Welcome Week Welcome Week includes workshops, information sessions, socializing, and opportunities to regroup before the year begins. Because this is the first week of contracts, faculty are required to attend and participate. Graduation Graduation takes place the Thursday of finals week in the Fall Semester and the Saturday following Spring Semester finals. All full-time and special appointment faculty are expected to participate in commencement exercises and to provide their own academic costume, including gown, hood, and mortar board or tam. Faculty who cannot attend must secure permission from the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Additional instructions will be provided prior to commencement each semester. Evaluations, Promotions, and Tenure Teaching Load Payroll Checks are issued via Direct Deposit on the 15th day and on the last day of the month. If either day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, payment is made on the business day prior before the date. A lag exists between work and payment (for example, for the period August 15-31, payment is made September 15). For questions regarding paychecks or benefits, contact the Payroll Accountant. Committee Work Benefits Travel Forms

Welcome Week includes workshops, information sessions, socializing, and opportunities to regroup before the year begins. Because this is the first week of contracts, faculty are required to attend and participate.

Graduation takes place the Thursday of finals week in the Fall Semester and the Saturday following Spring Semester finals. All full-time and special appointment faculty are expected to participate in commencement exercises and to provide their own academic costume, including gown, hood, and mortar board or tam. Faculty who cannot attend must secure permission from the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Additional instructions will be provided prior to commencement each semester.

Evaluations, Promotions, and Tenure According to SBHE policy, faculty may be tenured, pre-tenured (probationary), or special appointments. Special Appointment faculty (either adjunct or those hired through a special appointment contract) may be hired to teach a load as small as a partial credit up  to a 15-credit (100%) full-time load. Faculty contracts are for a 9-month period, from mid-August to mid-May each academic year. For any teaching duties assigned during the off-contract period, faculty will be compensated according to the Summer School policies currently in effect (available on the Academic Affairs website Faculty Evaluations According to NDUS Policy 604.3, all faculty members must undergo evaluation. Pre-tenure full-time faculty undergo a peer evaluation annually in the categories of scholarship/professional achievement; effectiveness of instruction; and service to university, profession, and community. Special Appointment faculty submit a self- assessment annually. All tenured faculty submit an annual report/development plan in the spring (AA-4). A faculty member engaged in the tenure procedure will submit a portfolio of documentation which will be subject to review by a department committee and evaluated on the following standards: 70-80% Effectiveness of Instruction or performance of Primary Responsibility 10-20% Scholarship, Professional, and Creative Activities 10-20% Service to university and community The recommendation of the department committee will be added to the portfolio and forwarded for further review to the department chair, the tenure advisory committee, the President, and the State Board. The faculty member initiates the tenure application process in September of the sixth year of full-time employment. Promotion The usual rank upon entry for a faculty with a terminal degree is “Assistant Professor.” A faculty hired as “Instructor” who completes a terminal degree prior to tenure will automatically advance to “Assistant Professor” on the next contract. With favorable reviews, a faculty member may normally expect his/her first promotion in rank at the time of tenure; and subsequent promotions at (approximately) six-year intervals.

Faculty Teaching Load and Overload Pay At VCSU, a faculty position is designated as 80% teaching, 10% professional/scholarly activity, and 10% service to the University and the profession. These percentages are subject to negotiation with the VPAA, and may change for individuals with administrative release time or grant-related obligations. These percentages are noted on the faculty contract. Full-time faculty are expected to keep regular office hours, participate in assigned University committee work, contribute to the academic and professional climate of the campus, and assist in campus recruitment efforts. The 80% teaching load is 24 load credits annually, or 12 load credits per semester. A special appointment faculty with no service or scholarly expectations would teach 100% or 15 credits per semester. Load credit may be assigned for actual classroom instruction, online course delivery, administrative work, equipment maintenance, or other assigned duties. Adjuncts and overloads (teaching duties beyond the contracted amount) are paid on a per credit basis, currently (as of August 2023) $800/credit hour. Graduate courses are paid at 1.33 x $800/credit hour. This increase in pay for graduate courses recognizes the additional research and advising responsibilities of graduate faculty. Additional stipends are paid for membership on graduate student committees. Calculating Teaching Load Typically, 1 load credit is assigned for each credit hour of the assigned course, i.e. teaching a 3-credit course assigns 3 load credits to the faculty instructor. For some courses where the number of contact hours are disproportionate to the number of credit hours (such as a 1-credit performance-based course that meets for 3 hours each week) load credit may be assigned based on the number of scheduled contact hours. Additionally, certain courses may be assigned greater or fewer load credits if there is an expectation of additional course duties, such as equipment maintenance and inventory, or excessive course development and administration duties. Check with your department chair to find out exactly how many load credits you will be assigned for each of your courses. If more than one section of the same course is taught during a semester, additional load credit will be given for each section taught, equal to the amount assigned for one section times the number of sections being taught. (For example, teaching three sections of a 3- credit course would equal 9 load credits). Variations in Load Credit/Payments Music and Art: Studio courses (such as drawing, painting, applied lessons, class piano) are calculated @ 3:2 (3 faculty contact hours=2 load credits). Ensemble load credits vary depending upon rehearsal time and the nature of the ensemble. Education: Supervision of 1 student teacher = .66 load credits. Internships: Campus Supervisor receives $100 per student when paperwork is completed at the end of the internship. Science Labs: Load for science courses with labs is figured at 1:1 for lecture hours,  plus 1:2 for each hour of lab. A biology course that meets three times weekly for lecture plus a two hour lab would therefore be 4 load credits. Online courses are calculated as: 20 students = 1 section; 21 or more students are paid @ additional $60 per credit per student each.  Online + F2F combination courses: combined total up to 15 = 1 section; 16+ (both groups having 6+) = 2 sections; if one group is -­‐6, the group is paid @ $100/student x # credits. Summer and intercession online courses are paid at the following rate: 1-5 students @ $100/credit/student; 6-­‐20 students @ $800/credit; 21 or more students @ an additional $60/student/credit.   (Rates reflect updated 2024 pay).

Faculty Association All faculty with rank (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor) are members of the Faculty Association which meets at least twice each academic year. Part- time faculty are welcome to attend; those whose teaching load is 50% or greater have voting privileges. Full-time faculty are expected to attend Association meetings, to represent departmental interests. Departmental Meetings Departments hold regular meetings throughout the year to discuss and execute appropriate business. All faculty are expected to be present at these meetings and to fulfill responsibilities as assigned by the department chair. Committees A variety of committees exist at VCSU. Some are administrative committees; some are sponsored by the Faculty (or   Staff) Association. Some are ad hoc committees for the department. Committee membership is the responsibility of   all tenured or tenure-track faculty, and is part of your 10% service to the University. Each faculty member usually   serves on at least one campus committee, and is responsible for representing the interests of the faculty and reporting   accurately on committee activities at department meetings. A complete list of VCSU committees and their   responsibilities may be found in policy V302.04.01.  

Employee Education Benefits Faculty and staff are permitted to enroll in one course each semester at any NDUS campus for a total of three courses per year for 50% tuition (Employee Education Program Tuition Waiver) . Faculty/staff spouses and dependents are provided a 50% tuition discount for VCSU courses (see Human Services for the Employee Spouse/Dependent Tuition Discount Application). Faculty Development Faculty are expected to participate in professionally-related activities and research in  their fields of study, constituting 10% of their job responsibilities. This may include scholarly research, publishing articles or books, participating in professional conferences, or other professional demonstrations of faculty expertise. VCSU Policy V611.05 provides further details and guidelines. 

V1910.02 Use of State Vehicle V1910.03 Distracted Driving V512 Student Drivers and Use of State Vehicles by Students State Fleet Vehicle Request Form