Hello SSU Faculty,

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the California Faculty Association and the Trustees of the California State University has a provision for awarding release time (WTU) to faculty performing “exceptional levels of service to students” (Article 20.37). The Executive Committee of the Academic Senate approved implementation of Article 20.37, as drafted by the Faculty Standards and Affairs Committee (FSAC) in cooperation with Academic Personnel.

Exceptional service awards are intended to recognize faculty who have a demonstrated commitment to working on issues faced by our diverse student population.  Assigned time from this pool should be awarded to faculty for mentoring, advising, and outreach, to support underserved, first-generation, and/or underrepresented students and other practices in support of such students, including those caused by cultural taxation.  This  support  includes  but  is  not  limited  to:  the  development  and implementation  of  high-impact  educational practices;  curricular  redesign intended  to  improve  student  access and  success;  service  to  the  department, college, university, or community that goes  significantly beyond the normal expectations of all  faculty; assignment to courses where increases to enrollment have demonstrably increased workload; and other extraordinary forms of service to students.

This message is to notify all Unit 3 faculty of a call for applications for awards of exceptional levels of service to students for the 2021-22 academic year (the SSU Educational Experience Enhancement Award, attached).
 

FAQs
Who is eligible: All Unit 3 Faculty – tenured, tenure-track, lecturers, librarians, coaches, and counselors.
Which applicants receive priority: Any Unit 3 Faculty – tenured, tenure-track, lecturers, librarians, coaches, and counselors who have NOT received this award in the past.

Amount of award: Release time in the form of weighted teaching units (WTUs) applied to faculty’s workload. Awards will be a standard course release (3 or 4 WTUs) for Fall 2022, but applications requesting fewer WTUs will be considered.

How to apply: The attachment includes the cover sheet for this year’s award. Along with the cover sheet and required signature for the Department Chair and School Dean, a 1-page narrative of the activity to which additional workload is needed to improve students’ learning experiences, and an approximation of the time required to have conducted this extra workload during the semester MUST BE PROVIDED.

Application deadline: Completed cover sheet and narrative is due in the Office of Academic Personnel (academicpersonnel@sonoma.edu) by February 18, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Award notice: Awards will be announced no later than March 11, 2022.

Reporting: Awardees will provide to Academic Personnel a final report of their activities under this award no later than January 2, 2023.

Further questions: Direct to Academic Personnel (academicpersonnel@sonoma.edu) or FSAC Chair (whitkus@sonoma.edu)