Charge

The Faculty Standards and Affairs Committee shall have primary responsibility for the development and implementation of policy concerning the practices and procedures used in such Faculty personnel matters as appointment, retention, tenure, promotion, sabbatical and other leaves, grievance disputes and disciplinary actions; and the protection of academic freedom in the broadest sense.

The Faculty Standards and Affairs Committee shall have at least one permanent subcommittee, the University Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion Subcommittee, and such other subcommittees as necessary to carry out its charge.

Subcommittees of Faculty Standards and Affairs

Academic Freedom Subcommittee (AFS)

Charge

1. Raise awareness, provide education, and develop programs or forums related to academic freedom for the benefit of the SSU community; and
2. Periodically review the portions of the Faculty Handbook relevant to academic freedom and, in particular, the "Statement of Professional Responsibility," the "Faculty Bill of Rights," and other university documents related to academic freedom, and make any recommendations for change to FSAC; and
3. Develop an SSU policy on academic freedom and forward this policy to FSAC for appropriate action.

Statement of Professional Responsibility and Faculty Bill of Rights

Academic Freedom Complaint Policy and Procedures

University Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion Subcommittee (URTP)

See SSU Policy for more information about this subcommittee

Professional Development Subcommittee (PDS)

Charge

The Professional Development Subcommittee (PDS) is a subcommittee of the Faculty Standards and Affairs Committee (FSAC).  Professional development is defined as any activity that contributes to an individual faculty member’s career growth as 1) an educator and mentor, 2) practicing scholar, and 3) contributor to the university and broader community.  As stated in the University mission, SSU is committed to “effective teaching, high standards of scholarship, and ongoing professional development.”  To this end, PDS has primary responsibility within the faculty governance structure for addressing the professional development needs of the university faculty.  These responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead the campus-wide orientation program for new tenure-track faculty
• Advocate for professional development opportunities to be available to all faculty throughout their careers
• Select and oversee university-wide professional development workshops and other activities
• Co-sponsor and promote the professional development efforts of other campus entities
• Advise the Provost on budgetary and hiring decisions that impact faculty professional development 

Support for these activities requires that a staff member and appropriately budgeted resources be designated to help organize, schedule and promote relevant professional development activities and events.  

Faculty Subcommittee on Sponsored Programs (FSSP)

Charge

The primary role of the Sponsored Programs subcommittee is to develop and implement policies relating to faculty participation in sponsored research and other extramurally funded curricular projects. It is the final review body for all campus grant programs requiring faculty evaluation. As such, it serves as a liaison between the various units of the campus and the administration.

This subcommittee shall:

1. Support the faculty by informing them of the activities of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and by interpreting grant guidelines. The subcommittee also sets up review procedures for campus-wide grant review processes (e.g., the Research Scholarship and Creative Activities Program [RSCAP] mini-grants and summer fellowships);
2. Facilitate communication among the administration, the Chief Research Officer, and the faculty by responding to requests for priority recommendations on items that require a broadly based faculty consensus;
3. Respond to requests for assistance and review of grant activities from individual faculty, departments or Schools;
4. Develop policy statements regarding sponsored program activities to be forwarded to the FSAC for consideration; and
5. Hold closed sessions solely for the purpose of deliberations regarding the relative merits of faculty proposals under consideration by the university for external nominations (e.g., NEH summer stipend proposals) or for internal funding opportunities (e.g., RSCAP awards).

The Chair of the subcommittee on Sponsored Programs shall report, as requested, to the Faculty Standards and Affairs Committee (FSAC) on activities of the subcommittee.