Bylaws of the Department of World Languages and Literatures

I. Bylaws

2. Mission

Our mission is to promote the diversity of world cultures by offering an educational experience that gives graduate and undergraduate students not just a window on the world, but a passkey to understanding and communicating with its peoples in meaningful and useful ways. To that end, all of our faculty members aim to excel in teaching and to provide distinguished service to the university, even as our graduate faculty members aspire to make significant scholarly, creative, and entrepreneurial contributions to their fields.

The department offers an M.A. in Spanish, a B.A. in French, a multitrack B.A. in Spanish, a dual degree in Secondary Education and French or Spanish, minors in Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Cultures, Chinese, French, Italian Studies, Japanese Studies, Spanish (multitrack), Spanish Translation, and basic language courses in German, Paiute, and Portuguese, as well as interdisciplinary minors in Basque Studies, International Affairs, International Business, and Latin American Studies.

While our scope is decidedly global, it also aims to be locally engaged. For example, in recognition of the growing Spanish-speaking population in Nevada, we offer Latinx and Spanish heritage speakers courses designed specifically for them, enhancing their appreciation of the gift that their identity, language skills, and cultural heritage bring to the world.

We foster discovery, creativity, and the advancement of knowledge and mutual understanding in all of the courses we teach. While our research encompasses many approaches to culture, literature, linguistics, and the digital humanities, we are also strong advocates of engagement, diversity, service learning, interdisciplinarity (including advocacy of dual majors and dual degrees), and entrepreneurial activities that are related to our many fields of expertise.

The department’s excellent placement record attests to its commitment to the intellectual and professional formation of its graduate and undergraduate students. We aim to produce global citizens who are locally engaged and culturally savvy.

3. Administrative Organization and Operational Policies

The faculty of the department shall consist of all persons holding authorized professional positions as provided by Chapter 1 of the NSHE Code and who are assigned to the department (per University Bylaws, 2.1.2 “Departments of the Major Units”). Post-doctoral fellows are not considered faculty. “Letter of appointment” contracts are issued only for clearly defined duties that are part-time and/or temporary. Unless otherwise stated, the provisions of these Bylaws shall exclude employees on letter of appointment (per University Bylaws 2.3.2 “Faculty”).

3.1.1 Faculty Ranks and Titles

3.1.1.1 Regular Faculty

In accordance with University Bylaws 2.3.3 “Faculty Ranks, Ranges, and Titles,” the academic faculty of the department shall consist of:

Tenure-track Faculty: The tenure-track faculty is composed of three (3) ranks: Professor (IV), Associate Professor (III), and Assistant Professor (II);
Rank I Faculty: Rank I faculty are those who are hired into tenure-track positions as Instructors (I), in expectation of completing the requirements for Rank II.
Non-tenure-track Faculty (Rank 0): The non-tenure-track faculty are hired at rank 0(IV), 0(III), 0(II), or 0(I).

3.1.1.2 Contingent Faculty

Non-tenure track contingent (Rank 0) faculty members are those who hold contracts of up to one year that may be funded from state, research, or other sources. These contracts may be renewable contingent upon funding.

3.1.2 Voting Rights and Limitations

As provided in University Bylaws all faculty, except instructors on letters of appointment, shall have the right to a full vote on the approval or amendment of University, College, and these Bylaws. On other matters, except as provided below, all regular faculty with a primary assignment (0.5 or greater) in the department are eligible to vote, and Rank 0 faculty in contingent positions are eligible to vote after three consecutive years of employment in the department.

Elections. Voting in elections for department chair and for any other department officers is limited to regular faculty with a primary assignment (0.5 or greater) in the department. Contingent faculty are eligible to vote after three consecutive years of employment in the department.
Hiring. At the department level, voting on tenure-track positions (both the position’s area of specialization and the hiring process) is limited to tenure-track faculty with a primary assignment (0.5 or greater) in the department. Voting on non-tenure-track positions is limited to regular faculty with a primary assignment (0.5 or greater) in the department and to contingent faculty after three consecutive years of employment in the department.
Search Committees. When non-tenure-track faculty are members of a tenure-track search committee, they may vote on the committee, but they may not vote at the department level on approval of a recommendation to hire.
Tenure Recommendations. Voting on tenure recommendations is limited to tenured faculty members of the department. In tenure considerations for joint appointments where the appointment is equally split between two units, the chair or director of the joint-appointment department/program (or a designated representative at the appropriate rank) will serve as a voting member of the tenure-home department’s Tenure Committee.
Promotion Recommendations. Voting on promotion recommendations of tenured and tenure-track faculty is limited to department faculty members who are at the rank in consideration or higher. For promotion within Rank 0, only faculty of Rank 0(IV) or Rank IV may vote on recommendations for promotion to Rank 0(IV), and only faculty of Rank 0(III), Rank 0(IV), Rank Ill, or Rank IV may vote on recommendations for promotion to Rank 0(III). In promotion considerations for joint appointments where the appointment is equally split between two units, the chair or director of the joint-appointment department/program (or a designated representative at the appropriate rank) will serve as a voting member of the tenure-home department’s Promotion Committee.
Strategic Planning. Voting on strategic planning matters is limited to regular faculty with a primary assignment (0.5 or greater) in the department. Contingent faculty are also eligible to vote after three consecutive years of employment in the department.
Bylaws and Amendments. Voting on bylaws and amendments is limited to regular faculty with a primary assignment (0.5 or greater) in the department. Contingent faculty are also eligible to vote after three consecutive years of employment in the department.

3.1.3 Voting Procedures

Quorum. All voting situations require a quorum of at least 50 percent of the active faculty (those not on approved leave) allowed to vote on the matter at hand as defined in 3.1.2 Voting, above, on the matters at hand. Proxy votes may be counted in determining a quorum. The only business that may be transacted in the absence of a quorum is to take measures to obtain a quorum, to adjourn, or to take recess.

Proxy Votes. The department allows proxy votes from absentee faculty members who would have a right to vote if present at the meeting, provided that 1) they are informed of the matters to be considered, and 2) they give the chair of the department (or of the committee in which the vote will be cast), in writing and before the meeting, the name of the faculty member who holds their proxy for voting on which matters. Before any vote is cast, the chair shall announce the names of the principals and whose proxy votes they hold. Any faculty member allowed to attend the meeting may serve as a principal. Principals need not have the right to vote on the matter at hand, but the proxies they represent must be faculty members with such right.

Abstentions. Abstentions are not counted in the number of votes needed.

Secret Ballot Requirements. Voting on departmental officers, hiring, tenure and promotion recommendations, and amendments to these Bylaws must be by secret written ballot. During faculty meetings, voting on matters other than those listed in Secret Ballot Requirements, above, shall generally be exercised by a show of hands; however, the chair or any faculty member with the right to vote may move that the vote be taken by secret written ballot. Such motions need not be seconded and are undebatable.

Electronic Voting. In matters deemed by the chair not to require discussion, voting may be exercised outside of faculty meetings by anonymous electronic means; however, before such voting takes place, any faculty member with the right to vote may call for the matter to be discussed and voted on in a faculty meeting, in which case the chair shall place the matter on the agenda of the next faculty meeting.

3.1.4 Department Faculty Meetings

The department chair or, in the chair’s absence, the vice-chair or the acting chair appointed by the dean, shall preside over faculty meetings, which are open to all faculty members of the department.

3.1.4.1 Frequency and Notice

Department faculty shall convene at least twice each semester, unless, after a call for agenda items for any such scheduled meeting, none are submitted. The chair shall call regular and special meetings as necessary, giving at least ten college working days’ prior notice of any meeting. Urgent meetings may be called with fewer days’ prior notice, but no business shall be transacted at said meetings other than the urgent business stated in the notice. The chair shall also call a meeting to be held within two weeks of receiving a petition signed by at least one-fifth of department faculty requesting a meeting.

3.1.4.2 Agenda

The chair shall prepare an agenda, with supporting materials, if needed, and distribute it no later than three college working days before each meeting. The chair shall include on the agenda any item offered by a faculty member so long as the chair receives the item at least four college working days prior to the meeting.

3.1.4.3 Rules of Order

The chair (or, in the chair’s absence, the vice-chair or the acting chair appointed by the dean) shall not vote other than to cast a tie-breaking vote. Department policies on quorum, proxy votes, abstentions, secret ballot requirements, and electronic voting procedures are described under “Voting Procedures” in the “Faculty” section of these Bylaws. The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern department faculty meetings in all cases in which the Rules are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

3.1.4.4 Minutes

Minutes of each faculty meeting shall be recorded and distributed to all faculty within fifteen college working days after each meeting. Minutes shall be corrected, if necessary, before they are voted on for adoption at the subsequent faculty meeting. Once adopted, minutes require a two-thirds vote for their amendment. A central file of all adopted minutes shall be maintained in the department office.

3.1.5 Graduate Faculty

Graduate Faculty shall consist of the tenured and tenure-track faculty members of the department.

3.1.6 Financial Transparency

Faculty shall have access to view all department budgets and all financial matters related to the operation of the department, unless those matters pertain to confidential personnel matters.

The department chair shall be a tenured member of the faculty and chief administrator and executive officer of the department as well as a nonvoting ex officio member of all its committees, save those that include the chair as a voting member and those that evaluate the chair. In committees that these Bylaws state shall be chaired by the department chair, the chair shall have the prerogative to vote. The chair shall be responsible to the dean for implementing college and university policies and procedures, and to the faculty for implementing policies and procedures mandated by these Bylaws. The chair shall be responsible for acting on resolutions approved in department faculty meetings, so long as the resolutions are not in conflict with these or higher-level Bylaws. The chair shall serve as advisor to the dean and provide liaison between the dean and department faculty, informing faculty of actions taken by the dean and the Council of Chairs and Directors, and informing the dean of actions taken by the faculty. The chair shall take a leadership role in serving on the Council of Chairs and Directors and is responsible for the advancement of the department mission and goals. The chair shall serve at the pleasure of the dean.

3.2.1 Term of Service

The chair shall serve for a term of three years.

3.2.2 Eligibility of Incumbent

The incumbent may be re-elected.

3.2.3 Election of the Recommended Chair

3.2.3.1 Time

The election shall be conducted in the spring semester preceding the end of the three-year term.

3.2.3.2 Procedure

The election shall be conducted as follows:

By the second Friday of the spring semester, the vice-chair, in consultation with the department chair, shall form an Election Board consisting of three members from the department’s regular faculty (two tenure track and one non-tenure track), appointing one tenure-track faculty member as chair. Neither the chair nor the vice-chair shall serve on the Election Board. The Election Board shall oversee all aspects of the election in accordance with these Bylaws and the subsequent procedure.
On the third Monday of the spring semester, the Election Board chair shall send the administrative assistant an email containing the following information, which the administrative assistant shall then distribute to all faculty eligible to vote: 1) An announcement of the election and the current chair’s term (beginning and end dates); 2) a request for faculty to submit nominations for chair via a confidential online protocol; 3) a verbatim copy of the first paragraph of Section 3.2 “Office of the Chair”; and 4) the deadline for submitting nominations to the administrative assistant, which shall be the fourth Monday of the same semester. The administrative assistant shall ask each eligible nominee if they are willing to serve.
By the sixth Monday of the same semester, nominees willing to serve must submit to the administrative assistant a formal application that includes a letter of interest describing their qualifications for the position, a brief statement of purpose with department goals for the next three years, current curriculum vitae, and any other items the dean or the Election Board may require. Nominees who fail to provide said items by the time allotted shall forfeit their candidacy.
By the seventh Monday of the same semester, on behalf of the Election Board, the administrative assistant shall distribute the applications of candidates to all department faculty.
On the eighth Monday of the same semester, the administrative assistant, in consultation with and on behalf of the Election Board, shall email all faculty members eligible to vote a confidential online voting protocol that includes options to vote in favor, not in favor, or to abstain from voting for each candidate. The email shall state that the online voting system is open for one week, providing the date and time of closure.
On the ninth Monday of the same semester, the Election Board, in presence of the administrative assistant, shall tabulate the results of the online votes. In a message to the dean, copying the administrative assistant and all faculty eligible to vote, the Election Board chair, on behalf of the department, shall recommend to the dean that the nominee who wins has received a majority of the votes cast be appointed as chair, including in that message the tabulated results of the election. In case of a tie, a runoff election shall be held. If a tie holds, the dean shall be informed of the sustained tie and the dean will select one of the two nominees to appoint as chair. If any department meeting is held concerning the election, faculty ineligible to vote may attend but may not vote. After making a recommendation to the provost, the dean will appoint the chair for the forthcoming term and inform the department accordingly.

3.2.4 Appointment of the Chair

After considering the results of the election of the recommended chair, the dean shall appoint the chair of the department.

3.2.5 Resignation or Removal of the Chair

If the chair wishes to resign, then the chair shall submit his or her resignation to the dean and inform all department faculty accordingly. If a motion of no confidence in the chair is approved by a majority of the faculty, the chair shall inform the dean of its approval and shall have opportunity to submit to the dean reasons why the department should continue to repose confidence in the chair. Resignation or removal shall not take effect until the dean has appointed an Acting Chair. Immediately upon announcement of the chair’s upcoming resignation or removal, the administrative assistant shall follow the procedures set forth in “Election of the Recommended Chair,” except in keeping with this timetable: step 1) (outlined in the procedures) shall be taken no later than the first Monday after the announcement, the deadline for returning the ballots shall be the following Monday, step 3) shall be taken no later than the Friday after that, and the faculty meeting to elect the new recommended chair shall take place no later than the following Friday.

3.2.6 Evaluation of the Chair

The performance of the chair shall be evaluated annually

as a faculty member, by the Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Evaluation Committee, in the same manner as all other tenured and tenure-track department faculty, taking into account the chair’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities or Role Statement (see “Annual Evaluation of Faculty”). The committee shall select an individual from among its members to write the evaluation report, which, once approved by the committee, shall be forwarded to the chair and the dean.
as chair, by the regular and contingent faculty members of the department. Beginning with sufficient time to meet the college deadline, this evaluation process shall be conducted by the administrative assistant and the dean’s office as follows:
1. The chair shall submit to the administrative assistant a Summary of Activities that pertain directly to the position of chair as carried out by them him or her during the previous calendar year. The administrative assistant shall distribute this Summary to all faculty, together with directions on accessing the online evaluation, to be completed in one week via a confidential online protocol.
2. Within one week after the online survey is closed, the dean’s office shall download the complete results of the survey, including every comment made, and create a document (e.g., PDF), titled Report on the Evaluation of the WLL Chair, which shall faithfully reproduce the downloaded survey results, and deliver it to the chair and the administrative assistant.
3. Within one week of receiving the Report, the chair shall have the opportunity to submit a Response to it, if they wish. The chair’s Response, if any, together with the chair’s Summary of Activities shall be submitted to the administrative assistant and to the dean’s office. The administrative assistant shall place the chair’s Summary of Activities, the Report on the Evaluation of the WLL Chair, and the chair’s Response, if any, on file in the department office, where a central repository of all such annual evaluations shall be maintained.

3.2.7 Temporary Absence

Should the chair be temporarily absent or incapacitated, the acting chair appointed by the dean shall assume the authority and functions of the chair during the latter’s absence.

The department vice-chair shall be a tenured faculty member who shall assist the chair in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the office of the chair. Should the chair be temporarily absent or incapacitated, the department shall recommend to the dean the appointment of the vice-chair as acting chair. The acting chair shall assume the authority and functions of the chair during the latter’s absence.

3.3.1 Term of Service

The vice-chair shall serve for a term of two years.

3.3.2 Eligibility of Incumbent

The incumbent may be re-elected.

3.3.3 Election of the Vice-Chair

3.3.3.1 Time

The election of the vice-chair shall be conducted in the spring semester preceding the end of the two-year term.

3.3.3.2 Procedure

The election shall be conducted as follows:

On the third Monday of the spring semester, the administrative assistant shall forward an email to all faculty eligible to vote, announcing the election and the current vice-chair’s term (beginning and end dates), and asking faculty to submit nominations for vice-chair via a confidential online protocol. The email shall include verbatim the first paragraph of Section 3.3 “The Vice-Chair.” The deadline for submitting nominations to the administrative assistant shall be the fifth Monday of the same semester.
The administrative assistant shall check with each eligible faculty member nominated to determine whether he or she is willing to serve.
By the fifth Friday of the spring semester, the administrative assistant shall email all department faculty a list of nominees willing to serve, without specifying how many times each was nominated.
On the sixth Monday, the administrative assistant shall email all faculty members eligible to vote a confidential online voting protocol that includes options to vote in favor, not in favor, or to abstain from voting for each nominee. The vote will be open for one week.
If no nominee obtains a majority vote, another election between the two nominees who received the most votes shall be conducted, as above.
To break a tie, another election shall be conducted. If the tie holds, the chair shall cast the deciding vote.
If the elections of the chair and the vice-chair coincide, then the election of the vice-chair shall be conducted in accordance with the above procedures and timeline, except that the timeline shall begin on the first Monday after the chair has been appointed by the dean.

3.3.4 Resignation or Removal of the Vice-Chair

If the vice-chair wishes to resign, then the vice-chair shall submit his or her resignation to the chair and inform all department faculty accordingly. If a motion of no confidence in the vice-chair is approved by a majority of faculty, then the vice-chair shall be removed from office. The resignation or removal shall not take effect until the chair has appointed an Acting Vice-Chair. Immediately upon announcement of the vice-chair’s upcoming resignation or removal, the department shall follow the procedures outlined above in “Election of the Recommended Vice-Chair,” except in keeping with this timetable: nomination ballots to elect the chair shall be distributed no later than the first Monday after the announcement, the deadline for returning the ballots shall be the following Monday, and the list of nominees shall be presented to the department no later than the Friday after that.

3.3.5 Evaluation of the Vice-Chair

Duties carried out by the vice-chair are evaluated annually, as service to the department, during the vice-chair’s Annual Evaluation/Merit review (see “Annual Evaluation of Faculty”).

The chair may make appointments as necessary, normally at the beginning of each calendar year. Faculty members have the right to accept or decline such appointments. These include but are not limited to undergraduate advisors, language program marketers, coordinators and directors of language programs, graduate and undergraduate assessment coordinators, graduate director, teaching schedule coordinators, and department website administrators. In all cases, the term of each appointment or reappointment shall be one year. Appointees serve at the pleasure of the chair and may be removed at any time. Should a vacancy occur, the chair shall appoint a faculty member to serve out the calendar year. The service of such appointees is evaluated annually during Annual Evaluation reviews.

3.4.1 Announcing Appointments

After an appointee has accepted an appointment, the chair shall announce to the faculty the name and title of the appointment, first by electronic mail and, subsequently, in the next regularly scheduled faculty meeting. The department NevadaBox folder shall be updated accordingly, showing the titles and names of all appointees currently serving.

In an email sent before the end of the fourth week of the Spring semester, the chair shall announce to all regular and contingent faculty members the perquisites accorded to faculty members during the current calendar year for specific functions they carry out in the department, listing the name of the faculty member, the role or function, and the perquisites associated with it, specifying any stipends, course releases, and any other perquisites, including assurances of online or Summer schedule teaching assignments, irrespective of whether MOUs exist for any such roles and perquisites. If any changes to the roles or perquisites are later made during the calendar year, or if new roles or perquisites are designated, the chair shall update all department regular and contingent faculty members accordingly within one week.

3.4.2 Summer Session Appointments

The department chair shall consult with the scheduling coordinators of each language program that will offer courses and create the Summer Sessions course schedule and the instructors appointed to each course, selecting instructors who have requested Summer Session appointments and prioritizing appointees in the following order: 1) graduate teaching assistants; 2) letter-of-appointment instructors; 3) contingent lecturers; and 4) regular faculty. Where a conflict exists within any of these four categories, priority shall be given to the instructor who has not been appointed to teach in Summer before or did so least recently.

The chair shall appoint members to standing committees at the beginning of each academic year to assist in the operation of the department. These committees and their members shall serve at the pleasure of the chair for a term of one year, unless otherwise stated below, and may be removed at any time. Should a vacancy occur, the chair shall appoint a faculty member to serve out the term.

3.5.1 Bylaws Committee

The chair shall appoint at least three and no more than five members of the faculty to serve on the Bylaws Committee. Committee members shall serve three-year terms, staggered so that at least two experienced members will be serving each year. At his or her discretion, the department chair shall either appoint a committee chair or ask the committee to elect one from among its members. Members may be reappointed in subsequent years. The committee is charged with carrying out the functions provided in these Bylaws, specifically, under “Amendments,” “Custody and Availability,” and “Interpretation.” The committee may initiate its own proposals to amend these Bylaws in accordance with procedures provided under “Amendments.” The committee shall review these Bylaws annually and shall propose to the department any amendments needed to improve them or to keep them consistent with newly approved changes in university and college Bylaws.

3.5.2 Graduate Studies Committee

The Graduate Studies Committee shall be chaired by the graduate director in Spanish and consist of at least two other Spanish graduate faculty members, appointed by the department chair. Members may be reappointed in subsequent years. The committee is charged with serving as advisor to the graduate director and meeting each semester to weigh the merits of graduate assistantship applicants. Prior to any meeting to discuss applicant qualifications, the graduate director shall announce to all graduate faculty in Spanish the names of current applicants and make available their dossiers in the department office, encouraging faculty to make their recommendations to any member of the committee. The committee shall develop a list of applicants, prioritized on the basis of their academic and scholarly records, letters of recommendation, and promise of high achievement in graduate study, teaching, and research. This list shall constitute the committee’s recommendations to the department chair for awarding graduate assistantships.

3.5.3 Tenure Committee

The Tenure Committee shall comprise all tenured faculty members in the department. The department chair shall chair the committee. The committee’s duty is to evaluate the performance of tenure-track faculty and to make recommendations to the department chair for granting tenure or for progress made toward tenure, in accordance with these Bylaws.

3.5.4 Promotion Committee for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

The Promotion Committee for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty shall comprise all faculty members of a rank higher than that of the member being considered for promotion. Per University Bylaws, if there are fewer than three faculty members at the appropriate rank or status available for voting on such recommendations, the dean shall enlist faculty at the rank or status at issue from kindred departments with the approval of the Provost. The department chair shall chair the committee; if the department chair is of insufficient rank to be a member, the committee shall elect a chair from among its members, and the department chair shall be an ex-officio, nonvoting member. The committee’s duty is to evaluate the performance of tenured and tenure-track faculty and to make recommendations to the department chair for granting promotion and for progress made toward promotion in accordance with these Bylaws.

3.5.5 Promotion Committee for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

The Promotion Committee for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty shall be constituted as follows: only department faculty members of Rank 0(IV) or Rank IV may serve on committees for promotion to Rank 0(IV), and only faculty of Rank 0(III), Rank 0(IV), Rank Ill, or Rank IV may serve on committees for promotion to Rank 0(III). The department chair shall chair the committee. If the department chair is of a rank lower than that required for serving on the committee, then the department chair shall serve as a non-voting member. The committee’s duty is to evaluate the performance of non-tenure-track faculty members and to make recommendations to the department chair for granting promotion or for progress made toward promotion in accordance with these Bylaws.

The chair shall appoint members to special committees, in accordance with the procedures stated below, at the beginning of each academic year or whenever needed to assist in the operation of the department. These committees and their members shall serve at the pleasure of the chair for a term of one year, unless otherwise stated below, and may be removed by the chair at any time. Should a vacancy occur, the chair shall appoint a faculty member to serve out the term.

3.6.1 Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Committee

The Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Committee shall be chaired by the department chair. The committee shall consist of at least four tenured faculty members of the department. Membership in the committee is voluntary, except that if fewer than four tenured faculty members volunteer by a date set and announced by the chair in the latter half of the Fall semester, then the chair shall appoint tenured faculty members to serve on the committee, until the required minimum total of four committee members is reached. Faculty members may not volunteer to serve on the committee after the deadline set by the chair has passed. Members who have volunteered by the deadline or been appointed by the chair shall agree to serve on the committee. Once formed, and by no later than the end of the Fall semester, the chair shall announce the committee’s membership roster to all tenured and tenure-track faculty. The committee shall meet at the beginning of the subsequent Spring semester to evaluate the previous calendar year’s research and creative activities, teaching, and service reported by tenured and tenure-track faculty in accordance with the guidelines set forth in these Bylaws. If any of the annual reports submitted by faculty members requires clarification or additional information, then only the chair and no other committee member may request from the respective faculty member that clarification or additional information be provided to the committee. Non-tenured tenure-track faculty members may attend committee meetings as silent, non-voting observers. The committee’s recommendations on annual evaluations are advisory to the department chair.

3.6.2 Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty Committee

The Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty Committee shall consist of the department chair and three zero-rank faculty members selected by the chair on a rotation basis. The chair shall devise a list and track the service of members from year to year, to assure that rotations are conducted in the most equitable manner possible. A copy of this ongoing list shall be kept in the department office, where it shall be available to all zero-rank faculty members. Service on the committee is not mandatory. A new committee shall be formed each November. The committee shall meet in January of the following year to evaluate for merit consideration the teaching, professional development, and service of zero-rank faculty during the previous calendar year, in accordance with the guidelines provided in these Bylaws. The department chair shall chair the committee.

3.6.3 Search Committees

Search committees are charged with following the procedures provided under “Voting Rights and Limitations” and “Recruitment and Appointment of Faculty” in these Bylaws. Committee members serve until the search has been completed. In case of a failed search, the department chair may retain the committee or appoint a new one to conduct the new search. As part of their service on the committee, all search committee members are required to undergo diversity training, including the university’s implicit bias training and the college’s training for fair and effective searches.

3.6.3.1 Tenured and Tenure-Track Positions

Search committees charged with filling tenured and tenure-track positions shall be appointed by the chair. Any Rank 0 faculty member included on the committee may vote as part of the committee to give a recommendation to the department, but may not vote at the department level on approval of the recommendation to hire (per CLA Bylaws 11.B.1.c.). These committees shall consist of at least four members and shall include a university-at-large member. The department chair shall appoint the committee chair.

3.6.3.2 Non-Tenure-Track Positions

Search committees charged with filling non-tenure-track (zero-rank) positions shall be appointed by the chair and may include zero-rank faculty. These committees shall consist of at least four members and shall include a university-at-large member. The department chair shall appoint the committee chair.

3.6.4 Language Program Committees

Committees may be formed consisting of all faculty assigned to a language program. Each such committee shall elect, by written secret ballot, a chair from among its members and meet to discuss matters that are relevant to its language program and to the department. The chair shall serve no more than one year, beginning in the Spring semester, and may be re-elected. By a simple majority vote such committees may authorize their chairs to coordinate with the department chair about matters related to their respective programs, to place items on department meeting agendas in accordance with these Bylaws, and, at such meetings, to inform department faculty about matters related to their respective programs.

3.6.5 Annual Awards Ceremony Committee

The Annual Awards Ceremony Committee shall be appointed annually by the department chair, who shall either appoint a committee chair or ask the committee to elect one from among its members. Members may be reappointed in subsequent years. The committee is charged with coordinating with local high schools and organizing and scheduling the annual event.

3.6.6 Scholarship Committees

Scholarship committees shall be appointed annually by the department chair, who shall either appoint committee chairs or ask any or all committees to elect one from among its members. Members may be reappointed in subsequent years and may serve on both the department committee or a language program committee, as these are described below.

3.6.6.1 Department Scholarship Committee

The committee is charged with issuing a report (at least annually) to department faculty, outlining all student grants, prizes, awards, and scholarships (collectively, “awards”) available to the department, including dollar amounts and brief descriptions of requirements for each; coordinating with the university Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to confirm information, including requirements and restrictions, on each award; assuring that the department scholarships webpage is complete, accurate, informative, and up-to-date at all times, requesting changes to it as necessary, with prior approval from the department chair; delegating to each Language Program Committee (see below) the task of selecting awardees and runners-up for any award allocated to its language program or major, and setting deadlines for award selection; conducting promotional campaigns aimed at increasing the number of applicants for awards that are department-wide and not attached to a specified language program or programs; establishing a fair, transparent, and effective process for selecting awardees of awards for which more than one language program is eligible; informing awardees of all awards; maintaining a list of runners-up in case awardees do not (or are unable to) accept an award; and announcing all awardees to the Annual Awards Ceremony Committee and department faculty.

3.6.6.2 Language Program Scholarship Committees

Each language program scholarship committee (e.g., Japanese Scholarship Committee, Spanish Scholarship Committee, et al) is responsive to the Department Scholarship Committee and is charged with establishing a fair, transparent, and effective process for selecting its recommended awardees; selecting awardees and runners-up for any grant, prize, award, and scholarship (collectively, “awards”) allocated to it; conducting promotional campaigns aimed at increasing the number of applicants for those awards; and informing the Department Scholarship Committee of recommended awardees by the award selection deadline set by that Committee.

4. Personnel Policies

The responsibilities and activities for academic faculty in the department consist of an assigned combination of teaching; scholarly, creative, and entrepreneurial activities; and/or service or professional development as specified annually in the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement). Examples of these activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

4.1.1 Instruction

Instruction includes activities like teaching (classroom, in-load online, USAC, service learning, and other college-approved forms of delivery); preparation and development of courses; evaluation of student performance; consultation with students; direction of undergraduate and graduate students in independent study, research, internships, and guided practice; advising of undergraduate and graduate students; mentoring students in the Honors program; professional development of teaching skills; and service on graduate student advisory-examination committees.

4.1.2 Scholarly, Creative, and/or Entrepreneurial Activities

Scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial activities include the advancement, integration, and application of knowledge through research and scholarship (including “engagement,” as described below in 4.1.4, and entrepreneurial activities as described below) related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise and in keeping with standards in the discipline, leading to products such as books, articles, chapters, software, printed or digital critical editions, edited or co-edited collections, textbooks, databases, websites, translations, conference papers, invited presentations, book reviews, and public presentations; studies designed to enhance the teaching of the discipline; seeking and acquiring outside funds (e.g. grants, fellowships, and contracts) in support of scholarly, creative, or entrepreneurial activity; or evidence of professional development where the above criteria may not be applicable in the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (role statement). Peer-reviewed scholarly work is considered of prime importance in a faculty member’s academic profile, given that it involves a rigorous evaluation process by other experts in the field. In some cases, creative work may be considered as part of the scholarly record, but this shall not be the sole argument for excellence in research. As with all work listed in the faculty member’s Role Statement and Annual Evaluation, creative activity must be approved by the chair and the dean in accordance with the faculty member’s primary assignment in the department. Approved creative activity may include performances, exhibits, creative writing, and other works appropriate to the discipline and related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise.

Entrepreneurial activity refers to the application of sophisticated research and creative methodologies and innovations to the public domain with the goal of developing an imprint outside the university. A record of entrepreneurial productivity should be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. However, such activity is not required. Entrepreneurial activity must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and the dean as part of the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (role statement).

4.1.3 Service

Service includes:

University service: Administrative activities; participation in department, college, and university committees, boards, panels, and task forces; and similar activities.
Community or public service, as defined in 4.1.4 Engagement, below, intrinsically related to the professional competence of the faculty member.
Professional service: activities related to professional growth and development, like holding office or serving as committee member in professional organizations, editing and refereeing for professional journals and presses, organizing professional meetings and workshops, reviewing research and grant proposals for a professional society or foundation, serving on academic review or accreditation boards, and similar professional activities.

4.1.4 Engagement

Faculty engagement refers to scholarly, creative, pedagogical, and service activities engaged in for the public good and directed toward persons and groups outside the university. Such activities, in the form of teaching/performance of assigned duties, research, scholarly, creative, and entrepreneurial activities, and/or service, develop as collaborative interactions that respond to short- and long-term societal needs. Engagement serves our local community, state, nation, and/or the wider world through academically or creatively informed activities that are intentional in their effort to enrich and improve the lives of people. Engagement may be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. In this department, engagement may take the form of creating or participating in programs that directly reach out to and engage the school district (or the community) for the mutual benefit of both the university and the school district (or the community); scholarly efforts (beyond publication of one’s own research or participation in editorial boards) that engage scholars in collaborative projects to promote the advancement of knowledge; seeking or acquiring funding (e.g. grants, contracts, fellowships, endowments) to help fund an engagement activity; or other academically informed activities that constitute public engagement. Engagement activities are evaluated in accordance with their quantitative and qualitative impact on the public good and their responsiveness to short- and long-term societal needs. Engagement is recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. It must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and dean as part of the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (role statement). In addition, while engagement that is consistent with the department’s priorities is supported at any phase of a faculty member’s career, faculty whose work does not include engagement activities are not penalized.

The chair shall periodically review the most recent departmental strategic plan and shall include staffing needs in the agenda of at least one faculty meeting per year. After said meeting(s), the chair shall apprise the dean of the department’s views on staffing needs and shall consult with the dean about new or vacated faculty positions.

When the dean authorizes a search to fill a new or vacated faculty position, the chair shall consult with the convened faculty specializing in the same language as that described in the position announcement and shall, in a subsequent faculty meeting, discuss the position announcement and search criteria until these are approved. Once the dean approves the position announcement, the chair shall appoint an appropriate committee, as outlined in “Search Committees,” to initiate and conduct the search in conformity with the search criteria and current university search procedures. Upon forming the committee, the department chair shall remind all faculty members and staff that, if they wish to participate in any aspect of the search process (including voting on applicants), they are required to have completed the university’s implicit bias training.

The Search Committee shall select from among applicants for the position a number, approved by the dean, of finalists. Within one week after the selection, the Committee chair shall, by secure electronic means, make available to all department faculty the complete dossiers of the finalists. All department faculty who have completed approved diversity training shall be invited to participate in any campus visits by (or video conferences scheduled with) the finalists. Subsequently, the chair of the Search Committee shall summarize the qualifications of the finalists in a department meeting open to all faculty. After discussion by said faculty, faculty enfranchised to recommend the appointment (see 3.1.2 Voting Rights and Limitations, b) Hiring) shall vote, in secret ballot, on the candidate the department wishes to recommend for appointment to the position, or declare a failed search. The department chair shall report to the dean all decisions reached by the department and shall work with the dean on the specifics of an offer.

4.4.1 Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement)

Each faculty evaluation shall be made on the basis of professional responsibilities and performance expectations mutually agreed upon by the individual faculty member and the chair. These responsibilities shall be consistent with the department’s mission and specified annually in a Statement of Professional Responsibilities that is signed by both parties before the calendar year of evaluation begins. The dean must approve any significant discrepancy between a faculty member’s statement of professional responsibilities and the department’s mission. If a faculty member and the chair cannot agree upon specified professional responsibilities, the matter is subject to mediation by the dean. If mediation by the dean fails, then, in accordance with UNR Bylaws (“Professional Responsibilities”), the matter is subject to reconsideration and grievance procedures outlined in UNR Bylaws.

4.4.2 Annual Evaluation Procedures

All faculty evaluations shall be conducted annually by the appropriate Evaluation committee (see “Special Committees”), which shall forward its recommendations to the chair. The chair shall then write an evaluation of each faculty member’s performance, rating it as “excellent,” “commendable,” “satisfactory,” or “unsatisfactory.” An overall evaluation of “excellent” or “commendable” is meritorious. Once the faculty member acknowledges having read the evaluation, the department chair shall submit the annual evaluation reports to the dean. In accordance with UNR Bylaws, faculty members who disagree with their annual evaluation may submit, by a deadline set by the chair, a written rejoinder (NSHE Code 5.16) to the chair, who shall then submit it to the dean or the dean’s designee. Any such rejoinder shall be considered part of the annual evaluation report. Faculty members may also initiate a reconsideration and/or a grievance through regular administrative channels (see “Procedures for Initiating a Grievance,” UNR Bylaws). Faculty members may request that the College Personnel Committee review their annual evaluation reports (CLA Bylaws, 20.C.5).

4.4.2.1 Approved Leaves

Annual evaluations that include a semester during which the faculty member is on a leave approved by the dean shall not penalize the faculty member for not discharging teaching and service duties on campus during that semester. Such leaves include sabbatical and faculty development leaves, assigned teaching abroad, family and medical leaves, and any leaves of absence that are approved by the dean.

4.4.2.2 Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

The Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Committee evaluates the professional accomplishments of each tenured and tenure-track faculty member. The committee shall equitably consider each faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement) and report of accomplishments, as entered into the university-approved faculty activities reporting software and as submitted in a report to the department’s Annual Evaluation Committee. The report shall be accompanied by any supporting materials needed, in the areas of teaching, scholarly and creative activities, and service. The faculty member shall include a current curriculum vita, the governing Statement of Professional Responsibilities, and the previous year’s evaluation report in the submitted materials. If the evaluation guidelines expressed below are amended, the amended guidelines shall only apply to the evaluation year subsequent to the year in which they are adopted (see Adoption of Amendments).

Evaluation Guidelines

Instruction. This includes scheduled on-campus, USAC, and in-load online teaching (but excludes teaching during non-contract days), direction of graduate and undergraduate students in independent study courses, course preparation, advising of graduate and undergraduate students, professional development activities related to teaching, written M.A. exam preparation, service on graduate advisement-examination committees, submission or acquisition of instructional grants, teaching awards or nominations, new course development, guest lectures in colleagues’ courses, substitute teaching for colleagues in the department, and writing letters of recommendation for students. At a minimum, faculty members shall submit the syllabus and the student evaluations for each course taught. Upon request, the chair shall provide the committee with grade distributions and averages for each course taught. For each independent study course directed, faculty members shall submit a brief description of what the course entailed. Additional reports and supporting materials that will aid the committee in its evaluation may be submitted and may include advisement reports, class visit peer-evaluation reports, self-evaluation reports, new course development summaries, significant revisions to existing courses taught (change of primary text, updating course materials, teaching innovations), new implementation of technology in the classroom, documentation of awards received, and any other pertinent information.

Scholarly, Creative, and Entrepreneurial Activities. Scholarly and/or creative activities include the advancement, integration, and application of knowledge through research and scholarship, including engagement and entrepreneurial activity related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise and in keeping with standards in the discipline, leading to products such as books, articles, chapters, software, and public presentations; studies designed to enhance the teaching of the discipline; performances, exhibits, creative writing, and other works appropriate to the discipline and related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise (for such activity, see “Scholarly, Creative, and/or Entrepreneurial Activities” under “Faculty Responsibilities and Activities” in these Bylaws); seeking and acquiring outside funds (e.g. grants, fellowships, and contracts) in support of scholarly and creative activity, or evidence of professional development where the above criteria may not be applicable. These activities include the preparation and publication (electronic or print) of discipline-related books, articles, book reviews, critical editions, textbooks, conference proceedings, essay compilations, chapters or portions of a book, translations, and encyclopedia entries; software development; delivering presentations at professional conferences; and presenting in workshops. Peer-reviewed scholarly work is considered of prime importance in a faculty member’s academic profile given that it involves a rigorous evaluation process by other experts in the field.

Faculty members shall provide the committee with annual reports on their scholarly and creative activities, together with any supporting evidence needed. With respect to published or forthcoming works, that evidence shall include either an edition of the published work itself or a copy of the text that has been accepted for publication, together with written evidence of acceptance. In either case, faculty members shall include information about the content, the publisher, editorial policies, and other information pertinent to the work and its publication, such as the medium in which it has appeared or will appear and the review process it has undergone. If the work is co-authored, the faculty member shall state the nature and approximate percentage of the work she or he contributed. With respect to conference presentations, a copy of the materials presented shall be included, together with information about the date, place, title of the conference, and whether its scope is local, regional, national, or international. If work in progress is mentioned in the report, it must be described, unless it is the faculty member’s primary research or creative activity for the year, in which case a copy of the work must also be submitted. Software development may be described and, if feasible, demonstrated to the committee. Other activities, such as seeking or acquiring grants and scholarships in support of conducting scholarly or creative activities, may also be described, accompanied, where appropriate, by supporting materials. Any awards, prizes, or honors received should be noted and supported by documentary evidence. The department may credit discipline-related original scholarly or creative books, translations, critical editions, and first editions of textbooks for three years. Anthologies and edited collections shall be credited for one year. All other works will be evaluated and credited on a case by case basis.

Entrepreneurial activity refers to the application of sophisticated research and creative methodologies and innovations to the public domain with the goal of developing a market outside the university. A record of entrepreneurial productivity may be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. However, such activity is not required of individual faculty members. Entrepreneurial activity must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and dean as part of the role statement articulating the distribution of duties.

Service. This includes university, college, and departmental service on committees, boards, panels, task forces, and the like; service in the community, including pro bono consulting, committee work, presentations in schools, and service to community groups, projects, and organizations where such service is intrinsically related to the professional competence of the faculty member; outreach services, including participation in events or programs that strengthen cooperation between the university and the schools, and evaluating community-sponsored programs or activities; service as mentor to a probationary faculty member; participation in the review of the teaching and research of peers; mentoring department language clubs; and service to the discipline, including organizing and presiding over panels at professional conferences and workshops or serving as a commentator, activities related to professional growth and development, holding office in professional organizations, reviewing textbooks (whether compensated or not), editing and refereeing for professional journals, reviewing research proposals, and similar professional activities.

The faculty member shall enumerate service activities and provide a brief description of each item, sufficient to give the committee an understanding of the amount and type of work entailed.

Engagement. Faculty engagement refers to scholarly, creative, pedagogical, clinical, and service activities engaged for the public good and directed toward persons and groups outside the university. Such activities, in the form of teaching/performance of assigned duties, research, scholarly, creative, and entrepreneurial activity, and/or service, develop as collaborative interactions that respond to short- and long-term societal needs. Engagement serves our local community, state, nation, and/or the wider world through academically or creatively informed activities that are intentional in their effort to enrich and improve the lives of people. Engagement may be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. In this department, engagement may take the form of creating or participating in programs that directly reach out to and engage the school district (or the community) for the mutual benefit of both the university and the school district (or the community); scholarly effort (beyond publication of one’s own research or participation in editorial boards) that engages scholars in collaborative projects to promote the advancement of knowledge; seeking or acquiring funding (e.g. grants, contracts, fellowships, scholarships, endowments) to help fund an engagement activity; or other academically informed activities that constitute public engagement. Engagement activities are evaluated in accordance with their quantitative and qualitative impact on the public good and their responsiveness to short- and long-term societal needs. It must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and dean as part of the role statement articulating the distribution of duties. While engagement should be supported at any phase of a faculty member’s career if it is consistent with the department’s priorities and practices, faculty whose work does not include engaged activities should not be penalized.

4.4.2.3 Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty

The Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty Committee evaluates the professional accomplishments of zero-rank faculty. The committee shall equitably consider each faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement) and report of accomplishments, as entered into the university-approved faculty activities reporting software and as submitted in a report to the department’s Annual Evaluation Committee. The report shall be accompanied by any supporting materials needed, in the areas of teaching, professional development, and service. The faculty member shall include a current curriculum vitae and the evaluation form he or she submitted the previous year. If the evaluation guidelines expressed below are amended, the amended guidelines shall only apply to the evaluation year subsequent to the year in which they are adopted (see Adoption of Amendments).

Evaluation Guidelines

Instruction. This includes scheduled on-campus, USAC, and in-load online teaching (but excludes teaching during non-contract days), direction of undergraduate students in independent study courses, course preparation, advising of undergraduate students, instructional grants applied for or received, teaching awards, new course development, guest lectures in colleagues’ courses, substitute teaching for colleagues in the department, and writing letters of recommendation for students. At a minimum, faculty members shall submit the syllabus and the student evaluations for each course taught. Upon request, the chair shall provide the committee with grade distributions and averages for each course taught. For each independent study course directed, faculty members shall submit a brief description of what the course entailed. Additional reports and supporting materials that will aid the committee in its evaluation may be submitted and may include advisement reports, class visit peer-evaluation reports, self-evaluation reports, new course development summaries, significant revisions to existing courses (change of primary text, updating course materials, teaching innovations), new implementation of technology in the classroom, documentation of awards received, and any other pertinent information.

Professional Development. This involves any activity that builds disciplinary expertise, and includes participation in workshops, enrolling in and satisfactorily completing semester-length courses related to the discipline, organizing and presiding over panels at professional conferences and workshops or serving as a commentator, attendance at professional meetings, and grants submitted or funded. When conducting discipline-specific scholarly or creative activities (this includes publications, work in progress intended for publication, and presentation of papers at professional meetings), faculty should follow the guidelines set forth in Scholarly and Creative Activities under Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty.

Service. This includes university, college, and departmental service on committees, boards, panels, task forces, and the like; service in the community, including pro bono consulting, committee work, presentations in schools, and service to community groups, projects, and organizations where such service is intrinsically related to the professional competence of the faculty member; outreach services, including participation in events or programs that strengthen cooperation between the university and the schools, and evaluating community-sponsored programs or activities; participation in the review of the teaching and research of peers; mentoring department language clubs; and service to the discipline, including organizing and presiding over panels at professional conferences and workshops or serving as a commentator, activities related to professional growth and development, holding office in professional organizations, reviewing textbooks (whether compensated or not), editing and refereeing for professional journals, reviewing research proposals, and similar professional activities.

The faculty member shall enumerate service activities and provide a brief description of each item, sufficient to give the committee an understanding of the amount and type of work entailed.

Entrepreneurial Activity. Entrepreneurial activity refers to the application of sophisticated activities and innovations to the public domain with the goal of developing a market outside the university. A record of entrepreneurial productivity may be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. However, such activity is not required of individual faculty members. Entrepreneurial activity must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and dean as part of the role statement articulating the distribution of duties.

Engagement. Faculty engagement refers to scholarly, creative, pedagogical, clinical, and service activities engaged for the public good and directed toward persons and groups outside the university. Such activities, in the form of teaching/performance of assigned duties, research, scholarly, creative, and entrepreneurial activity, and/or service, develop as collaborative interactions that respond to short- and long-term societal needs. Engagement serves our local community, state, nation, and/or the wider world through academically or creatively informed activities that are intentional in their effort to enrich and improve the lives of people. Engagement may be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. In this department, engagement may take the form of creating or participating in programs that directly reach out to and engage the school district (or the community) for the mutual benefit of both the university and the school district (or the community); scholarly effort (beyond publication of one’s own research or participation in editorial boards) that engages scholars in collaborative projects to promote the advancement of knowledge; seeking or acquiring funding (e.g. grants, contracts, fellowships, scholarships, endowments) to help fund an engagement activity; or other academically informed activities that constitute public engagement. Engagement activities are evaluated in accordance with their quantitative and qualitative impact on the public good and their responsiveness to short- and long-term societal needs. It must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and dean as part of the role statement articulating the distribution of duties. While engagement should be supported at any phase of a faculty member’s career if it is consistent with the department’s priorities and practices, faculty whose work does not include engaged activities should not be penalized.

4.4.2.4 Determining Overall Evaluations

After equitably considering each faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement) and report of accomplishments, the committee shall arrive at the faculty member’s overall annual evaluation by 1) assigning a whole number from 4 to 0 to each of the areas of responsibility (Teaching, Scholarly and Creative Activities/Faculty Development, and Service), where 4 indicates highest performance and 0 indicates lowest performance; 2) multiplying the value assigned in each area by the percentage that area was allotted in the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities; and 3) adding the products. In cases of extraordinary achievement in one or more of the areas of responsibility, the department chair may recommend Extraordinary Merit without regard to the computed overall rating.

4.4.2.5 Confidentiality and Transparency

Evaluation committee proceedings and deliberations are confidential. Annual evaluation reports issued by the chair to the faculty member and forwarded to the dean are also confidential. The chair shall issue each faculty member a copy of the calculation table used to determine his or her overall rating and its merit step equivalent. The faculty member’s calculation table shall enjoy the same confidentiality as the annual evaluation report and shall be provided to the faculty member separately from but concurrently with it. Unless the “Standard Numerical Ranges” set forth in the calculation table were used, the chair shall make available to all faculty the adjusted numerical ranges used to determine overall evaluations for tenured and tenure-track faculty and for non-tenure-track (zero-rank) faculty. Once the dean has approved faculty evaluation ratings, the chair shall issue a report to the faculty, stating the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty and the number of non-tenure-track (zero-rank) faculty who received each of the five merit levels, together with the average step awarded to each of those two groups and to the department as a whole.

4.5.1 Eligibility

A probationary full-time or part-time member of the academic faculty in Ranks II, III, or IV (0.5 FTE or greater) shall be eligible for appointment with tenure at any time during the probationary period of employment. Academic faculty in Ranks 0 or I are ineligible for tenure.

4.5.2 Probationary Period

Eligible faculty serve a probationary period before being considered for tenure. The probationary period shall not exceed seven years of uninterrupted fulltime service in ranks II through IV. Application materials for tenure must be submitted by the deadline provided by the college. If a tenure-track faculty member has not been awarded tenure by the end of the faculty member's sixth probationary year, the faculty member shall be notified that the contract issued for the seventh academic year is a terminal contract.

4.5.3 Leave During Probationary Period

Authorized periods of leave, paid or unpaid, may be excluded from service toward the seven-year probationary period upon written request of the faculty member and approval of the president (for details, see NSHE Code, Chapter 3). The request for leave must state if the leave is to be excluded from service toward the probationary period.

4.5.4 Extension of Probationary Period

The period of probation may exceed seven years upon written request of the faculty member and approval of the president. The decision of whether to grant the faculty member’s request to exceed the seven-year probationary period shall be based upon the sole discretion of the president. The decision of the president is final. The request for an extension of the seven-year period of probation must state the reasons for such extension. (See NSHE Code, Chapter 3.)

4.5.5 Early Consideration for Tenure and Promotion to Rank III

Academic faculty eligible for appointment with tenure may be considered for such appointment at the appropriate time (usually the fall semester) in any year of employment during the probationary period (NSHE Code, Chapter 3). Applicants for tenure are advised to consult relevant portions of the NSHE Code, as well as College, University, and these Bylaws, and to review current relevant information provided by the Office of the Provost.

If an applicant wishes to apply for early consideration for tenure and promotion to Rank III, they may request that the Tenure and Tenure-Track Promotion Committee meet to make a preliminary recommendation on the advisability of going forward with the application. To receive this optional, nonbinding review, the applicant must request it from the department chair by the end of the third week of the Spring semester and then provide the chair with the completed Provost’s application for promotion by a deadline set by the chair. The applicant should be aware that this optional review, if conducted, will not include the letters from external reviewers required when going forward with the application for tenure, a factor that could have a pivotal effect on the case. Whether or not a preliminary review is conducted and irrespective of the outcome of such a review, the applicant may move forward with the application for tenure in any year of employment during the probationary period.

4.5.6 Appointment with Tenure Upon Hire

An appointment with tenure upon hire may be made upon recommendation by the department faculty, the dean, and the president, in accordance with Chapter 3 of the NSHE Code.

4.5.7 Annual and Third Year Progress-Toward-Tenure Reviews

The performance of probationary faculty members shall be reviewed annually by the chair, in consultation with all members of the Tenure Committee, to assess progress made toward tenure and to consider reappointment. Before writing each annual review, the chair shall either ask the Tenure Committee to meet for that purpose or consult individually with all its members. However, no later than the end of the probationary faculty member’s third academic year, and annually thereafter, the Tenure Committee must meet to consider progress made toward tenure and to consider reappointment; the committee’s findings in this third-year review shall be summarized in the chair’s review. The chair shall forward all annual reviews to the dean and, in the case of third-year reviews, to the college Personnel Committee. In accordance with CLA Bylaws, the college Personnel Committee shall make a recommendation to the dean on each third-year review, and the decision of the dean, which shall include reference to the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, shall be communicated in writing to the faculty member being reviewed and to the chair, who shall subsequently communicate it to the Tenure Committee.

At least three college working days before the day on which the chair forwards an annual or a third-year review to the dean or to the college Personnel Committee, the probationary faculty member shall be provided a copy. Each review shall contain suggestions for improvement, if needed, and suggestions for continued development that must be undertaken by the faculty member to be considered for tenure at a later date. Beginning with the second review and annually thereafter, the faculty member shall provide the chair with a brief Report on Progress made since the previous review in the three areas of responsibility and on how any suggestions for improvement or continued development that may have been expressed in that review were addressed in the intervening year. The chair, before consulting or meeting with the Tenure Committee to conduct a review, shall provide its members with the probationary faculty member’s current Report on Progress, as well as with all previous progress reports by and reviews of the faculty member.

4.5.8 Disagreements with Annual and Third-Year Reviews

Probationary faculty who find errors of fact or disagree with the judgments expressed in annual or third-year reviews may consult with the chair about the possibility of emending the review before it is forwarded to the college. However, the chair’s decision on whether and how to emend the review, as well as on whether or not to consult with the Tenure Committee about any emendations, is final.

4.5.9 Standards for Appointment with Tenure

The faculty member shall demonstrate a substantial record of achievement in teaching; scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial activity; and service, as these three areas are defined in the Evaluation Guidelines (see Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty). This record shall be consistent with the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement) and with the department mission. The Tenure Committee shall recommend an appointment with tenure only if, upon application for tenure, the faculty member is evaluated as “excellent” in teaching or in scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial activities and at least as “satisfactory” in the other two areas (see NSHE Code, Chapter 3).

In Teaching, the faculty member’s record shall demonstrate not only competence and efficiency in the classroom, but also the ability to communicate effectively with students and skill in handling duties ancillary to teaching. The record may also include evidence of the ability to impart knowledge, to excite students’ interest in the subject, and to evoke response from students, as well as evidence of competence in advising students and in community-engaged teaching.

In Research, Creative, and Entrepreneurial activities, the faculty member’s record shall demonstrate continuing professional growth related to the academic faculty member's discipline or program area as shown by a record of research, scholarly, creative or entrepreneurial activity, each of which may include community engagement, resulting in publication or comparable productivity.

In Service, the academic faculty member being recommended for appointment with tenure must receive a "satisfactory" rating or better. The faculty member’s record may include, but is not be limited to: a) membership and participation in professional organizations; b) ability to work with the faculty and students of the university in the best interests of the academic community and the people it serves, and to the extent that the job performance of the academic faculty member's administrative unit may not be otherwise adversely affected; c) service on department, college, and/or university committees; d) recognition among colleagues for possessing integrity and the capacity for further significant intellectual and professional achievement; and e) recognition and respect outside the university community for participation in activities that use the faculty member’s knowledge and expertise or further the mission of the university, or that provide an opportunity for professional growth through community-engaged interaction with industry, business, government, and other institutions of our society, within the state, the nation or the world.

4.5.10 Application Process

4.5.10.1 External Reviewers

No later than the end of February, probationary faculty shall inform the chair, in writing, of intent to apply for tenure the following Fall semester. The department shall obtain appropriate external evaluations of the faculty member’s achievement in accordance with University bylaws (“Process and Schedule for Promotion of Academic Faculty”). By no later than mid-March, the department chair shall submit the list of potential reviewers, using the Chair’s Report of External Reviewers form, to the Dean’s office for approval before the reviewers are contacted. Once they have been approved, the chair shall invite the scholars to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications for tenure. If a scholar declines the invitation, the chair shall invite another scholar from the same list in which that scholar appeared, and so on as needed. The department chair should have a full slate of reviewers contacted and ready by the end of May. Half or more of the final slate of reviewers should be individuals recommended by the department and not on the candidate’s list of suggested reviewers. The department chair shall explain to reviewers that the candidate’s research materials package will be delivered to them in early June and obtain a verbal commitment that the review will be completed no later than the first day faculty report back in the Fall semester. By preparation day of the Spring semester, the candidate shall provide the chair with the research package to be sent to the external reviewers who have accepted. The package should include: a current curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests and future plans, lists of all publications and other materials that external reviewers will consider, and, in prior consultation with the chair, copies of the most important publications.

4.5.10.2 Application Materials

By the first day that faculty report back in the Fall, the candidate shall submit the Provost’s application form together with all required supplemental materials and include in the Teaching Portfolio a self-evaluation report of their teaching. If the faculty member has received probationary credit from prior employment, work accomplished during the year(s) credited must also be included. The chair shall immediately make all these materials available to members of the Tenure Committee, which shall convene with sufficient anticipation to meet college and university deadlines.

4.5.11 Negative Recommendations for Tenure

If a negative recommendation for tenure is received at any level, the faculty member has the right for reconsideration of the decision following the procedures in the University Bylaws and the NSHE Code (5.2.3 & 5.2.4).

In accordance with Section 5.2.2 of the NSHE Code, the president must approve all recommendations concerning promotion.

4.6.1 Promotion of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

4.6.1.1 Promotion to Assistant Professor (Rank II)

A faculty member in Rank I shall be eligible for promotion to Rank II when the faculty member has attained a doctoral degree in an appropriate professional field and has demonstrated potential for developing professional achievement in teaching/performance of assigned duties, research, scholarly, creative, and entrepreneurial activities, and service (see Faculty Responsibilities).

4.6.1.2 Promotion to Associate Professor (Rank III)

A faculty member at Rank II shall be evaluated in writing by the department no later than the end of the probationary faculty member’s third academic year and annually thereafter (see Annual and Third Year Progress Toward Tenure Reviews), and shall be eligible for promotion to Rank III after demonstrating a substantial record of achievement in teaching, scholarly and/or creative work, and service, as these three areas are described below. A departmental recommendation for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor may precede, accompany, or follow upon a recommendation for tenure. The Promotion Committee for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty shall only recommend promotion to Rank III if, upon application for tenure, the faculty member is evaluated as “excellent” in teaching or in scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial activities and at least as “satisfactory” in the other two areas. The department’s evaluation will include appropriate external evaluations of the faculty member’s achievements, in accordance with college and university Bylaws. Ideally, five external evaluations but no fewer than four and no more than six are consulted.

Instruction

Excellence in teaching is essential to fulfilling the department’s mission. Teaching includes scheduled on-campus, USAC, and in-load online teaching (but excludes summer school and extension teaching), advising of graduate and undergraduate students, course preparation, professional development activities related to teaching, service on graduate advisement-examination committees, submissions of instructional grants and grants awarded, engagement (as described in these Bylaws under 4.1.4 Engagement), teaching awards received, new course development, guest lectures in colleagues’ courses, substitute teaching for colleagues in the department, and writing letters of recommendation for students. At a minimum, faculty members shall submit the syllabus and the student evaluations for each course taught. For each independent study course directed (if any), faculty members shall submit a brief description of what the course entailed. Additional reports and supporting materials that will aid the committee in its evaluation may be submitted and may include advisement reports, class visit peer-evaluation reports, self-evaluation reports, new course development summaries, significant revisions to existing courses taught (change of primary text, updating course materials, teaching innovations), new implementation of technology in the classroom, documentation of awards received, and any other pertinent information.

Scholarly, Creative, and/or Entrepreneurial Activities

Scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial work is indispensable to membership in the university’s graduate faculty and is expected of all faculty members holding professorial rank. The department values especially the quality of a faculty member’s scholarship and creative or entrepreneurial work that is related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise: its originality, lucidity, and intellectual depth. Evidence of scholarship and creative work should consist of publications, singly or collaboratively authored, and may include books, textbooks, journal articles, recordings, videos, films, and works in electronic or other media. Publication of scholarly and creative work occurs in diverse media (e.g., print and digital format), and the same standard—clear excellence—applies regardless of the medium. Scholarship and creative work should be reviewed in the medium in which it was published (e.g., online publications should be read online). Scholarly and creative work may include engagement (as described in these Bylaws under 4.1.4 Engagement) and entrepreneurial activities (as described below) that are related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise and in keeping with standards in the discipline, as well as grant proposals submitted and/or awarded to pursue scholarly, creative, or entrepreneurial activities. Peer-reviewed scholarly work is considered of prime importance in a faculty member’s academic profile, given that it involves a rigorous evaluation process by other experts in the field.

Entrepreneurial activity refers to the application of sophisticated research and creative methodologies and innovations to the public domain with the goal of developing a market outside the university. A record of entrepreneurial productivity should be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. However, such activity is not required. Entrepreneurial activity must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and the dean as part of the Statement of Professional Responsibilities (role statement).

Candidates must demonstrate evidence of having made significant, high-quality contributions to important conversations in their field. In most cases, this evidence takes the form of a single-authored scholarly book or a finished manuscript under final, board-approved contract, published or officially approved for publication by a press with a strong reputation in the candidate’s field, along with other published work that provides evidence of actual or emerging impact on the field or in the discipline; or of a substantial number of high-quality articles published or accepted for publication in major refereed journals or edited volumes; or a sustained, innovative, original scholarly project in another form appropriate to the field, and approved by the department chair and the Dean as described in the candidate’s Role Statement(s); as well as book reviews and conference papers presented at national or international meetings of scholarly organizations.

Publication (or imminent publication) of scholarly or creative work by highly respected publishers is strong evidence that the candidate’s research has met the profession’s standards. However, a quantitative measure is not itself a guarantee that the work has met the department’s qualitative standards. The committee will make that judgment and submit its recommendation on the basis of their reading and discussion of the scholarship or creative work (including engaged scholarship and entrepreneurial activities, if any) as well as through assessments of it in published reviews (if any) and in the letters from external evaluators.

Service

Service includes administrative activities; university, college, and departmental service on committees, boards, panels, task forces, and the like; community or public service, as defined in these Bylaws under 4.1.4 Engagement, related to the professional competence of the faculty member; service as mentor to a probationary faculty member; participation in the review of the teaching of peers; mentoring department language clubs; and service to the discipline, including organizing and presiding over panels at professional conferences, holding office in professional organizations, editing and refereeing for professional journals, and similar professional activities. The faculty member shall enumerate service activities and provide hours spent on and a brief description of each item, sufficient to give the committee an understanding of the amount and type of work entailed.

4.6.1.3 Promotion to Professor (Rank IV)

A faculty member in Rank III shall be evaluated in writing by the department no later than the end of the sixth full academic year in rank and shall be eligible for promotion to Rank IV when the faculty member has established a sustained record of excellence in teaching; scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial activities; and service. The record shall document publications and/or creative work as defined below and as judged significant by peers in the field; distinguished service as described below; and distinction in teaching and related activities, as described below. The record should, where relevant, document exceptional administrative achievement as well. A departmental recommendation for promotion to the rank of Professor may precede, accompany, or follow upon a recommendation for tenure. The department shall obtain appropriate external evaluations of the faculty member’s achievement according to procedures prescribed in these Bylaws under External Reviewers and Application Materials in the Tenure clauses above. Ideally, five external evaluations but no fewer than four and no more than six should be included.

Instruction

A sustained record of excellence in teaching is essential to fulfilling the department’s mission. Teaching includes scheduled on-campus, USAC, and in-load online teaching (but excludes summer school and extension teaching); service learning and other college-approved forms of delivery; advising of graduate and undergraduate students; consultation with students; service on graduate student advisement-examination committees; direction of undergraduate and graduate students in independent study, research, internships, or guided practice; mentoring students in the Honors program; submissions of instructional grants and grants awarded; engagement (as that term is described in these Bylaws under Faculty Responsibilities); teaching awards received; new course development; guest lectures in colleagues’ courses and substitute teaching for colleagues in the department; and writing letters of recommendation for students. The body of evidence provided by the candidate should include courses taught, student evaluations for recent previous years, advisement-examination committee service, graduate and undergraduate student advisement, and any other documentation or reports that will aid the committee in its evaluation of Instruction.

Scholarly, Creative, and/or Entrepreneurial Activities

Scholarly creative, and/or entrepreneurial activities include the advancement, integration, and application of knowledge through research and scholarship (including engagement, as described in these Bylaws under 4.1.4 Engagement) related to the faculty member’s academic area of expertise and in keeping with standards in the discipline, leading to products such as books, articles, chapters, software, printed or digital critical editions, edited or co-edited collections, textbooks, databases, websites, translations, conference papers, invited presentations, book reviews, and public presentations; studies designed to enhance the teaching of the discipline; performances, exhibits, creative writing, and other works appropriate to the discipline and related to the faculty member’s area of expertise (for such activity, see “Scholarly, Creative, and/or Entrepreneurial Activities” under “Faculty Responsibilities and Activities” in these Bylaws); or seeking and acquiring outside funds (e.g. grants, fellowships, and contracts) in support of scholarly, creative, or entrepreneurial activities. Peer-reviewed scholarly work is considered of prime importance in a faculty member’s academic profile, given that it involves a rigorous evaluation process by other experts in the field.

Entrepreneurial activity refers to the application of sophisticated research and creative methodologies and innovations to the public domain with the goal of developing an imprint outside the university. A record of entrepreneurial productivity should be recognized as a significant part of a faculty member’s professional achievements. However, such activity is not required. Entrepreneurial activity must be appropriate to the faculty member’s discipline and approved by the chair and the dean as part of the faculty member’s Statement of Professional Responsibilities (role statement).

Typically, a candidate for promotion to Professor will have a scholarly record of national and/or international distinction judged by its quality, quantity, and impact on the field(s). The department acknowledges, however, that flexibility in assessing excellence and impact at this level is appropriate. In the case of faculty working in literary and/or cultural studies, the centerpiece of a candidate’s post-tenure scholarly record will take the form of a published book or a set of scholarly articles or book chapters, comparable in their collective substance and impact to a book-length work. Such publications may be singly or collaboratively authored and disseminated in peer-reviewed venues or other media appropriate to the field. In the case of faculty working in the field of linguistics, it is typical for a collection of strong articles and/or book chapters, individually or collaboratively authored, to be considered as a measure of attainment and impact equal or even preferable to a monograph. All candidates are additionally expected to demonstrate some degree of breadth in their field as well as promise of continuing scholarly achievement. In addition to the above, the body of evidence provided by the candidate may include books, articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, printed or digital scholarly editions, edited or co-edited collections, textbooks, digital/database/website productions, translations, conference papers, invited presentations, book reviews, textbook reviews, grants, and professional reports on research or pedagogical activity.

The preceding paragraph describes a typical scholarship profile for promotion to Professor, but the department acknowledges that such profiles should be evaluated holistically and may vary considerably by areas of expertise. The field of Linguistics, for example, usually regards a collection of strong articles and/or book chapters, individually or collaboratively authored, as a measure of attainment and impact equal or even preferable to a monograph.

Service

Service includes administrative activities; university, college, and departmental service on committees, boards, panels, task forces, and the like; community or public service, as defined in these Bylaws under 4.1.4 Engagement, related to the professional competence of the faculty member; service as mentor to a probationary faculty member; participation in the review of the teaching of peers; mentoring department language clubs; and service to the discipline, including organizing and presiding over panels at professional conferences, holding office in professional organizations, editing and refereeing for professional journals, and similar professional activities. The faculty member shall enumerate service activities and provide hours spent on and a brief description of each item, sufficient to give the committee an understanding of the amount and type of work entailed. Faculty members in Rank III are expected to provide a higher level of service than in Rank II, especially with regard to the quality and impact of the service provided.

4.6.1.4 Optional Review of Progress toward Promotion and/or Tenure

The prospective applicant for promotion to Rank III or Rank IV may request that the Tenure and Tenure-Track Promotion Committee meet to make a preliminary recommendation on the advisability of going forward with the application. To receive this optional, nonbinding review, the applicant must request it from the department chair by the end of the third week of the Spring semester and then provide the chair with the completed Provost’s application for promotion by a deadline set by the chair. Whether or not a preliminary review is conducted and irrespective of the outcome of such a review, a member of the academic faculty may request consideration for promotion in any year (UNR Bylaws, Process and Schedule for Promotion of Academic Faculty).

Except in cases where review for promotion is mandatory (see 4.5.7 and 4.6.1.3), the department or the applicant may initiate the review process. The timing and procedure shall be the same as that prescribed in these Bylaws under External Reviewers and Application Materials in the Tenure clauses above. However, when applications for tenure and promotion are made concurrently, letters from external reviewers, who shall be notified of same, shall be used for both purposes.

4.6.2 Promotion of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty

In accordance with CLA Bylaws (23.B), non-tenure-track faculty members in regular positions may be eligible for promotion within Rank 0 (I, II, III) and shall be evaluated in writing by the department regarding progress toward promotion no later than the end of the sixth full academic year in rank.

4.6.2.1 Promotion to Rank 0(II)

A non-tenure-track faculty member in Rank 0(I) shall be eligible for promotion to Rank 0(II) when the faculty member has attained at least the M.A. degree in the relevant professional field and has demonstrated potential for developing professional achievement in teaching and professional development or service. The faculty member should consult 4.6.2.4 Standards for Promotion (below) before applying for promotion.

4.6.2.2 Promotion to Rank 0(III)

A non-tenure-track faculty member in Rank 0(II) shall be eligible for promotion to Rank 0(III) when the faculty member has established a substantial record of achievement in their major area of responsibility. The faculty member should consult 4.6.2.4 Standards for Promotion (below) before applying for promotion.

4.6.2.3 Promotion to Rank 0(IV)

A non-tenure-track faculty member in Rank 0(III) shall be eligible for promotion to Rank 0(IV) when the faculty member has established a sustained record of excellence in their major area of responsibility. The faculty member should consult 4.6.2.4 Standards for Promotion (below) before applying for promotion.

4.6.2.4 Standards for Promotion of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty

The faculty member shall demonstrate a record of achievement in teaching, and in professional development or service, consistent with the faculty member’s role statement and with the mission of the department. Recommendation for promotion shall be based upon an “excellent” evaluation in the major area of responsibility of the faculty member and at least a “satisfactory” evaluation in the other areas of responsibility.

Teaching

Excellence in teaching is essential to fulfilling the department’s mission. As a category, Teaching comprises not only scheduled on-campus, USAC, and in-load online teaching (excluding summer school and extension teaching), but also advising of undergraduate students, course preparation, submissions of instructional grants and grants awarded, engagement (as described in these Bylaws under 4.1.4 Engagement), teaching awards received, new course development, guest lectures in colleagues’ courses, substitute teaching for colleagues in the department, and writing letters of recommendation for students. Faculty members shall submit: the syllabus and the student evaluations for each course taught, and supporting materials—e.g., advisement reports, class visit peer-evaluation reports, self-evaluation reports, new course development summaries, significant revisions to existing courses taught (change of primary text, updating course materials, teaching innovations), new implementation of technology in the classroom, documentation of awards received, and any other pertinent information— that will aid the committee in its evaluation.

Professional Development

This involves any activity that builds disciplinary expertise, and includes participation in workshops, enrolling in and satisfactorily completing courses related to the discipline, organizing and presiding over panels at professional conferences and workshops or serving as a commentator, attendance at professional meetings, and grants submitted or funded. When conducting discipline-specific scholarly, creative, or entrepreneurial activities (this includes publications, work in progress intended for publication, and presentation of papers at professional meetings), faculty should follow the guidelines set forth in Scholarly, Creative, and Entrepreneurial Activities under 4.4.2.2 Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty.

Service

The service activities of faculty members make up a vital component in the proper functioning of the department, the college, and the university. The faculty member shall enumerate service activities, as listed in the Evaluation Guidelines under 4.4.2.3 Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank), and provide a brief description of each item, sufficient to give the committee an understanding of the amount and type of work entailed.

4.6.2.5 Application Process

The applicant for promotion may request that the Non-Tenure-Track Promotion Committee meet to make a preliminary recommendation on the advisability of going forward with the application. To receive this optional, nonbinding review, the applicant must request it from the department chair by the end of the third week of the Spring semester and then provide the chair with the completed Provost’s application for promotion by a deadline set by the chair. Whether or not a preliminary review is conducted and irrespective of the outcome of such a review, a member of the academic faculty may request consideration for promotion in any year (UNR Bylaws, Process and Schedule for Promotion of Academic Faculty).

No later than one week preceding instruction in the Fall semester, the non-tenure-track faculty member seeking promotion shall provide the chair with an application and supplementary materials as indicated by the Provost’s office. The chair shall immediately make these materials available to members of the Promotion Committee for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty, which shall convene with sufficient anticipation to meet college and university deadlines.

4.6.3 Negative Recommendations for Promotion

If a negative recommendation for promotion is received at any level, the faculty member has the right for reconsideration of the decision following the procedures established in the university Bylaws and Chapter 5 of the NSHE Code.

5. Graduate Program

Graduate Students shall consult the Graduate Student Handbook guidelines posted on the department website and available in print from the department office and the Graduate School.

Table of Contents

I. Bylaws

1.1 Authorization

1.2 Scope

1.3 Adoption

1.4 Amendments

1.5 Adoption of Amendments

1.6 Custody and Availability

1.7 Interpretation

2. Mission

3. Administrative Organization and Operational Policies

3.1 Faculty

3.1.1 Faculty Ranks and Titles

3.1.1.1 Regular Faculty

3.1.1.2 Contingent Faculty

3.1.2 Voting Rights and Limitations

3.1.3 Voting Procedures

3.1.4 Department Faculty Meetings

3.1.4.1 Frequency and Notice

3.1.4.2 Agenda

3.1.4.3 Rules of Order

3.1.4.4 Minutes

3.1.5 Graduate Faculty

3.1.6 Financial Transparency

3.2 Office of the Chair

3.2.1 Term of Service

3.2.2 Eligibility of Incumbent

3.2.3 Election of the Recommended Chair

3.2.3.1 Time

3.2.3.2 Procedure

3.2.4 Appointment of the Chair

3.2.5 Resignation or Removal of the Chair

3.2.6 Evaluation of the Chair

3.2.7 Temporary Absence

3.3 The Vice-Chair

3.3.1 Term of Service

3.3.2 Eligibility of Incumbent

3.3.3 Election of the Vice-Chair

3.3.3.1 Time

3.3.3.2 Procedure

3.3.4 Resignation or Removal of the Vice-Chair

3.3.5 Evaluation of the Vice-Chair

3.4 Appointments

3.4.1 Announcing Appointments

3.4.2 Summer Session Appointments

3.5 Standing Committees

3.5.1 Bylaws Committee

3.5.2 Graduate Studies Committee

3.5.3 Tenure Committee

3.5.4 Promotion Committee for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

3.5.5 Promotion Committee for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

3.6 Special Committees

3.6.1 Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Committee

3.6.2 Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty Committee

3.6.3 Search Committees

3.6.3.1 Tenured and Tenure-Track Positions

3.6.3.2 Non-Tenure-Track Positions

3.6.4 Language Program Committees

3.6.5 Annual Awards Ceremony Committee

3.6.6 Scholarship Committees

3.6.6.1 Department Scholarship Committee

3.6.6.2 Language Program Scholarship Committees

3.7 Ad Hoc Committees

3.8 Announcing Standing, Special, and Ad Hoc Committee Appointments

4. Personnel Policies

4.1 Faculty Responsibilities and Activities

4.1.1 Instruction

4.1.2 Scholarly, Creative, and/or Entrepreneurial Activities

4.1.3 Service

4.1.4 Engagement

4.2 Recruitment and Appointment of Faculty

4.3 Doctoral Candidates

4.4 Annual Evaluation of Faculty

4.4.1 Statement of Professional Responsibilities (Role Statement)

4.4.2 Annual Evaluation Procedures

4.4.2.1 Approved Leaves

4.4.2.2 Annual Evaluation of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

4.4.2.3 Annual Evaluation of Non-Tenure-Track (Zero-Rank) Faculty

4.4.2.4 Determining Overall Evaluations