provide services for our part-time faculty.
Sincerely,
James V. Maher
Enclosure
JVM:cwm
cc: Deans and Regional Campus Presidents
Vice Provost Andrew R. Blair
Dr. Diane Davis, Director, CIDDE
Dr. Rush Miller, Director, ULS
Ms. Carol Pitcairn, Director, Office of Faculty Records