Faculty Council Agenda

Dean Evaluations
Faculty Handbook
Family Leave Policies
Sabbatical Policy
Gender Equity Commission
Use and Status of Non-Tenure Track Faculty in the University
Shared Governance at Loyola 

Faculty Council has traditionally conducted faculty evaluations of deans through questionnaires. We periodically review the questionnaire that we use, so that the results of these surveys will better point out strengths and weaknesses of the dean, as well as to identify areas where the university can help the dean or the faculty function more effectively. It is important to us that this be a constructive process.

The Faculty Affairs UPC will begin work on reconciling drafts of the Faculty Handbook and expects to approve, along with Father Garanzini, a new handbook by the end of AY 2008-2009.

Policies regarding Family Leave and Sabbaticals were developed by Faculty Council this year and sent to the FAUPC for approval. Both were approved by the UPC at their May meeting and will be sent to Father Garanzini for final approval.

A short version of the Sabbatical Policy follows:

Loyola University Chicago will have a regular sabbatical policy for all tenured faculty.

The Loyola Sabbatical Policy will incorporate these features:

1. Every tenured faculty member is eligible for a non-competitive "sabbatical leave" every seventh year.

Faculty members are assigned a "sabbatical class," determined by the date of appointment or date of tenure.  Faculty members will be notified of their sabbatical class. Faculty members will be eligible for a sabbatical every seventh year following their first sabbatical, which is typically the academic year following the awarding of tenure.  Faculty who are hired by Loyola with tenure are typically eligible for a sabbatical the seventh year after their appointment, although an earlier sabbatical class may be negotiated prior to appointment.

Chairs may defer a merited sabbatical leave for a year, if course offerings or other departmental business would be seriously disrupted were an applicant to take his/her sabbatical on schedule.

2. A sabbatical leave is awarded for the intellectual and academic enrichment of the faculty member and for the benefit of the University through improved teaching and scholarship. Suitable projects include research or creative work leading to a publication or work of art, and non-routine curricular or pedagogical development.

The Family Leave Policies were sent to the FAUPC as a series of motions, including:

1. 14 weeks of parental leave upon the birth or adoption of a child;

2. one or two tenure clock extensions for family-related reasons including the birth of a child, serious illness, or caring for a family member with a serious health condition;

3. increase of adoption assistance to $5,000 for each child.

The Gender Equity Commission was established this year to monitor the status of women faculty at Loyola. This past year the focus was on salaries.

The use and status of non-tenure track faculty at Loyola should be a continuing topic for discussion at Faculty Council this coming year and likely into the future.