Role of Departments. The faculty member’s responsibilities (teaching, research, and service) will be determined based on departmental needs and planning. This department plan will be used for recruitment and hiring as well as determining expectations for retention, tenure, and promotion. A faculty activity plan (previously called letter of expectations) will be prepared for faculty members in the first year of hire to inform and guide them to achieve retention, tenure, and/or promotion. Faculty activity plans will be prepared for all probationary faculty and special faculty appointment. Career development plans will be prepared for all tenured faculty regardless of status in rank and years. Although teaching will remain the primary function of faculty members at Eastern Washington University, departments may need faculty who can fulfill a variety of roles and not all faculty will have the same roles in a department. In developing a faculty activity plan, the department, and the individual can list the faculty member’s areas of strength, areas of possible improvement, personal achievement goals, departmental functions, and methods of evaluation. This approach is consistent with the list of commitments for the four-year institutions as stated in the HECB’s Institutional Productivity Initiatives: Faculty Workload Study, 1994. The relevant sections are quoted below: Ensure that the primary mission of each institution is instruction, which is consistent with how faculty currently allocate their time as captured by the Faculty Workload Study. In addition, each institution will pursue an appropriate balance of research/scholarly activities and public service consistent with its mission. (p. 9) Hold the academic department accountable for faculty workload assignments and for ensuring that undergraduate student learning needs are met. This accountability must recognize the differences among departments. (p. 9) Further, there may also be differences among faculty, some of who may give more effort to teaching in one term while others give more effort to research and service. (p. 9)
