What Can You Expect from the Department? 

 ¨      Peer Visitation

The Department will send a senior faculty member to observe your classes.  They will consult with you on a desirable day—no one wants to travel across the state and find that you have a test or a video scheduled!  They will try to visit all the classes you teach on that day, and visit with you in your office to talk about issues of importance to both of you.   After the first visit, visitations occur every 4th semesters and prior to any promotion.  

The peer visitor is on expense account and thus will pay for his/her meals.  (You, unfortunately, will not have your meals covered.)

In advance of the visit, you should send the designated visitor a copy of your syllabus, and any tests given.  After the visit, the faculty member will write a visitation report that goes to the Department executive committee, the dean of your campus, and you.  It will summarize what happened in the class, and provide an assessment of strengths and weaknesses, not only of the lecture/discussion but also of the structure of the course, the syllabus, testing, etc.  Two recent visitation reports are included below, with names blocked out.   

 ¨       Advice and counsel on any topic or issue.   If a problem has arisen, please let the chair know.  It is disconcerting to hear about it from the Dean. 

¨       In alternate years, the department will rate your performance over a two-year cycle as Meritorious, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory.  (See Merit below).  A campus committee will rate you for two years performance in the other years.  Note that we do expect some professional development, but that can be a reading program rather than research and publications. 

¨       Professional Development Support.  You are eligible for funding support to give papers at, or attend, professional conferences (state, regional, national).  Some funding is available on the campus (announced by e-mail), and some through the department.  Do let the chair know of your intent.  Normally requests for funding come fairly early in the fall semester, on a July 1 to June 30 cycle. 

 o          Requests should include the conference, your role (presenter, chair, attendee), the travel cost estimate, hotel, (parking fees), meals, conference fee (but not the organizational membership).   

o       You will not get 100% financial support—no one does—but you’ll get some.  Use it.  You might want to check on conferences held in Chicago, Milwaukee, or Minneapolis.  Find conferences at these web sites:

§         Midwest Political Science Association

·         http://www.indiana.edu/~mpsa/

§         American Political Science Association  (go to the Online “ PS: Political Science and Politics” for conference and ‘calls for papers’ listings.

·         http://www.apsanet.org/

§         Internet Resources for Political Scientists (links to multiple organizations, teaching sources, web sites)

·         http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/polycy/

§         International Studies Association

·         http://www.isanet.org/

What Activities or Procedures Should You Undertake towards the Department?

 Do send a copy of your syllabus to the chair, attached via e-mail, as soon as you have it completed. 

There are requirements for what must in a syllabus (see Syllabus, below).  In addition, there are practical considerations.   We have had IAS think that one mid-term and a final exam were sufficient for testing (it’s not).  Another decided not to give any major tests or a final exam.  (Class participation was to be the basis for the grade. )  One thought a 3-page paper was worth 20% of the grade!   Some don’t realize the need to inform students of assessment, or thought they could pick their own assessment goals.  

Plus there are content concerns.  A comparative politics course cannot focus on the US with a  foreign country-per-day for a week-and-a half.  American National Government can't avoid civil liberties, elections, or the presidency.    Politics of Crime and Punishment can't leave out the courts, or the politics.  

Far better that you find  out if corrections are needed before the semester starts rather than later.  Re-writing the syllabus after the class has been in session can be embarrassing.   The Department has the power to refuse to grant UWC credit for your course.  We don't like to use that stick, because it hurts the students; far better to have early consultations and corrections.  

If you wish, you can send some course materials to the chair,  but this is not mandatory.  The faculty member who visits you, on the other hand,  may be very interested in your materials.  Print out PowerPoint slides, or make a zipdisk or CD;  collect your handouts and classroom assignments!  That is a good way to show the department about your teaching style and methods. 

If you are moved to the tenure-track, these are the personnel actions that will occur prior to tenure:

TABLE 1:  TIMETABLE OF ACTIONS IN RETENTION, TENURE AND PROMOTION, PROMOTION,

AND POST-TENURE REVIEW.

		Retention, tenure and promotion decisions 1								Promotion (alone)	Post tenure review
		1st.yr.	2nd.yr.	3rd.yr.	4th.yr.		5th.yr.		6th.yr.
	Notification of intent: 3	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)		(none)		1-Oct	1-May,5-Oct	1-May
	Two visitations by:	30-Nov	15-Nov	30-Nov	(none)4		(none)4		30-Nov	30-Nov 5	(none)
	Additional student surveys of instruction:  6	Fall & Spring	Fall	(none extra)	(none extra)		Fall		(none extra)	(none extra)	(none extra)
	Former student evaluation:2	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)		(none)		see note 2		(none)
	Policies governing materials to be submitted:	SEN# 501.02; App. K	SEN# 501.02; App. K	SEN# 501.01	SEN# 501.02; App. K		SEN# 501.02; App. K		SEN# 501.01	SEN# 501.01	SEN#506, Bylaws II
	Deadline for submission of materials:	4-Jan	7-Nov	4-Jan	4-Jan to 1-Apr 7		4-Jan to 1-Apr 7		4-Jan	4-Jan	15-Sep
	Department reports by:	1-Feb	1-Dec	15-Apr	15-Apr		15-Apr		25-Jan	25-Jan	15-Apr
	Department reports to:	Candidate, campus committee, dean, vice-Chancellor									Candidate,Dean, v-C
	NOTES:
	1:  See Bylaws for all governing policies and procedures; table accurate as of SP2004; assumes no split appointments.
	2:  Central will supply mailing labels by 4/1 (SEN#501.IV.B.1); see Appendix C for format of letter; letters shall be mailed by the Chair by 6/1 (SEN#501.IV.B.2)
	3:  For 6th.yr. review, Chair informs candidate of deadlines and dossier requirements; for promotion, candidate informs Chair  by 5/1 and Chair confers with campus to agree to proceed by 10/05; for PTR Chair informs candidate; otherwise the Chair is advised to provide appropriate notification and assistance to candidates in all years.
	4.  If requested by the Department, the deadline shall be 4/1 (SEN#501) 5.  This is a Departmental requirement (Appendix B).
	6.  This is in addition to the regular schedule of every third semester (SEN#301.01.I). 7.  Chair decides on best date, given meeting planning etc.