6.1 Faculty Responsibilities

The general responsibilities of academic faculty members fall into three major categories: (1) teaching; (2) scholarship; and (3) service. In discharging their responsibilities, faculty members shall report directly to their department heads or equivalent directors. Authority for assigning particular duties within the three major categories rests solely with Mines.

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6.1.1 Distribution of Effort

Distribution of effort among the three major categories for each faculty member is determined through an annual goal-setting discussion described in subparagraph 7.1.1.A. The expected distribution of activities by faculty category is normally:

  1. Tenured or tenure-track faculty members are expected to balance their efforts almost equally between teaching (40%) and scholarship (40%), with the service component (20%) being weighted at a level approximately one-half of the levels of the other two components.
  2. Teaching faculty members are expected to distribute their efforts between teaching and service, with both components defined below in Section 6.1.2, although distributions of effort that include scholarship are possible.
  3. Library faculty members are expected to distribute their efforts between professional responsibilities, scholarship, and service, with the professional responsibilities having the greatest weight. Professional responsibilities vary depending on the faculty member's role within the library and include the range of activities that facilitate access to high-quality information.  Examples of a librarian's professional duties may include, but are not limited to: professional research support, development of innovative techniques to improve discovery and access to materials, or the development and delivery of instruction in information research.
  4. In the case of research faculty, the teaching and service categories may not apply.


​Because of the importance that Mines places on teaching, teaching assignment guidelines have been established for all tenured, tenure-track, and teaching faculty, as set forth in the following paragraph.

6.1.2  Teaching Assignment Guidelines

The following table sets forth guidelines for the teaching assignments per semester applicable to tenured, tenure-track, and instructional faculty members and should be utilized in conjunction with annual goal setting.  Significant deviations from these guidelines must be agreed upon in writing by the faculty member and his or her Department Head and be approved by the Department's Portfolio Dean.

Total Assignment Recommended Teaching Component
Teaching Only 12 credit-hours per semester
Teaching and Service 9 credit-hours per semester
Teaching, Scholarship, and Service (no AYC 1) 6 credit-hours per semester
Teaching, Scholarship, and Service (maximum AYC) 3 credit-hours per semester
1

Academic Year Chargeout

Faculty may meet their teaching expectations by delivering courses via a variety of course delivery modalities (e.g., traditional lecture, studio, flipped, online). Many combinations of courses, labs, senior design sections, special problems, and load rearrangements can be used to meet the teaching assignment guidelines, and special consideration may be given to new faculty members as part of their Professional Growth Plans, as explained in paragraph 7.2.1 below. Supervision of graduate research does not satisfy this teaching guideline.

6.1.3 Specific Faculty Responsibilities

The following faculty responsibilities, while not an exhaustive list, are particularly noteworthy. 

  1. Teaching:
    1. Present assigned classes in a timely manner and arrange for appropriate alternative presentation of course material in the event of necessary absences from class.
    2. Prepare and provide to students, at the beginning of a course, information about the course, or syllabus, which shall include, at a minimum:  course description; course objectives; course outline; textbooks and reference materials; expectation of students (exams, problem sets, quizzes); and grading criteria.
    3. Provide students reasonable access through regular and clearly posted office hours, and email communications, personal consultations, etc.
    4. Submit all final course grades by deadlines set by the Registrar.
    5. Advise undergraduate and graduate students, consistent with any formal departmental guidelines.
       
  2. Scholarship/Research:
    1. Engage in scholarly activities appropriate to the faculty member’s specific discipline or field.
    2. Complete in a timely manner, and within budget, all contractual responsibilities set forth in research grants and contracts for which the faculty member is responsible.
    3. Comply with all required health and safety practices and policies, as well as current procedures concerning regulation and disposal of hazardous waste developed by the Mines Environmental Health and Safety Office and the Mines Safety Committee.
    4. Conduct research activities in compliance with all pertinent state and federal law and Mines policies and procedures.
    5. Notify and obtain the approval of the Vice President of Research and Technology Transfer in advance of performing any animal or human subject research, which must be conducted in strict compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.
       
  3. Service:
    1. Faculty members play an important role in the administration of the University and in the formulation of its policies both through formal and informal shared-governance processes as well as various service contributions to their professions, the University, their departments as well as other campus units and student groups. On-campus service roles include, but are not limited to, standing committees, ad hoc committees and task forces and other sustained or systematic contributions to governance, program administration, student advising or activities that promote diversity, inclusion and access.
    2. Attend the annual Campus Conference in August and December or May Commencement exercises as assigned by their Department Head.
       
  4. Miscellaneous:
    1. Comply with all relevant institutional policies and state and federal law including, but not limited to, those governing  the use of Mines and state funds and accounts,  performance of additional work, acquisition, utilization, transfer and disposal of Mines property, Mines institutional computing networks and other infrastructure and equipment, procurement of goods and services for approved academic and other university purposes; and the hiring, management and supervision of staff, as well as undergraduate and graduate student employees.
    2. Perform other duties as assigned.

6.1.4 Faculty Travel

While attendance at professional meetings is encouraged, any faculty member planning to travel on Mines-related business must obtain the necessary approvals a minimum of one (1) week prior to the travel. Pursuant to Section 6.3.4 the faculty member must also disclose any consulting or financial interests  that relate to the travel. 

Faculty must comply with all relevant institutional policies and state and federal laws while traveling including, but not limited to, acceptance of gifts, conflicts of interest, use of alcohol, and the unauthorized use of Mines’ name, logo, trademarks or seal.

6.1.5 Summer Services

All tenured and tenure-track faculty members may be required to render professional service during the summer field sessions of the summer academic semester.  Additional compensation shall be paid for such summer service at a faculty member's normal salary rate.  Early in the spring, the Provost shall request the department heads to nominate members of their staffs for summer employment. These nominations will take into account the desires of individual faculty members to the greatest extent possible, but Mines is obligated to offer an effective summer program and individual faculty members are obligated to staff this program.  Mines will make every effort to inform faculty members of their summer appointments on or before April 1st of each year.  The quality of instruction and attention to duty expected for summer services shall be identical to that required during the regular academic year.

6.1.6 Instructional Development Assignment

The Colorado School of Mines recognizes and supports the efforts of its non-tenure track faculty in delivering high-quality instruction to its students. Providing opportunities for faculty to improve instructional delivery is in the best interest of all of Mines constituencies. As such, Mines supports the provision of opportunities for non-tenure track faculty for the purpose of enhancing the faculty member’s ability to implement state-of-the-art instructional methods at Mines.

Eligibility requirements for Instructional Development Assignment are as follows:

  1. Only full-time, Teaching, Professors of Practice, and Library faculty members who have instruction responsibilities or course section coordination/leadership responsibilities of 0.5 FTE or more are eligible for this Assignment;
  2. A faculty member must have actively served no fewer than twelve (12) academic (i.e., fall and spring) semesters at Mines, or no fewer than twelve (12) academic semesters since completion of last approved Instructional Development Assignment; time spent on unpaid leave is not counted as fulfilling this requirement;
  3. To avoid significant disruption of its operations, Mines may delay, for up to one academic year, the taking of an Assignment; when Mines requires a delay in an Assignment the faculty member will be eligible to seek an additional Assignment after twelve (12) academic semesters of active service as counted using the originally approved Assignment; and
  4. The Assignment may be approved only when a demonstrable case of significant benefit to Mines and its students has been made.


Terms of the Instructional Development Assignment include:

  1. The term and duration of the Assignment shall be granted for one academic semester (fall or spring);
  2. Faculty on Assignment shall retain her/his full compensation, benefits, and terms of her/his existing employment agreement.


Upon completion of Assignment, the faculty member must complete the following requirements:

  1. Faculty members are required to provide a formal written report of the outcomes of their Assignment;
  2. Faculty members must implement changes to their instruction as documented in the report; and
  3. Faculty must maintain employment at Mines for at least two (2) academic semesters following the Assignment. If faculty does not return to Mines for at least two (2) semesters, the faculty member is obligated to reimburse Mines for the full cost (i.e., salary and benefits) incurred by Mines as a result of granting the Assignment to the faculty member. 


The process by which faculty may request Instructional Development Assignment and by which Assignment requests are approved is set forth in the Academic Affairs Procedures Manual.

Instructional Development Assignment at Mines is a privilege, rather than a right, and should be granted only when it directly benefits Mines and the education of its students. As such, requests for Instructional Development Assignment will be evaluated and granted at the discretion of Mines based on current institutional needs and a determination that the requested Assignment will promote teaching excellence.