Department Bylaws
Degrees Granted
Responsibilities of tenure accruing faculty members
Responsibilities of non-tenure faculty members
Faculty Mentoring
Officers of the Department
Admission Procedures
Third Year Review
Merit Review
Faculty Meetings
Accessibility
Release Time
Fund Raising
Faculty Grievance Procedure
Amendments
Policy Making
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is a department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The degrees offered by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders include the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. in Speech Language Pathology or Audiology), the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.), Master of Arts in Speech Language Pathology (M.A.), and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders (B.A.). These degrees are conferred by the Graduate School.
Purpose of degrees granted by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
The goal of the Ph.D. program is to educate students to evolve into researchers with a strong interdisciplinary focus. Doctoral students are encouraged to engage in study and research within several departments or programs within the University of Florida including, but not limited to: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Neurology, Neuroscience, Gerontology, Linguistics, Dentistry, Otolaryngology, Physiological Sciences, Psychology, Special Education and Computer Science. Coursework is designed to foster the development of expertise in various aspects of research so that students can ultimately conduct independent, original research that adds to the body of knowledge in basic and applied communication sciences and disorders. For more information about the Ph.D. program, please see http://www.csd.ufl.edu/phd.html.
The goal of the Au.D. program is to educate students in the science and practice of Audiology. Students in this program are trained to become familiar with the scientific and research literature that represents the foundation of Audiology, to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate and interpret pertinent research, and to apply this knowledge to clinical practice. For more information about the Au.D. program, please see http://www.audiology.ufl.edu/.
The goal of the M.A. program is to provide students with the knowledge and skills that are necessary for independent professional practice in the area of Speech-Language Pathology. Students develop clinical competence in methods of prevention, assessment, and treatment of human communication and swallowing disorders across the lifespan, and the ability to critically analyze research so that they may maintain a sound scientific basis for their professional practice throughout their career. For more information about the M.A. program, please see http://www.csd.ufl.edu/masters.html.
The goal of the B.A. program in Communication Sciences and Disorders is twofold: (1) to provide students with a liberal arts education; and (2) to prepare them for a career in either Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology. Our program provides students with an understanding of the basic processes involved in normal human communication and prepares them for graduate work in which they will study atypical or pathological conditions related to speech, language, swallowing and hearing. While most of our students go on to graduate work in either Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology, some students, with their liberal arts education, elect to go to law school, medical school, special education, or other health-related professions.
Administrators of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders are specialized in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. The faculty consists of academic facultyand clinical faculty as well as lecturers and adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty members are affiliated to other University of Florida departments, from the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, and from the community at large.
Responsibilities of faculty members who are eligible for tenure and promotion status or promotion . Each faculty member is responsible for contributing to the orderly and effective functioning of the department as well as professional responsibilities arising from the nature of the education process. Professional responsibilities can be described more specifically in terms of:
(a) Teaching -- Teaching involves the presentation of knowledge, information, and ideas by various methods including, but not limited to, lecture, discussion, assignment and recitation, demonstration, laboratory exercise, practical experience, and direct consultation with students. The utilization and effectiveness of each of these methods, when appropriate, shall be considered by the faculty member. The faculty member’s performance in teaching should be evaluated by considering:l. The knowledge and skills imparted that correspond with the objectives of the course.
2. The stimulation of the students' critical thinking and/or creative ability in light of the objectives of the course.
3. The faculty member’s adherence to accepted standards of professional behavior in meeting his/her responsibilities to his/her students.
Unless otherwise prescribed in an individual faculty member’s contract, faculty members are responsible for teaching two courses each during the fall and spring semesters of an academic year. In total, both courses should constitute 6 academic credits, not including independent studies with individual students. Faculty members may receive course releases of up to two courses per semester at the discretion of the chair of the department based on a demonstrated need for redirected emphasis on another responsibility. If the faculty member has requested course release in order to direct research that is funded by grant or contract, the faculty member is required to compensate the department from the grant or contract in question at a rate of 25% of salary for each course waived.
(b) Research -- Research is defined as contributions toward the discovery of new knowledge, the development of new educational techniques, and other forms of creative activity. Evidence of research and other creative activity shall include, but not be limited to: articles and papers in professional journals, papers presented at meetings of professional societies, published books, and current research and creative activity that has not yet resulted in publication, display, or performance. The evaluation of research productivity shall include consideration of productivity, including quality and quantity of what has been done during the year and recognition by the academic or professional community of what has been done.
In making judgments pertaining to the decision to award tenure, evaluation by qualified scholars in pertinent disciplines both within and outside the university will be sought.
(c) Service -- Service shall include, but not be limited to, participation in governance processes of the department and the university through service on departmental, college, and university committees, councils and the senate, service to public schools, service in appropriate professional organizations, involvement in the organization and expedition of meetings, symposia, conferences, workshops, participation in radio and television, and participation on local, state and national governmental boards, agencies and commissions. Only those activities which are related to a faculty member’s field of expertise or to the mission of the University fulfill a faculty member’s service responsibility.
(d) Other Duties -- Other duties are defined as reasonable duties assigned to a faculty member, in addition to those usually classified as teaching, research and other creative activity or service. These duties might take the form of academic administration and academic advising, among others. The effective execution of these duties shall be evaluated by the chair of the department and/or as prescribed by the evaluation procedures of the University.
Responsibilities of faculty members who are not eligible for tenure, permanent status, and/or promotion.
Faculty members who are not eligible for tenure, permanent status, and/or promotion will have responsibilities specifically defined by their individual contracts with the department and the university. Generally, these responsibilities include a subset of the duties described specifically in section I (teaching, research, service, other duties). The same definitions of each duty for faculty members who are eligible for tenure, permanent status, and/or promotion apply equally to faculty members who are not eligible for tenure, permanent status and/or promotion.
Responsibilities of clinical faculty members: Each clinic faculty member is responsible for contributing to the orderly and effective functioning of the department as well as professional responsibilities arising from the nature of the education process. Professional responsibilities can be described more specifically in terms of:
(a) Teaching -- Clinical Faculty may be asked to teach a variety of courses at the undergraduate level, and applied clinics at the graduate level. Clinical faculty may be asked to team-teach graduate level courses as needed. Teaching involves the presentation of knowledge, information, and ideas by various methods including lecture, discussion, assignment and recitation, demonstration, laboratory exercise, practical experience, direct consultation with students, etc. The utilization and effectiveness of each of these methods, when appropriate, shall be considered by the faculty member. The faculty member’s performance in teaching will be evaluated by considering:l. The knowledge and skills imparted that correspond with the objectives of the course.
2. The stimulation of the students' critical thinking and/or creative ability in light of the objectives of the course.
3. The faculty members' adherence to accepted standards of professional behavior in meeting his/her responsibilities to his/her students.
(b) Service -- Service shall include, but not be limited to, participation in governance processes of the department and the university through service on departmental, college, and university committees, councils and the senate; service to public schools; service in appropriate professional organizations; involvement in the organization and expedition of meetings, symposia, conferences, workshops; participation in radio and television; and participation on local, state and national governmental boards, agencies and commissions. Only those activities which are related to a faculty member’s field of expertise or to the mission of the university fulfill a faculty member’s service responsibility.
(c) Other Duties -- Other duties are defined as reasonable duties in addition to those usually classified as teaching, including research or other creative activity or service, assigned to a faculty member. These duties might take the form of academic administration and academic advisement, and such other responsibilities expected as may be appropriate to the faculty member's duties and responsibilities. The effective performance of these duties shall be evaluated by the chair of the department and/or as prescribed by the evaluation procedures of the University.
Teaching Assignments
All teaching assignments will be made by the Chair of the department. The curriculum committee puts together the course offerings so the Communication Sciences and Disorders program can meet its obligations. FTE is assigned to the department of the faculty member who teaches the course. Fall and spring course assignments are reviewed by the faculty member and Chair.
The Chair will facilitate the appointment of a teaching and research mentor for each untenured member as early as possible in their first semester. The choice of mentor will be based on similarities of academic work between the untenured member and the research mentor. Emphasis will also be placed on finding someone the untenured member can talk with freely about all matters concerning the tenure process.
The research and teaching mentors will provide an annual assessment to the untenured faculty member describing her/his progress toward tenure. This assessment should be provided orally to the untenured faculty member initially and, he/she should be given opportunity to respond and for the assessment to be modified as a result of this meeting, if appropriate.
The Chair and the mentors should also meet to discuss the progress of the untenured faculty member on an annual basis.
Prior to the end of each academic year before tenure, the Chair will consult with the mentors and meet with the untenured member before writing the end of the year evaluation letter.
Procedures for assigning students as teaching assistants
Student assignments: Student assignments will be determined by the Chair of the department and the Graduate Coordinator. Teaching assistantships are provided to Ph.D. students first, followed by Masters and Au.D. students The Graduate Coordinator will make arrangements for the assignments and will prepare the necessary contracts with the assistance of the Graduate Secretary.
Record keeping: The CSD Graduate Coordinator, the Program Director and the Clinic Director will be responsible for the content of the student’s graduate folder. The Clinic Director will be responsible for assuring that the SLP student’s clock hours are current and accurate as prescribed by the Council on Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC). The Audiology director will be responsible for assuring that the AuD student’s clock hours are current and accurate as prescribed by on Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC).
Peer teaching evaluations
The assigned teaching mentor will carry out evaluations of every untenured faculty member each academic year. Tenured faculty members are encouraged to ask the Chair to appoint another tenured faculty member to carry out these evaluations on a regular basis.
These evaluations will be particularly concerned with techniques, style, and effectiveness of teaching as well as the content or substance of instruction, which reflect an individual’s mastery in his/her field of expertise. The teaching mentor will summarize his/her evaluation in a report given to the Chair. Evaluations will be based on classroom visits and examination of syllabi, hand-outs, paper and exam assignments, web-related materials, and any other information the faculty consider relevant to his/her teaching.
The administration of the departments the responsibility of the entire (academic and clinical) Speech- Language Pathology and Audiology faculty. The selection process and role of the primary administrators of the department are defined below.
Role and Selection of the Chairperson.
Candidates for the position of Chair in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders can be self-nominated or nominated by a faculty member. Only tenured faculty members are eligible for selection. Eligible candidates are asked to appear before the full faculty to present their case, after which a secret ballot vote is taken and the results forwarded to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) with a majority recommendation. The term of the Chair is typically three years, with renewal based on faculty vote and review/approval from the Dean of the CLAS. The Chair is the chief administrative officer of the department.
The Chair’s responsibilities are as follows:
- Serve as the chief administrative officer of the department.
- Serve as the chief financial officer of the department.
- Represent the department to the College and University.
- Represent the department to the students.
- Represent the department to alumni and off-campus organizations.
- Implement and follow procedures for faculty recruitment and retention.
- Prepare and maintain all departmental budgets with the departmental Office Manager.
- Maintain departmental records and facilities.
- Assign office and laboratory spaces.
- Assign appropriate time to each faculty member for scholarly activity in order to meet College and University expectations.
- Designate teaching and service assignments to all faculty.
- Ensure faculty members are meeting their responsibilities.
- Promote professional development for all faculty.
- Protect faculty rights.
- Recommend faculty and staff to the Dean of CLAS for promotions and salary increases.
- Assign mentors to all junior faculty.
- Monitor junior faculty development.
- Monitor all junior faculty members’ faculty classroom teaching and research performance.
- Develop departmental tenure and promotion departmental guidelines.
- Select and solicit reviewers for the tenure & and promotion process of each junior faculty member.
- Evaluate the tenure & and promotion packets prepared by junior faculty members.
- Review the performance of each faculty member relative to his/her job description.
- Monitor all outside activities engaged in by faculty and ensure compliance with University of Florida regulations.
- Provide long-term direction and vision for the department.
- Solicit ideas from faculty for improvement of the department.
- Monitor departmental accreditation procedures.
- Coordinate recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students in conjunction with the Undergraduate and Graduate coordinators.
- Interact with clinical director and clinical faculty to develop long-term vision of clinical training and revenue.
- Oversee the budget of the UF Speech and Hearing Clinic
- Hold regular faculty meetings in order to address departmental governance matters.
- Consult with senior faculty on an as-needed basis.
- Organize ad hoc committees that ensure polices are developed for faculty, students and staff.
- Plan and evaluate curriculum in conjunction with the Program Director.
- Provide external leadership as a representative at other departmental, college and alumni functions.
- Convey university and college policies, procedures, and actions to the department and students.
- Foster productive, interpersonal relationships among faculty and staff.
- Monitor all staff/personnel’s roles and responsibilities.
- Teach and keep current in one’s academic discipline.
- Provide professional leadership and example in the department.
- Foster application to extramural supporting agencies.
- Ensure that all websites pertaining to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (i.e., those within the Department, and those maintained by ASHA) contain accurate information.
- Review all grant proposal applications to ensure they are conforming with institutional guidelines and policies.
Role and Selection of the Program Director. The Program Director is selected by the Chairperson of the department. The duties of the program director are to act as the:
Departmental Liaison to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and related organizations
- Receive and disseminate information from ASHA, Council for Clinical Certification (CFCC), Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA), and Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) to faculty and graduate students.
- Implement ASHA, CFCC, and CAPCSD policies with respect to graduate education.
- Attend the annual CAPCSD conference and sessions pertaining to program and student certification at ASHA’s annual convention.
Program Accreditation Officer
- Initiate, organize, and oversee the implementation of activities related to program certification and university certification.
- Ensure that the program’s policies comply with Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) standards.
- Write annual re-accreditation reports and file them with CAA.
- Coordinate (re-)accreditation activities such as applying to CAA for program review, organizing the CAA site visit, preparing the site visit report, and meeting with the site visit team.
- Report program goals and other program data to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation.
- Ensure that the program’s curriculum prepares students to meet clinical certification requirements set by CFCC and the state licensure board.
- Coordinate and monitor the program’s procedures for defining and assessing student learning outcomes.
- Coordinate and monitoring the program’s procedures for assessing students’ attainment of learning outcomes.
- Monitor the breadth and depth of the program’s curriculum.
- Monitor the extent to which course content aligns with the program’s student learning outcomes.
Graduate Advisor and Admissions Director
- Organize orientation and welcome activities for incoming Master’s students.
- Meet with the Clinic Director and 2 nd Year SLP Masters students to set agenda for annual orientation meeting for incoming SLP Masters students.
- Complete academic advising and transcript review for all SLP Masters students.
- a. Send advising memos each semester to Masters SLP students.
- b. Design programs of study for out-of-field students and students who have obtained an undergraduate degree in CSD from other universities.
- Coordinate semester-by-semester documentation of Masters level SLP students’ knowledge and skill development (faculty review of students, knowledge and skills issues, “Just for the Record” maintenance).
- Meet with the Graduate Coordinator to discuss MA-SLP students’ attainment of graduation requirements (e.g., forming graduate committee, completing qualifying exams, scores on praxis examination, etc.).
- Respond to present and past students’ questions about the program and issues related to clinical certification and graduation.
- Meet with prospective Masters SLP students, and disseminate information to them about the SLP Masters program
- Coordinate the Masters SLP graduate admissions committee.
- a. Rank prospective students and make admissions recommendations to the faculty.
- b. Co-coordinate (with Graduate Coordinator) the wait-list admissions process for Masters-level SLP program.
- c. Respond to inquiries from prospective students and admitted Masters level SLP students about the admissions process and the graduate program.
Co-coordinator for the comprehensive examination for Master’s level SLP students
- Coordinate revisions to examination administration and scoring procedures.
- Inform students of examination dates and procedures.
- Respond to students’ questions about the examination.
- Solicit examination questions from the faculty and adjunct faculty.
- Coordinate room scheduling (1 year in advance) and proctors (several months in advance).
- Disseminate students’ responses to faculty graders.
- Compile examination results and inform students of results.
Role and Selection of Graduate Coordinator: The Graduate Coordinator is selected by the Chairperson of the department. The duties of the Graduate Coordinator are to act as the:
Departmental Liaison with the Graduate School and College
- Receive, disseminate, and implement University and Graduate school policies with respect to graduate education.
- Attend University and College Graduate Coordinator workshops/meetings.
- Provide certification of students to College and Graduate School for graduation.
- Coordinate all graduate student petitions to College and/or Graduate School.
Departmental Graduate Admissions Officer
- Coordinate advertisement of departmental graduate offerings.
- Catalog contact information and respond to all requests for information from prospective students.
- Facilitate contact between potential Ph.D. applicants and possible mentors.
- Coordinate tracking of application materials.
- Rank applicants for Admissions Office review of transcripts.
- Provide Graduate Committees with tabulated list of completed applicants to accompany application materials.
- Coordinate Graduate Committees' review process.
- Provide Graduate Committees' rankings to full faculty for comment and revision.
- Process admissions and denials online.
- Generate letters and e-mails of acceptance, waitlist, and denial.
- Track admission replies and coordinate waitlist offerings of admission.
- Coordinate Graduate Committees' ranking of accepted students for funding.
- Supply funding rankings to full faculty for comment and revision.
- Work with chair to assign assistantship offers.
- Work with chair to assign graduate assistants to faculty.
Departmental Program Planner
- Serve on the Departmental Curriculum Committee.
- Integrate proposed changes to Au.D. curriculum and report to faculty for feedback.
- Coordinate Ph.D. program revisions.
Departmental Graduate Student Advisor
- Provide registration advisement to all Au.D. students.
- Provide initial advising information to accepted Au.D. students.
- Run orientation program for new Au.D. students.
- Review program plans for all Ph.D. students.
- Review all “Just for the Record” forms for all M.A. and Au.D. students.
Departmental Graduate Ombudsman
- Provide faculty program information regarding Ph.D.
- Track all graduate student deficiencies with regard to Graduate School and departmental requirements.
- Listen to and facilitate resolution of any graduate student's problems.
Role and Selection of the Undergraduate Coordinator. The Undergraduate Coordinator is selected by the Chairperson of the department. The duties of the Undergraduate Coordinator are to:
- Advise students, primarily about the major requirements of the major. An Undergraduate Coordinator may also advise students about general education or basic distribution requirements.
- Certify students for graduation. This entails checking student transcripts to ensure that all major requirements have been fulfilled.
- Serve as the advisor for the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA) group.
- Meet with and advise all new or potential majors and be available for freshman and transfer preview orientations.
- Help students with a change of major form, which requires the Undergraduate Coordinator’s signature, and also requires a planned program to ensure that excessive hours will not result from the major change.
- Work with the academic advisement center and departmental faculty in revising catalog copy.
- Work with students seeking either a double major or dual degree.
- Assist the College Fresh Start Committee concerning students who have been either suspended or who withdrew from UF and seek a fresh start.
- Serve on the departmental curriculum committee in terms of developing or revising the undergraduate major requirements.
Selection and Role of the Clinical Director. The Clinical Director is selected by the Chairperson of the department. The duties of the Clinical Director are to:
Direct Clinical Activities
- Develop affiliation agreements/contracts for practica and externship sites.
- Assign students to clinics and practica during their first 4 semesters.
- Work with the Graduate Coordinator to prepare exit paperwork when the students have completed their clinical and academic requirements for graduation.
- Make contact with each practicum site supervisor a minimum of once a semester to monitor the students’ progress.
- Update the Graduate Student Clinicians’ Handbook annually.
- Update the Handbook for Supervisors of Practica and Externships annually.
- Review all case histories that are sent to the clinic, and determine their disposition.
- Arrange and supervise Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology screenings and services in town (at preschools and private schools).
- Prepare an Annual Report to the Scottish Rite Foundation and maintain, as well as periodic contact with the Scottish Rite officers throughout the fiscal year.
- Determine eligibility of families for Scottish Rite assistance.
- Participate in clinic budget meetings.
- Oversee purchase of materials and equipment forUF Speech and Hearing Clinic.
Teach
- Advise graduate students about the clinical requirements for a Speech-Language Pathology major.
- Meet with all speech language pathology graduate students once a week to update on ASHA and department information.
- Supervise speech language pathology graduate students’ grand rounds presentations (two per student during the four semesters they are on campus).
- Teach courses in area of expertise
Relationships of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders with other Departments, Centers, and Institutes.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders operates as a degree program within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It has several affiliations with on campus departments and programs including the McKnight Brain Institute, Institute for the Advanced Study of Communication Processes, the Malcom Randall Veterans Administration Hospital, Department of Communicative Disorders in the College of Public Health and Health Professions and several departments in the College of Medicine, including, but not limited to, Neurology and Otolaryngology.
Recruitment of students to the CSD Program. The department will recruit students to the program through a variety of means, including: (1) information on the departmental webpage (www.csd.ufl.edu), (2) information booths at professional meetings, (3) listings in professional association publications and advisory boards, and (4) listings with the minority and disabilities panels of the University of Florida and professional organizations.
Admission of students to the CSD Undergraduate Program. Admission of students to the CSD Undergraduate Program. * Admission of students to the CSD Undergraduate Program is dependent on their grade point average, which is required to be at least a 2.8. Further, students are required to have a mean GPA of 2.75 in three of the four pre-requisite courses which are: General Psychology (PSY 2012), Statistics (STA 2023), Exceptional People (EEX3312) and an introductory speech course. For students who begin their college career at the University of Florida, that introductory speech course should be SPA 2024 Human Communication Dynamics.
Admission of students to the CSD Masters Level program. The Masters program in CSD accepts students for fall admission only. Admission of students into the Masters program in CSD is dependent on the applicant's satisfactory demonstration, to the departmental admissions committee, of their strong academic and clinical potential and available space in the program. This must be accomplished through the submission of transcripts, as well as three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a report of their scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) prior to the admissions application deadline of February 1. The University of Florida holds minimum standards for admission to any of its graduate programs. These standards include a verbal-quantitative score sum of 1000 on the GRE and an upper division grade point average of 3.0 upper division (on a 4.0 scale). Upper division refers to coursework taken during the student's junior and senior years. Conditional admission of students not meeting one of the two standards is possible with the recommendation from the departmental graduate admissions committee and approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Admission of Students to the CSD Ph.D. program in Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology. Applicants must present with official transcripts, three letters of recommendation from professors familiar with the student’s work, a statement of purpose, and test results for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). There are minimal requirements that must be met in order to be considered for admission into the doctoral program. These include a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and a GRE score in excess of 1000 for the verbal and quantitative sections combined. In addition to the above guidelines, international students must have a TOEFL score of 550 or higher or 213 on the computer version.
The personal statement must include reasons for applying to the program, career objectives, and relevant background information. It is particularly important that applicants identify the area of intended academic emphasis and strongly recommended that the applicant identify one or more faculty mentor(s).
Admission of Students to the Shared Au.D program (CLAS and PHHP)
Graduate Student Funding . Funding for students may be provided by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders on a competitive basis. Funding for prospective Ph.D. students takes precedence over funding for Masters level students. Scholarships are also available for CSD students from professional organizations on a competitive basis. CSD students will be able to compete for scholarships available through the Graduate School (such as the Grinter Fellowship).
Third Year Review of Academic Faculty
Purpose
The intention of the third year (midterm) review process is to provide structured and constructive information to assist tenure-track faculty members with meeting college and university requirements for tenure and promotion. The review is normally done in the third year of employment. It should be designed to provide the faculty member with constructive comments to strengthen the eventual tenure packet and provide the faculty member with a true assessment of how her/his efforts are perceived by peers within her/his own discipline. It also will assist that faculty member in that peers, other than the Chair, will provide an evaluation of the faculty member’s efforts.
The fact that the review process takes place at the end of the third year of service should allow for proper review of the faculty member’s teaching, research and service efforts and will allow enough time for the faculty member to make any modifications necessary for the successful award of tenure in the future, if any deficiencies are noted in the review. Likewise, it could also be used to assist the faculty member in the choice as to when she/he would most likely be successful in applying for tenure.
Process
The review should begin early in the third year of appointment. By February 1st of that year, the candidate will complete a dossier of materials and present it to the Chair of the Department. The dossier will include:
1) A tenure and promotion packet abridged for this purpose (described below).
2) A research/scholarship portfolio including all of the candidate's research publications, papers submitted for publication, grant proposals, and similar information.
3) Annual letters of evaluation from the candidate’s mentor.
4) Annual letters of evaluation from the chair.
The dossier will be made available to the senior (does “senior” mean “tenured” faculty. A committee of the Chair, mentor of the candidate, and one senior faculty member appointed by the Chair will review the dossier and assess the candidate's performance. The assessment will address the issues normally considered in tenure and promotion deliberations and will determine if the candidate is making satisfactory progress toward promotion and tenure. The committee will prepare a report for a meeting of tenured faculty in the Department who will discuss the candidate's progress toward tenure and promotion and advise the Chair on what might be included in his/her letter of review to the candidate. For example, department faculty may consider:
-Is the candidate's teaching at or above department norms and expectations or making steady progress in that direction?
-Has the candidate presented papers in appropriate venues and are the number and quality of those papers acceptable?
-Has the candidate published at an acceptable rate and in appropriate journals?
-Is the candidate beginning to establish a regional and national reputation in her/his field?
-Is the candidate preparing her/himself to attract external funding to support her/his scholarly work?
-Has the candidate gained graduate status and served on masters and doctoral committees?
-Does the candidate's record suggest a teaching and research trajectory that is likely to lead to the rank of Associate (and later Full) Professor?
-Is the candidate appropriately involved in professional service activities at the local, state, national, or international level?
The Chair will draft a letter of review based on the candidate's dossier, the committee report as well as the discussion, and other information from the department faculty. The letter should consider the candidate's assignment and any support the department may have provided the candidate. It should identify areas of strength and weakness in the candidate's record and make clear recommendations, if any, on how the candidate may improve her/his dossier and performance. The goal is to give thoughtful and constructive assessments and suggestions that will help the candidate meet college and university requirements for tenure and promotion. The letter will be explicit in stating that the letter itself is not a decision for tenure and promotion but is rather a mid-course evaluation.
Before April 30th, the Chair will meet with the candidate to provide a copy and discuss the letter of review. The candidate and Chair should discuss strengths and weaknesses in the candidate's dossier, what the candidate might do, if anything, to strengthen her/his dossier the future, and what assistance might be available in the department, college, and/or university to address candidate needs and improve performance, if needed. In making these recommendations, the Chair and tenured faculty members are not entering into a contractual relationship with the candidate such that if these recommendations are fulfilled the candidate is assured of tenure. Rather they are recognizing and acting upon their responsibility to support the candidate in her/his final years before tenure. A copy of the letter of review will be placed in the candidate's personnel file. The faculty member has the right to submit a written response to the report if so desired, and the response will be placed in the faculty member’s personnel file for future reference. None of these letters will become part of the tenure and promotion packet. The Department Chair's letter of review will be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs by the end of the spring semester.
It is the responsibility of the Department Chair in consultation with the Faculty Performance committee to award merit pay increases to the faculty, if available. The committee is made up of six CSD faculty members, consisting of 1 st and 2 nd year members, made up of assistant, associate and full professors, with one (senior??) member chairing the committee. Each member serves a two-year, rotating term. As indicated on the form below, faculty members are asked to provide a brief narrative of his/her job duties and assigned activities followed by a summary of his/her teaching scores achieved for each of the courses taught. Similar to the forms used in the College/University tenure and promotion process, an opportunity is provided for listing committee activities engaged in with graduate and undergraduate students, research activities, published works, presentations and applied for and obtained grants. Information is requested on service to the University, scholarly journals, national and international professional committees and memberships to professional societies. Finally, the committee requests a statement from the faculty member(s) about why they feel they deserve merit. This provides an opportunity to expand upon the content provided in the lists and gives opportunity for any unique contributions to be further developed.
The Faculty Performance committee then receives the evaluation packets from all who have completed the task. Only those faculty members who have completed the packet are reviewed and considered potential candidates for merit. Completing a merit review packet is not mandatory. The committee randomly assigns the packets to the members of the committee and is charged with determining whether the packet’s contents have met baseline criteria of performance or meritorious status. Each faculty member’s packet is evaluated. However, the baseline expectation varies with the faculty member’s tenure and promotion status. See (see baseline criteria below). Those faculty members who are judged to have performed above baseline criteria are ranked using a 1-10 scale with one being the highest and ten being the lowest. Those packets that did not reflect performance above baseline are not scored. The scored packets are then presented one by one to the entire committee and a final vote is made. The committee provides a rank ordering of the faculty members for merit consideration to the Chair of the department based on the ranked scale scores and the final votes by the Faculty Performance committee. The Chair of the department then reviews the rankings and makes final decisions concerning merit distribution, if available.
The committee is recommending some revisions to the form and content of the report. See Pat Kricos.
Baseline performance criteria that are used by the CSD Committee to determine if faculty performance is meritorious. The Baseline performance criteria were developed by the full faculty over a series of faculty meetings.
Merit Review System click to view PDF Document
The CSD faculty meetings occur once a week for one hour and are held in 335 Dauer Hall. The Chair will conduct the meetings. In the absence of the Chair, the Graduate Coordinator or Program Director will assume the responsibility. Issues will be approved by consensus of the CSD faculty.
Minutes: On a rotating basis, each faculty member will record the minutes and the minutes will be posted on S:\Faculty_Meeting_Minutes.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, under the guidelines of the American Disability Act (ADA) and 504 federal legislation, is required to make reasonable accommodations to the known physical and mental limitations of otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities.
To help provide the best possible service to students, staff, faculty and visitors, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has access to an ADA Compliance Office (http://www.ada.ufl.edu/index.htm) with a coordinator responsible for access for persons with disabilities. The ADA coordinator (Osfield@ufl.edu) assists anyone with questions about access.
Alteration of the usual 2-2 teaching load, course reduction, and research leave are all possible within the Department. Such actions are taken with clearly understood criteria, ultimately at the discretion of the Chair.
Current Department policy allows the following instances of release time:
1) Junior faculty are normally given a semester, one course teaching release within their first year with the expectation that their laboratory will be set up and the course appropriately prepared. Here research leave is understood as release from all teaching and service requirements.
2) The Graduate Coordinator, Program Director and Undergraduate Coordinator are granted a one course annual reduction in exchange for their service when possible. Here course reduction means teaching one less course in a year while continuing to participate in the normal life of the department including assigned committee work.
3) Course reduction - faculty members can release teaching duties by buying out of the course with externally generated research funding.
The following factors will be considered: how recently and how often the individual faculty member has received time off, results of past leaves or course reductions, whether or not an effort has been made to secure outside funding, what service is being rewarded or being offered in return, class coverage and responsibility to graduate students, and the overall fairness and practicality of the request in the context of the competing needs and desires of other faculty members.
The CSD department has a College representative within the Foundation office (http://www.uff.ufl.edu/) who supports fund raising efforts for specific departmental missions. Gifts can go to funding student travel to meetings, undergraduate and graduate scholarships, lecture series, laboratory enhancements, and other initiatives.
A faculty member who believes he or she has not been afforded his or her rights pursuant to the university rules may elect to proceed through the informal appeal and/or formal grievance procedures of the university.
Faculty are encouraged to seek informal resolution of their complaints. This may be accomplished by meeting with the person responsible for the action giving rise to the complaint, and if the matter is not resolved, by appealing to the person's supervisor or chair, dean or director, appropriate vice president, or the provost. Normally, grievances or other formal review procedures should be filed only after informal resolution has proven unsuccessful.
The term "grievance" means a dispute or complaint alleging a violation of the rules of the university concerning tenure, promotion, non-renewal and termination of employment contracts, salary, work assignments, annual evaluation, lay-off and recall, and other benefits or rights accruing to a faculty member pursuant to university rules or by law. In disciplinary grievances, the burden of proof is on the university. In all other grievances, the burden of proof is on the faculty member. The purpose of a grievance procedure is to provide a prompt and efficient collegial method for the review and resolution of grievances.
Faculty may elect one of several methods of grievance resolution as appropriate. Consult UF Rules 6C1-7.041 (http://regulations.ufl.edu/chapter7/7041.pdf), 6C1-7.042 (http://regulations.ufl.edu/chapter7/7042.pdf) and 6C1-7.0441 (http://regulations.ufl.edu/chapter7/70441.pdf) for specific details on grievance procedures and filing deadlines.
These by-laws/guidelines shall be adopted by the majority vote of the Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty.
Amendments to the bylaws/guidelines must be approved by a simple majority of the fullCommunication Sciences and Disorders faculty. Proposed amendments will be circulated to Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty members two weeks prior to the proposed meeting date.
At regular faculty meetings, two thirds of the full Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty with at least one representative from each department will constitute a quorum. If a quorum is present, binding votes will require a simple majority of those present.
The Communication Sciences and Disorders program will continue to work toward the overall goals of the respective departments. If an intractable problem occurs within the faculty, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be asked to mediate and finally help from the Provost and/or Graduate School Dean may be solicited as necessary.
