The Constitution and Bylaws of the Department
of Entomology encourage involvement of all members of
the Department in the development of policies, plans,
and programs. Ongoing committees include Curriculum, Seminar,
Awards, Computer, Public Relations, Social and Long-Range
Planning. Ad hoc committees are formed as needed and have
recently included a committee for space evaluation. With
the exception of members of the Long-Range Planning Committee,
annual committee appointments are made by the Head for
ratification by the Voting Staff. To the extent possible,
representation includes graduate students, junior and
senior faculty, civil service/union staff, research associates/fellows,
and professional and academic appointees. To provide continuity,
committee chair and co-chairs are appointed for two years.
At the beginning of each academic year, the Head meets
with the committees to discuss and set their charge.
The Voting Staff consists of tenure and tenure-track
academic faculty plus one elected representative each from
the civil service scientific staff, the clerical civil service/union
staff, the professional and academic extension staff, the
professional and academic research staff, and one graduate
student elected by Frenatae, our graduate student organization.
Meetings occur at least once per quarter during the academic
year and as needed. Ideas or issues, which may originate
at any level, are brought to the attention of the appropriate
committee or the Department Head and are placed on the agenda
for consideration and action. The Voting Staff typically
is involved in making recommendations on faculty hires,
long-range plans, and physical facilities.
The Long-Range Planning Committee is an elected
six member tenure/tenure-track faculty committee. Three-year
terms are staggered so that two vacancies occur each year.
The Long-Range Planning Committee functions in an advisory
capacity to the Head. They meet with the Head on the first
Tuesday of each month. The Department Head also convenes
monthly meetings with the tenure/tenure-track and graduate
faculty on the second Tuesday of each month to discuss items
of current interest.
Separate quarterly meetings occur between
the Department Head, the Civil Service/Union Staff, the
Professional and Academic Staff, and the Graduate Students.
The meetings are designed to provide an additional forum
for input from these groups in regard to departmental activities.
Agenda are set by the each of the groups. The Head also
conducts exit interviews with departing members of the Department.
An annual retreat for all members of the Department
is held each September. Retreat themes vary but usually
represent department-wide issues and concerns. Recent topics
have included: development of a mission statement, building
conditions, public relations, fostering a supportive atmosphere
in the department, producing high quality graduate students,
diversity and gender, and internal communications.
The Department Head coordinates the academic
and procedural operations of the department by direction
of ideas to appropriate committees, by review of policy
issues with the Long-Range Planning Committee, Voting Staff,
faculty, or with subgroups affected by the matter in question,
by decision and direction where action is pertinent, and
by communication with College and Institute Administration
on matters of budget, personnel, and management.
The Associate Administrator facilitates interactions
between the Head and staff and supervises operational procedures
such as student records, course records, personnel information,
and grant mechanics. An Accountant works directly with the
Head in administering the budget. A single clerical office
serves the teaching, research, and extension faculty by
reception, typing, duplicating, and record keeping. Office
personnel consist of a Principal Secretary, a Word Processing
Specialist and a Receptionist coordinated by the Associate
Administrator.
Promotion and tenure evaluations are conducted
by committees of the whole. For promotion to associate professor
with tenure, the committee consists of all tenured faculty,
for promotion to full professor, of all full professors.
Documentation for promotion and tenure is prepared by the
Head and the candidate following College of Agriculture
guidelines. Input is solicited from the appropriate faculty
group during the preparation process.
Probationary faculty are reviewed annually by a committee
of all tenured faculty. Results of a vote on: continuation,
nonreappointment, or promotion with tenure are recorded
and provided along with a written evaluation of performance
to the probationary member. A meeting with the Head follows
to discuss the ramifications of the committee's comments
and recommendations.
Merit reviews and salary adjustments are conducted by the
Head. A standard format for evaluating performance is used
. Faculty annually update CV's and an activity report. The
Head uses this information to tabulate evaluation scores
then meets with each faculty member to discuss their performance
evaluation. Performance scores may be modified based on
the outcome of this meeting. When salary increase money
is available, numerical scores are converted to dollars
using a combination of converting point to dollars, and
conversion of ranking to a percent increase. Evaluation
scores and salary recommendations (when appropriate) are
then sent to the Dean for review. |
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