Department of Philosophy
Bylaws of the Department of Philosophy
Florida State University
I. Departmental Organization
A. Composition
For voting purposes at departmental meetings the department comprises all ranked faculty (i.e., all tenured faculty and all untenured tenure-track assistant professors).
B. Chairperson (chair)
1. Term and Selection Procedure
The chair will, subject to the pleasure of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (the dean), serve a three-year term and is eligible for reappointment to subsequent terms of the same duration. At the beginning of the third year of the chair's current term the department elects a chair search advisory committee (CSAC) of 20% of the ranked faculty (but with a minimum of three members). The CSAC is responsible for recommending to the dean either that the current chair continue for a subsequent term (should s/he be willing) or that a new chair be appointed. In this latter case, the CSAC will make a recommendation to the dean of an appropriate candidate or candidates.
2. Responsibilities
The chair is the chief administrative officer of the department. As such, s/he will, in consultation with the appropriate committees and/or individuals (as specified in subsequent articles):
a. prepare an annual budget for submission to the dean;
b. supervise the financial affairs of the department;
c. submit to the Registrar the schedule of classes for each term;
d. assign annual faculty responsibilities;
e. make an annual evaluation of the performance of each faculty member after conferring with the faculty evaluation committee (see I.D.1);
f. recommend to the dean annual salary adjustments in light of the peer evaluations made by the faculty evaluation committee (see II.B.5);
g. propose, for approval by majority vote of the department, a slate of department officers (this process is to take place each May after consultation with the faculty members being asked to serve);
h. represent the department, personally or through a designated representative, on appropriate divisional, college, and university committees;
i. confer regularly with each faculty member with respect to professional goals and development;
j. assume such other responsibilities as may be delegated by the college and/or university administration;
k. serve on various department committees, as detailed below.
C. Department Officers
(Terms of service: August 8 – August 7, except for directors of graduate and undergraduate studies, which are June 1 – May 31)
1. Associate Chair and Alternate
The only responsibility of the associate chair is to take on the role of chair should the latter be unavailable for a period of longer than five days. If both the chair and associate chair are unavailable for such a period, then the alternate associate chair shall take on the role of chair.
2. Director of Graduate Studies (DGS)
The DGS is responsible for counseling and advising graduate students, administering the academic details of graduate registration, examinations, and clearance of graduate students for receiving degrees. The DGS serves on the curriculum and graduate admissions committees (see under 'Committees' below) and s/he is the departmental liaison officer for consultations regarding graduate offerings in cognate departments and programs.
3. Director of Graduate Admissions (DGA)
The DGA is responsible for coordinating the annual recruitment of new graduate students and answering inquiries from potential applicants concerning the graduate program. Provided circumstances permit, the department will typically employ at least one graduate student to serve as a graduate recruitment coordinator, to be supervised by the DGA. The DGA serves on the graduate admissions committee.
4. Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS)
The DUS is responsible for advising undergraduate majors and minors and serves on the curriculum committee. Provided circumstances permit, the department will typically employ at least one graduate student to serve as an undergraduate advisor, to be supervised by the DUS.
5. Placement Officer
The placement officer is responsible for advising our graduating Ph.D. students concerning their applications for employment, and overseeing their employment application process.
6. Library Liaison
The library liaison is responsible for promoting and coordinating the department's efforts to improve the Strozier library's philosophy holdings. This involves, but is not limited to, overseeing the department's book requests.
7. Recording Secretary
The recording secretary is responsible for taking minutes at department meetings and submitting them to the voting members of the department for their approval.
D. Committees
(Terms of service: August 8 – August 7)
1. Faculty Evaluation Committee (FEC)
The FEC, which is elected each May by a majority vote of the department, comprises 20% of the ranked faculty of the department (but with a minimum of three members), not all at the same rank, and including at least one full professor and two tenured members. The FEC advises the chair on annual evaluations of the faculty and proposals to the dean regarding merit pay increases (see under 'Departmental Procedures' below). Its tenured members initiate third year reviews of untenured tenure-track assistant professors. (See Appendix II for Criteria and Procedures for Third Year Review of Untenured Tenure-Track Assistant Professors).
2. Promotion and Tenure Committee (PTC)
(See Appendix I for Criteria and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure.)
The PTC comprises all tenured members of the department, with the department chair serving as its chair. But only the tenured full professors take part in the assessment of, or vote on the promotion or tenure of, associate professors in the department. (Regarding the appointment of new incoming faculty to tenured positions, see 'Hiring' below under 'Departmental Procedures'.)
The responsibilities of the PTC include the annual review of all ranked faculty below the rank of full professor, and all non-ranked faculty, with a view to their progress toward promotion and/or tenure. In the case of untenured faculty, the PTC makes appropriate recommendations to the dean as to their retention or termination.
The PTC will select one of its members to serve as the departmental representative on the humanities divisional promotion and tenure committee. This representative will normally be a full professor.
All deliberations of the PTC will be in accord with the relevant procedures and stipulations in the Faculty Handbook.
3. Graduate Admissions Committee (GAC)
This committee comprises the department chair, the DGA, the DGS, and any other voting members of the department who wish to volunteer.
4. Colloquium Committee
This committee is appointed annually by the chair and is responsible for organizing the department's schedule of visiting colloquium speakers for the year.
5. Curriculum Committee (Undergraduate and Graduate)
This committee, which comprises the chair, DGS and DUS, will regularly review the undergraduate and graduate curricula and recommend to the department such changes as it deems appropriate.
6. Other
The chair may appoint additional ad hoc committees as circumstances may demand.
II. Departmental Procedures
A. Assignment of Faculty Responsibilities
An annual assignment of responsibilities is required by the university. These written assignments are agreed on between the chair and the individual concerned, and include assignments in teaching, research and service. Evaluation of the faculty member will be made on the basis of these mutually agreed upon assignments.
Changes in the assigned responsibilities may be made if departmental or university needs arise. Such changes will be made only after consultation and such changes will be made a matter of written record for purposes of evaluation.
B. Faculty Evaluation
(See appendices I and II for the criteria and procedures for, respectively, promotion and tenure, and the third year review of untenured tenure-track assistant professors.)
1. Faculty Activities Reports (FAR)
Each faculty member prepares an FAR (a departmental form is provided) in March of each year covering activities in the areas of teaching, research and service undertaken during the preceding calendar year (this calendar year requirement is university policy). The FAR is then submitted to the chair for use by her/him and the FEC in performing the annual evaluation.
2. Annual Faculty Evaluation
Each faculty member other than the chair (who is evaluated by the Dean) will be evaluated annually by the chair, who will be advised in this by the FEC (members of the FEC will give advice on other members but not on themselves). The results of this evaluation are used as the basis for merit pay increase recommendations (see 'Merit Pay Increases' below) and the 'Annual Faculty Evaluation Summary'. This summary is filled out by the chair and discussed with the faculty member in accordance with university policy. It is then submitted to the dean and becomes a part of the faculty member's permanent file.
The evaluation will be conducted in March, after the submission deadline for the FAR, and will be based upon performance over the prior calendar year (January 1st to December 31st). Research, service and teaching will be evaluated separately, and their relative contributions to the overall assessment will be weighted in accord with the faculty member's assignment of responsibilities. Teaching will be evaluated as detailed under 'Teaching Evaluation' below. Research will be evaluated in accord with the current standards in the profession. The most weight will be given to books with reputable presses, followed by refereed articles in reputable journals and book chapters in books with reputable presses. Contributions to online fora such as online encyclopedias and online conferences will also be given due consideration, as will presentations at high profile conferences. Service will be evaluated in accord with the degree and efficacy of its performance.
3. Teaching Evaluation
All untenured faculty will have their teaching observed each semester by a tenured member of the department. Tenured faculty can request that their teaching be observed by another tenured faculty member at any time. In cases where there is evidence (such as poor student evaluations) that a tenured member is encountering problems with his/her teaching, the chair can require that his/her teaching be observed by another tenured member. In accordance with university policy, any member being observed must be given at least two weeks notice of the upcoming observation, and a report of the observation must be submitted to the faculty member within 10 working days of its occurrence. Performance on teaching will be evaluated annually by the chair based upon reports of such observation, results of student evaluations, and review of syllabi and teaching materials.
4. Annual Letters pertaining to Progress toward Promotion and/or Tenure
Each April, the chair, in consultation with the PTC, writes letters (which are to be included with the annual evaluation summary) apprising all faculty below the rank of full professor of their progress toward promotion and/or tenure. In the case of the third year of service of untenured tenure-track assistant professors a particularly thorough review is conducted: see appendix II.
5. Merit pay increases
The chair has the responsibility of advising the dean concerning merit pay increases for members of the department. This advice will be based upon the following procedure. The chair, in consultation with the FEC, will first assemble a rank ordering of the faculty by reference to the overall assessment discussed under 'Annual Faculty Evaluation' and then follow this ranking in determining the advice forwarded to the dean.
C. Teaching Load
The normal teaching load in the department for a ranked faculty member actively engaged in research and service is four regularly organized courses per year. The chair, in consultation with a faculty member, may alter this normal assignment in recognition of special circumstances. The teaching loads of non-ranked faculty are to be determined by the chair on a case-by-case basis.
D. Supplemental Summer Appointments
The chair shall be responsible for making supplemental summer appointments. In accordance with university policy, each March s/he will request each member of the department to state in writing whether s/he is interested in receiving a supplemental summer appointment, and if so to give a list of course preferences. Insofar as curricular requirements and financial resources allow, the chair will endeavor to ensure that as many faculty as possible teach their preferred courses, subject to the following proviso: priority will be given to those faculty who requested supplemental summer assignments in previous years but did not receive one in any of those years - the greater that number of years, the higher the priority.
E. Department Research Leaves
The department recognizes that ongoing programs of research are a necessary part of professional growth and development. Thus, if outside resources are not available, the department may grant to a faculty member a reduction of teaching load or released time for research.
F. Academic Policies
With respect to such matters as grading practices, posting and keeping of office hours, and the University Honor Code, etc., the department follows those procedures as stated in the Faculty Handbook.
G. Faculty Senator
The department will elect its faculty senator and official alternate at such times as specified by the constitution of the faculty senate. S/he is responsible for attending faculty senate meetings and keeping the department apprised of developments affecting the department or its members.
H. Hiring
There are two stages in the hiring process. First, the chair is responsible for responding to the dean's request for hiring proposals. S/he will solicit the views of all the ranked faculty of the department and take due account of these views in responding to the dean. Second, should the dean authorize the department to hire, the candidates are to be evaluated according to the following procedure. The decision about whom to interview is made by a majority vote of the ranked faculty of the department, as is the decision about whether to recommend to the university the appointment of a new incoming faculty member who is not going to be appointed with tenure. In the case of a new incoming faculty member who wishes to be appointed with tenure, the decisions about whether to recommend that the university make the appointment and grant tenure are made by majority vote of the full PTC (tenured associate professors vote even in the case of the appointment of a full professor). Untenured ranked faculty shall, however, be given the opportunity to express their views at department meetings where such candidates are discussed.
I. Graduate Admissions
The GAC provides rankings of the graduate applicants to the chair. S/he is then responsible for compiling an overall ranking of the applicants and making offers of funding and admission in accord with this ranking, taking into account the budgetary limitations.
III. Student Participation
There is a student philosophical association (SPA), the president of which is selected by departmental graduate students in a manner determined by them. The president of the SPA is charged with soliciting, and conveying to the chair, the views of the graduate students on departmental issues of concern to them (such as hiring decisions). At the discretion of the chair, the president of the SPA may be invited to attend (a) certain department meetings and (b) certain interviews of potential hires.
IV. Revision of these Bylaws
Any voting member of the department may propose revisions to these bylaws. Revisions must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the voting members of the Department.
Appendix I
Department of Philosophy
Florida State University
Criteria and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure
1. Procedure
1.1. Faculty Evaluation File
For each faculty member there is a faculty evaluation file containing (see the relevant sections of the department's bylaws): Assignments of Responsibilities, Faculty Activities Reports, Annual Faculty Evaluation Summaries, and Annual Letters pertaining to Progress toward Promotion and/or Tenure. There may also be additional material, such as student and/or peer evaluations of teaching, book reviews, and unsolicited, signed letters pertaining to teaching, research, or service.
1.2. Recommendation for Promotion or Tenure
In accord with the department's bylaws, the department's promotion and tenure committee conducts an annual review of all faculty members eligible for promotion and/or tenure the following year and makes a preliminary determination, based on the material in the evaluation file, as to whether the candidate has met the university and departmental standards for promotion and/or tenure. The candidate is informed in writing of the result of this preliminary review, and may withdraw from consideration within five working days of receipt of this notification. If the candidate does not withdraw from consideration, the requisite letters from outside sources (if applicable) will be sought at this time and a binder will be prepared. Matters then proceed in accord with the Faculty Handbook and the annual promotion and tenure memorandum from the Dean of the Faculties.
Faculty members being appraised for promotion and/or tenure are kept informed at each step in the process and may withdraw from consideration at any level.
2. Criteria
2.1 Ranked Faculty
In the area of research, while the department will not lay down hard and fast rules, scholarly publication on the order of one or two accepted refereed articles per year or the book equivalent (bearing in mind that a book is worth several articles) will ordinarily be considered adequate for promotion to associate professor and tenure. Whatever articles or books are presented as evidence of research must be substantial contributions, published in reputable journals or by reputable publishers, and will be evaluated by the department with the help of external referees.
For promotion to full professor, continued publication is expected.
In the area of teaching, the most weight is to be placed on peer evaluation, although due consideration is also given to student evaluations.
In the area of service, duties for an untenured faculty member should ideally be kept to a minimum, but any duties or offices that are undertaken will certainly be given due weight in promotion and tenure considerations.
2.2 Non-Ranked Faculty
Non-ranked faculty will be assessed for promotion in accord with their annual evaluations, as reflected in their Annual Letters pertaining to Progress toward Promotion and/or Tenure (see the relevant section of the department's bylaws). These in turn depend upon their weighted performances in their areas of responsibility (as per their annual assignments). A record of excellence over a period of years that accords with the policies of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University normally suffices for promotion.
Appendix II
Department of Philosophy
Florida State University
Criteria and Procedures for Third Year Review of Untenure Tenure-Track Assistant Professors
Background
The background and purpose of the third year review are best summed up on the Provost's website under the discussion of tenure, from which the following quotation is taken:
The process of earning tenure generally lasts six years, during which the candidate's teaching, research, and service are evaluated by faculty peers. Annual evaluations are required and should be taken very seriously. There is also the expectation at The Florida State University that a careful and detailed evaluation will occur at the end of the third year, specifically to serve as the basis for advice to the candidate on the progress being made toward a positive tenure evaluation. At any time during the six-year probationary period, the individual can be notified, with specific advance notice, without cause, that her/his contract will not be renewed.
(http://provost.fsu.edu/faculty/tenure/meaning.html; italics added)
Procedure
(1) The review is initiated by the tenured members of the department's faculty evaluation committee.
(2) This committee evaluates all the available evidence of the teaching, research and service achievements of the faculty member under review, and, on the basis of this, recommends appropriate action to the promotion and tenure committee (PTC) of the department.
(3) The action of the PTC and the reasons for it shall be conveyed to the faculty member in writing before the end of April in that member's third year of service. Although, as noted above, '[a]t any time during the six-year probationary period, the individual can be notified, with specific advance notice, without cause, that her/his contract will not be renewed', the third year review is a point at which this issue is considered particularly seriously.
The following materials should be assembled by the end of March in the third year of service:
Evidence Regarding Teaching
(1) A listing of the teaching responsibilities of the faculty member for the period.
(2) Copies of the syllabi, tests, quizzes, examinations, other teaching materials, and student evaluations of courses.
(3) Copies of faculty reports of classroom observations.
(4) Copies of the student evaluations of all classes taught during the period.
(5) A description of the faculty member's role in supervising graduate students.
Evidence Regarding Research
(1) Copies of publications, works accepted for publication, and any other works that the faculty member would like considered (such as papers or books submitted for publication, papers delivered at professional meetings, or works in progress).
(2) Documentation of research grants awarded or copies of proposals for such grants.
Evidence Regarding Service
(1) A list of any committee memberships at any level of the university, or outside it, that the faculty member considers relevant, with descriptions of the faculty member's role where this is not obvious.
(2) Descriptions of any other relevant service activities.
Criteria
As teaching, research, and, often, service, are mutually interdependent activities in a department that has both major undergraduate teaching responsibilities and a doctoral program, the department seeks faculty who will make significant and innovative contributions at all levels and in all areas. However, faculty who are new to the profession are normally expected to devote their major efforts to teaching and research, saving service responsibilities for a time when they have become better established in the profession.
In the area of official service, then, some service on committees at any level of the university is normally considered sufficient. Unofficially, of course, there is the expectation that the faculty member will play a role in completing all the small tasks that are the duty of all department members.
In the area of teaching, the most weight is to be placed on peer evaluation, although due consideration is also given to student evaluations. The peer evaluators will be looking for:
- energetic teachers using imaginative methods in presenting, with clarity, philosophical problems and materials to students;
- challenging and high expectations for student performance;
- coverage of pertinent materials and, where relevant, recent research results (including those of the faculty member);
- the cultivation of the intellectual growth and independent philosophical maturity of the students, both undergraduate and graduate.
In the area of research, the department is looking for evidence of significant research that will extend beyond the work in the Ph.D. by the time of tenure. Publication is one crucial piece of this evidence. Here are the department's tenure criteria in this regard:
In the area of research, while the Department will not lay down hard and fast rules, scholarly publication on the order of one or two accepted refereed articles per year or the book equivalent (bearing in mind that a book is worth several articles) will ordinarily be considered adequate for promotion to Associate Professor and tenure. Whatever articles or books are presented as evidence of research must be substantial contributions, published in reputable journals or by reputable publishers, and will be evaluated by the Department with the help of external referees.
Given these criteria, the department would expect to see one of the following:
(1)something on the order of four articles written since employment at Florida State University and published or accepted for publication by the time of the third year review;
(2) very solid evidence that a book has been written and nearly completed since employment at Florida State University, and will be forthcoming shortly after the third year review;
(3) some equivalent combination of articles and (partial) book manuscript.
(In general, in the interests of spreading risk, untenured faculty are advised to focus upon articles rather than a book.)
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