Dear Colleagues,
The Faculty Senate executive committee requested clarification of our current and future teaching load policies. As part of our overall budget and efficiency review process, I recently requested that all deans clarify their workload policies. In some cases, workload policies had to be developed. In general, there has been a lack of clarity and uniformity across colleges regarding existing TBR policy and translation at the University of Memphis.
Before clarifying existing policies, let me first reinforce our unwavering commitment to growing our research mission and our goal of $100 million in research expenditures. We have protected our research enterprise from any budget reductions, recently completed a research capacity analysis, and just a few days ago a broad-based group of faculty (in coordination with the Faculty Senate research committee) provided an implementation plan to help guide expansion of our research infrastructure. We are serious about growing our research mission. Greater clarity and consistency in teaching loads at the college and department levels are essential to that effort.
It is also worth noting that, arguably, the greatest opportunities for expansion and success on the research front are embedded in interdisciplinary collaboration. We need to be creative and innovative about how best to generate and sustain interdisciplinary work. The Institute for Intelligent Systems is a wonderful example at the U of M. The pace and breadth of their success has been nothing short of remarkable. Some of our reconfiguration efforts on the health side will provide unique and fruitful opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, creativity, and innovation. I’ve requested that vice-provost for research, Dr. Andy Meyers, develop an interdisciplinary initiative, one that will make funding available to support targeted interdisciplinary projects. There should be no doubt we are serious about growing our research enterprise, and we are taking definitive and concrete steps to demonstrate that commitment.
Naturally, clarity of faculty workload is an essential for productive research universities. I have not asked for any increase in faculty teaching loads. What I have requested is that all colleges have clearly articulated workload policies (consistent with TBR policies), that we follow existing policies in a consistent manner, and that we have accountability built into the system. As you all know, TBR policy defines a full faculty load as 15 credit hours of undergraduate teaching per semester, or the equivalent, or 12 credit hours of graduate teaching per semester, or the equivalent.
Teaching loads at the U of M vary across colleges and departments, with equivalency credit for other activities– research/creative activity/scholarship being most prominent. Other activities have also resulted in reductions, including advising, administration, institutional/public service or other professional service associated with the profession. Deans have developed, or are in the process of developing, policies to guide workloads across departments and programs. There has been no request for uniform increases in teaching loads. We will continue to provide reductions for appropriate reasons, particularly active and productive research/creative activity/scholarship, while taking into account the particulars of various academic areas.
Go Tigers!
M. David Rudd, Provost