The Honors College fosters a strong sense of community and belonging for its members by promoting intellectual curiosity, interdisciplinary thinking, leadership, and engagement. Through its curriculum and co-curricular offerings, the College encourages the creation of knowledge and culture, providing an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive, based on the following principles:
- Openness: Embrace methods across intellectual disciplines and evidence-based teaching.
- Respect for Ideas: Engage with ideas and perspectives thoughtfully, regardless of agreement.
- Civility: Uphold respectful communication in oral, written, and digital interactions.
- Mutual Regard: Contribute to a supportive environment that respects diversity in background, identity, and experience.
Faculty play a key role in this process by creating a respectful, safe, and healthy learning environment. They support students in pursuing shared goals by fostering the development of critical thinking, high-level analytical skills, and intellectual curiosity. Faculty also encourage students to engage with the broader community, develop professional and personal goals, and participate in experiences such as travel, scholarship dissemination, and cultural activities.
Consultation
Review of Personnel Policies and Procedures
Recruitment of Probationary Faculty
Appointment of Probationary Faculty
Confidentiality of Personnel Deliberations
Personnel Action Files
Additional criteria for evaluation. In the Honors College, “currency in the field” refers to teaching and content expectations endorsed by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) through its “Definition of Honors Education,” endorsed on November 6, 2013, and its “Shared Principles and Practices” endorsed on April 19, 2022.
Faculty coursework and interactions with students shall demonstrate inclusive practices that emphasize:
- Active engagement with ideas through discussion, close reading of texts, and/or research.
- The use of primary source material that furnishes opportunity to think about why and how in addition to what, where, and who.
- Examination of alternative intellectual, disciplinary, and cultural perspectives and that fosters curiosity while maintaining respectful evidence-based approach to course content.
- A range of critical thinking skills including intellectual/epistemic humility and the strengthening of analytical abilities.
- Alignment with the Honors College overall mission and its theme.
- An inclusive and open stance that values open, reciprocal communication and respectful dialogue to facilitate diversity and belonging.
- Clear and detailed assignments and grading criteria, such as rubrics.
In the working personnel action file (WPAF), which is the responsibility of the faculty member, faculty shall submit:
- a personnel information form of no more than 1500 words that summarizes and describes how the candidate's activities and accomplishments during the review period meet the expectation for deeper, broader, and more complex educational experiences.
- current curriculum vitae
- 3 examples/pieces of evidence, one in each category below. Each item may be accompanied by a narrative explanation of up to 300 words that explains how the evidence meets the criteria:
- One piece of evidence that illustrates activities and/or accomplishments that meet the criteria for Honors College Teaching Practices, accompanied by a narrative explanation of up to 300 words that explains how the evidence meets the criteria. Examples may include collections of additional student feedback, documentation of Canvas pages, or other artifacts that reflect the deeper, broader, and more complex education provided in your course through the use of primary source materials, extensive in class discussion and analysis, undergraduate research, community engagement, or other high-impact practices.
- One piece of evidence of currency in the field as demonstrated by professional achievement or relevant instructional material, accompanied by a narrative explanation of up to 300 words that explains how the evidence meets the criteria. Examples may include collections of additional student feedback, innovative forms of assessment or instruction, course syllabi or documentation of Canvas pages, or other artifacts that reflect your instructional performance Use in-depth traditional or innovative approaches relevant to the discipline, cross-disciplinary approaches, attention to the Honors College theme, a focus on ambiguous or enduring questions, the practice critical thinking that includes epistemic humility, or other teaching and content expectations defined by the Honors College as currency in the field.
- One piece of evidence that illustrate practices that support diversity, including, and belonging, accompanied by a narrative explanation of up to 300 words that explains how the evidence meets the criteria. For example, the candidate might include evidence that they attended a CETL, ACUE, ICAC Anti-Racist Pedagogy Collaborative Grants, or other teaching workshop on inclusive teaching, an example of a product from the workshop, and an example of the workshop led to a new assignment, syllabus adjustment, or other change in your teaching.
Individualized Professional Plans
College Faculty Evaluation Committees
The College has one Faculty Evaluation Committee called the Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee
Composition of College Personnel Committees (ARTP)
Committee Title and Responsibilities
Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee
The Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee shall consist of faculty nominated and elected by the Honors College Steering Committee (HCSC) additional members elected from a ballot of nominees consisting of tenured faculty who are or have served on the HCSC or are eligible to serve on the HCSC according to its Constitution. Nominees not elected will serve as alternates according to the voting order of the balloting.
The Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee shall be elected in the spring semester of each year and shall serve during the fall through summer of the subsequent academic year.
The Chair of the HCSC shall oversee the distribution of ballots to all tenured and probationary faculty. Ballots shall contain the names of all eligible members who are in residence on campus during any of the semesters that the committee will meet.
Number of Members: 3 tenured full time associate or full professor rank
Number of Alternates: minimum of 1 alternate
Quorum: 2
Committee Procedures
Review of Faculty Holding Joint Appointments and of Faculty Active in Interdisciplinary Programs
Evaluation of Permanent Instructional Faculty
Eligibility for Tenure and Promotion
Procedures for Nomination and Recommendation for Promotion
Oral Testimony
The Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee shall not routinely invite anyone to meet with the committee to give oral testimony. Since oral testimony is given only to clarify material in the file, no other persons will be routinely interviewed by the committee.
The Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee will not honor requests to meet with it from any person or persons prior to the issuance of its recommendation, Following the issuance of the recommendation, the committee will honor the request of the candidate to meet with the committee.
Appointment of Temporary Faculty
Appointments of Honors College faculty shall focus on the quality and effectiveness of teaching, inclusive teaching practices, contributions to the community, adherence to University policies, professional achievement, and other contributions to the College and to the University by the faculty member under review, according to Honors College values. The appointment of an Honors College faculty member is based upon a review of the individual's qualities, achievements, and promise. Attention shall be given to forming a general "profile" or comprehensive estimate of the faculty member's performance and special interests and accomplishments that advance the interdisciplinary thinking, intellectual curiosity, leadership, and expertise of students.
Evaluation of Temporary Faculty
The Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee may invite the Director or designee to submit a written report on anyone being reviewed whose work the Director or designee considers to be particularly commendable or whose work needs improvement. Those being reviewed will receive these reports and have ten days to submit a response or rebuttal to the committee.
The Director or designee will arrange for classroom observations for temporary faculty as appropriate. Class observations will normally be performed by faculty members of the Honors College Steering Committee.
The instructor will provide access to course materials, including online course management system(s) such as Canvas, that will enable the Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee members to evaluate teaching effectiveness, inclusive pedagogies, compliance with University policies, and adherence to Honors principles. If the course materials seem to require specific comment because they are unsatisfactory, problematic, need improvement, or are distinguished in some way, the Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee should note the fact in its final report and when appropriate, provide commendations or specific suggestions for improvement, If the course material seem satisfactory and typical, no summary statement is necessary.
According to its overall judgement, the Honors College Appointments and RTP Committee will give each temporary faculty member one of the following ratings as specified by university policy:
- Outstanding - describes truly exceptional performance.
- Commendable - describes performance that is better than satisfactory or that exceeds expectations.
- Satisfactory - describes performance that meets expectations.
- Needs Improvement - describes performance that does not meet expectations.
- Unsatisfactory - describes performance that is seriously deficient.
A review the rates a temporary faculty member's performance as satisfactory or better shall be accompanied by a favorable recommendation for reappointment. Reviews that find a temporary faculty member's performance to be Commendable or Outstanding may include a statement of commendation.
A review that rates a temporary faculty member's performance as "Needs Improvement" or "Unsatisfactory" will delineate the specific reasons for the rating.
Consideration for Range Elevation
Review of College Personnel Procedures