Assistant Dean for Institutional Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer

Reporting to the President, the Assistant Dean for Institutional Equity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer is responsible for advancing a diverse and equitable campus culture and oversees diversity, equity and inclusion efforts which guide campus-wide decisions, practices and policies. In addition, the Assistant Dean for Institutional Equity and Inclusion is responsible for administering the Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct, including Title IX, and its implementing procedures.

Intimate Relationships

Between Students and Faculty

Faculty members are in positions of authority and influence in regard to students. Therefore, intimate relationships between a faculty member and student, whether or not the student is in the faculty member’s class or department, can compromise the integrity of the student-faculty relationship. Faculty members, therefore, may not engage in romantic or intimate relationships with students, even if the relationship is welcomed and wholly consensual.

Between Non-Supervisory Official and Faculty/Staff

Consensual relationships between a non-supervisory official and a faculty/staff person, while not prohibited, must be disclosed to the Human Resources Director so that the Director can take any steps necessary to protect the parties involved and avoid even the appearance of favoritism.

Faculty Development

Faculty Development

The College is committed to the continuous improvement of its primary resource, the faculty. Through a variety of activities, supported in whole or in part by the College, faculty are able to strengthen educational, scholarly, and professional abilities. Generally, individual faculty will initiate requests for funding to their Chair, or a member of the Academic Affairs office may recommend professional development opportunities to specific faculty.

The College has a strong commitment to faculty development and believes that it is through faculty development that the curriculum progresses and the instructional program is strengthened.

Examples of faculty development activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Attending conferences, seminars, or workshops
  • Speaking, presenting, or participating in panel discussions at conferences and other events
  • Participating in discipline-related professional communities

Sabbaticals

The purpose of the CCS sabbatical leave program is to enable a full-time faculty member to pursue research, scholarly and/or professional creative development with a degree of concentration and freedom not normally possible while teaching a full-time schedule. Details on the College’s Sabbatical Leave Program policy can be found on the CCS Policy Database.

Faculty Development Grants and Conferences

CCS endeavors to budget funds each year to support faculty development. These funds may be used for activities that include, but are not limited to:

  • workshops, seminars, training, or courses related to their field
  • travel to conferences or symposia
  • other activities as determined by the appropriate Dean

Courses or workshops must be successfully completed to be eligible for reimbursement. Faculty development grants are not used to support the pursuit of degrees. The College recognizes the value of faculty making presentations at and attending conferences that enhance faculty’s knowledge of current trends in their respective fields, their professional practice, and scholarly activities, and the College’s visibility.

  1. Full-time faculty members may request financial support to attend conferences, seminars, workshops, and other means of professional development. Requests should include an explanation of the value of the event and a budget of the expenses required. Requests are given to the Department Chair for approval and then forwarded to the Dean of Academic Affairs who will make a decision in consultation with the appropriate Dean based on funds available and the number and types of requests received. Faculty members who have been granted sabbatical leave are not eligible to receive faculty development grants during the leave.
  2. If a request is approved, travel, lodging, and registration arrangements are the responsibility of the faculty member. Reimbursable expenses include registration fees, visa application (if necessary), air and ground travel, lodging, meals, and tips up to the amount approved and consistent with the College’s policy on travel.

An approved expense report with original itemized receipts is required for reimbursement. Travel advances may be granted by completing a Payment Requisition form with the Business Office one week in advance of when funds are required.

Please refer to the policy on Travel and Entertainment.

Course Release

Course releases are a one course reduction in a full-time faculty teaching load and are provided to further the faculty member’s scholarship, research, and/or creative activity. Details on the Course Release policy can be found on the CCS Policy Database.

Program Manager

The Program Manager (PM) is responsible for providing administrative support to the Chair and faculty of the department and facilitating the delivery of educational and support services to the department’s students. The Manager organizes and administers routine functions, including scheduling, budgets, ordering and purchasing, and communications.  The Program Manager reports to the appropriate Chair.  The Dean of Academic Affairs acts as a liaison and resolves any issues in regard to their responsibilities.

Section Leads

Section Leads

In departments with extensive or diverse curricula, the Department Chair may recommend the establishment of a section for administrative purposes and the appointment of a full-time faculty member as Section Lead. Usually a section is organized around a discipline.

Responsibilities

The Section Leads serve in an advisory capacity to the Department Chair. The Section Leads make recommendations to the Chair in the areas of curriculum, faculty assignments, facilities maintenance and improvement, annual and capital budget, full and part-time faculty recruitment and visiting artists.

Position Description

  • Manages shop space in collaboration with technicians. This includes maintenance, ordering supplies, capital requests, cleaning and organizing, etc.
  • Monitors shop space in collaboration with technicians, creates and enforces access policies.
  • Manages course tally in collaboration with Chair and PM,  determines and schedules classes for each semester, to be consistent with demand and curriculum requirements.
  • Manages Adjunct Instructors in collaboration with Department Chairs. The Section Lead may be involved in hiring, reviews, fielding questions, and ensuring teaching quality.
  • Manages review, editing and submission of course syllabi as assigned by Chair.
  • Section leads are full-time faculty and are responsible for full-time faculty course load and college service.
  • In collaboration with Department Chairs, manages curriculum-related tasks such as department transfer requests, independent study requests, student concerns, new courses, course updates, and curriculum charts per emphasis.

Department Eligibility

  • Departments that require a faculty member to oversee physical shop space and/or manage a specific curriculum are eligible.
  • Departments apply for stipend funds through the budget process and complete a Change to Existing Position form.
  • Workload is evaluated collaboratively by the Dean and Chair to evaluate the need.

Appointment

  • Section Lead duties are designated in the job description upon hiring. The Department Chair may appoint a Section Lead from full-time faculty if approved through the budget process and a Change to Existing Position form is completed.
  • Reappointment is annually based on Chair recommendation.
  • Only full-time faculty are eligible.

Evaluation

  • Section Leads are evaluated in the annual appraisal by the Department Chair following the procedure for all faculty.

Faculty Concerns Committee

A faculty member may seek to resolve a dispute by making a request to the Faculty Concerns Committee (FCC). The FCC serves as a body of appeal for faculty members seeking redress of grievances and concerns. Its purpose is resolution of issues, not initiation or proposal of concerns. The FCC judges the validity of grievances reported to it by individual faculty members and recommends appropriate resolutions to the Dean of Academic Affairs, graduate and undergraduate Deans, and the President. The FCC serves as a body of appeals of Faculty Review Committee (FRC) decisions. Additionally, the FCC will hear faculty grievances related to termination, contract non-renewal, or contract length reduction. The Faculty Concerns Committee does not have authority to handle discrimination and harassment matters. Any faculty member who wishes to institute such a grievance should notify the Chair of the committee in writing. Once the FCC has made its recommendation to the appropriate Dean, and/or the President, the administration will pass on to the aggrieved faculty member in a timely fashion, the findings of the Committee, along with the administration’s final decision.

CCS will participate in an FCC proceeding regarding an employment-related claim instituted by a faculty member only if the faculty member executes a release of claims that protects CCS from litigation related to the FCC process. CCS will not provide any information to the FCC regarding an employment-related claim without such a release. The release form is available from the Office of Human Resources.

Reappointment and Advancement of Full-Time Faculty

General Principles on Reappointment

Full-time faculty members who are under contract with CCS must be reviewed for reappointment. Contract renewal is not automatic and is based on a multitude of factors, including the previous performance of the faculty member, their compliance with CCS policies, and the needs of the College. The reappointment process involves assessments by the faculty member’s Department Chair, the appropriate Dean, and the President. Department Chairs are reviewed for reappointment by the appropriate Dean and the President. Recommendations by Chairs and Deans are advisory in nature. Final decisions on reappointments are made by the President.

Reappointment Procedures

  1. The Dean of Academic Affairs informs each faculty member who is to be reviewed for contract renewal of their eligibility, as well as the Chair of the faculty member’s department. The Dean of Academic Affairs provides the entire list of faculty eligible for renewal to the academic Deans.
  2. The Department Chair submits a letter to the appropriate Dean with their own non-binding recommendation regarding the faculty member’s reappointment. The letter should summarize the strengths and weaknesses noted in the Chair’s evaluations conducted during the current contract period. The Chair supports their recommendation with specific information and conclusions. The letter should be submitted according to the schedule provided by the Dean of Academic Affairs. In the case of the renewal of a Department Chair’s own faculty appointment, the Department Chair’s letter is omitted.
  3. Upon receiving the recommendations of the Department Chair, the appropriate Dean formulates and submits to the President a recommendation on each faculty member’s reappointment, including length of reappointment, if any, and rank. In doing so, the Dean may request additional information from or a meeting with the faculty member and may request clarification or elaboration from the Chair.
  4. The President reviews and approves or disapproves each of the Dean’s recommendations. The President may also request additional information or clarification from any of the parties involved in the reappointment procedure. The President communicates the decisions to the Director of Human Resources and Dean of Academic Affairs. The Human Resources office sends the reappointment letter to the faculty member and copies the Dean of Academic Affairs who then informs the relevant Chair and the appropriate Dean. In order to accept the reappointment and complete the process, the faculty member signs a copy of the appointment letter and returns it to the Director of Human Resources.

The schedule of the reappointment process is as follows:

  1. One-year contracts
    • Chair’s recommendations by March 1
    • Appropriate Dean’s recommendation and President’s decision by March 31
  2. Two-year contracts
    • Chair’s recommendations by December 1 of the second year of the contract
    • Appropriate Dean’s recommendation and President’s decision by February 1 of the second year of the contract
  3. Three-year contracts
    • Chair’s recommendations by June 1 of the second year of the contract
    • Appropriate Dean’s and President’s decision due ninety days thereafter

CCS understands the need to give full-time faculty ample notice of the status of their appointments. While all parties to the reappointment procedure will make their best efforts to meet the schedule described above, circumstances may occasionally prevent that from happening. In an instance when a decision will not be rendered by the target date, the Dean of Academic Affairs will inform the faculty member of the delay, the reason for it, and the date by which the review will be completed.

Criteria for Reappointment

CCS and the faculty of the College collectively place a high value on excellence in all areas of faculty responsibility, the principal ones being instructional quality and department contributions to service the College; and professional practice, development, and research.  All participants in the reappointment process are expected to observe the following criteria in arriving at their recommendations.

  1. For faculty members on three-year contracts:
    1. Recommendation for a three-year reappointment would ordinarily be made if the faculty member is performing at a high level of quality in all major areas of responsibility; is making significant contributions as a teacher, mentor, colleague, artist, designer, or scholar; and is expected to continue to perform at this level.
    2. Recommendation for a renewal of fewer than three years (i.e., two years or one year) would be made if performance in one or more areas of responsibility is below the expected high level of quality.  The recommendation for the length of reappointment would depend on the assessment of the seriousness of the faculty member’s deficiencies and the likelihood that they can be corrected.
    3. Recommendation for non-renewal would be made if there are serious performance issues in one or more areas of responsibility and if the faculty member has shown either a lack of inclination or an inability to correct the deficiencies.
  2. For faculty members on one- or two-year contracts:
    1. The appropriate Dean will determine the length of reappointment for which the faculty member is eligible.
    2. A recommendation for reappointment for the longest period possible would be made if the faculty member demonstrates high-quality performance in all areas of responsibility. A recommendation for a shorter length would be made if there are areas of responsibility in which there are performance concerns. Recommendations for non-renewal would be made if there are areas of responsibility that raise serious concerns.

General Principles on Advancement in Rank

Advancement to higher faculty ranks is based on performance and not automatic with time. Advancement occurs only when a faculty member is performing at the highest level of quality in all areas of faculty responsibility and is deemed to be capable of fulfilling the performance expectations inherent in a higher rank.

Faculty members at the assistant professor level may apply for promotion to associate professor after completing five years as an assistant professor. Faculty at the associate level may apply to be full professor after their sixth year as associate professor.  The faculty member must meet all the criteria for the higher rank. In exceptional circumstances, an advancement may be considered after a shorter time interval, although not until after the completion of a faculty member’s first contract.

Procedures for Advancement in Rank

The procedure for advancement in rank is similar to reappointment.

  1. A faculty member eligible for advancement in rank submits a request letter to the appropriate Dean
  2. The FRC reviews the faculty member’s application for promotion according to the College’s guidelines.
  3. The Department Chair submits a letter to the appropriate Dean with their own non-binding recommendation regarding the faculty member’s promotion. The letter should be submitted according to the same schedule as the FRC recommendation.
  4. Upon receiving the recommendation of the FRC and Department Chair, the Dean formulates and submits to the President a recommendation on each faculty member’s promotion. In doing so, the Dean may request additional information from, or a meeting with, the faculty member and may request clarification or elaboration from the FRC or Department Chair.
  5. The President reviews and approves or disapproves each of the Dean’s recommendations. The President may also request additional information or clarification from any of the parties involved in the promotion procedure.
  6. Upon approval of advancement in rank, faculty members may be eligible for additional compensation, consistent with CCS’s salary policy. The faculty member may schedule a meeting with the appropriate Dean to discuss compensation and other matters.
  7. A faculty member who is denied promotion may reapply the following academic year.
  8. The schedule for consideration of advancement in rank is as follows:
    • Faculty member’s request letter to the appropriate Dean by January 15.
    • Chair’s and FRC’s recommendations by June 1.
    • Appropriate Dean’s recommendation and President’s decision by
      September 1.

If a decision cannot be rendered by September 1, the Dean of Academic Affairs will inform the faculty member of the delay, the reason for it, and the date by which a decision will be made.

Criteria for Advancement in Rank

  1. Recommendations for advancement are made when a faculty member is deemed to be performing at the highest level of quality in all areas of faculty responsibility and to be capable of fulfilling the performance expectations inherent in a higher rank.
  2. In considering the advancement of a faculty member, documentation in addition to the faculty file is reviewed. This may include, but is not limited to:
    1. Evidence of professional accomplishments, including:
      • Newly earned academic credentials
      • Portfolio of published material / projects
      • Exhibition catalogs, reviews, and awards
      • Scholarly or literary publications
      • Lectures, participation in panels, symposia, etc.
      • Curating or jurying of exhibitions
      • Guest critiques at other institutions
      • Guest teaching/artist residencies
      • Community service activity in relation to the art and design disciplines
      • Introduction of new programs, courses, curricula
      • Published research
      • Client relationships and projects completed
      • Inclusion of films in accredited festivals and juried screening
    2. A letter of support from the faculty member’s Department Chair, or in the case of a department Chair seeking rank advancement, a letter of support from their Dean.
    3. A letter of support from a teaching colleague in another academic department at the College.
    4. A letter of support from a professional educator in the faculty member’s discipline at another institution of higher education. The faculty member must supply the evaluator with a complete professional history, as well as the respective department’s mission statement and goals.

Faculty Review Committee

Faculty Review Committee

The Faculty Review Committee (FRC) is an elected standing committee of the Faculty Assembly. It makes non-binding recommendations to the administration regarding advancement in the rank of full-time faculty. It is the desire and intent of the administration to work in a collaborative fashion with the FRC on the promotion process. However, the extent of the FRC’s influence in the process is contingent upon its adherence when making its recommendations to the schedule and criteria set forth in this handbook. There will be occasions when the administration’s ultimate decision will be influenced by the existence of confidential information to which the FRC does not have access (e.g. misconduct, budget, or restructuring plans) but which has a direct bearing on a faculty member’s eligibility for advancement in rank, or by performance-related events that occur after completion of the FRC review.

Recommendations

For the advancement in rank reviews, the Committee recommends one of the following:

  1. Advancement to the next rank.
  2. No advancement.

Review Documents

The Committee will base its considerations upon the contents of the faculty member’s “faculty file,” maintained by the Academic Affairs Office. Among the items included in the file are:

  1. The “Full-Time Faculty Annual Self-Appraisal” and any other faculty review of the Chair that has occurred) which includes the following information.
    1. Teaching performance/departmental activities including courses taught, initiating new courses, hanging shows, serving on departmental committees, team projects, interviews, independent studies, and student mentoring and advising duties.
    2. Professional/creative work including exhibitions, commissions, publications, lectures, consultations, and workshops.
    3. Service to the College, other than departmental activities, including membership on and substantial attendance at standing and ad hoc Committees of the faculty or College, release time duties, recruitment, arranging events, shows, etc.
    4. Professionally related external activities, including jurying/judging, donated professional services, working with other institutions, serving on grant panels, and workshops.
    5. Research including peer-reviewed publications/conference presentations, academic textbooks, and practice-led research.
  1. The faculty member’s current professional resume/CV.
  2. Other documentation relating to the faculty member’s performance.

The Committee will review student evaluations from courses taught by the faculty member, as well as any other pertinent evaluative materials from the contract period. If the Committee desires clarification on any of the items in the file, it may request interviews with the faculty member, Department Chair, or appropriate Dean.

Recommendation Procedures

The Committee’s recommendation is given to the appropriate Dean on a standard recommendation form that includes the Committee’s written statement on how its recommendation reflects the review criteria. The form will remain in the faculty member’s file. The faculty member will be notified in writing by the Dean of Academic Affairs of the recommendation made by the Committee.

Confidentiality of FRC Process

  1. All information assembled or used by the Committee will be confidential and will be contained within the Academic Affairs office.
  2. Members of the FRC must respect and observe the confidentiality of the faculty review process. They should discuss their recommendations and the process leading to those recommendations only with the faculty member directly affected, other FRC members,  personnel in the Academic Affairs office, the Director of Human Resources, and personnel in the Executive Office.

Appeal Procedure

The recommendation of the Faculty Review Committee may be appealed to the Faculty Concerns Committee within sixty days of notification. Such appeals will be reviewed according to the guidelines of the Faculty Concerns Committee. The Faculty Concerns Committee does not have the authority to handle discrimination and harassment matters.

Access to Buildings and Parking Areas

Faculty who need access to College buildings outside of posted hours should contact the CCS Ford Campus Security Office at 313-664-7444 or the Taubman Security Office at 313-664-1444. They must check in with the Security Office upon arrival and check out when departing.  The faculty member’s CCS ID must be presented to be admitted to the building.

Identification Cards

Identification cards are issued to all employees at the time of hire. Faculty must display their ID card at all times while they are on campus and must present it when asked by Security personnel. ID cards are issued through the Campus Safety and Security Office, upon completion of new hire employment forms with the Human Resources Office. Faculty are responsible for their ID card; if lost, there will be a $20 replacement fee.

Emergency Weather Closing

CCS’s policy is to keep the school open during periods of inclement weather, if at all possible. In the event it is necessary to close due to severe weather conditions or any other emergency, the following procedures for notification are followed:

The decision to close or cancel Day Classes will be made by 6:00 a.m. and to cancel Evening Classes will be made by 2:00 p.m. Faculty may call 313-664-7400 after 7:00 a.m.  or listen to local radio/TV stations for information. Closings and class cancellations will also be announced through Campus Emergency Alert Program, the College emergency notification system.

Faculty are required to reschedule any classes that are canceled due to weather or emergency closings.