6.2.b     Program Faculty

For each of its educational programs, the institution employs a sufficient number of full-time faculty members to ensure curriculum and program quality, integrity, and review.

Judgment

x   Compliance           o  Non-Compliance            o Partial Compliance

Narrative

For on-campus, online, and off-campus programs and courses, the number of full-time faculty at UL Lafayette is adequate to ensure the quality and integrity of each of its academic programs. This is supported by the data presented below, which details the number of full-time faculty relative to the number of part-time faculty by presenting a summary of program size, student credit hours generated, and undergraduate class sizes. Furthermore, the policies of the Louisiana BOR, the University of Louisiana System, and the University establish the roles of the faculty to ensure that the quality and integrity of each of its academic programs remain uniform across delivery methods and instructional sites.

Academic programs and educational processes

The policies that define the oversight of academic programs are articulated by the BOR the BOS, and the UL Lafayette instructional and personnel policies. The governing and coordinating boards define the requirements of academic programs. The institution’s organizational structure enables faculty to engage in development, delivery, and quality assurance of academic programs: faculty members inform curriculum and learning objectives through processes that facilitate their involvement in academic programs at the departmental, college, and university levels, which includes participation on the Curriculum Committee, the Strategic Program Review Committee, and the Committee on Academic Affairs and Standards.

Definition of Academic Programs

The BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.15 defines academic programs by degree type. The objectives of the definitions are to ensure uniform use of degree terminology and uniform curricular requirements for similar programs, facilitate the transfer of credits across the Louisiana higher education system, and support articulation agreements between systems and campuses. The policy specifies that the “standard number of credits required for a baccalaureate degree is 120.” The BOR allows institutions to request an exception to the 120-degree credit maximum when programs present compelling reasons, for instance accreditation requirements. Per this policy, UL Lafayette offers four types of undergraduate academic programs:

·         Bachelor of Arts (BA), 120-124 credit hours (e.g., BA, Anthropology; BA, English; BA, Sociology; BA, Strategic Communication)

·         Bachelor of Sciences (BS), 120 credit hours (e.g., BS, Biology; BS, Criminal Justice; BS, Environmental Studies; BS, Informatics; BS, Elementary Education)

·         Bachelor (B) UL Lafayette, 120-131 credit hours (e.g., B, Industrial Design; B, Music; B, Fine Arts; B, General Studies)

·         Post-Bachelor Certificate (PBC), 12-18 credit hours (e.g., PBC, Accounting; PBC, Secondary Education Grades 6-12; PBC, World Languages Grades K-12)

In addition, the University offers seven types of graduate certificates and programs:

·         Graduate Certificate (GC), 12-18 credit hours (e.g., GC, Business Administration; GC, Professional Writing; GC, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)

·         Post-Master Certificate (PMC), 12-18 credit hours (e.g., PMC, Health Administration)

·         Master of Arts (MA), 30+ credit hours (e.g., MA, English; MA, French; MA, History)

·         Master of Science (MS), 30+ credit hours (e.g., MS, Computer Sciences; MS, Counselor Education; MS, Exercise and Sport Science; MS, Physics; MS, Psychology; MSN, Nursing; MS, Engineering)

·         Master (M), 30+ credit hours (e.g., MEd, Education; MArch, Architecture; MBA, Business Administration; MEd, Education)

·         Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), 72+ credit hours (e.g., PhD, Applied Language and Speech Sciences; PhD, Earth and Energy Sciences; PhD, Francophone Studies; PhD, Mathematics)

·         Doctorate (D), 60+ credit hours (e.g., EdD, Education; DNP, Nursing)

Organizational Structure of Academic Units

The organizational structure of academic units facilitates faculty participation in program delivery. The University’s programs are housed in 35 departments or schools, as either single disciplines or clusters of related disciplines. For example, the Chemistry department consists solely of the Chemistry BS, while the Sociology, Anthropology & Child and Family Studies department is home to the Anthropology BA; the Sociology BA; and the Child and Family Studies BS. Schools consist of multiple degree programs. For instance, the School of Geosciences consists of undergraduate degrees in  Environmental Science BS, Digital Geography Concentration; Environmental Science BS, Environmental Quality Concentration; Environmental Science BS, Soil and Water Concentration; and Geology BS (Petroleum or Environmental); and graduate degrees in Environmental Resource Science MS, Geology MS, and the Earth and Energy Sciences PhD. Departments are led by department heads or directors. The 35 departmental units are organized into eight academic colleges and one school: the College of the Arts, the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Nursing and Allied Health, the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences, University College, and the Graduate School.

At the department, college, and university levels, various committees are set up to facilitate faculty involvement. Typical departmental and college committees include curriculum, assessment, tenure and promotion, and search committees. For example, the College of Liberal Arts has 13 standing committees to engage faculty from its 9 departments. In addition, the faculty have opportunities to serve on University-wide committees. Each Spring, the Office of Faculty Affairs issues a University Committee Survey asking faculty and staff to indicate their interest in serving on a given committee. Nominations for several committees, such as Curriculum and Strategic Program Review, are put forth by the Faculty Senate Constitution. In other cases, the Vice President over a specific area determines the committee membership. Additional information is available on the Academic Affairs website.

Determining the sufficient number of full-time faculty

As a result of careful alignment of teaching needs and resources, the University has been able to expand faculty staffing from 590 full-time faculty in 2015 to 639 full-time faculty at the start of AY2018-2019. As a result, the student-to-faculty ratio has decreased from 22:1 to 19:1. The creation of new full-time faculty positions addresses enrollment growth, bottle-neck courses, University and State priorities, and research objectives.

The University has a sufficient proportion of full-time to part-time faculty at the university and department levels.  An analysis of the full-time to part-time counts and student-to-faculty ratios in Fall 2018 by college and department indicates that there are adequate faculty when compared to that of similar peer institutions. This table translates the number of actual students and faculty–full-time and part-time–into full-time equivalents to determine the student to faculty ratio for each department. The number of students is the number of majors enrolled in a particular program within a department. One peer institution, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) performed a similar analysis in 2013, and a comparison of the two reveals that the student-to-faculty ratio at UL Lafayette is in line with such a peer. For example, the ratio at UAB for Computer Sciences is 17:1 which is identical to the ratio of 17:1 at UL Lafayette. Others are very similar: UL Lafayette’s English ratio is 4.26:1, comparable to 5:1 at UAB. UL Lafayette’s ratio for the MBA program is 66.72:1, a result of having a few faculty members dedicated to teaching in that program, with the majority of courses taught by faculty in one of the four departments in the B.I. Moody II College of Business Administration. 

Each year, College deans submit a hiring priority list to the Provost’s Office. The Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs – Faculty Affairs compiles these requests and compares them with available enrollment data and instructional needs.  A final request for all faculty positions is then submitted to the Vice President for Administration and Finance, where it is reconciled with available resources and a final hiring plan is approved.

The academic programs benchmark with similar peer programs and follow the recommendations of program accreditors relative to class size, faculty workload, and expectations. For example, in order to determine the appropriate number of faculty for the History program in the History, Geography, and Philosophy department, the Dean of Liberal Arts performs a comparative evaluation of other public doctoral institutions with a similar array of programs in arts and sciences. Peer institutions for the History program are in Table 6.2.b – 1.

Table 6.2.b – 1: 2017 History Degrees Conferred and Faculty at Peer Institutions

Institution

Total Enrollment,

Institution

Bachelor

Degrees Conferred in History

Master

Degrees Conferred in History

Doctorate

Degrees Conferred in History

Number of Full-time Faculty in History

UL Lafayette

17,297

18

8

NA

15

Arkansas State University

13,390

14

8

NA

15

Bowling Green State University

17,357

18

16

NA

13

University of South Alabama

15,569

13

2

NA

15

 

On par with these institutions, UL Lafayette has an enrollment of 17,297 students and 15 full time History faculty consisting of three professors, three associate professors, seven assistant professors, and two instructors/visiting faculty.

Similarly, the Biology program at UL Lafayette has 35 full-time faculty, which aligns with comparable institutions included in Table 6.2.b. – 2.

Table 6.2.b. – 2: 2017 Biology Degrees Conferred and Faculty at Peer Institutions

Institution

Total Enrollment

Institution

Bachelor

Degrees Conferred Biological

Master

Degrees Conferred Biological

Doctorate

Degrees Conferred Biological

Number of Full-time Faculty in Biological

UL Lafayette

17,297

110

5

9

35

Central Michigan University

23,257

224

46

3

37

Bowling Green University

15,569

131

25

8

28

Wright State University

15,957

92

70

NA

27

 

In other cases, professional and/or program accreditation requirements may influence the number of full-time faculty. For example, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) accredit the Undergraduate (BSN) and graduate (MSN and DNP) programs in Nursing. Faculty-to-student ratios for undergraduate programs are dictated by the LSBN, with a maximum of ten students to each faculty member in the clinical setting. To comply with agency regulations in selected specialty areas such as Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, and Psychiatric settings, the ratio may be as low as one faculty member for five students.

For students enrolled in the MSN program, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) recommends a ratio of one faculty member for every six students. Nursing programs at UL Lafayette adhere to these ratios, with most clinical students taught by full time faculty. For Fall 2018, 33 of 44 clinical sections (75%) in the BSN program and 10 of 12 clinical sections (83%) in the MSN program were taught by full-time faculty. All clinical faculty meet the minimum qualifications for clinical teaching set forth by CCNE, LSBN, and/or NONPF. Similarly, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) sets expectations for the maximum student-to-faculty ratios in studio courses at 25:1, with a recommended ratio of 20:1.

Effect of mission expectation on research and public service

The mission of the University influences the research and service expectations of faculty differently, depending on the academic program. Factors that affect expectations include an emphasis on the strategic plan, designated areas of excellence, and degree level. UL Lafayette’s Strategic Plan 2015-2020 identifies four key areas for strategic imperatives (Faculty, Students, Research, and Governance), and the strategic vision sets the objective of being “in the top 25% of our peer institutions.” In the area of faculty research and service, key imperatives include the following:

·         Faculty SI 2: Expand faculty staffing to meet or exceed peer standards for student-to-faculty ratios, choice of course offerings, and faculty diversity.

·         Student SI 3: Increase student productivity and success through engaged mentored research, innovative projects, and creative endeavors.

·         Research SI 1: Enhance supporting infrastructure for the conduct of research and innovation.

·         Research SI 2: Increase and diversify external funding revenue through grants and contracts, entrepreneurial activities, and fund-raising.

·         Research SI 3: Expand research programs beyond our existing strengths and take advantage of our historical, cultural, and geographical setting for research and scholarly purposes.

Various ongoing initiatives on campus are intended to promote and support

·         As student research aligns with high impact practices to foster student success, the QEP for 2020 seeks to provide students in all disciplines with opportunities for mentored research experiences with faculty. Data from the NSSE survey indicated that the faculty to student mentoring relationship was an area in need of development.

·         The establishment of a Faculty Research Travel Grant program provides support to faculty to conduct research.

·         The amount of external grant funding continues to increase and exceeded $100M for AY2017-2018

·         Through the creation of new centers and the reorganization of existing centers, including the Ernest Gaines Center, the Informatics Research Institute, and the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation, UL Lafayette has expanded the research programs available to faculty.

Designated programmatic areas of excellence affect the expectations of faculty members for research and public service through increased opportunities and release time from teaching commitments, when appropriate. UL Lafayette designates five areas of excellence that include Louisiana arts, heritage, and culture; computing informatics and smart systems; healthcare, allied health, and wellness; environment, energy, and economics; and education, child development, and family. Each of these areas of excellence builds from baccalaureate degree programs to master’s and doctoral degree programs. The correlation of areas of excellence, academic programs, and degree levels is shown in Table 6.2.b – 3.

Table 6.2.b. – 3: Areas of Excellence and Degree Level

Excellence Area

Bachelor’s

Master’s

Doctorate

Louisiana arts, culture, and heritage

·      Performing Arts BFA

·      Visual Arts BFA

·      Moving Image Arts BA

·      Music BA, Traditional Music Concentration

·      Modern Languages BA

·      History BA

·      English BA, Folklore Concentration

·      Anthropology BA

·      Music BM

·       English MA

·       French MA

·       History MA

·      Francophone Studies PhD

 

Computing, informatics and smart systems

·      Computer Science BS

·      Informatics BS

·      Mathematics BS

·      Electrical Engineering BSEE

 

 

·       Computer Engineering MSCE

·       Systems Technology MS

·       Mathematics MS

·       Informatics MS

·       Computer Science MS

·      Systems Engineering PhD

·      Computer Engineering PhD

·      Computer Science PhD

·      Mathematics PhD

Health care, allied health, and wellness

 

·      Nursing BSN

·      Speech Pathology and Audiology BA

·      Health Information Management BS

·      Health Services Administration BS

·      Kinesiology BS

·       Nursing MSN

·       Speech Pathology and Audiology MS

·       Psychology MS

·       Kinesiology MS

·       Business Health Care Administration MBA

·      Doctor of Nursing Practice DNP

·      Applied Language and Speech Sciences PhD

Environment, energy, and economics

·      Economics BSBA

·      Professional Land and Resource Management BSBA

·      Petroleum Engineering BSPE

·      Civil Engineering BSCIE

·      Chemical Engineering BSCHE

·      Electrical Engineering BSEE

·      Architectural Studies BS

·      Biology BS

·      Chemistry BS

·      Environmental Science BS

·      Geology BS

·      Physics BS

·       Business MBA

·       Physics MS

·       Geology MS

·       Environmental Resource Science MS

·       Biology MS

·       Accounting MS

·       Architecture, MArch

·       Engineering MSE

·      Environmental and Evolutionary Biology PhD

·      Earth and Energy Sciences PhD

Education, child development, and family

·      Sociology BA

·      Child and Family Studies BS

·      Psychology BS

·      Criminal Justice BS

·      Secondary Education & Teaching BS

·      Middle School Education Grades 4-8 BS

·      Early Childhood Education Grades PK-3 BS

·       Counselor Education MS

·       Criminal Justice MS

·       Special Education: Gifted MEd

·       Educational Leadership MEd

·       Curriculum and Instruction MEd

·       Master of Arts in Teaching MAT

·       Psychology MS

·      Educational Leadership EdD

 

The teaching, research, and public service load of faculty may vary by academic program, depending on the degree level and the designation of the program as an area of excellence. Additionally, the balance of teaching, research, and service varies according to faculty rank as explained in the University’s Faculty Workload Policy. Full-time faculty at the rank of Instructor in the department of Biology primarily teach general education courses and lower-level introductory Biology courses for the BS in Biology and have minimal or no research expectations. By contrast, research is a major responsibility for full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty who teach at the graduate level in the MS and PhD programs in Biology, as evidenced in the Biology faculty workload report and SCH department analysis.  Similarly, Instructors in the English department primarily teach 100- to 300-level courses, while tenured and tenure-track faculty members teaching at the Master’s level in the same department are required to maintain a balance of scholarship and teaching, and those teaching at the doctoral level primarily conduct research, scholarship, and creative works as evidenced in the English faculty workload report and SCH department analysis. In contrast, full-time Instructors, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in the Performing Arts program are expected to place a greater emphasis on teaching.

Role of full-time faculty in program oversight

Full-time faculty members have the obligation as discipline experts to determine the quality and integrity of student learning objectives, pedagogy, and curricular structure in each academic program. UL Lafayette adheres to the 1966 AAUP Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities, which states:

The faculty has primary responsibility for such fundamental areas as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, research, faculty status, and those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process.

The faculty members at UL Lafayette have primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum. The UL System BOS Bylaws and Rules also outlines the duties of the academic staff in Chapter III, Faculty and Staff, Section 1, “Rights Duties and Responsibilities of the Academic Staff,” which states:

Those members of the academic staff who comprise the faculty of the System are charged to determine the educational policy of the System through deliberative action in their respective units and divisions.

The expectation is that each faculty member commits to the accomplishment of the purposes for which the System exists: instruction, research, and public service. Furthermore, in the University’s Faculty Handbook, the “Specifications for an Ideal University Professor” describe the responsibilities and duties of full-time faculty, and provides a standard for faculty performance in Teaching, Research and Scholarship, and Citizenship and Service. The Teaching description states that each faculty member is to “seek to improve undergraduate and graduate curricula,” and that the faculty is to “actively engage in the operation of the institution and department.”

The faculty’s responsibility in matters of course content and curriculum are manifest in the University’s process for establishing new courses and programs, which typically begins in the departments, with faculty discussions, proposals, and input. The faculty of the degree program propose curriculum changes to the department, which then go to the dean of the College and the Provost or his/her designee (the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs–Academic Programs) for their respective approvals. Ongoing evaluation of the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum is also the responsibility of the faculty, through formal and informal assessment of student learning outcomes associated with each degree program. The review of all academic programs to evaluate their quality and effectiveness in supporting the University’s mission occurs periodically at the departmental, college, University, and BOR levels. (See Standard 7.1.)

Responsibilities of full-time faculty

The Faculty Handbook addresses the responsibilities of UL Lafayette full-time faculty in Section V, Faculty Personnel Policies, which details the three types of Regular Continuing full-time appointments:

·         Non-Tenure Track Appointments: “Continuing Instructor appointments are for regular full-time faculty who are not on tenure-track.

·         Tenure-Track (Probationary) Appointments: “Tenure-track appointments are for regular full-time faculty with academic rank of Assistant Professor or higher.”

·         Tenured Academic Appointments: “Tenure appointments are for regular full-time faculty with academic rank of Assistant Professor or higher who have been awarded tenure by the Board of Supervisors.

The teaching description in the “Specifications for an Ideal University Professor” states that:

The primary function of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is education. A sound educational program is one in which capable students are guided, engaged, and inspired by outstanding teachers (…). It is expected that all faculty members will be active educators in their fields (…). The teacher should be personally interested in students as individuals, recognizing their potentialities, limitations, and difficulties, and should serve as mentor to them. The teacher should be flexible in pedagogical approaches and methods and should create classes that maximize active student learning.

The research description states that “University faculty are teacher-scholars” and defines the matrices of research, scholarship, and creative works through general goals and standards that include peer recognition. The description states that “The objectives…should be to improve both humanity and the faculty member’s own effectiveness by generating new knowledge and understanding and by providing an opportunity for their students to learn.” By this standard, faculty are expected to be research leaders, as evidenced by “external support,” a “process of peer review,” and “contributions to the discipline.”

Regarding service, the “Ideal Professor” description states that “Membership in the University community requires [the] support of [faculty] and active engagement in the operation of the institution, college, and the department.” Faculty may pursue participatory and leadership roles in committee work to improve the educational and research endeavors of the University. Faculty should be “leaders in their chosen profession” through service on community and professional organizations aimed at improving the state of both constituencies. Section V of the Faculty Handbook also defines responsibilities for advising students, attending orientation and commencement, and performing general classroom duties.

The Faculty Workload Policy recognizes the inherent diversity of full-time faculty work by stating that “The work done by university faculty is manifold, varying not only by types of tasks but also by academic discipline and mission.” The workload policy provides a management structure for defining faculty loads and responsibilities, while being sufficiently flexible to allow for the “myriad activities of different faculty and departments.” The University’s understanding of the primary responsibilities and expectations placed on the faculty focuses on “the advancement of knowledge through research and the extension of knowledge through teaching.” All regular continuing full-time faculty follow one of five workload categories determined by the mission of the department as it relates to degree level (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate), general education courses, external funded research, and the preparation of doctoral candidates.

Workload categories (or “Tracks”) are differentiated by the relative weight of the “two major components of faculty work: research and teaching.” A typical three-credit undergraduate lecture course with average enrollment equates to 20% of the total workload. Therefore, in general terms, the workload is composed of five three-credit units, and the baseline teaching load for a “faculty at professorial rank is assumed to be twelve credit hours per semester (a 4/4 load for the academic year).” The remaining 20% is allocated to research and/or service. Depending on faculty expertise and departmental mission, teaching loads can vary from a 5/5 load (usually for Instructors in Track 1 teaching undergraduate courses) to a 1/1 load for Track 4 faculty teaching graduate courses and maintaining “heavy research/creative/grant/contract productivity, with heavy engagement in thesis and/or dissertation direction.” The workload policy also defines the load for faculty members with administrative responsibilities such as department head or director (Track 5 in Table 6.2.b. – 4), which is generally reduced to the teaching of 1 or 2 courses per semester, depending on the department’s size, scope, and mission. Table 6.2.b. – 4 presents the typical workload assignments for full-time faculty.

Table 6.2.b. — 4: Full-time Faculty Workload Track to Workload Units

Track

Activity

Workload Track Description

Min %

Max %

Min

Cr Hr. or ECU Cr Hr.

Max

Cr Hr. or ECU Cr Hr.

One

Teaching

UN 4/4, 4/5, 5/5

80%

100%

12

15

Research

Appropriate (Current)

0%

20%

0

3

Service

Advising/other

0%

20%

0

3

 

 

 

 

100%

 

15 Max

Two

Teaching

UN/GR 3/3, 3/4, 4/4

60%

80%

9

12

Research

Moderate

10%

40%

1.5

6

Service

Advising/other

10%

20%

1.5

3

 

 

 

 

100%

 

15 Max

Three

Teaching

UN/GR 2/2, 2/3, 3/3

40%

60%

6

9

Research

Significant (High)

40%

60%

6

9

Service

Advising/other

10%

20%

1.5

3

 

 

 

 

100%

 

15 Max

Four

Teaching

GR 1/1, 1/2, 2/2

20%

40%

3

6

Research

Nat/global (Very high)

60%

80%

9

12

Service

Advising/other

10%

20%

1.5

3

 

 

 

 

100%

 

15 Max

Five

Teaching

UN/GR 0/1-4/4

10%

80%

1.5

12

Research

Appropriate-Mod.

0%

40%

0

6

Service

Advising/other

10%

20%

1.5

3

Admin

Relevant to unit

20%

80%

3

12

 

 

 

 

100%

 

15 Max

 

Full-time faculty overloads

The UL Lafayette policy on Compensation Limitation for Non-Classified Personnel defines the parameters for the overloads of full-time employees. The policy permits employees to take on additional assignments up to 120% of base compensation, on an exceptional basis. Reasons for overloads may include teaching an additional course that is necessary for students to graduate on time; covering the duties of another faculty member because of death, illness, or family medical leave; or offering additional sections of bottleneck courses to assist the department and its students. Faculty may also volunteer to teach a course of specific interest as an overload, such as a seminar course or a topics course for UNIV 100 – First-Year Seminar.

Different pay scales have been set up to distinguish between part-time pay, overload compensation for full-time continuing faculty, and stipends for summer and intersession terms. Department heads initiate the request for an overload by filling out a Personnel Action Form that requires the subsequent approval of the Dean, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs – Faculty Affairs, Chief Human Resources Officer, Budget/Sponsored Program Finance and Administration Compliance (SPFAC), Provost, Vice President for Administration and Finance, and University President. In instances where a faculty member is teaching a course in another department, such as UNIV 100, then the home department head must also indicate his or her approval.

During AY2018-2019, 98 of the 639 full-time faculty (15%) received overload compensation for teaching additional courses. The most frequent type of overload consisted of one additional course per semester. Occasionally, faculty members taught an overload of more than one course. For instance, during the Spring and Fall 2018 semesters, Dr. DeAnn Kalich, Professor and Head of the Sociology, Anthropology, and Child and Family Studies department, taught a double overload to cover sociology courses left unattributed because budget cuts resulted in unfilled faculty positions. In Spring 2018, Dr. Kalich taught an overload double section (160 students) of SOCI 100: General Sociology. In Fall 2018 she taught an overload online section of SOCI 480G: Death & Dying, as well as an additional SOCI 499 independent study seminar (7 students) to accommodate student needs.

Definition and responsibilities of part-time faculty

UL Lafayette defines part-time faculty in the Faculty Handbook, Section V, Faculty Personnel Policies. The section on “Special Appointments” provides definitions for part-time or adjunct faculty, temporary or visiting faculty, lecturer, off-campus faculty, and research scientist/research associate.

According to the Faculty Handbook definition,

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 UL Lafayette (but who make a substantial regular contribution to the academic activities of the University), and/or who fill positions of instruction created by enrollment demand.

The typical part-time faculty teaches between 1 and 11 credit hours per semester. In a few cases, part-time faculty teach 12-15 credit hours. A review of AY2017-2018 part-time faculty identified part-time faculty who were historically and consistently teaching the equivalent of a full-time load. In these instances, the University created new instructor positions to transition several of these individuals from part-time to full-time faculty. For instance, a new position was created in the Department of Visual Arts for a faculty member who had been teaching Art and the Computer and Art History courses for several years on a part-time basis.

The governance of part-time faculty who work off-campus is part of Faculty Handbook Document XVI, Policies for Off-Campus Faculty. These include faculty teaching dual enrollment courses, online courses, and courses at off-campus sites.

The Office of Faculty Affairs conducts an orientation for part-time faculty at the start of each academic year. As stated in the Faculty Handbook, “Faculty (part-time and full-time) on initial appointment hired prior to the beginning of the semester shall attend the orientation for new faculty, which is held before the beginning of classes.” This Adjunct orientation introduces part-time faculty to faculty resources, as well as systems including the employee portal, the grade check system, and the learning management system. Additionally, faculty receive information on services available to students including tutoring, advising, counseling and testing, and additional resources such as the library as seen in the Adjunct Orientation Agenda.

Table 6.2.b. – 5 provides the number and percentage of full-time and part-time faculty disaggregated by academic college. As this data demonstrate, the University relies primarily on full-time faculty.

Table 6.2.b — 5: Percentage of Full-time and Part-time Faculty

Home College

Full Time

Part Time

% Full Time

Academic Affairs, VP

1

47

.02%

Arts

70

33

68%

Business Administration

59

18

77%

Education

74

27

73%

Engineering

73

4

95%

Liberal Arts

166

52

76%

Nursing & Allied Health Professions

55

12

71%

Sciences

142

16

90%

TOTAL

639

209

75%

 

The governance of off-campus faculty is addressed in the Faculty Handbook, Document XVI Policies for Off-Campus Faculty. This section describes policies for faculty teaching dual enrollment courses, online courses, and courses at off-campus sites.

Undergraduate section enrollment

Further evidence that the number of full-time faculty is adequate to ensure the quality and integrity of each of the University’s academic programs, including programs offered via distance learning, is available through an examination of class sizes and the number of undergraduate sections with small and large enrollments. One indication that the University has adequate faculty for its academic programs (both face to face and via distance learning) is that it does not rely on large sections to produce student credit hours. Less than 8 percent of all course sections have enrollments of more than 50 students, and less than 2 percent of the sections have 100 students or more, as shown in Table 6.1 – 6: Undergraduate Class Size as Reported in the Common Data Set I-3.

 

Supporting Documents

1966 AAUP Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities

Academic Affairs Policy 2.15

Academic Affairs Website

Accounting MS

Adjunct Faculty Section V Faculty Personnel

Adjunct Orientation Agenda

Anthropology BA

Applied Language and Speech Sciences PhD

Architectural Studies BS

Architecture MArch

AY2017-2018 Adjunct Report

Biology BS

Biology faculty Workload Report

Biology MS

Business Health Care Administration MBA

Business MBA

Chapter II, Students, Section VIII, Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

Chemical Engineering BSCHE

Chemistry BS

Child and Family Studies BS

Civil Engineering BSCIE

College of Liberal Arts Standing Committees

Committee Membership Invitation

Compensation Limitation for Non-Classified Personnel

Computer Engineering MSCE

Computer Engineering PhD

Computer Science BS

Computer Science MS

Computer Science PhD

Counselor Education MS

Criminal Justice BS

Criminal Justice MS

Curriculum and Instruction MEd

Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP

Document XVI Policies for Off-Campus Faculty

Documents XXI-Faculty Workload Policy

Early Childhood Education Grades PK-3 BS

Earth and Energy Sciences PhD

Economics BSBA

Educational Leadership EdD

Educational Leadership MEd

Electrical Engineering BSEE

Engineering MSE

English BA, Folklore Concentration

English faculty workload report

English MA

Environmental and Evolutionary Biology PhD

Environmental Resource Science MS

Environmental Science BS

Environmental Science BS, Digital Geography Concentration

Environmental Science BS, Environmental Quality Concentration

Environmental Science BS, Soil and Water Concentration

Faculty Handbook Section V, Faculty Personnel Policies

Faculty Handbook, Section IV, Instructional and Research Policies

Faculty Overload Compensation Report

Faculty Senate Constitution - Committees

Fall 2018 Student and Faculty Counts and Ratios by College and Department

Francophone Studies PhD

French MA

Geology MS

Health Information Management BS

Health Services Administration BS

Hiring Priority Spreadsheet

History BA

History MA

Ideal University Professor

Informatics BS

Informatics MS

Kinesiology BS

Kinesiology MS

Louisiana State Board of Nursing

Master of Arts in Teaching MAT

Mathematics BS

Mathematics MS

Mathematics PhD

Middle School Education Grades 4-8, BS

Modern Languages, BA

Moving Image Arts BA

Music BA, Traditional Music Concentration

Music, BM

NASAD Handbook 2018-19 p. 63

National Task Force Quality Nurse Practitioner Education Report

Nursing BSN

Nursing MSN

Performing Arts BFA

Petroleum Engineering BSPE

Physics BS

Physics MS

Professional Land and Resource Management BSBA

Psychology BS

Psychology MS

SCH Department Analysis - Biology

SCH Department Analysis - English

Secondary Education & Teaching BS

Sociology BA

Special Education: Gifted MEd

Speech Pathology and Audiology BA

Speech Pathology and Audiology MS

Supplemental Compensation Payscale 

Systems Engineering PhD

Systems Technology MS

UL Lafayette Strategic Planning Report

UL System Rules – Academic Staff

UL Website: University Committees

UNIV 100 – First-Year Seminar

Visual Arts BFA