Faculty Handbook

Faculty Responsibilities

Teaching Load

During the 2019-2020 academic year, the full-time faculty teaching load will be twenty-five (25) contact hours.  Effective the 2020-2021 academic year, the full-time faculty teaching load will be twenty-four (24) contact hours per academic year, which can be averaged over three years. Article 15.2 of the Agreement between the University and the Professional Staff Congress states that adjunct lecturers or adjuncts in other titles, excluding graduate assistants, shall not be assigned a total of more than nine (9) classroom contact hours during a semester in one unit of The City University of New York. In addition, such adjuncts may teach one course, of not more than six hours, at another CUNY unit.

Reassigned Time for Untenured Faculty

Untenured Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors, including untenured members of the professoriate who are assigned as Librarians or Counselors, receive a total of 24 hours of reassigned time to engage in scholarly and/or creative activities, during their first five years of service in the professoriate. This reassigned time is intended to provide an environment that maximizes the individual faculty productivity related to their scholarship. A mutually-agreeable, multi-year plan should be developed that adequately balances the department’s instructional need with the scholarly release time needed to accomplish the faculty member’s anticipated goal. Untenured faculty members should discuss their scholarly plans and scheduling of reassigned time with their chairpersons.

Selection of Textbooks

Except where departmental policies prescribe text selection procedures, faculty may select required course textbooks that they feel are best suited for both teaching and learning needs.

When faculty create materials either by authorizing or compiling such materials and derive revenue from their sale and – either as individuals or as part of a group – make the determination to use materials that they have created in their own classes, then that portion of the revenue they derive from the sale of such materials to their own students must be directed to a program over which the authors have no control or influence and which is for the use or support of students.  Whenever materials that are created by a faculty member are to be used in multiple sections of a course, only some of which are taught by that faculty member, then the decision concerning which work is to be used much be made by an official group of faculty by the department and not by any single faculty member, including the department chairperson.  The faculty author may not participate in that decision but may keep the revenue from such sales. 

Manual of General Policy Article VI

Office Hours

Full-time teaching faculty must maintain at least three (3) hours per week of office hours. A faculty member’s office hours should be posted in the department. Adjunct faculty are strongly encouraged to hold office hours.

Commencement of Attendance (COA) Rosters

The June 22, 2009 meeting of the CUNY Board of Trustees, the Committee on Academic Policy and Program Review recommended, and the University Board subsequently passed a resolution that uniform guidelines and procedures regarding verification of student enrollment be implemented university-wide.

1. Class Commencement of Attendance (COA) rosters will be generated after the program adjustment period (first 20% of the term, i.e., the Form A cutoff census date) for distribution to faculty. Faculty are required to indicate by the end of the fifth week of each semester, or at least 1/3 into the duration of any session within a semester or term either affirmatively that the student has attended or is otherwise active and participating in the course (e.g. by submitting assignments, attending a required study group, academic conference or tutorial) or negatively that the student has never attended any of the classes since the beginning of the term. Faculty must access these COA rosters via their CUNYfirst account.
2. Where the College has established the student did not begin attendance the College must assign the administrative withdrawal of WN and inform the student. Beginning Fall 2009, WN administrative withdrawals will have no impact on students’ grade point average.
3. A date of attendance is neither requested nor recorded.
4. The College designated office updates the collected information into its student record system by the end of the sixth week or first 20% of the term/session.
5. Since CUNY is a non-attendance taking institution daily attendance records are not collected by the College Registrars.

Changes for Class Schedule

A request to change a class schedule must be presented to the Department Chairperson for review and approval; approved class schedule changes are submitted by the Department to the Office of the Registrar.

Class Participation

All students must be registered and on the class roster to participate in a class.  Please refer any student who is not registered to the Office of the Registrar for further direction.

Advisement

To assist student with formal academic advising and preparation for registration, faculty members should refer students to their Academy Adviser.

Final Examinations

Copies of all final examinations must be submitted to the chairperson. Departmental examinations are to be held as schedules in the College calendar (and NOT on the last day of class).

Attendance at Graduation

All instructional staff members are encouraged to attend and participate in graduation ceremonies attired in academic cap and gown.