Bylaws

Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Adopted March 27, 1991
Revisions approved July 31, 2023

Part 1: Rules
I. Rules, policy and procedures
II. The Department Assembly
III. Department officers
IV. Standing Committees
V. Special appointments

Part 2: Policies and procedures
Statement of factors for promotion and tenure for tenure-stream faculty
Regular teaching loads
Summer teaching
Faculty absences
Teaching evaluation policy
English department faculty mentoring policy
English Department GTA mentoring policy

Part 1: Rules

I. Rules, policies and procedures

1. Rules

Rules describe the structure and main features of English department organization and governance; where inconsistencies arise between the department bylaws and the college, university or applicable collective bargaining agreement, the latter shall prevail.

Policies and procedures records decisions the department has made about the conduct of its business in the areas of administration, academic programs, and personnel. Operating policy normally evolves from several sources: (1) College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and university policy statements; (2) current bargaining unit agreements; and (3) departmental decisions approved by the Department Assembly. In some instances, long-standing practices or precedents shall be understood to constitute policy and changes shall be addressed as policy decisions by the chair and the appropriate Standing Committee. The Policy Committee shall advise the chair on questions of general policy. The Policy Committee may be addressed by any faculty member.

2. Amendments

A motion to amend the bylaws must be made by written notice submitted to the department by a voting member of the Department Assembly at least two weeks before the assembly meeting at which it is to be considered. For adoption, a motion requires an affirmative vote of the majority of voting members present at the Department Assembly where a quorum, as described in II.3, below, has been reached.

II. The Department Assembly

1. Membership and voting privileges

Membership in the Department Assembly shall be extended to full-time faculty and academic staff members, fractional time faculty on half-time assignment or more, part-time faculty, graduate students, and visiting faculty.

Voting privileges in the Assembly shall be extended to full-time faculty and academic staff members, and fractional-time faculty on half-time assignment or more.

2. Meetings

Department Assembly meetings may be convened by the department chair or the chair's designee, the Policy Committee, or seven voting members of the Assembly.

The assembly shall meet at least once each semester during the regular academic year. Meetings should be announced at least two weeks in advance.

The chair of the department or their designee shall conduct the meetings of the assembly according to Roberts Rules of Order.

3. Quorum

One-third of the voting membership of the Department Assembly shall constitute a quorum. A quorum is required for a vote. The minutes shall document the presence of a quorum at each assembly.

4. Records

The department chair shall appoint a recording secretary who will see that minutes of the assembly meetings are posted to the membership within two weeks following each assembly meeting. These minutes shall be retained in the office of the department chair.

III. Department officers

1. Chair

A. Eligibility and selection.

The selection and appointment of the chair will follow the procedures specified by the AAUP-WSU contract.

B. Term of office.

The term of office will be determined by the dean of the college. The chair may succeed themselves.

C. Vacancy.

If the chair is permanently vacated, an acting chair will be selected and appointed following the procedures specified by the AAUP-WSU contract.

D. Recall.

The chair may be asked to resign, and that recommendation forwarded to the dean, for neglect of duties, failure to abide by the department bylaws or frequent absences. Such an action will be initiated by a petition signed by one third of the voting members of the Department Assembly, in which case an Assembly meeting will be called by the Policy Committee, with the chair of the Policy Committee presiding. Following the meeting, the Policy Committee will poll the voting members of the Assembly via secure balloting. A majority of the voting members of the Assembly is necessary to recommend recall.

E. Responsibilities.

As chief executive officer of the department, is responsible for the orderly, equitable, and efficient functioning of the department as a whole.
Serves, ex-officio, as non-voting chair of the Tenure and Promotion and Appointments Committees and as voting chair of Salary Committee. Serves as ex-officio member of the Policy Committee, the Graduate Committee, the Undergraduate Committee, the Composition Committee, the Special Events Committee, the Library Committee, and the Awards Committee. Chairs the Course Scheduling Committee (the Course Scheduling Committee consists of the chair, associate chair, director of composition, and director of graduate studies).
In consultation with the Policy Committee, recommends to the dean, departmental officers and the editor of Criticism.
Supervises the department budget.
Coordinates the activities of the Standing Committees.
Conducts, or appoints a representative to conduct, the meetings of the Department Assembly.
Solicits nominations from full-time faculty members, including self-nominations, for an ad hoc Appointments Committee appropriate for the hiring area (e.g., creative writing, literary and cultural studies, and rhetoric and composition) and presents a slate of nominations for consideration and approval by the Policy Committee; appoints faculty to other departmental ad hoc committees as needed.
Consults with the Tenure & Promotion Committee regarding all full-time faculty hires prior to making any offers of employment as required by the current bargaining agreement with the AAUP-AFT 6075.
Conducts regular full-time faculty meetings at least three times each during Fall and Winter semesters.
Plans and supervises the functioning of the central office and office staff.
Supervises the orientation of new faculty.
Represents the department to the college and university.
Undertakes or delegates departmental tasks not specifically assigned in the bylaws.
Appoints library liaison(s) and the creative writing coordinator, as needed, in consultation with Policy Committee.

2. Associate chair and director of undergraduate studies (DUS)

A. Eligibility.

Any tenured member of the department shall be eligible for the office of associate chair/DUS.

B. Selection.

The chair, in consultation with the Policy Committee, will recommend an associate chair/DUS to the dean of the college. The selection and appointment of the associate chair/DUS will follow the procedures currently practiced in the college.

C. Term of office.

The term of office will be three years. The associate chair/DUS may succeed themselves.

D. Responsibilities.

Serves as chair in the absence of the chair.
Assists the chair in the administration of the department.
Supervises staff members as assigned by the chair.
Supervises the day-to-day administration of the undergraduate program outside the General Education Composition Program.
Supervises undergraduate advising and supports student engagement.
Receives undergraduate student complaints and grade appeals.
Serves on the Course Scheduling Committee.
Assists instructors with student issues.
Administers faculty teaching observations and evaluations outside the General Education Composition Program.
Chairs, ex-officio, the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and reports its actions to the faculty.
In consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee, appoints the members of the Undergraduate Committee and the coordinator of English Honors.
Recommends to the director of graduate studies and the chair continuation of teaching assistantships for graduate students teaching outside the General Education Composition Program, with the exception of those teaching in creative writing.
Serves, ex-officio, on the Awards Committee and the Policy Committee.
Keeps all records relating to the undergraduate program.
Takes general responsibility for the undergraduate program outside the General Education Composition Program, its curriculum and assessment, and initiates changes to improve their quality and efficiency.

3. Director of composition

A. Eligibility.

Any tenured member of the department specializing in composition/rhetoric shall be eligible.

B. Selection.

The chair, in consultation with the Policy Committee, will recommend the director of composition to the dean of the college. The selection and appointment of the director of composition will follow the procedures currently practiced in the college.

C. Term of office.

The term of office will be three years. The director of composition may succeed themselves.

D. Responsibilities.

Supervises the day-to-day administration of the General Education Composition Program.
Develops instructor training and professional development activities for composition program instructors.
Consults with the director of graduate studies about the graduate concentrations in Rhetoric and Composition Studies.
Consults with the director of undergraduate studies about rhetoric and composition studies course offerings in the English B.A. program.
Serves on the Course Scheduling Committee.
Recommends to the director of graduate studies and the chair continuation of teaching assistantships for graduate students working in the General Education Composition Program.
Keeps all records relating to the composition program.
Serves ex-officio as a member the Policy Committee.
With the chair, assesses applications for part-time instructors in composition.
Chairs the Composition Committee.
In consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee, appoints the members of the Composition Committee.
Administers faculty and GTA teaching observations and evaluations in the General Education Composition Program.
Advises the director of graduate studies on M.A. and Ph.D. committee formation, in cooperation with other rhetoric and writing studies faculty members, for rhetoric and writing studies students.
Takes general responsibility for the General Education Composition Program, its curriculum and assessment, and initiates changes to improve their quality and efficiency.

4. Director of graduate studies

A. Eligibility.

Any tenured member of the department holding graduate faculty status shall be eligible.

B. Selection.

The chair, in consultation with the Policy Committee, will recommend the director of graduate studies to the deans of the college and the Graduate School. The selection and appointment of the director of graduate studies will follow the procedures currently practiced in the college and Graduate School.

C. Term of office.

The term of office will be three years. The director of graduate studies may succeed themselves.

D. Responsibilities.

Supervises the day-to-day administration of the graduate program.
Takes responsibility for the recruitment of graduate students.
Serves as principal advisor for English graduate students.
Rules on applications for admission to the graduate program and recommends to the department chair recipients of teaching assistantships and other forms of financial assistance.
In consultation with the Graduate Committee and director of composition, recommends reappointment of teaching assistantships for graduate students.
Chairs, ex-officio, the Graduate Committee and reports its actions to the graduate faculty.
In consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee, appoints the Graduate Committee.
Serves on the Course Scheduling Committee.
Keeps all records relating to the graduate program.
Receives graduate student complaints and grade appeals.
Coordinates the work of the graduate specialist.
Takes general responsibility for the graduate program, its curriculum and assessment, and initiates changes to improve their quality and efficiency.
Presents the Policy Committee with a slate of candidates for the non-voting graduate student members of standing committees, with the exception of Graduate Committee.

5. Director of creative writing

A. Eligibility.

Any tenured member of the department with expertise in creative writing shall be eligible for the office of director of creative writing.

B. Selection.

The chair, in consultation with the Policy Committee, will recommend a director of creative writing to the dean of the college. The selection and appointment of the director of creative writing will follow the procedures currently practiced in the college.

C. Term of office.

The term of office will be three years. The director of creative writing may succeed themselves.

D. Responsibilities.

Supervises the day-to-day administration of the Creative Writing Program.
Consults with the director of graduate studies about the M.A. concentration in Creative Writing.
Consults with the director of undergraduate studies about creative writing offerings in the undergraduate curriculum and the undergraduate creative writing minor.
Serves on the Course Scheduling Committee.
Recommends to the director of graduate studies and the chair continuation of teaching assistantships for graduate students working in creative writing.
Keeps all records pertaining to the Creative Writing Program.
Serves ex-officio as a member of the Policy Committee.
With the chair, assesses applications for part-time instructors in Creative Writing.
Administers faculty and GTA teaching observations and evaluations in the Creative Writing Program.
Serves as chair of the Awards Committee.
Facilitates matters concerning creative writing, such as publicity, recruitment, development, public programming, and other areas as assigned.
Advises the director of graduate studies on thesis or portfolio advising, in cooperation with other creative writing faculty members, for creative writing students.
Takes general responsibility for the Creative Writing Program, its curriculum and assessment, and initiates changes to improve their quality and efficiency.

IV. Standing Committees

1. General procedures

A. The Standing Committees.

The Standing Committees are an important part of the shared governance of the department and full-time faculty are therefore expected to serve on at least one Standing Committee each year. There are nine Standing Committees among which the regularly recurring work of the department is distributed. The department chair in consultation with the Policy Committee shall assign new obligations which are expected to be ongoing to one of the Standing Committees. The nine committees, described in detail below, are as follows: Policy, Tenure and Promotion, Salary, Awards, Special Events, Undergraduate Studies, Graduate Studies, Composition, and Scheduling.

B. The Standing Committees of the department are expected to function with considerable autonomy, consulting with each other on matters of mutual interest and with the Department Assembly on matters of general policy.

C. The committees will keep the department informed of their activities by regularly reporting at full-time faculty meetings and publishing minutes for all meetings. The chair of each committee will ensure that minutes are distributed.

D. All committee meetings will be open to any full-time faculty members of the department, except when the meetings concern personnel matters.

E. Term of office, staffing, chairs.

The term of office for all Standing Committees, except Salary and Scheduling, is two years. Insofar as possible, no more than half the committee will be replaced each year.
Ex officio members of all Standing Committees will be voting members unless otherwise specified in IV.2.A-11.A below.
If a committee member cannot serve, the Policy Committee will appoint a replacement.
Any full-time member of the faculty is eligible to serve on any Standing Committee, unless otherwise specified in the Committee membership descriptions in IV.2.A-11.A below. Fractional-time teaching faculty on one-half time assignment or more may also serve on Standing Committees but may opt not to do so without penalty. The chair of the department will be an ex-officio member of all Standing Committees unless otherwise specified in IV.2.A-11.A below.
With the exception of the Tenure and Promotion, Salary, and Graduate Committees, every Standing Committee will have one graduate student member as specified in IV.2.A-11.A below. Graduate students will be asked to indicate their interest in committee service on Awards, Composition, Policy, Special Events, and Undergraduate Studies Committees by the director of graduate studies, who will then appoint graduate students to these standing committees in consultation with the department chair, the Policy Committee, and the chair of each Standing Committee. The director of graduate studies will ask students to indicate their interest in service on any ad hoc Appointments Committees that are convened. The primary purpose of graduate student membership on Standing Committees is to provide a professionalizing experience, and the graduate student role on committees is to provide a graduate student perspective on committee deliberations. Graduate students are non-voting members of Standing Committees but should otherwise be considered full participants.
Election/appointment of committee members. In March, the Policy Committee will ask all faculty who will not be on leave the following year to indicate their committee preferences. Guided by these preferences, the Policy Committee will produce a slate of candidates and conduct a departmental election for the Policy and the Tenure and Promotion Committees. After the election of the Policy and Tenure and Promotion Committees, an election for the Salary Committee will be held in accordance with the AAUP-AFT Local contract. The vacancies on elective standing committees will be filled by the corresponding number of faculty members who receive the most votes. Run-off elections will decide ties, again with the committee vacancy filled by the faculty members who receive the most votes. Before the end of the Winter semester, the Policy Committee will also provide the associate chair and the director of graduate studies with a slate of eligible faculty who have indicated preferences for serving on Undergraduate and Graduate Committees for their review. Policy Committee, in consultation with the associate chair and the director of graduate studies, will align these faculty preferences with the Departmental Strategic Plan, faculty members' history of service on the Undergraduate and/or Graduate Committees, and other factors to appoint members to these standing committees. The Policy Committee, again guided by faculty preferences, will appoint members to all other remaining Standing Committees. The Policy Committee will attempt to achieve as far as possible a balance of groups (ranks, specialties, history of service, etc.) in the department on each non-elected committee. The term of the new committees will begin in the following fall semester.
The Policy, Awards, and Special Events Committees will elect a faculty chair at their first meetings.

2. The Policy Committee

A. Membership.

The Policy Committee is composed of six full-time faculty members elected in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The director of graduate studies, in consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee, appoints a non-voting graduate student member of the Committee. The chair, the associate chair/DUS, the director of graduate studies, and the director of composition serve ex-officio as members of the Policy Committee with vote. The chair of the Policy Committee is elected from the six elected full-time faculty members by the voting members of the Policy Committee at the start of each academic year. The chair, in consultation with Policy Committee, appoints a staff member, as available, to serve as a non-voting member of Policy Committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Policy Committee is an autonomous elected executive committee that increases democratic governance and transparency in official departmental business by providing consultation, advice, and other input in how the department is run. The Policy Committee shall take up matters brought to the committee by the chair but may also independently raise matters to the attention of the chair or other departmental standing committees. The Committee's advice is nonbinding, but if the chair elects to disregard the advice of the Policy Committee, they must inform the department of the decision during the next regularly scheduled departmental meeting, with explanation and discussion. Matters arising not within the domain of other Standing Committees shall be assigned to the Policy Committee. Among its specifically assigned duties are the following:

Conducts elections and appointments to Standing Committees as specified in IV.1.E.5 above.
Confirms nominations to serve on an ad hoc Appointments Committee appropriate to the hiring area when the department has an approved line for a full-time faculty position by a simple majority vote; nominations are drawn from a slate of nominations presented by the department chair as well as those nominations and self-nominations sent directly to Policy
Consults with the chair regarding nominations for departmental ad hoc committees, special appointments, and recommendations to he dean for departmental officers and the editor of criticism.
Regularly reviews departmental bylaws.
Provides consultative feedback on any proposed amendments to the bylaws as outlined in I.2 above.
Formulates the English department travel policy on a yearly basis.
Serves as the Budget Advisory Committee (on which the department chair serves as a member without vote), consulting with the chair on budget priorities.
Periodically reviews and revises the Departmental Strategic Plan (typically every four years)
Consults with the department chair and other administrators to formulate the Departmental Self Study and other documents for the Academic Program Review, as required, including reviewing all reports related to the APR process.
Considers requests for release from service on Standing Committees.
Surveys departmental personnel needs and makes recommendations to the department chair based on current staffing in relation to the current Departmental Strategic Plan both on an annual basis and upon the authorization of any new full-time faculty appointments.

3. The Tenure and Promotion Committee

A. Membership.

The Tenure and Promotion Committee is composed of six tenured faculty members, including three full professors and three associate professors, as well as one associate or full professor of teaching, elected in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The non-tenure track faculty member only attends committee meetings for which a review of non-tenure track faculty takes place. The non-voting chair of the Tenure and Promotion Committee, in accordance with the AAUP-WSU contract, is the chair of the department.

B. Responsibilities.

Regularly reviews and, if necessary, proposes revisions of the department's statement of factors for promotion and tenure to be considered and approved at the Department Assembly.
Conducts an annual review of all faculty on term appointments following the procedures specified in the WSU-AAUP contract.
Makes recommendations to the dean for the granting of promotion and tenure.
1. The entire committee shall make recommendations for the granting of tenure. A two-thirds vote shall be required for an affirmative tenure recommendation.
2. The entire committee shall make recommendations for promotion from assistant to associate professor. A two-thirds vote shall be required for an affirmative recommendation.
3. Only the full professors of the committee shall make recommendations for promotion from associate to full professor. A two-thirds vote shall be required for an affirmative recommendation.
Makes recommendations concerning contract renewals of faculty on term appointments following the procedures specified in the WSU-AAUP contract.
Provides consultation to the chair concerning any potential job offers to prospective candidates for any full-time faculty positions.
Reviews applications for sabbatical leave.
Selects Tenure and Promotion Committee representative(s) to represent the Committee's recommendations to the college Promotion and Tenure Committee.
In consultation with the chair, recommends, and when appropriate solicits, nominees for faculty awards.
Supervises the Keal Fellowship competition.

C. Confidentiality.

All proceedings of the Tenure and Promotion Committee shall be confidential and only the chair (accompanied by the committee's official representative) shall speak for it.

4. Awards Committee

A. Membership.

The Awards Committee is composed of four to six full-time faculty members of the department appointed by the Policy Committee in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The director of graduate studies, in consultation with the department chair, the Policy Committee, and the chair of the Awards Committee, appoints a non-voting graduate student member of the Awards Committee. The chair and associate chair/DUS serve as ex-officio members of the Committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Awards Committee adjudicates the departmental writing awards.

5. Special Events Committee

A. Membership.

The Special Events Committee is composed of four to six full-time faculty members of the department appointed by the Policy Committee in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The director of graduate studies, in consultation with the department chair, the Policy Committee, and the chair of the Special Events Committee, appoints a non-voting graduate student member to the Special Events Committee. The department chair serves as an ex-officio member of the committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Committee's main responsibility is to create regular events that enhance the intellectual community of the department as a whole. It also attends to other social and special events as they arise.

6. Undergraduate Studies Committee

A. Membership.

The Undergraduate Studies Committee is composed of six full-time faculty members of the department appointed by the associate chair/DUS in consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The associate chair/DUS and the Policy Committee will attempt to achieve as far as possible a balance of groups (ranks, specialties, etc.) in making appointments to the Undergraduate Studies Committee. The associate chair/DUS, in consultation with the department chair, the Policy Committee, and the director of graduate studies, appoints a non-voting graduate student to the Committee, and the associate chair/DUS also appoints one non-voting undergraduate English major to the committee in consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee. The academic staff Undergraduate Advisor serves ex-officio as a member of the Undergraduate Studies Committee. The associate chair/DUS serves ex-officio as chair of the committee. The chair and the coordinator of English Honors serve ex-officio as members of the committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Undergraduate Studies Committee is responsible for all academic matters pertaining to undergraduate English courses and students outside of the General Education Composition Program. Among its duties are the following.

Establishes and keeps current the undergraduate curriculum of the department outside of the General Education Composition Program.
Advises the associate chair/DUS and department chair on the approval of proposals for new undergraduate courses and changes to existing courses outside of the General Education Composition Program.
Conducts formal assessment of student learning in the English major on an annual basis.
Adjudicates undergraduate scholarships and the Special Undergraduate Awards.

7. The Salary Committee

A. Membership.

The Salary Committee is composed of six full-time faculty and the department chair. The majority of the committee membership shall consist of tenured members: the chairperson of the department, three members elected from the Tenure & Promotion Committee and three other elected faculty members. Other than the department chair, all members of salary shall be elected by a vote of full-time faculty in the department in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The voting chair of the Salary Committee, in accordance with the AAUP-WSU contract, is the chair of the department.

B. Responsibilities.

The Salary Committee recommends selective salary increases for all full-time faculty, as guided by departmental and general university criteria and the current bargaining agreement with AAUP-AFT Local 6075. The Salary Committee also advises the chair on initial salaries for prospective full-time faculty hires.

8. Graduate Studies Committee

A. Membership.

The Graduate Studies Committee is composed of six faculty members of the department who hold graduate faculty status, appointed by the director of graduate studies in consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The director of graduate studies and the Policy Committee will attempt to achieve as far as possible a balance of groups (ranks, specialties, etc.) in making appointments to the Graduate Studies Committee. The director of graduate studies serves ex-officio as chair of the Committee. The department chair serves ex-officio as a member of the Committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Graduate Studies Committee is responsible for all academic matters pertaining to graduate English courses and students. Among its duties are the following.

Establishes and keeps current the graduate curriculum of the department.
Advises the director of graduate studies and department chair on the approval of proposals for new graduate courses and changes in existing courses.
Conducts formal assessment of graduate student learning on an annual basis.
Advises the director of graduate studies on admissions to the program.
Advises the director of graduate studies on membership of qualifying examination committees.
Advises the director of graduate studies and the chair on funding for graduate students
Adjudicates graduate scholarships and awards.

9. Composition Committee

A. Membership.

The Composition Committee is composed of a variable number of full-time faculty members of the department appointed by the director of composition in consultation with the Policy Committee in accordance with IV.1.E.5 above. The director of composition serves ex-officio as chair of the committee and appoints additional non-voting part-time faculty and, in consultation with the department chair, the director of graduate studies, and the Policy Committee, non-voting graduate student members. The department chair serves ex-officio as a member of the Committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Composition Committee is responsible for all academic matters pertaining to the General Education Composition Program. Among its duties are the following.

Establishes and keeps current the curriculum of the General Education Composition Program.
Advises the director of composition and department chair on the approval of proposals for new composition courses and changes to existing composition courses.
Oversees mentoring initiatives for instructors in composition courses.
Conducts assessment of student learning in composition courses on an annual basis.
Adjudicates departmental teaching awards in the General Education Composition Program.

10. Scheduling Committee

A. Membership.

The Scheduling Committee is composed of the chair, the associate chair, the director of graduate studies, the director of composition, and the academic services officer for scheduling, who are all ex-officio members. The chair serves ex-officio as chair of the committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The Scheduling Committee is responsible for all academic matters pertaining to the yearly academic schedule. Among its duties are the following.

Polls faculty regarding scheduling availability.
Establishes and keeps current the academic schedule.
Advises the department chair on staffing for course sections.
Advises the department chair on policies related to courses and staffing.

V. Special appointments

1. Library liaison

A. Eligibility.

The library liaison is a full-time faculty member appointed by the chair in consultation with the Policy Committee; service as the Library Liaison counts as service on a Standing Committee.

B. Responsibilities.

The library liaison serves as a liaison between the department and university libraries. They advise the libraries on holdings important to the teaching and research activities of the department and its members and provide the department with information about library facilities and resources.

2. Appointments Committee

A. Membership.

When the department is authorized to make new full-time appointments to untenured, tenured, or tenure-track positions, the chair shall solicit nominations and self-nominations for Appointments Committee and present a slate of full-time faculty for approval by the Policy Committee to constitute an ad hoc Appointments Committee. The Appointments Committee is composed of six full-time faculty members, from the ranks of the tenured, tenure-track, or teaching faculty at the associate or full rank. The director of graduate studies, in consultation with the chair and the Policy Committee, appoints a non-voting graduate student member of the Committee. The department chair serves ex-officio as the non-voting chair of the Appointments Committee. Additional voting members may be appointed to serve on the Committee by agreement of the chair and the Committee. In the event of multiple simultaneous faculty searches, sub-committees of the Appointments Committee may be created by agreement of the chair and the Policy Committee. Service on Appointments Committee counts as service on a standing committee.

B. Responsibilities.

Initiates advertisements for faculty positions, supervises the subsequent review of applications and dossiers, selects and interviews final candidates, and advises the department chair about all hiring decisions.

Part 2: Policies and procedures

1. English department tenure and promotion factors for tenure-stream faculty

Preamble

The English department serves many publics. It embraces a wide range of scholarly and creative work. The department is committed to supporting scholarship and creative work, effective teaching, and significant service.

Tenure candidates will be evaluated on each of the three categories specified in the WSU-AAUP Agreement: scholarship and/or creative professional achievement, teaching, and non-instructional service. Judgments of professional achievement are based on the quality and quantity of the candidate's work.

Tenure decisions play a vital role in the long-term shaping of the department; they are therefore concerned with probable future performance and potential for growth as well as with past performance. Tenure deliberations take a candidate's entire record into account, though emphasis may be placed on more recent performance. Promotion deliberations, while weighing the entire record, are concerned chiefly with performance since the candidate's last promotion.

Tenure and promotion process

The decision to recommend a candidate for promotion or tenure is made by the department's elected Tenure and Promotion Committee and separately by the department chair. As part of its assembling of relevant materials, the Tenure and Promotion Committee solicits letters from evaluators outside the university. Departmental recommendations are forwarded to the college Tenure and Promotion Committee. (Candidates should read "Factors for Promotion and Tenure, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.")

Scholarship

The English department considers the continuing intellectual development of its faculty to be of paramount importance. It requires all candidates for tenure and promotion to engage in scholarly research and/or creative work and to publish their work.

The department expects candidates to have records of substantial scholarship that has appeared in or been accepted by refereed journals or presses as articles, chapters, monographs, books, creative works, etc., whether print or electronic. Editorial labor (editions, edited anthologies, editorships), translations, and textbooks will be evaluated in terms of their contributions to their scholarly or creative field. Other forms of scholarly or pedagogical publication, including digital humanities projects, may be considered as well. Papers read at conferences, funding for support of research from internal and external sources (especially national agencies), awards and prizes from national organizations, invitations to speak at or participate in professional meetings, memberships on editorial boards of scholarly journals, and invitations to referee manuscripts for presses or journals will also be considered, as will contributions to the scholarly/creative life of the department.

Primary factors in evaluating scholarship or creative work, whether print or electronic, are the quality of the publications and their significance. In establishing the quality of this work, the department will consider its nature and scope, the selectivity and reputation of the venues in which it appears, and evaluations from recognized authorities.

Teaching

The department expects its members to be effective, conscientious teachers. Departmental assessment of teaching involves review of course design and observation of classroom teaching as well as student course evaluations. Advising and mentoring graduate students, including serving on qualifying examination committees, master's project committees, and dissertation committees, are also important parts of departmental teaching. Teaching awards and contributions to the curriculum, such as the development of new courses, teaching materials, or programs, also provide evidence of accomplishment in teaching, as does willingness to teach in areas of special department need.

Service

All faculty members should join in the work necessary to the functioning of the department, the college, and the university. Participation appropriate to rank in departmental, college, and University committees as well as workshops, training, and mentoring programs is taken into consideration of service. Service to interdisciplinary programs is taken into account as well. Community service in a professional capacity and work done in national professional organizations are also to be evaluated as part of a faculty member's non-instructional service. The opportunity and responsibility to serve, especially at the college and University levels, increase with seniority and are expected for promotion from associate to full professor.

Weighing of factors

The English department expects, and is committed to supporting, excellent performance in all areas of its faculty's work. Substantial scholarly and/or creative achievement is the single most important consideration in tenure and promotion deliberations, but for positive recommendations, the department also requires solid evidence of excellent teaching and professional service.

2. Regular teaching loads

The regular teaching load for faculty with a 100% appointment in our department is as follows for fall and winter semesters:

Research faculty: 2:2
Teaching faculty: 3:3
Graduate teaching assistants: 1:2 in their first year, and 2:1 subsequently
Part-time faculty (49% and below): No more than 2:2 as enrollments and pool requirements allow

These teaching loads are consistent with departmental past practice, best practices in our disciplines, and aligned with the university and AAUP-AFT Agreement Article XXIV I. Faculty Professional Duties B.1. where "Each faculty member's teaching (i.e., credit hours, course load, new preparations, and class sizes) and research load shall be reasonable and based on disciplinary norms as well as department factors and norms, existing school/college/division norms, and the information contained in the faculty member's annual selective-salary report."

Workload modifications for faculty (with the exception of part-time faculty) may be provided with department and college approval. These can include department administrative appointments, sabbatical leaves of absence, research awards, and course buyouts.

3. Summer teaching

Summer teaching for full-time faculty is rarely assigned and is by approval of the chair and special permission of the college. Summer teaching for part-time faculty is determined through course pool information, enrollments, and department need. Summer teaching for graduate students is determined by enrollments, department need, past teaching performance, and preparation for teaching assignments through successful completion of teaching practica, as applicable.

4. Faculty absences

If a faculty member must be absent for illness or some professional reason, they must notify the department and attempt to ensure that provision has been made for covering the missed class or classes. If they anticipate the possibility of prolonged absence of a week or more from classes, the associate chair or the chair should be informed promptly.

5. Teaching evaluation policy

All new faculty, full or part-time, will be evaluated once during their first year.

Tenure-track faculty will be evaluated the semester of, or the year prior to, departmental consideration of their tenure case.

Assistant and associate professors of teaching will be evaluated their second and third years. Every third year thereafter assistant and associate professors of teaching will submit a current teaching portfolio that may, upon the request of the assistant or associate professor of teaching, include a formal evaluation.

Part-time faculty at the rank of PTF 1 or 2 will be evaluated for advancement following the procedures specified by the UPTF-WSU contract.

Part-time faculty at the rank of PTF 3 will be evaluated every third year.

All Graduate teaching assistants will be evaluated yearly.

Teaching evaluations will follow the Procedures for Instructor Observation and the Teaching Observation Form currently in use in the department. Copies of the evaluation materials will be provided to reviewers and are available to all instructors from the associate chair/DUS or the director of composition.

Any instructor may request additional classroom visitation on an ad hoc basis. Graduate teaching assistants or part-time faculty about to enter the job market, for example, might wantto invite the graduate director, the director of composition, the associate chair/DUS, or a faculty mentor to visit a current class.

Additional evaluations of any instructor may also be requested or required by the chair, associate chair/DUS, or director of composition when the situation seems to warrant such visitation: for example, if an instructor is being considered for a teaching award, when they may be experiencing difficulties in the classroom, or when other legitimate reasons for such visits arise.

6. English department tenure-track faculty mentoring policy

We recognize that mentoring tenure-track faculty is an essential and multi-faceted endeavor, and that tenure-track faculty are best served when they engage in formal and informal mentoring activities with multiple mentors who have complementary and clearly-defined levels of responsibility. We also recognize that mentoring can take the form of support and advice in teaching, research, and service and also in acclimation to the institution. In the Department of English, formal mentoring is carried out primarily by the chairperson, particularly in disseminating specific information about department expectations for promotion and tenure and annual reviews. The chairperson is assisted by both assigned senior faculty mentors and by informal mentoring activities in the goals of institutional and research mentoring.  

1. Informal mentoring

The department Policy Committee develops new tenure-track faculty orientations and maintains a resource site for mentors and mentees that includes internal grant information, departmental bylaws, committee assignments, contract information, and other relevant information.
Tenure-track faculty meet as a cohort at least once per semester to attend department workshops that engage subjects specific to their needs, collaboratively defined.
The chairperson stands ready to mentor all tenure-track faculty informally on an individual basis.

2. Formal mentoring

Per the AAUP-AFT Contract, all tenure-track faculty are reviewed annually by the department Promotion and Tenure Committee and the chair and provided with detailed reviews.
If interested, all tenure-track faculty within their first two years of employment may be enrolled in the Research Mentors Program for New Faculty, which is sponsored by the Division of Research. In this program, tenure-track faculty members are paired with senior faculty in the department to focus on submitting a grant proposal for external funding.
Shortly after the hiring process, the Appointments Committee, in consultation with the chairperson and the newly-hired tenure-track faculty member, recommends a senior faculty member as a mentor for the first year of employment as part of a complete mentoring plan.
After the first year, the Promotion and Tenure Committee will assign senior faculty mentors for all tenure-track faculty members, ensuring that each tenure-track faculty member has a mentor throughout their period on the tenure-track. Tenure-track faculty members will be asked to nominate two to three faculty members as possible mentors.

7. English department graduate teaching assistant mentoring policy

Because many of our new graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) come to our department with varied teaching experience, pedagogical approaches, and areas of expertise, our mentoring program supports new GTAs' transition into teaching composition courses at WSU as well as general pedagogical training throughout a GTA's teaching career. In the Department of English, formal mentoring of GTAs is carried out by the director of composition and full-time faculty in composition, particularly in providing instruction and support for teaching composition courses. The director and full-time faculty are assisted by assigned senior GTAs. This mentoring takes place in practica, required teaching workshops, teaching circles, and a series of informal and formal teaching observations. Both the informal and formal mentoring activities described below are required for new GTAs. Several activities are required for all GTAs (as noted).

First-year GTAs are assigned a GTA mentor.
Senior GTA mentors are asked to invite mentees to visit their classrooms and to arrange a pre- or post-class discussion about teaching. Other informal mentoring interactions may take place during the composition orientation or at the discretion of the mentor/mentee.
First-year GTAs are required to participate in teaching circle meetings as designated by the director of composition. All GTAs are required to participate in teaching circles when teaching a new course and may also participate in teaching circles at any time if desired.
All GTAs are required to participate in a mandatory number of teaching workshops per year to support their teaching of composition courses.
The composition program provides a resource site that includes teaching materials such as course learning outcomes, common syllabi, workshop materials, and sample teaching portfolios.
After the first year, new GTAs and senior GTA mentors may choose to continue mentoring relationships.
First-year GTAs are also assigned a full-time faculty mentor.
Full-time faculty mentors arrange one informal observation of the GTA's teaching in the fall semester.
After the first year, GTAs and full-time faculty may choose to continue mentoring relationships.
The director of composition and the associate chair/DUS may require continued mentoring for GTAs who need additional support.