New Faculty
Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences should make full use of the resources available to them, whether they are first-year faculty or long-time members of the college.
In keeping with the dean's office core values of equity, interdependence, and individual development, we work to ensure that each person has access to what they need in order to succeed, we promote and celebrate working together and drawing on the diversity of our community, and we help each member of our community--students, staff, faculty--to develop into their best selves.
General
The Faculty Handbook is your contract with the University. Be sure to familiarize yourself with its terms and the rights and responsibilities it contains. Note that while your annual appointment letter provides information about salary, it is the Faculty Handbook that governs the length and terms of your appointment, including tenure and promotion.
The Constitution of the Faculty Assembly describes the primary responsibilities of the Faculty Assembly, its membership and committees. Faculty are responsible for "Academic quality and integrity," and "Curricula, degree requirements, new academic programs, academic calendar, grading, and honors," among others. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the Constitution of the Faculty Assembly.
Nexus is a password-protected site for sharing documents and certain forms, including the CAS travel request form, academic program assessment, and curriculum forms. You can access Nexus here. You'll need to log into Nexus using your Xavier login credentials.
Campus news and events are shared on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in Today at Xavier. Please watch your email.
College of Arts and Sciences news and events are shared on Thursdays in the CAS Bulletin. Please watch your email.
Xavier has partnered with NameCoach as our official provider of name pronunciation services. We encourage you to record your name for use in campus directories and Canvas. Namecoach Access
Tenure, Promotion and Annual Review
Guidelines for Tenure and Promotion for Principal and Participating Faculty are contained in the Faculty Handbook. Read detailed information on the timeline, instructions, and criteria for promotion, on the Nexus site devoted to tenure and promotion. You'll need to log into Nexus using your Xavier login credentials in order to access this information. You should discuss tenure and promotion criteria with your department chair and your mentors, and feel free to meet with the dean with any questions or concerns.
- Criteria for Principal Faculty for tenure and for promotion to Associate Professor and to Professor
- Timeline and Instructions for Principal Faculty
- Criteria for Participating Faculty for promotion to Senior Teaching Professor. This site is under construction. Please contact your Department Chair for more information.
- Timeline and Instructions for Participating Faculty
Every year, permanent faculty (that is, Principal and Participating Faculty) will be required to turn in an Annual Update on your teaching, scholarship, service, and professional development. This Annual Update has several purposes: to help you and your chair and dean monitor your progress toward tenure and promotion, to allow the chair and dean to celebrate and support your successes, and to provide a basis for the annual merit raise. This report is based on the academic year. It is typically due on September 15 (September 1 for those undergoing mid-tenure review or going up for tenure or promotion).
If you are in your first year as a permanent faculty member, you do NOT need to submit an Annual Update. For example, if you start as a permanent faculty member in Fall 2022, your first Annual Update will be due in September 2023.
Please see this Nexus site for more information (you'll be asked to log in to Nexus using your Xavier username and password).
Teaching
If you are new to Xavier, take time to get to know what makes Xavier students special. They may be different from the students you encounter at other institutions. They'll expect that you learn their names and get to know them as individuals. Xavier students come to us with a wide variety of experiences, and there are many for whom you will make a difference in their education and their lives. Attend departmental and university events so that you get to know Xavier student culture.
The Center for Teaching Excellence is a terrific resource for teaching issues. It's also a great place to meet faculty from across the university. You might find the Teaching Mentoring Pairs program particularly useful in your first year (and beyond).
Discuss with your departmental colleagues the place of your courses within the major and/or the Core Curriculum. If you are teaching within a sequence of courses, find out which Student Learning Outcomes are appropriate to your course, and which ones fall earlier or later in the sequence.
You should expect that you'll periodically receive requests via email to provide feedback on your students' grades and attendance. Please respond promptly to these requests so that if students need assistance, they will have access to support centers around campus.
In addition, if you have any concerns about a student, please submit a student concern report. It's better to be overly cautious about a student who is missing class, doing poorly, or having personal or behavior problems.
You might also wish to work with the Eigel Center for Community-Engaged Learning to develop courses that bring students into the community.
If you'd like to know more about our student demographics, you can refer to the census reports issued each semester.
Resources that you can refer your students to:
The James A. Glenn Writing Center
Tutoring and Supplemental Instruction
Office of Accessibility and Disability Resources
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Research
Many first-year faculty focus on finishing old projects or revising dissertation chapters for publication. Aim to attend a professional conference in the first year so that you build your contacts and build your intellectual community. Schedule a regular time of day or days of the week in which you dedicate time to research. You might consider joining with other new faculty to form a group for accountability and goal-setting support.
Feel free to stop by these offices to get to know the staff before you need to work on a project.
Service
Talk with your department chair about service expectations. Most faculty in their first several years focus on service within their department rather than on service on college committees or University committees.
Professional Development
The College of Arts and Sciences expects every faculty member, regardless of years of service, to continue on a path of continuous learning and development.
Mentoring (college): The College of Arts and Sciences has developed best practices for faculty mentoring. The guide includes topics to discuss, resources, and characteristics of good mentors and mentees. You'll need to log into Nexus using your Xavier login credentials in order to access this information.
Faculty development (University): Information on University programs for teaching-related projects, summer and semester-long faculty development grants can be found here. Be aware that many deadlines for summer and full-year faculty development opportunities are in the Fall semester, often in early November.
Travel funds (college): The College of Arts and Sciences offers funds to support faculty travel to academic conferences and other travel related to their faculty positions. Travel requests for the fiscal year ending on June 30 are typically due by April 15 of that year. You'll need to log into Nexus using your Xavier login credentials in order to access this form.
Faculty development (college): The College of Arts and Sciences regularly offers additional faculty development support.
Meetings
The meetings held during Commons Hour (Mondays at 3:00-4:15) bring together different constituents to discuss issues of importance. You will meet colleagues from across the college and the university at these meetings.
As a member of the College of Arts and Sciences, you are expected to attend all CAS Meetings (typically there are four per year) so that you participate in the strategic planning and the life of the college. You are also strongly encouraged to attend the ceremonies for the McDonald Award and the Fortin Award (both in the Spring), as well as the Celebration of Student Research (April).
Employee Resources
The following resources may assist new faculty at Xavier. It is not an exhaustive list of employee resources.
Affinity Groups: Affinity groups are formed around a shared identity, common bond and a commitment to invest in the professional development of historically marginalized or underrepresented groups of faculty and staff.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Explains Xavier's commitment to the ADA and how faculty, staff and students can request accommodation.
Direct Deposit: There are two kinds of direct deposit. You may have completed these forms as part of HR onboarding.
Family Leave: Provides leave for individuals with a new child or to care for a family member. See 1) Xavier's Family Leave policy 2) the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and 3) the Faculty Handbook. Please speak with your HR business partner for details. See this guide for more information on FMLA and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Human Resources Policies: Houses University policies regarding employment, including the Equal Employment Opportunity policy and the Harassment Code and Accountability Procedures.
Parking Permits: Log in to the permit site at the upper right with your normal Xavier username and password, then click "Buy a Xavier Permit" (there is no up-front cost for this permit). Click on the Faculty/Staff Permit and continue through the checkout process by verifying that your delivery address and vehicle information are accurate. The permit will be mailed to you within 7-10 business days. Any questions regarding this process can be directed to Parking Services at extension 4281 or by email.
Orientations
Take advantage of the various ways that you can become more integrated into the Xavier community during your first year.
The Center for Teaching Excellence hosts a two-day new faculty orientation in August and often also hosts periodic lunches for new faculty. Attendance is imperative.
Human Resources hosts Faculty Benefits Orientation sessions in August. Please register through this site. Attendance is imperative.
Manresa for New Faculty and Staff is Xavier's program for all new employees. Although participation is not a requirement, many faculty find that it is a useful and meaningful introduction to the Jesuit Catholic tradition.
If you are not sure whom to contact about an issue, please email Jennifer Blasi, Office Manager, or call our office at 513-745-3101.