6.1 Full-Time Faculty [CR]

The institution employs an adequate number of full-time faculty members to support the mission and goals of the institution.

Judgment

x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial Compliance

Narrative

The number of faculty support the mission of the institution

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette endeavors to ensure that it supports an adequate number of full-time faculty to provide an optimal learning environment and advance the University’s Mission:

Mission:

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette offers an exceptional education informed by diverse worldviews grounded in tradition, heritage, and culture. We develop leaders and innovators who advance knowledge, cultivate aesthetic sensibility, and improve the human condition.

Values:

We strive to create a community of leaders and innovators in an environment that fosters a desire to advance and disseminate knowledge.

Vision:

We strive to be included in the top 25% of our peer institutions by 2020, improving our national and international status and recognition.

UL Lafayette’s Mission calls for “an exceptional education informed by diverse worldviews” and “innovators who advance knowledge, cultivate aesthetic sensibility, and improve the human condition.” These objectives require a sufficient number of full-time faculty to teach students, conduct research and scholarship, and create expressive works. The creation of optimal learning environments requires the presence of qualified faculty from relevant study and research areas. An appropriate quantity of faculty is needed to represent areas of specialization, broaden the spectrum of student engagement and experience at UL Lafayette, and offer a range of educational methods responsive to the needs of a diverse student population. For the Fall 2018 semester, the University employed 639 full-time faculty members representing a full spectrum of disciplines.

Types of faculty appointments

Full-Time Faculty

The full-time faculty consist of non-tenure track, tenure-track (probationary) faculty, and tenured faculty, and faculty appointments can be full-time continuing, full-time temporary, or part-time.

The qualifications for continuing faculty are defined in UL Lafayette’s Teaching Qualification Policy and Teaching Qualifications Tables (See standard 6.2.a).

Temporary Faculty

To fill short-term vacancies, the University regularly hires faculty at all ranks in response to instructional needs. Such appointments carry the same requirements for qualification and are normally limited to a period of two years.

Part-Time Faculty

The title of “adjunct” (e.g., Adjunct Instructor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, or Adjunct Professor) refers to appointments of persons who serve the University in an advisory capacity, whose principal employer may be other than the University (but who make a substantial regular contribution to the academic activities of the University), and/or who fill temporary positions of instruction created by enrollment demand.

Part-time faculty must possess the same credentials and qualifications as full-time faculty. The same qualification standards are applicable whether a class is taught on campus or at a site off-campus, as addressed in the Policies for Off-Campus Faculty. In general, part-time faculty members are not expected to perform duties outside of their teaching obligations. At the start of each academic year, part-time faculty undergo a special orientation and training sessions on the University’s course management system, Moodle. Many larger academic units also offer college or departmental level orientations for part-time faculty.

Adequacy of Full-Time Faculty

Several metrics provide evidence that the number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the University, and to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs: ratio of full-time to part-time faculty, student-to-faculty ratio, and number of undergraduate sections with large enrollments.

Ratio of Full-Time Faculty

The percentage of full-time faculty at UL Lafayette is adequate for its mission and goals. At least 70 percent of the University’s faculty is full-time. The institution identified the 70% threshold for full-time faculty within the colleges and programs as an adequate and appropriate level of full-time faculty based upon the institution’s analysis of historical trends and actual faculty experiences demonstrating full-time faculty are able to meet their teaching, research, and service expectations. The support of adjuncts and other part-time faculty who provide additional support to the teaching mission ensures full-time faculty are afforded sufficient time to meet the expectations for research, scholarship, and service. The 70% threshold for full-time faculty is generally exceeded by most colleges and programs across the university. Table 6.1 – 1 provides additional details about the percentage of full-time to part-time faculty across the institution while Table 6.1 – 2 provides a similar breakdown for the three most current years by UL Lafayette colleges.

Table 6.1 — 1: Percentage of Full-Time and Part-Time Instructional Faculty

as Reported in the Common Data Set

Semester	Full-Time		Part-Time		Total Number
	Actual Number (Not FTE)	Percent	Actual Number (Not FTE)	Percent
Fall 2018	639	75	209	25	848
Fall 2017	640	75	213	25	853
Fall 2016	610	76	191	24	801
Fall 2015	601	76	192	24	793
Fall 2014	598	80	150	20	748
Fall 2013	607	79	158	21	765
Fall 2012	596	79	158	21	754
Fall 2011	584	79	159	21	743

In each academic college, 70 percent or more of class sections are taught by full-time faculty. See Table 6.1 – 2.

Table 6.1 — 2: Total Percentage of Class Sessions Taught by Faculty Who Are Classified as Full- Time (Includes Labs, Lower Division, Upper Division, and Graduate Classes)

College	2016-2017	2017-2018	2018-2019
Arts	80%	80%	79%
Business Administration	84%	83%	81%
Education	75%	73%	76%
Engineering	94%	90%	92%
Liberal Arts	70%	69%	71%
Nursing & Allied Health	90%	84%	84%
Sciences	84%	83%	84%
UL Lafayette Total	78%	77%	78%

Table 6.1 — 3 shows credit hour production by course level and by instructor type. This table demonstrates that the University relies on graduate students to teach relatively few courses in a small number of disciplines, further indicating that it has adequate full-time faculty.

Table 6.1 — 3: Credit Hour Production (CHP) by Course Level & Instructor Type

	Full Time Faculty		Part Time Faculty		Other		Grad Assistant		Grand Total
	CHP	Percent	CHP	Percent	CHP	Percent	CHP	Percent
Lower Level	70550	62.81%	18749	16.69%	8196	7.30%	14827	13.20%	112322
Upper Level	75967	88.44%	7542	8.78%	1991	2.32%	393	0.46%	85893
Master’s Level	9575	78.87%	1647	13.57%	918	7.56%		0.00%	12140
Doctoral Level	2419	93.04%	51	1.96%	130	5.00%		0.00%	2600
Grand Total	158511	74.43%	27989	13.14%	11235	5.28%	15220	7.15%	212955

Student-to-Faculty Ratio

UL Lafayette has an adequate undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio for its goals and mission, as defined by IPEDS. This data is shown in Table 6.1 – 4.

Table 6.1 — 4: UL Lafayette Undergraduate Student-to-Faculty Ratio

as Reported in the Common Data Set I-2

Semester	Students	Faculty FTE	Ratio
Fall 2018	15,073	709	19:1
Fall 2017	15,666	711	22:1
Fall 2016	15,045	674	22:1
Fall 2015	15,072	665	23:1
Fall 2014	14,700	648	23:1
Fall 2013	14,363	660	22:1
Fall 2012	14,509	649	22:1
Fall 2011	14,865	637	23:1

UL Lafayette’s student-to-faculty ratio remains comparable to that of several peer institutions. The University's IPEDS peer group averaged 18.9 to 1 in 2018 and averaged 19.2 to 1 over the past five years. The University has averaged 22.6 to 1 over the past five years. Responding to this position among peers, the University Strategic Plan 2015-2020 aimed to lower the student-to-faculty ratio. However, while enrollment has increased over the past ten years due to strategic recruitment efforts, the number of full-time faculty has also increased, and the student-to-faculty ratio has decreased for the Fall 2018 semester to the current ratio of 19 to 1. Table 6.1 – 5 compares UL Lafayette’s ratios to that of its peers.

Table 6.1 — 5: IPEDS Peers 2017 Student-to-Faculty Ratios

Institution	Student to Faculty Ratio	Student Population
UL Lafayette	19 to 1	17,297
Florida Atlantic University	24 to 1	30,208
Portland State University	20 to 1	26,693
University of Alabama-Huntsville	16 to 1	9,101
University of Memphis	14 to 1	21,521
University of Texas-Arlington	24 to 1	46,497
University of North Carolina-Greensboro	18 to 1	19,922
University of Southern Mississippi	17 to 1	14,478
University of Texas-El Paso	20 to 1	25,078
Louisiana Tech University	25 to 1	12,839
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	14 to 1	14,554
University of Mississippi	18 to 1	23,136
University of New Orleans	22 to 1	7,964
University of North Carolina-Charlotte	19 to 1	29,317
Wichita State University	20 to 1	15,075
Wright State University	14 to 1	15,957

Undergraduate Sections with Large Enrollments

The University has adequate faculty for its mission and goals as indicated by the fact that it does not rely on large sections to produce student credit hours. Almost 70% of all sections have fewer than 30 students, and fewer than 3% of sections have 100 students or more, as indicated in Table 6.1 – 6.

Table 6.1 — 6: Undergraduate Class Size as Reported in the Common Data Set I-3

Semester	Fewer Than 30 Students		31 - 50 Students		51 - 100 Students		More Than 100 Students
	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Total
Fall 2018	1,881	69	612	23	167	6	52	2	2,712
Fall 2017	1,992	70	581	21	170	6	60	2	2,733
Fall 2016	1,884	69	595	22	179	7	66	2	2,724
Fall 2015	1,931	69	617	22	175	6	79	3	2,802
Fall 2014	1,978	70	624	22	169	6	71	3	2,842
Fall 2013	1,901	69	614	22	173	6	60	2	2,748
Fall 2012	1,882	69	613	23	161	6	64	2	2,720
Fall 2011	1,828	67	665	25	152	6	69	3	5,714

The online and hybrid course sizes parallel the percentage for all University courses. In the Fall 2018 semester, 70% of online and hybrid courses had fewer than 30 students, and only 4% had more than 100 students. Table 6.1 – 7 provides class size information for online and hybrid courses. The table also illustrates the growth of online education at UL Lafayette from a total of 110 sections in the Fall of 2011 to 364 sections in the Fall of 2018.

Table 6.1 – 7: Online and Hybrid Courses by Total Size Range

Semester	Fewer than 30 Students		31 - 50 Students		51 - 100 Students		More than 100 Students		Total Sections
	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent
Fall 2018	256	70	68	19	24	7	16	4	364
Fall 2017	242	78	42	14	14	5	13	4	311
Fall 2016	210	80	29	11	9	3	13	5	261
Fall 2015	209	78	34	13	13	5	11	4	267
Fall 2014	201	76	49	18	6	2	10	4	266
Fall 2013	173	78	37	17	5	2	8	4	223
Fall 2012	153	82	24	13	6	3	3	2	186
Fall 2011	90	82	15	14	2	2	3	3	110

Table 6.1 – 8 compares UL Lafayette’s class sizes with those of the other institutions in the University of Louisiana System, demonstrating that UL Lafayette is well within the range of class sizes at other System institutions.

Table 6.1 — 8: University of Louisiana System Undergraduate Class Size Fall 2018

Semester	Fewer than 30 Students		Fewer than 50 Students		Fewer than 100 Students		More than 100 Students		Total Sections
	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent	Number of Sections	Percent
UL Lafayette	1935	72%	549	20%	167	6%	53	2%	2704
Grambling State University	452	56%	274	34%	69	9%	5	1%	800
Louisiana Tech University	1068	73%	284	19%	93	6%	29	2%	1474
McNeese State University	1028	73%	278	20%	92	7%	3	0%	1401
Nichols State University	982	79%	168	14%	82	7%	5	0%	1237
Northwestern Louisiana University	1742	81%	314	15%	80	4%	3	0%	2139
Southeastern Louisiana State University	1993	79%	389	16%	120	5%	5	0%	2507
University of Louisiana at Monroe	901	70%	234	18%	123	9%	37	3%	1295
University of New Orleans	863	72%	237	20%	69	6%	27	2%	1196

Course Staffing and Faculty Responsibilities

The University monitors students’ registration and enrollment in identified high-demand courses, and responds to short- and long-term fluctuations in demand for specific courses, allowing departments to request and make “emergency temporary” hires. The University continues to hire full-time faculty to instruct courses identified as “bottlenecks,” ensuring students’ efficient progress to degree completion.

The University also maintains adequate full-time faculty through its track system. All regular, continuing faculty members follow one of four workload tracks, as described in the University Faculty Workload Policy. The teaching load consists of one to three class sections per semester for faculty expected to make major scholarly contributions to their fields. Faculty members with fewer research expectations teach four to five sections per semester.

The Faculty Workload Policy also delineates other expectations of faculty:

In addition to teaching and research, committee responsibilities are part of full-time faculty members’ institutional and professional duties. Faculty serve on department, college, and University committees that contribute to all aspects of the University, including maintenance of academic programs, design of courses and curriculum, hiring of new faculty, rendering of promotion and tenure recommendations, testing and placement of students, and assessment of student learning outcomes. Other duties assigned to full- time faculty include student advising, multi section coordination, graduate program leadership, and supervision of teaching assistants.

The University also takes into account the wide variety of course delivery formats and instructional pedagogies now prevalent in higher education. Non-traditional course load equivalencies are determined in consultation with the faculty member’s Department Head, Dean, and the Office of Faculty Affairs. Specifications for the “Ideal University Professor” and responsibilities for full-time faculty are articulated in Section V of the Faculty Handbook.

Research and Creative Activity

The advancement of knowledge through research and creative works is a primary component of UL Lafayette’s mission. The University promotes and encourages a variety of research activities, including scholarship, theoretical and applied research, externally sponsored research and creative activities, performances and exhibitions, and support for graduate education. The University had more than $100M in externally funded research and development expenditures during AY2017-2018. This figure places UL Lafayette among the top 25 percent of U.S. colleges and universities in terms of research and development funding, according to the Higher Education Research and Development Survey, the National Science Foundation’s annual index of research expenditures.

To achieve its research mission, the University launched a multiyear, multilayered strategic plan to create a cross-campus infrastructure that bolsters research among full-time faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. As part of that initiative, UL Lafayette established or enhanced several research centers and institutes aligned with the University’s strategic goals and dedicated to life sciences, digital media, energy, coastal and water initiatives, materials and manufacturing, and Louisiana arts and culture. The University provided incentives to faculty who sought external research dollars to stimulate research across campus and encouraged collaboration among researchers from different disciplines. Through these initiatives, the University ensures that its faculty is adequate to its research goals and mission.

Community and Professional Service

Every year, students and faculty at UL Lafayette perform more than 150,000 hours of service, translating into millions of dollars of economic impact. For example, every fall, thousands of UL Lafayette students, faculty, and staff gather for “The Big Event,” a dedicated day of service to engage the local community. The College of Education partners with UL Lafayette AmeriCorps members to provide in-school and after-school tutoring to students at J.W. Faulk Elementary and other area schools. Faculty and students in the Colleges of the Arts and Engineering collaborate with Lafayette Habitat for Humanity to build new affordable housing, and with Rebuilding Together to build wheelchair access ramps for local residents with disabilities.

In 2014, the University earned a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the third consecutive year. Membership in the Honor Roll recognizes the part colleges and universities play in volunteering and service. This marks the highest federal recognition a university can receive for its commitment to community, service-learning, and civic engagement. With the success of these programs, UL Lafayette demonstrates that it has adequate faculty to support its service mission and goals.