Political Science
and Criminal Justice Departmental Guidelines for
An off-campus scholarly
assignment (OCSA) reflects the dedication of Appalachian State University to
the continued professional growth of its faculty. These assignments provide
institutional encouragement and support to faculty in developing, maintaining
and broadening academic and instructional competencies that are highly valued
by the university and the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice.
These guidelines are in conformity with the provisions of the Faculty
Handbook.
PART
(A) All
full full-time tenure-track faculty members who have served in the Department
of Political Science and Criminal Justice for at least four (4) years are
eligible; however, tenured members of the department will be given preference. In
exceptional circumstances, with the approval of the departmental chair and a
majority of the full-time tenure-track members of the department, a faculty
member with less than four years of service to the department may be declared
eligible for an off-campus scholarly assignment.
(B) Assignments
will be made on the basis of three factors: longevity of service to the
department, the number of previous awards and a qualitative assessment of the
proposals submitted for approval.
(C) A
faculty member will not be eligible for more than one OCSA within a six-year
period.
PART II. GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION AND APPROVAL:
(A) The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice will support at least one OCSA each academic year; if feasible, two (one each semester) will be supported. While university guidelines state that a faculty member may receive full salary for “one to two semesters,” the usual practice will be for the department to grant an OCSA for one semester.
(B) Stipends from grants and other sources may be combined with university support to equal faculty member’s contract salary. Support from outside sources for travel and/or subsistence will not be included in the determination of the faculty member’s salary for the period of the OCSA.
(C) Applications for an OCSA for the Fall Semester will be due by the beginning of the Spring Semester (January); applications for the Spring Semester must be received no later than the end of April of the previous Spring Semester.
(D) Proposals for an OCSA should fully describe the rationale for the proposed assignment. The proposal should describe the specific purpose of the assignment, the site and nature of the work involved and the intended result(s) of the assignment. Direct and indirect benefits for students, faculty, the department and the university should be included. Non-traditional activities may be proposed where there are special circumstances or unusual opportunities. Additionally, the proposal must include a detailed description of how the faculty member’s teaching and, when appropriate, administrative responsibilities will be reassigned. This section of the proposal should be prepared with the assistance of the departmental chair and reflect the Chair’s endorsement of the overall project, including the reassignment of the faculty member’s duties. Additional information about the project may be requested from an applicant at the discretion of the departmental chair.
(E) Assignments will be made on the basis of three factors—longevity of service to the department, the number of previous awards and a qualitative assessment of the proposal. Faculty members will be ranked from most to least years of full-time service and the number of previous off-campus scholarly assignments. The department chair shall maintain a roster of faculty rankings that shall be circulated to all faculty at least one month before the deadlines specified in Part II (C). Applicants should submit their proposals, ranked by seniority and the number and date of previous awards, at least one week before a departmental colloquium at which the proposals shall be presented by the applicants to the department for its approval. A majority vote of the full-time tenure-track members of the department, and the endorsement of the department chair, should constitute approval of the proposal at the department level.
Examples of activities that would be considered as acceptable projects for an OCSA are:
Books (including textbooks)
Book chapters
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Monographs
Editing scholarly editions
Grant proposals (with substantial likelihood of approval)
Research awards (e.g. Fulbrights or Woodrow Wilsons)
Faculty exchange programs administered by the ASU Office of International Studies
Examples of activities that are unlikely to warrant an OCSA are:
Conference papers
Instructor manuals
Book reviews
Encyclopedia and other reference text entries
Technical reports
(F)
During the semester following the completion of the
OCSA, the faculty member
will provide a detailed report of the results and accomplishments of the OCSA
at a departmental colloquium; if the report is determined by a three-fourths
vote of the full-time tenure-track faculty members of the department to be
unacceptable, the matter will be referred to the Departmental Personnel
Committee (DPC) for review and final determination. If the vote of the
department and the DPC are negative, the faculty member will be ineligible for
any future off-campus scholarly assignments. A summary report of the decision
of the department and the DPC will be filed with the department chair, the Dean
of the
(G) The recipient of an OCSA is obligated to return to full-time responsibilities in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice for at least one academic year at the conclusion of the OCSA.
Approved by the Department of Political Science and
Criminal Justice on