Application Information for Variable Workload Requests

1. All requests should be instigated on a voluntary basis by interested faculty members.
2. All positions are temporary and the term and conditions must be explicitly stated in the written contract (agreement) between the chair/director and the faculty member. The annual evaluation of faculty performance will be adjusted based on the approved expected outcomes described in the agreement.
3. Faculty can reapply for these positions at any time.
4. Promotion and/or tenure expectations will not be modified in any way.
5. This opportunity is intended for those individuals who have demonstrated a history of exceptional performance in either teaching or research.

1. Faculty will submit the application to the chair for approval. Within the application, the faculty must provide evidence of exceptional performance. Examples may include:
   1. teaching evaluations and assessments
   2. grants applied for and received
   3. research manuscripts
2. The specific work assignment will be determined following a discussion between the faculty member and the chair/director.
3. The application, along with documentation of the approved work assignment (including a list of courses to be taught or research outcomes expected), will be submitted, by the chair/director, to the Faculty Variable Workload Committee (FVWC).
4. The FVWC will:
   1. review each proposed work assignment based on the requirements of the position and the routine performance of the faculty member.
   2. communicate with the faculty member to ensure that the application process was undertaken without any influence from peers or administrators.
   3. submit recommendations, along with work assignments and applications, to the dean who will make the final decision.
   4. review the annual performance of each faculty member with an approved modified workload and advise the chair/director and the dean regarding renewal or termination.
5. The dean and chair/director have the absolute right to accept, decline, or postpone the application based on the proposal’s merits, faculty accomplishments, the justified needs of the unit, and the available resources. Faculty will be notified in writing as to the reason(s) for declining or postponing a request.
6. Faculty understand that the dean is under no obligation to make faculty workload adjustments and that denial of such a request is not subject to any grievance process.

This position is open to all tenure-track positions (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors). The faculty teaching load will be reduced to two courses for each of the fall and spring semesters.

1. Faculty who are applying for an external grant or similar funding based on the proposed research may request a one-course release (pending approval of the chair/director and dean) to prepare the application and obtain approval from the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), if applicable.
2. While faculty may obtain conditional approval from the chair/director and dean for research that is pending IRB/IACUC approval, faculty will receive a modified research workload only after the proposed research is approved/exempted by IRB/IACUC, if applicable.
3. In addition to the responsibilities listed within the Instructions for Application, the FVWC will:
   1. review the application relative to the average research performance of faculty in the college and or department.
      • Performance across the college will be considered first.
      • Performance within the department would ONLY be considered if two people from the same department applied during the same review period.
   2. assign two FVWC faculty members to review the merits of the proposal based on a rubric.
   3. interview the faculty to make sure the application process is solely voluntary with no influence from the chair or peers.