Pattern of Administration (POA) for The Ohio State University School of Earth Sciences

Pattern of Administration

for

The Ohio State University

SCHOOL OF EARTH SCIENCES

Discussed by the entire Faculty at Faculty Meetings on:

09/03/2021; 01/12/2022; 02/04/2022; 03/04/2022

Approved by the Office of Academic Affairs: 8/12/2022

POA for the School of Earth Sciences 
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Table of Contents 
 
I  Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 3 
II  School Mission ................................................................................................................................. 3 
III  Academic Rights and Responsibilities ............................................................................................. 3 
IV  Faculty and Voting Rights ................................................................................................................ 4 
A.  Teaching Faculty Appointment Cap .......................................................................................... 4 
B.  Research Faculty Appointment Cap ........................................................................................... 4 
V  Organization of School Services and Staff ....................................................................................... 5 
VI  Overview of School Administration and Decision-Making ............................................................. 7 
VII  School Administration ...................................................................................................................... 7 
A  School Director .......................................................................................................................... 7 
B   Other Administrators ................................................................................................................. 8 
C   Committees ............................................................................................................................... 9 
VIII  Faculty Meetings ............................................................................................................................ 14 
IX  Distribution of Faculty Duties and Responsibilities ....................................................................... 15 
A  Tenure-track Faculty ................................................................................................................ 16 
i  Special Assignments ................................................................................................................ 19 
B  Teaching Faculty ...................................................................................................................... 20 
C  Research Faculty ...................................................................................................................... 20 
D  Associated Faculty ................................................................................................................... 20 
E  Modification of Duties ............................................................................................................. 21 
X  Course Offerings and Teaching Schedule ...................................................................................... 21 
XI  Allocation of School Resources...................................................................................................... 21 
XII  Leaves and Absences ...................................................................................................................... 22 
A  Discretionary Absence ............................................................................................................. 22 
B  Absence for Medical Reasons .................................................................................................. 23 
C  Unpaid Leaves of Absence....................................................................................................... 23 
D  Faculty Professional Leave (FPL) ............................................................................................ 23 
E  Parental Leave .......................................................................................................................... 23 
XIII  Supplemental Compensation and Paid External Consulting .......................................................... 24 
XIV  Financial Conflicts of Interest ........................................................................................................ 24 
XV  Grievance Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 25 
A  Salary Grievances..................................................................................................................... 25 
B  Faculty Promotion and Tenure Appeals ................................................................................... 25 
C  Faculty Misconduct .................................................................................................................. 25 
D  Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct ............................................................. 25 
E  Violations of Laws, Rules, Regulations, or Policies ................................................................ 25 
F  Complaints by and about Students ........................................................................................... 26 
G  Academic Misconduct .............................................................................................................. 26 
Appendix A: Selection of Division Chairs .................................................................................................. 27 
Appendix B: Selection of School Director .................................................................................................. 28 

POA for the School of Earth Sciences

I Introduction

This document provides a description of the School of Earth Sciences as well as a description of its

guidelines and procedures. It supplements the Rules of the University Faculty, and other policies and

procedures of the university to which the school and its faculty are subject. The latter rules, policies and

procedures, and changes in them, take precedence over statements in this document.

This Pattern of Administration is subject to continuing revision. It must be reviewed and either revised or

reaffirmed on appointment or reappointment of the school director. However, revisions may be made at

any time as needed. All revisions, as well as periodic reaffirmation, are subject to approval by the college

office and the Office of Academic Affairs.

II School Mission

The School of Earth Sciences aims to be a globally preeminent program in Earth and Geodetic Sciences at

the forefront of knowledge creation and dissemination, education, and training focused on humanity’s

greatest problems (e.g., climate change, adaptation & evolution, sustainable energy, water, mineral, &

elemental resources).

Our mission is to:

• Advance understanding of Earth as a dynamic and complex system of interconnected physical,

chemical, and biological processes that shape the evolution of past and present life forms and

landscapes;

• Collect and assimilate geospatial measurements across time with high levels of accuracy and

precision

• Act on scientific data in ways that promote environmental stewardship, social justice, and

sustainability of the Earth’s resources;

• Assess human impact on the Earth system, and the implications of climate change adaptation on

the biosphere, society, and the economy;

• Develop and implement strategies and technologies that mitigate or solve humanity’s grand

challenges (e.g., climate change, water supply, energy security, resources) with an eye towards

helping underserved populations and communities most vulnerable to these grand challenges;

• Educate the next generation of scientists, researchers, teachers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and

professionals through the use of inclusive practices that encourage and promote participation of

students and professionals from all groups especially those underrepresented in the geosciences;

• Promote scientific literacy and data-driven, evidence-based decisions within the diverse populace

of the state of Ohio, our nation, and worldwide.

Collegiality, civility, mutual support, and respect for others are strongly held values within the School of

Earth Sciences. At the heart of our mission, is a Code of Conduct to ensure that all members of the

School of Earth Sciences (faculty, staff, students, alumni, etc.) feel welcome and included in all School

activities regardless of location (e.g., on campus, off campus conferences, in the field, etc.). The School of

Earth Sciences rejects all forms of discrimination, harassment, and bullying. We affirm support for

diverse beliefs, academic freedom of expression, and the free exchange of ideas (including critical

discussion of ideas) as long as these are respectful, constructive, and professional.

III Academic Rights and Responsibilities

In April 2006, the university issued a reaffirmation of academic rights, responsibilities, and processes for

addressing concerns.

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IV Faculty and Voting Rights

Faculty Rule 3335-5-19 defines the types of faculty appointments possible at The Ohio State University

and the rights and restrictions associated with each type of appointment. For purposes of governance, the

faculty of this school includes tenure-track, teaching, and research faculty with compensated FTEs of at

least 50% in the School of Earth Sciences, and associated faculty.

The School of Earth Sciences makes tenure-track appointments with titles of assistant professor, associate

professor, or professor. Tenure-track faculty for whom the School of Earth Sciences is their TIU may vote

in all matters of school governance.

The School of Earth Sciences makes teaching appointments. Teaching faculty titles are assistant teaching

professor, associate teaching professor, and teaching professor

Teaching faculty may vote in all matters of school governance except tenure-track faculty appointment,

promotion and tenure decisions and research faculty promotion decisions. Any teaching faculty member

appointed by the school may stand for election to serve as a representative in the University Senate

subject to representation restrictions noted in Faculty Rule 3335-7-11(C)(2).

The School of Earth Sciences makes research faculty appointments. Research faculty titles are research

assistant professor, research associate professor, and research professor.

Research faculty may vote in all matters of school governance except tenure-track faculty appointment,

promotion, and tenure decisions and teaching faculty promotion decisions. Research faculty may

participate in discussions of research faculty matters including promotion reviews.

A. Teaching Faculty Appointment Cap

The appointment cap on teaching faculty in relation to the total of tenure-track, teaching and research

faculty is established in the college pattern of administration.

In accordance with Faculty Rule 3335-7-03, unless an exception is approved by the University Senate

and the Board of Trustees,

• in the School of Earth Sciences teaching faculty will follow the same limits as the College of

Arts and Sciences, and may comprise no more than 20% of the tenure-track, teaching, and

research faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences;

• the number of teaching faculty members must be fewer than the number of tenure-track

faculty members.

B. Research Faculty Appointment Cap

In accordance with Faculty Rule 3335-7-32, unless otherwise authorized by a majority vote of the

tenure-track faculty, research faculty must comprise no more than 20% of the number of tenure-track

faculty in the school. In all cases, however, the number of research faculty positions must constitute a

minority with respect to the number of tenure-track faculty in the unit.

The School of Earth Sciences makes associated faculty appointments. Associated faculty titles include

tenure-track faculty on less than a 50% appointment, adjunct titles, lecturer titles, and visiting titles.

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With the exception of visiting faculty, Associated faculty may vote in all matters of school governance

except personnel decisions. Visiting faculty may be invited to participate in discussions on non-personnel

matters, but may not participate in personnel matters, including appointment, promotion and tenure

reviews, and may not vote on any matter.

Emeritus faculty and Instructors in this school may be invited to participate in discussions on non-

personnel matters, but may not participate in personnel matters, including appointment, promotion and

tenure reviews, and may not vote on any matter.

Detailed information about the appointment criteria and procedures for the various types of faculty

appointments made in this school is provided in the Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Document.

V Organization of School Services and Staff

The governance structure of the School of Earth Sciences is shown in Figure 1. Tenure-track faculty, led

by the Director, constitute the governing body of the School of Earth Sciences. The presumption is that

the Director functions as the first among equals and to the fullest extent possible leads the School of Earth

Sciences by consensus. Specific duties and responsibilities of the Director are described below.

The School of Earth Sciences is composed of four Divisions as approved by the university’s Board of

Trustees on July 7, 2006. The names of these divisions, which may be changed by a majority vote of the

faculty, are

• Division of Earth History,

• Division of Geodetic Sciences,

• Division of Solid Earth Dynamics,

• Division of Water, Climate, and the Environment,

Each Division is led by a Chair selected by division members according to procedures described in

Appendix A. These Division Chairs are part of the Advisory Committee (described below). The School

of Earth Sciences provides formal status for its divisions by assigning them certain academic and

administrative responsibilities along with commensurate authority. Faculty members, including faculty on

the regional campuses, choose their primary divisional affiliation. Faculty members may choose to

associate themselves with an additional division. The purposes of the divisions are (i) to support natural

synergies among component sub-disciplines, both in terms of research and education, promoting technical

competence within that body of knowledge and activity, and an awareness of how these core techniques

and competencies are being applied in trans-disciplinary research agendas; (ii) to promote bottom-up

thinking and some degree of self-organization within the School of Earth Sciences (e.g., to generate ideas

that enjoy widespread support within a division and have the divisional chair bring them to the school

director and/or the Advisory Committee); (iii) divisions can propose new courses, tracks or educational

programs or shared facilities to the school director, the Advisory Committee and the faculty as a whole;

(iv) if the School of Earth Sciences, as a whole, determines that a graduate program (i.e., Earth Sciences

or Geodetic Science graduate programs), an undergraduate major or track, or a certificate program is

closely associated with the core interests and techniques of a given division, that division should take the

lead on ensuring that the associated curriculum is up- to-date, as complete as possible, and assess if it has

the necessary resources.

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The Administrative Committee (see Fig. 1; duties described below) is charged with carrying out College

and School related tasks such as scheduling of P&T meetings, staffing of courses (faculty, instructors, and

grad students), logistics and planning of mentoring/teaching evaluation, etc.

An Administrative Manager assists the Director in all aspects of School administration within the

university and college polices. The principal duties of the Administrative Manager include the following:

prepares and advises the Director on the annual budget; track spending patterns; forecasts resource

changes based on enrollment fluctuations; documents and analyzes spending including faculty grants and

contracts; monitors earnings funds; advises the Director on the AMCP process for staff; develops fiscal

and office support policies and procedures; manages associated support staff (e.g. classified civil service

staff and administrative and professional staff); assists the Director and Associate Director of

Administration with the instructional program; review and approve travel, expense reports and

requisitions for the school; serves as liaison with College provided HR.

An Office Associate serves as the Coordinator of the two Graduate Studies programs in the School of

Earth Sciences. The principal duties of the Office Associate include gathering and organizing graduate

student admissions materials; processing all graduate student-related requests related to hiring;

maintaining the main office and supervise undergraduate student administrative assistants; assisting the

Administrative Manager with school administration.

A Fiscal Associate assists the Administrative Manager with day to day departmental fiscal and

administrative operations; acts as the purchasing manages and assists/initiates travel, expenses report and

requisition for the school; maintain school vans (e.g., required maintenance, reservations, etc.).

Student Administrative Assistants provide secretarial support for the regular staff and faculty as directed

by the Office Associate. Their duties include answering telephones; greeting visitors to the main office;

Figure 1. Organizational structure of the School of Earth Sciences. The Director is the TIU Head. There are

two Associate Directors selected by the Director and four Divisional Chairs selected by divisional members.

Faculty are also appointed to various committees by the Director in consultation with the Division Chairs.

Administrative

Committee

(Director, Assoc Dir Admin, Assoc Dir

Grad Stud, P&T Chair, Undergrad

Studies Comm Chair)

TIU head

(Director)

Advisory

Committee

(four division chairs,

Director, Assoc Dir Admin)

School

Committees

Climate

Water

Envir

Earth

History

Geodetic

Science

Solid

Earth

top down

bottom up

Divisions

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copying materials for faculty and students; providing secretarial support for the Director; other

administrative duties as needed.

The College of Arts and Sciences may also provide a Grants Coordinator and Human Resources

Consultant. These staff are hired and supervised by the College of Arts & Sciences. Their duties may

include the following: assist faculty with hiring students and staff via Workday, assist faculty and

students with the preparation of sponsored research budgets, monitor spending on faculty grants and

contracts.

VI Overview of School Administration and Decision-Making

Policy and program decisions are made in a number of ways: by the school faculty as a whole, by

standing or special committees of the school, or by the school director. The nature and importance of any

individual matter determine how it is addressed. School governance proceeds on the general principle that

the more important the matter to be decided, the more inclusive participation in decision making needs to

be. Open discussions, both formal and informal, constitute the primary means of reaching decisions of

central importance.

VII School Administration

A School Director

The school is led by a Director selected according to procedures described in Appendix B. The

primary responsibilities of the school Director, are set forth in Faculty Rule 3335-3-35. This rule

requires the director to develop, in consultation with the faculty, a Pattern of Administration with

specified minimum content. The rule, along with Faculty Rule 3335-6, also requires the director to

prepare, in consultation with the faculty, a document setting forth policies and procedures pertinent to

appointments, reappointments, promotion and tenure.

Other responsibilities of the director, not specifically noted elsewhere in this Pattern of

Administration, are paraphrased and summarized below.

• To have general administrative responsibility for school programs, subject to the approval of the

dean of the college, and to conduct the business of the school efficiently. This broad

responsibility includes the acquisition and management of funds and the hiring and supervision of

faculty and staff.

• To plan with the members of the faculty and the dean of the college a progressive program; to

encourage research and educational investigations.

• To evaluate and improve instructional and administrative processes on an ongoing basis; to

promote improvement of instruction by providing for the evaluation of each course when offered,

including written evaluation by students of the course and instructors, and periodic course review

by the faculty.

• To evaluate faculty members annually in accordance with both university and school established

criteria; to inform faculty members when they receive their annual performance and merit review

of their right to review their primary personnel file maintained by the school and to place in that

file a response to any evaluation, comment, or other material contained in the file.

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• After consultation with the eligible faculty, to make recommendations to the dean of the college

regarding appointments, reappointments, promotions, dismissals, and matters affecting the tenure

of members of the school faculty, in accordance with procedures set forth in Faculty Rules 3335-

6 and 3335-7 and the school’s Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Document.

• To see that all faculty members, regardless of their assigned location, are offered the privileges

and responsibilities appropriate to their rank; and in general, to lead in maintaining a high level of

morale.

• To maintain a curriculum vitae for all personnel teaching a course in the school’s curriculum.

• To see that adequate supervision and training are given to those members of the faculty and staff

who may profit by such assistance.

• To prepare, after consultation with the faculty, annual budget recommendations for the

consideration of the dean of the college.

• To facilitate and participate in prescribed academic program review processes, in collaboration

with the dean of the college and the Office of Academic Affairs.

• To assess, review and reallocate space associated with the School of Earth Sciences (e.g., spaces

of Mendenhall Laboratory, Orton Hall, and storage facilities on Kenny Road).

Day-to-day responsibility for specific matters may be delegated to others, but the school director

retains final responsibility and authority for all matters covered by this Pattern, subject when relevant

to the approval of the dean, Office of Academic Affairs, and Board of Trustees.

Operational efficiency requires that the director exercise a degree of autonomy in establishing and

managing administrative processes. The articulation and achievement of school academic goals,

however, are most successful when all faculty members participate in discussing and deciding matters

of importance. The director will therefore consult with the faculty on educational and academic policy

issues and will respect the principle of majority rule. When a departure from majority rule is judged

to be necessary, the director will explain to the faculty the reasons for the departure, ideally before

action is taken.

B Other Administrators

Associate Directors – The School of Earth Sciences has two Associate Directors who are appointed

by the school director and report to the director. The Associate Director of Administration is

primarily responsible for administering the undergraduate and GE teaching program. This Associate

Director is typically the Chair of the Curriculum Committee (see below). The Associate Director of

Graduate Studies oversees the graduate programs in the School of Earth Science and chairs the

Graduate Studies Committee (see below). When necessary, either of these two Associate Directors or

one of the Division Chairs can be selected by the school director to act on behalf of the director.

Division Chairs – As noted above, the university’s Board of Trustees established the School of Earth

Sciences with a divisional structure. Each division is led by a Division Chair who will be selected by

division members as outlined in Appendix A. The responsibility of the Division Chair includes:

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• organize a meeting of the division members once per semester (e.g., if possible, in the time slot of

a full faculty meeting), or more often as circumstances dictate. Additional communications

between the division chair and the members may occur via email.

• serve as a member of the Advisory Committee.

• coordinate meetings and/or seminars focused on building individual and shared scientific capacity

via awareness of new datasets, mathematical tools, software, analytical systems and/or

instrumentation, with some consideration given to resource sharing.

• advise the director on School committee assignments, both standing and ad hoc, so to ensure that

all division members contribute in some way to the governance of the School of Earth Sciences.

• advise the director on extended leave of absence requests, especially in terms of possible impacts

on teaching, the ability of students to move through their course requirements, and compatibility

with OAA and College guidelines for Faculty Professional Leave (FPL).

• formulate with division members the division’s priorities for hiring new faculty and staff, and

prepare documentation about the need for new faculty in specific areas; advise the director on the

composition of search committees.

• advise the director on divisional representatives to serve on the Faculty Annual Evaluation

Committee.

• work with division members to establish a policy on voting on divisional business.

Other administrative assignments may include Building Coordinator(s), Colloquium Coordinator,

Health and Safety Officer, Bownocker Lecture Chairperson, Earth Sciences Club Advisor, Sigma

Gamma Epsilon Advisor, Social Events Coordinator, and Undergraduate Major Student

Coordinator/Advisor.

C Committees

Much of the development and implementation of the school’s policies and programs is carried out by

standing and ad hoc committees. The school director is an ex officio member of all school

committees and may vote as a member on all committees except the Committee of Eligible Faculty

and Faculty Annual Evaluation Committee.

The School of Earth Sciences shall maintain the following committees: Administrative Committee,

Advisory Committee, Alumni Committee, Awards Committee, Committee of the Eligible Faculty,

Communications Committee, Curriculum Committee, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Committee, Faculty Annual Evaluation Committee, Field Camp Committee, Friends of Orton Hall

Committee, Graduate Studies Committee, Health and Safety Committee, Mentor Subcommittees,

Orton Museum Committee, Space Committee, and Undergraduate Committee. Search committees are

appointed, as needed, to conduct reviews of faculty and staff applications and make recommendations

on appointments to the school faculty and Director. Other committees will be appointed as needed.

All School committees are advisory to the Director. The Director shall appoint all School committee

chairpersons and committee members for one-year terms or longer, usually commencing in the

Autumn Semester. Committee members are selected by the Director based on input from the

Associate Directors and Division Chairs.

Committees will ideally have representation from each division, but the size of Divisions may

preclude this in some years. Regional campus faculty with their TIU in the School of Earth Sciences

may be appointed to standing committees.

All committees shall execute their duties following standard parliamentary procedures (Robert’s

Rules of Order) to the best of their ability with decisions based on majority voting by members.

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Students are permitted to serve and vote on committees as outlined below. While there is nothing that

prohibits students from voting on school committees, it is good practice to exclude students from

sessions that involve student confidentiality.

Administrative Committee – This committee is charged with administering School, College, and

University related tasks such as scheduling of P&T meetings, setting faculty meeting agendas,

staffing of courses (faculty, instructors, and grad students), logistics and planning of

mentoring/teaching evaluation. The Director chairs this committee. Other members include

Associate Director of Administration, Associate Director of Graduate Studies, Director of

Undergraduate Studies, and P&T Chair. The Chair of the DEI Committee may also be added if

approved by a majority vote of the tenure-track faculty of the School of Earth Sciences. These

committee members are appointed as Chairs of their respective committees by the director, as

described below.

Advisory Committee – Members of this committee include the four Division Chairs as well as the

school director and Associate Director of Administration. Division Chairs are selected by faculty in

each division as described in Appendix A. The scheduling of and agenda for the Advisory

Committee meetings are set by an elected Division Chair (‘head’ of the Advisory Committee), in

consultation with other Division Chairs and their Division members, and the school director. The

Advisory Committee has a ‘bottom-up’ charge aimed towards development and implementation of

ideas from faculty constituents in the School of Earth Sciences.

Alumni Committee – This committee will focus on Alumni relations, including advising the school

director on the ‘Orton Award’ for a distinguished alum. The main duty of this committee will be to

oversee the Alumni Advisory Board, which shall meet once in the Spring Semester (preferably at the

same time as the Spring Awards Banquet) and ideally also one time during the Autumn semester. The

Chair of the Alumni Committee will identify Alumni who may be able to work the recruitment booths

at the annual meetings of AGU and GSA, and help the Communications Committee create the

monthly News Notes, which are distributed to all alums of the School of Earth Sciences. At least two

faculty (one as Chair) will be appointed by the director to serve on this committee.

Awards Committee - This committee will nominate School of Earth Sciences faculty and staff for

college, university, national and international awards. At least two faculty (one as Chair) will be

appointed by the director to serve on this committee.

Committee of the Eligible Faculty –The Committee of Eligible Faculty (CEF), including its

responsibility, is defined in the Appointments Promotion and Tenure (APT) document. This

committee includes faculty whose TIU is the School of Earth Sciences. This committee does not

include the Director. The Promotion & Tenure (P&T) Committee Chair is the chief administrator of

the CEF and appointed by the director with the advice of the Advisory Committee. The committee

also has a Procedural Oversight Designee (POD) selected from the CEF to provide oversight for

assuring that reviews are procedurally correct, fair, and free of bias for all faculty members. The

P&T Committee Chair duties are also defined in the APT document and include the following

additional duties:

•

make recommendations to the school director on Mentor assignments annually in the summer

•

ensure the Mentor Policy is implemented as defined in the Appendix of the APT document

•

oversee the electronic archiving of all dossier documentation of each candidate

•

solicit the external letters for Promotion and Tenure cases according to the procedures

outlined in the EXTERNAL EVALUATIONS section of the APT document.

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Communications Committee – Facilitate communication between faculty, alumni, the university

community, the broader Earth Sciences community, and the general public. Promote the School of

Earth Sciences via a monthly newsletter, social media channels, national/international meetings, and

the School’s website. Interface with other committees, including but not limited to the Alumni

committee (e.g., announcements regarding events), Undergraduate committee (e.g., recruiting

prospective students), and the Museum Director, about promotional material. At least two faculty

(one as Chair) will be appointed by the school director to serve on this committee. This committee

may also include non-voting student members appointed by the director based on recommendations

from the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Associate Director of Graduate Studies.

Curriculum Committee – This committee will provide a School perspective, integration, and

approval of courses and programs that impact Earth Science and Geodetic Science courses, including

College concurrence and GE Assessment. This committee will consist of up to four faculty

representing the breadth of educational and programmatic duties and a chair, who are appointed by

the school director. The chair of this committee will usually be the Associate Director of

Administration. The Chair of the Curriculum Committee is responsible for coordinating new course

proposals, facilitating the drafting of documentation for proposed, deleted, or modified courses and

programs; for transmittal of these materials and details of degree requirements to the appropriate

College Curriculum Committee; for preparation and proof corrections of University Course Offering

OAA Approval, and University Bulletin text; and for reporting all curricular matters to the faculty of

the School of Earth Sciences. The Chair of this committee does not vote except to break a tie vote.

The Chair of the Curriculum Committee will also serve as the Faculty Curricular Contact for the

College. The Chair of the Curriculum Committee will assign a Faculty Assessment Contact for the

College of Arts & Sciences.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee – This committee will advise the school director

on all issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusions issues in the School of Earth Sciences

including, but not limited to, recruitment, retention, workplace climate, and work to develop metrics

that the Faculty Annual Evaluation Committee can use to assess individual faculty contributions

towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. At least two faculty members (one as Chair), one staff

member, and at least two students (non-voting) will be appointed by the director to this committee.

Students will be selected based on input from the Associate Director of Graduate Studies and/or

Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Faculty Annual Evaluation Committee – This committee shall consist of four faculty members, one

from each division, as well as the school director who will chair the committee. The Division Chairs

will develop the process for selecting the faculty members on the committee from their divisions and

provide the names of those selected to the Director. Committee members will typically serve three

year terms. During Spring Semester, the committee (Director only observing) reviews all faculty

Annual Activity Reports and curriculum vitae, and advises the Director of their perception of job

performance by individual faculty in terms of teaching, research, and service, including contributions

toward diversity and the creation of an inclusive workplace climate. Performance is judged relative

to duties and responsibilities outlined in section IX below. Scores include no significant activity,

below expectations, met expectations, above expectations, greatly exceeding expectations.

Faculty Search Committees – These committees, appointed as needed, will consist of at least four

faculty members, and ideally at least one faculty member from each division. Committee members

and the committee Chair will be appointed by the school director. The director will seek advice from

the Advisory Committee on the members. Ohio State faculty from outside of the School of Earth

Sciences may be appointed by the director to serve on Faculty Search Committees (e.g., to broaden

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the diversity in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, expertise, etc.). Undergraduate and/or graduate

students (non-voting) from the School of Earth Sciences may be appointed to faculty search

committees.

Field Camp Committee – This committee will focus on management of field camp, including

logistics, number of instructors and GTAs necessary to maintain the course in the field. This

committee will advise the school director on the use of the Field Camp Endowment Fund, including

selection of recipients for scholarships and purchase of equipment. This committee will also advise

the director on best use of the Field Camp Endowment Fund by communication with major donors,

and coordinate fundraising for Field Camp Endowment including organization of reunions. This

committee also organizes communications to donors by the student recipients (notes of thanks) of

scholarships or awards. At least two faculty (or one faculty and one instructor) will be appointed by

the director to serve on this committee.

Friends of Orton Hall Committee – The Friends of Orton Hall Fund, established by the Board of

Trustees on June 2, 2006, is used to support students in the School of Earth Sciences. Funds are

typically awarded to support fieldwork, costs of laboratory studies, or attendance at professional

meetings. The award may be used by undergraduate students conducting research or by graduate

students for their thesis and dissertation work. A committee comprised of a chairperson and at least

two additional faculty members will be responsible for deciding the annual distribution of this fund

based on applications submitted by a student and a recommendation from the student’s advisor.

Graduate Studies Committee – This committee will prepare and revise graduate studies handbooks

for both the Earth Science and Geodetic Science graduate programs, prepare recruiting materials

including materials for the School of Earth Sciences’ website, process applications from prospective

graduate students, consult with relevant faculty on candidate’s suitability for recruitment, decide on

admission to the program, coordinate offers of financial support, help graduate students (e.g.,

liaisons) organize the one weekend campus visit for prospective students, oversee teaching assistant

class assignments (e.g., GTA or undergraduate assistants), review graduate student thesis/dissertation

proposals, award internal fellowships, nominate students in external fellowship competitions, and

create opportunities for the interaction of students between the two graduate programs (Earth

Sciences and Geodetic Science). An important part of the Graduate Studies Committee’s duties

include the monitoring of progress by all graduate students and adherence to School of Earth Sciences

and Graduate School regulations. Student progress and reporting thereof will follow procedures

established in the school’s graduate student handbook. The Committee also oversees the Graduate

School Category status of faculty for the School. In executing its duties, the Graduate Studies

Committee follows regulations set forth in the Graduate School Handbook. The Graduate Studies

Chair should hold at least one graduate student town hall meeting each academic year. This meeting

will be open to School of Earth Sciences graduate students and perhaps other members of the

Graduate Studies Committee. The purpose of the town hall meeting is to provide information and/or

communicate with graduate students about topics of interest to them. The Graduate Studies Chair

and/or School of Earth Sciences staff members may wish to hold orientations at the beginning of each

academic year (e.g., new student orientations or GTA orientations). These orientations may be

optional or mandatory to graduate students. This committee will consist of four faculty members

(one from each division), four student liaisons (one from each division), and a Chair, who is

appointed by the school director. The Division Chair, in counsel with the director, will develop the

process for selecting the faculty members on the committee, and develop the process to select student

members (typically by a vote of students in the Graduate Student Club). A staff member in the School

of Earth Sciences assists the committee. The Chair of the committee does not vote except to break a

tie vote. The student members are non-voting.

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Health and Safety Committee – This committee is constituted to include at least two faculty and/or

research staff involved in the types of activities for which there may be associated health and safety

hazards. The committee and its Chair are appointed by and report to the school director. The role of

the Health and Safety Committee is to promote healthful and safe conduct of teaching and research

activities and compliance with applicable regulations. The Chair of this committee is designated the

School Safety Officer. The Health and Safety Committee Chair notifies the director about

noncompliance problems and other health and safety concerns and promptly reports any

issue/concern to the appropriate Safety Officer, Coordinator, or Director within the university’s office

of Environmental Health & Safety until the issue has been resolved.

Mentor committees – Two mentors from the CEF will provide advice toward promotion for assistant

professors, assistant teaching professors, associate professors, and associate teaching professors (see

Mentor Policy as defined in the Appendix of the APT). Mentors are chosen by the P&T Chair and

school director in consultation with the advisee and relevant faculty. The Mentor Committee may be

maintained unchanged from year to year, or substitutions may be made. The responsibilities of the

Mentor Committee include an assessment of research productivity and teaching observations that are

detailed in a completed Annual Mentor Report Form signed by the mentors and mentee (see Mentor

Policy as defined in the Appendix of the APT) in conjunction with an annual meeting. If concerns are

noted by the mentors, it is recommended that they consult with the advisee on a more frequent basis

until such corrective action has been taken.

Orton Museum Committee – This committee consists of at least two faculty and/or staff. The

school director appoints a Museum Director from the tenure-track faculty in the School of Earth

Sciences. The Museum Director reports to the school director, and is responsible for the operation

and maintenance of the research, teaching, and public relations aspects (displays, outreach, data

curation). In some instances, an Emeritus Professor may serve as the acting Museum Director (e.g.,

the Museum Director goes on FPL). An Associate or Assistant Director (depending on professorial

rank) may be appointed by the school director, and shares in the operation of the museum, and may

take the lead on some museum activities, like public education. A Curator is primarily responsible

for collections management and managing museum outreach.

Space Committee - This committee will be chaired by the school director and include at least two

faculty and one staff (e.g., Administrative Manager). The section on Allocation of School Resources

(see below) describes the charge of this committee. Briefly, research space shall be allocated on the

basis of research productivity and group size (undergraduate, graduate, postdoc numbers), and may be

reallocated periodically as these faculty-specific variables change. This committee will also oversee

the allocation of office space for all faculty (including Emeritus faculty), staff, and students. The

allocation of space will include consideration of the best overall use of space to enhance efficiency,

communication, and morale.

Undergraduate Committee – This committee shall consist of up to four faculty members in addition

to as many as two (non-voting) student members. One of the committee members, usually the Chair,

will serve as Director of Undergraduate Studies. The school director, in consultation with the

Advisory Committee, will appoint other members of this committee and student members. This

committee oversees the selection of undergraduate scholarship/award recipients. The committee

conveys constructive suggestions to the Curriculum Committee regarding undergraduate

requirements. The members of this committee, especially the Chair, will work closely with the

undergraduate advisor to coordinate undergraduate major advising and recruitment.

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VIII Faculty Meetings

The school director will provide to the faculty a schedule of school faculty meetings at the beginning of

each academic semester (Autumn, Spring). The schedule will provide for at least one meeting per

semester and normally will provide for monthly meetings. In some instances, a Division meeting may be

substituted for a faculty meeting. A call for agenda items and completed agenda will be delivered to

faculty by e-mail before a scheduled meeting. Reasonable efforts will be made to call for agenda items at

least seven days before the meeting, and to distribute the agenda by e-mail at least three business days

before the meeting. A meeting of the school faculty will also be scheduled on written request of 25% of

the faculty. The director will make reasonable efforts to have the meeting take place within one week of

receipt of the request (assuming it is not received during the Summer semester). The school director (or

Associate Director of Administration) will distribute minutes of faculty meetings to faculty electronically,

within seven days of the meeting, if possible. These minutes may be amended at the next faculty meeting

by a simple majority vote of the faculty who were present at the meeting covered by the minutes. Other

School or Division meetings will be scheduled on an as-needed basis.

Regional campus faculty are encouraged to participate in person or by videoconference/telephone. All

Columbus-campus faculty who are not on an approved leave of absence or travel are expected to attend

faculty meetings in person or by videoconference if available. Those faculty members who are unable to

attend the upcoming meeting (e.g., due to approved travel) should provide notice to the school director,

the Administrative Manager, and their respective Division Chair at least one week before the meeting.

Special policies pertain to voting on personnel matters, and these are set forth in the school’s

Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Document.

For purposes of discussing school business other than personnel matters, and for making decisions where

consensus is possible and a reasonable basis for action, a quorum will be defined as 60% of all faculty

members eligible to vote. This policy holds for meetings within Divisions and standing committees.

Either the school director or one-third of all faculty members eligible to vote may determine that a formal

vote conducted by written ballot is necessary on matters of special importance. For purposes of a formal

vote, a business decision (other than personnel matters) will be considered decided when a particular

position is supported by at least a majority (>50%) of all faculty members eligible to vote. Balloting will

be conducted electronically when necessary to assure maximum participation in voting. When conducting

an electronic ballot, faculty members will be given 24 hours to respond. The Administrative Manager

(Office Associate or Fiscal Associate) will collect and count votes. Results will be announced during the

next business week by the director and reported in the minutes of the next faculty meeting.

When a matter must be decided and a simple majority of all faculty members eligible to vote cannot be

achieved on behalf of any position, the school director will necessarily make the final decision.

The school accepts the fundamental importance of full and free discussion but also recognizes that such

discussion can only be achieved in an atmosphere of mutual respect and civility. Normally school

meetings will be conducted with no more formality than is needed to attain the goals of full and free

discussion and the orderly conduct of business. However, Robert’s Rules of Order will be invoked when

more formality is needed to serve these goals.

The director may invite others, including faculty with courtesy appointments, emeritus faculty, or staff,

administrators, and guests from other departments to participate in a faculty meeting or a portion thereof.

However, these visitors may not vote on school business.

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IX Distribution of Faculty Duties and Responsibilities

Faculty assignments are described in the initial letter of offer. Some faculty (e.g., with joint appointment,

administrative service within another unit at Ohio State) may also have a College-approved Memorandum

of Understanding (MOU) that modifies these assignments for a set period of time. Assignments and

expectations for the upcoming year are addressed as part of the annual review by the school director based

on school needs as well as equity, faculty productivity and career development. If requested by the

director, individual faculty must provide a copy of the original offer letter and/or college-approved MOU.

During on-duty periods, faculty members are expected to be available for interaction with students,

research, and school meetings and events even if they have no formal course assignment. The school

policy regarding holding office hours will be at least one hour per week per course, and may be increased

based on a formal vote at a faculty meeting. On-duty faculty members should not be away from campus

for extended periods of time unless on an approved leave (see section XII) or on approved travel.

Depending on their appointment type, faculty members within the School of Earth Sciences are expected

to conduct research, teach, and/or provide service (e.g., to students, the School, college, and university).

Among these categories, there are no simple weighting formulas. Indeed, the performance and activities

in the three areas are clearly interrelated. Among the three, there will be somewhat different expectations

in quantity, but not quality, for faculty members at the Columbus campus and at the regional campuses.

The Director is responsible for ensuring that every faculty member has duties and responsibilities

commensurate with his or her appointment and that the school workload is distributed equitably among

faculty. While faculty members are expected to exercise “self-determination” in conducting their

research, or other scholarly activity, the school director and Associate Director of Administration, in

consultation with the faculty member, determine teaching arrangements and, in most cases, service to the

School of Earth Sciences. On the regional campuses, the dean/director determines teaching and service

assignments.

Telework exception: Faculty members with responsibilities requiring in-person interaction are to

work at a university worksite to perform those responsibilities. Telework and the use of remote,

virtual meetings are allowed if such work can be performed effectively and faculty members are able

to fulfill their responsibilities. Telework will be encouraged under certain circumstances if it serves

the needs of the school, college, university, and/or community. The school director has the discretion

to require faculty to work on campus if there are concerns that responsibilities are not being fulfilled

through telework.

The guidelines outlined here do not constitute a contractual obligation. Fluctuations in the demands and

resources of the school and the individual circumstances of faculty members may warrant temporary

deviations from these guidelines. Assignments and expectations for the upcoming year are addressed as

part of the annual performance and merit review by the school director.

A full-time faculty member’s primary professional commitment is to Ohio State University and the

guidelines below are based on that commitment. Faculty who have professional commitments outside of

Ohio State during on-duty periods (including teaching at another institution; conducting research for an

entity outside of Ohio State; external consulting) must disclose and discuss these with the school director

in order to ensure that no conflict of commitment exists. Information on faculty conflicts of commitment

is presented in the OAA Policy on Faculty Conflict of Commitment.

In crisis situations, such as life-threatening disease (COVID, for example) or physical dangers (natural

disasters, for example), faculty duties and responsibilities may be adjusted by the school director to take

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into account the impact over time of the crisis. These adjustments may include modifying research

expectations in order to maintain teaching obligations. These assignment changes must be considered in

annual reviews.

A Tenure-track Faculty

Tenure-track faculty members are expected to contribute to the university’s mission via teaching,

scholarship, and service. When a faculty member’s contributions decrease in one of these three areas,

additional activity in one or both of the other areas is expected.

Teaching

All tenure-track faculty are expected to contribute to the school’s teaching, including large enrollment

and specialized courses in both the undergraduate and graduate curriculums. The standard teaching

assignment for full-time tenure-track faculty members is at least two courses (at least six total credits)

per academic year, as outlined below. Faculty members are also expected to advise undergraduate and

graduate students and supervise independent studies and thesis and dissertation work.

Adjustments to the standard teaching assignment may be made to account for an OAA-approved

MOU (that is provided to the school director), teaching a new class, teaching a class for the first time,

the size of the class, whether the class is taught on-line or team-taught, and other factors that may

affect the preparation time involved in teaching the course.

The standard teaching assignment may vary for individual faculty members based on their research

and/or service activity. Faculty members who are especially active in research can be assigned an

enhanced research status that includes a reduced teaching assignment. Likewise, faculty members

who are relatively inactive in research can be assigned an enhanced teaching status that includes an

increased teaching assignment. Faculty members who are engaged in extraordinary service activities

(to the school, college, university, and in special circumstances professional organizations within the

discipline) can be assigned an enhanced service assignment that includes a reduced teaching

assignment.

The school director is responsible for making teaching assignments on an annual basis, and may

decline to approve requests for adjustments when approval of such requests is not judged to be in the

best interests of the school. All faculty members whose TIU is the School of Earth Sciences are

expected to do some formal instruction and advising over the course of the academic year, unless

otherwise noted in an MOU approved by OAA.

Within the School of Earth Sciences, teaching is considered an essential role for all faculty members.

Indeed, promotion through the ranks requires a dedicated commitment to our educational enterprise.

Faculty members are expected to present high quality courses that are characterized by enthusiasm,

innovation, and mastery of material. Factors upon which the teaching contribution of a faculty

member is judged include the design and content of any courses taught, contributions to curricular

development, ability to motivate and stimulate students to perform at the limit of their abilities and

dedication to class activities, e.g., meeting the class on time, being available for student questions and

discussions, effectively supervising students in independent studies and research. The evaluation of

teaching performance considers: peer and student (SEI) evaluations; review of syllabi, examinations,

assignments, and student work products. As noted above, teaching assignments are made by the

school director and Associate Director of Administration in consultation with individual faculty

members.

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Teaching expectations for faculty (and instructors) on the Columbus Campus are as follows:

1. High quality teaching as indicated by the following:

•

Provide up-to-date content at an appropriate level in every instructional situation and

demonstrate continuing growth in subject matter knowledge

•

Organize and present class material effectively with logic and enthusiasm

•

Creatively use various modes of instruction, classroom technology, and other teaching

strategies to create an optimal learning environment

•

Actively engage students in the learning process and encourage independent thought and

creativity

•

Provide appropriate and timely feedback to students throughout the instructional process

•

Treat students with respect and courtesy

•

Improve curriculum through revision or new development of courses and/or academic

programs

•

Engage in documentable efforts to improve teaching.

•

Meet classes on time, be available for student questions and discussions, and hold regular

weekly office hours

•

Favorable Student Evaluation of Instructor (SEI) scores

•

Favorable peer-teaching evaluations where applicable

2. Teach

•

2 courses per year that sum to a minimum of 6 total credit hours AND have a minimum

number of students required by Faculty Rule 3335-8-16 AND at least one of the courses is a

general education course or a major course of need in the School of Earth Sciences

•

AND in alternate years, teach either a team taught course with a minimum of 3 credits OR a

graded seminar/graded fieldtrip with minimum enrollment, defined above

•

This load applies to all tenured and tenure-track professors except new Assistant Professors

who may have a reduced course load during the first phase of their position as stipulated in

their offer letter.

•

However, total annual teaching load (excluding Summer semester) can range from 0.5 to 6

courses under the following circumstances:

• Can be reduced by 1 course for major service or administrative obligation to the School

of Earth Sciences as determined by the school director in consultation with the faculty

member

• Can be reduced for approved leaves and absences

• Can be reduced due to documented teaching reductions in offer letter or OAA-approved

MOU

• Can be increased to 6 courses if a faculty is conducting no research and has no graduate

students or undergraduate students as determined by the school director in consultation

with the faculty member.

3. Teach and advise undergraduate and/or graduate students

4. Mentor/advise/supervise teaching assistants and/or graders assigned to faculty member’s courses

In addition, a scheduled course that does not attract the minimum number of students required by

Faculty Rule 3335-8-16 will normally be cancelled and the faculty member scheduled to teach that

course will be assigned to another course for that or a subsequent semester. The other course will be

assigned by the school director in consultation with the Associate Director of Administration.

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Faculty with compensated joints appointments in another academic unit have teaching loads

proportional to their percent appointment in the School of Earth Sciences.

Teaching expectations for Regional Campus faculty are established by the respective regional

campus dean/directors.

Scholarship

All tenure-track faculty members are expected to be engaged in scholarship as defined in the school’s

Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure Document. Faculty members within the school should

distinguish themselves by exceptional accomplishments in scholarly pursuits. Faculty members are

expected to achieve national and international prominence and be among the leaders within a given

area of scientific inquiry.

Research expectations for faculty on the Columbus Campus are as follows:

1. Conduct original independent research on important scientific issues and communicate the

results to the scientific community. Contribute substantively to knowledge in one or more

areas of focus and be favorably cited or otherwise show evidence of influence of the work in

the field. Achieve a position of national (pre-tenure) and eventually international

prominence (post-tenure) and be among the leaders within a given area of scientific inquiry.

2. Publications – both quantity and quality are considered below:

•

Tenure track faculty: 2 peer-reviewed publications per year in ISI or Scopus listed

journals (i.e., journal articles, monographs) or one book or monograph

•

Faculty with contractually reduced teaching loads to permit higher research productivity

(i.e., most Eminent Scholars, some Distinguished University Professors): 4 peer-

reviewed publications per year (i.e., peer-reviewed journal articles, books, monographs)

•

The following attributes of published works are considered:

• Quality, impact, and citation metrics.

• Unique contribution to a line of inquiry.

• A rigorous peer review process and affording a degree of dissemination.

• Publications where students are first author are equivalent to first-author

publication by the faculty member; postdoc publications are also given more

credit than simply being a co-author on a non-student publication

3. Maintain active research program and engage in collaborative research as appropriate to

each discipline.

4. Obtain external grants to support research or actively seek funding. Grant support includes

federal, state, local, or international grants, or industrial grants or contracts. Competitive

peer-reviewed grants (e.g., from DOD, DOE, EPA, NASA, NIH, NSF) may be weighted

more favorably than other types (e.g., contracts or industry grants), since it serves as a

quality indicator of research.

5. Demonstrate a high degree of ethics in the conduct of research, including but not limited to

full and timely adherence to all regulations relevant to the research program, and ethical

treatment of students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators. See Office of Research

Compliance for policies on ethical research practices.

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Invention disclosures, provisional patent applications, and copyrights will be considered equivalent to

a professional meeting abstract or conference proceeding; patents, non-provisional patent applications

(converted utility patent) will be considered equivalent to an original peer- reviewed manuscript,

licensing activities that generate revenue for the unit will be considered equivalent to extramural

contract, and materials transfer activities may be considered evidence of national (or international)

recognition and impact.

Additional non-peer reviewed scholarly works may include, editing prestigious volumes, guidebooks,

reports.

Expectations for Regional Campus faculty are the same with the following modifications:

1. One peer-reviewed publication every other year

2. Seek internal or external support for research.

3. Expected to make scholarly contributions of the same high quality as Columbus campus

faculty

Service

Faculty members are expected to be engaged in service and outreach to the school, university,

profession, and community. Typically, this will include service on two committees within the school

and one outside the unit. This pattern can be adjusted depending on the nature of the assignment (e.g.,

service as committee chair, service on a particularly time-intensive committee, organizing a

professional conference, leadership in an educational outreach activity, service in an administrative

position within the school, college, or university) and general assessment of equity-minded workload.

All faculty members are expected to attend and participate in faculty meetings, recruitment activities,

and other school events.

Service expectations for the Columbus Campus are as follows:

• Make substantive contributions to the governance of the University, College, and School in a

collegial manner that facilitates positive contributions by others

• Contribute to the university (School and/or college and/or university)

• Contribute to the public (i.e., press releases, K-12 outreach, public lectures, interviews, etc.)

• Contribute to the profession (i.e., professional society committees, editorial or review

responsibilities, peer-review manuscripts and proposals, organize symposia/special events,

work on panels or society governance)

• Engage in School level activities that support student learning (e.g., seminars, student poster

sessions, and other similar events)

• Professors mentor Assistant and Associate Professors

• Service involvement evolves from participant (Assistant Professor) to leadership role (Full

Professor) with rank

• Service expectations are higher if teaching reduction has been granted to complete that

service

• Service expectations are lower in a year with approved leaves or absences as described in

Section XII.

i Special Assignments

Information on special assignments (SAs) is presented in the Office of Academic Affairs Special

Assignment Policy. The information provided below supplements these policies.

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Untenured faculty will normally be provided an SA for research for one semester during their

probationary period. Reasonable efforts will be made to award SA opportunities to all other

faculty members subject to the quality of faculty proposals, including their potential benefit to the

school or university, and the need to assure that sufficient faculty are always present to carry out

school work. The school’s Advisory and/or Administrative committees will evaluate all SA

proposals and make recommendations to the school director. The director’s recommendation to

the dean regarding an SA proposal will be based on the quality of the proposal and its potential

benefit to the school or university and to the faculty member as well as the ability of the school to

accommodate the SA at the time requested.

B Teaching Faculty

The School of Earth Sciences uses the title teaching faculty and will include Assistant Teaching

Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, and Teaching Professor. These appointments exist for

faculty members who focus principally on the education needs for the school. Teaching faculty

members may contribute to the school’s research and education missions, as reflected by participation

in graduate program development and teaching. Teaching faculty members are expected to contribute

to the university’s mission via teaching and service, and to a lesser extent scholarship. Service

expectations are similar to those for the tenure-track.

The standard teaching assignment for full-time Teaching faculty members is at the discretion of the

school director and School faculty. Generally, it is expected to be at least six courses per year.

C Research Faculty

Research faculty members are expected to contribute to the university’s mission via research.

In accord with Faculty Rule 3335-7-34,

a research faculty member may, but is not required to, participate in limited educational

activities in the area of his or her expertise. However, teaching opportunities for each

research faculty member must be approved by a majority vote of the TIU’s tenure-track

faculty. Under no circumstances may a member of the research faculty be continuously

engaged over an extended period of time in the same instructional activities as tenure-track

faculty.

Research faculty expectations for research are similar to those for the tenure-track (e.g., publications

in peer-reviewed journals, research grants, etc.), albeit proportionally greater since 100% of effort for

research faculty members is devoted to research. Specific expectations are spelled out in the letter of

offer and/or MOU, and should include expectations on research grants and/or extramural funding to

cover a significant percentage, in some cases up to 100%, of their own annual salary.

D Associated Faculty

Compensated associated faculty members are expected to contribute to the university’s mission via

teaching or research depending on the terms of their individual appointments.

Faculty members with tenure-track titles and appointments <50% FTE will have reduced expectations

of scholarly activity, teaching, and service based on their appointment level.

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Associated Faculty who have a split faculty-staff appointment and a professorial title, where the

faculty portion of the appointment cannot be more than 40%, are expected to demonstrate excellence

in teaching. They are also expected to engage in scholarly activity, and participate in School, College,

and/or University level service activity commensurate with their faculty appointment percentage.

Expectations for compensated visiting faculty members will be based on the terms of their

appointment and are comparable to that of tenure-track faculty members except that service is not

required.

The standard teaching assignment for full-time lecturers ranges from six to nine courses per academic

year.

E Modification of Duties

The School of Earth Sciences strives to be a family-friendly unit in its efforts to recruit and retain

high quality faculty members. To this end, the school is committed to adhering to the College of Arts

and Sciences’ guidelines on parental modification of duties to provide its faculty members flexibility

in meeting work responsibilities within the first year of childbirth/adoption/fostering, or care for an

immediate family member who has a serious health condition, or a qualifying exigency arising out of

the fact that the employee’s immediate family member is on covered active duty in a foreign country

or call to covered active duty status. See the OHR Parental Care Guidebook and the college pattern of

administration for details.

The faculty member requesting the modification of duties and the school director should be creative

and flexible in developing a solution that is fair to both the individual and the unit while addressing

the needs of the university. Expectations must be spelled out in an MOU that is approved by the dean

or divisional dean.

See also Leaves and Absences Policy in Section XII.

X Course Offerings and Teaching Schedule

The Associate Director of Administration, in consultation with the school director, will annually develop

a schedule of course offerings and teaching schedules in consultation with the faculty, both collectively

and individually. While every effort will be made to accommodate the individual preferences of faculty,

the school’s first obligation is to offer the courses needed by students at times and in formats, including

on-line instruction, most likely to meet student needs. To assure classroom availability, reasonable efforts

must be made to distribute course offerings across the day and week. To meet student needs, reasonable

efforts must be made to assure that course offerings match student demand and that timing conflicts with

other courses students are known to take in tandem are avoided. A scheduled course that does not attract

the minimum number of students required by Faculty Rule 3335-8-16 will normally be cancelled and the

faculty member scheduled to teach that course will be assigned to another course for that or a subsequent

semester. Finally, to the extent possible, courses required in any curriculum or courses with routinely high

demand will be taught by at least two faculty members across semesters of offering to assure that

instructional expertise is always available for such courses.

XI Allocation of School Resources

The school director is responsible for the fiscal and academic health of the school and for assuring that all

resources—fiscal, human, and physical—are allocated in a manner that will optimize achievement of unit

goals.

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As a general rule, budgetary matters will be made transparent by the school director to all faculty of the

School of Earth Sciences. The director will discuss the school at least annually with the faculty and/or

Advisory Committee. The school director (or Administrative Manager) will present a school budget

summary to the faculty and attempt to achieve consensus regarding the use of funds across general

categories. However, final decisions on budgetary matters rest with the school director.

With respect to space, the goal is to ensure that all space is actively utilized. Thus, the school director

may reassign under-utilized space and/or space that is utilized may have to be exchanged with other space

in order to optimize the total space usage.

Departmental space must never be used for long-term storage of apparatus or personal effects. When

assignments or reassignments of space are contemplated, the faculty member or other persons who will be

affected by the proposed changes will be consulted prior to the final decision, which will be made by the

school director.

Research space shall be allocated on the basis of research productivity, including external funding, and

will be reallocated periodically as these faculty-specific variables change. The Space Committee (see

above) will provide guidance on research space, however final decisions on space rests with the school

director.

The allocation of office space will include considerations such as achieving proximity of faculty in

subdisciplines and productivity and grouping staff functions to maximize efficiency. The Space

Committee (see above) will provide guidance on office space, however final decisions on space rests with

the school director.

The school director, in consultation with the entire faculty, will also outline criteria for space allocation

for emeritus faculty.

The allocation of salary funds is discussed in the Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Document.

XII Leaves and Absences

In general, there are four types of leaves and absences taken by faculty (in addition to parental leave,

which is detailed in the Parental Care Guidebook). The university's policies and procedures with respect to

leaves and absences are set forth in the Office of Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Handbook

and Office of Human Resources Policies and Forms website. The information provided below

supplements these policies.

A Discretionary Absence

Faculty are expected to complete a travel request or a request for absence form well in advance of a

planned absence (for attendance at a professional meeting or to engage in consulting) to provide time

for its consideration and approval and time to assure that instructional and other commitments are

covered. Discretionary absence from duty is not a right, and the school director retains the authority

to disapprove a proposed absence when it will interfere with instructional or other comparable

commitments. Such an occurrence is most likely when the number of absences in a particular

semester is substantial. Rules of the University Faculty require that the Office of Academic Affairs

approve any discretionary absence longer than 10 consecutive business days (see Faculty Rule 3335-

5-08).

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B Absence for Medical Reasons

When absences for medical reasons are anticipated, faculty members are expected to complete a

request for absence form as early as possible. When such absences are unexpected, the faculty

member, or someone speaking for the faculty member, should let the school director know promptly

so that instructional and other commitments can be managed. Faculty members are always expected

to use sick leave for any absence covered by sick leave (personal illness, illness of family members,

medical appointments). Sick leave is a benefit to be used—not banked. For additional details see

OHR Policy 6.27.

C Unpaid Leaves of Absence

The university's policies with respect to unpaid leaves of absence and entrepreneurial leaves of

absence are set forth in OHR Policy 6.45.

D Faculty Professional Leave (FPL)

Information on faculty professional leaves is presented in the OAA Policy on Faculty Professional

Leave. The information provided below supplements this policy.

Faculty members who desire an FPL should discuss the matter with their Division Chair. The

Division Chair will consult with the school director as to whether submission of a full proposal is

appropriate. Because FPL proposals must be approved by the College, the Office of Academic

Affairs, and the Board of Trustees before they are implemented, faculty should submit FPL proposals

for a particular year no later than the end of Autumn Semester of the preceding year, except when the

development of an unexpected opportunity precludes such timing.

The school’s Advisory Committee will review all requests for faculty professional leave and make a

recommendation to the school director by the end of January. The review is based on the following

criteria modelled on College guidelines:

• clarity of the project description, the specific objective for the leave, and the purpose of the

project being undertaken

• evidence that the project will make a significant contribution to the field involved

• evidence that the applicant will be able to make substantial progress on the project or in the

area of study during the requested leave period

• the qualifications of the applicant to undertake the proposed study and the importance of the

project to their professional development

The director’s recommendation to the dean or divisional dean regarding an FPL proposal will be

based on the quality of the proposal and its potential benefit to the school and to the faculty member

as well as the ability of the school to accommodate the leave at the time requested.

E Parental Leave

The university, the college, and this school recognize the importance of parental leave to faculty

members. Details are provided in the OHR Parental Care Guidebook, Paid Time Off Program Policy

6.27, and the Family and Medical Leave Policy 6.05.

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XIII Supplemental Compensation and Paid External Consulting

Information on faculty supplemental compensation is presented in the OAA Policy on Faculty

Compensation. Information on paid external consulting is presented in the university’s Policy on Faculty

Paid External Consulting. The information provided below supplements these policies.

This school adheres to these policies in every respect. In particular, this school expects faculty members

to carry out the duties associated with their primary appointment with the university at a high level of

competence before seeking other income-enhancing opportunities. All activities providing supplemental

compensation must be approved by the school director regardless of the source of compensation. External

consulting must also be approved. Approval will be contingent on the extent to which a faculty member is

carrying out regular duties at an acceptable level, the extent to which the extra income activity appears

likely to interfere with regular duties, and the academic value of the proposed consulting activity to the

school. In addition, it is university policy that faculty may not spend more than one business day per week

on supplementally compensated activities and external consulting combined.

For purposes of Supplemental Compensation and Paid External Consulting, a permitted honorarium for

external professional activities is that which is considered “usual and customary” in higher education and

the specific field of study.

Faculty with an administrative position (for example, chair, associate/assistant dean, center director)

remain subject to the Policy on Faculty Paid External Consulting and with appropriate approval, are

permitted to engage in paid external work activities. However, faculty members with administrative

positions are not permitted to accept compensation/honoraria for services that relate to or are the result of

their administrative duties and responsibilities.

Should a school faculty member wish to use a textbook or other material that is authored by the faculty

member and the sale of which results in a royalty being paid to him or her, such textbook or material may

be required for a course by the faculty member only if (1) the school director and dean or designee have

approved the use of the textbook or material for the course taught by the faculty member, or (2) an

appropriate committee of the school (e.g., Curriculum Committee) or college reviews and approves the

use of the textbook or material for use in the course taught by the faculty member. In the event the

selected textbook is authored by the instructor, royalties will paid directly to a School fund.

Faculty who fail to adhere to the university's policies on these matters, including seeking approval for

external consulting, will be subject to disciplinary action.

XIV Financial Conflicts of Interest

Information on faculty financial conflicts of interest is presented in the university’s Policy on Faculty

Financial Conflict of Interest. A conflict of interest exists if financial interests or other opportunities for

tangible personal benefit may exert a substantial and improper influence upon a faculty member or

administrator's professional judgment in exercising any university duty or responsibility, including

designing, conducting or reporting research.

Faculty members with external funding or otherwise required by university policy are required to file

conflict of interest screening forms annually and more often if prospective new activities pose the

possibility of financial conflicts of interest. Faculty who fail to file such forms or to cooperate with

university officials in the avoidance or management of potential conflicts will be subject to disciplinary

action.

POA for the School of Earth Sciences

In addition to financial conflicts of interest, faculty must disclose any conflicts of commitment that arise

in relation to consulting or other work done for external entities. Further information about conflicts of

commitment is included in section IX above.

XV Grievance Procedures

Members of the school with grievances should discuss them with the school director who will review the

matter as appropriate and either seek resolution or explain why resolution is not possible. Content below

describes procedures for the review of specific types of complaints and grievances.

A Salary Grievances

A faculty or staff member who believes that his or her salary is inappropriately low should discuss the

matter with the school director. The faculty or staff member should provide documentation to support

the complaint.

Faculty members who are not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion with the director and wish

to pursue the matter may be eligible to file a more formal salary appeal (see the Office of Academic

Affairs Policies and Procedures Handbook).

Staff members who are not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion with the director and wish to

pursue the matter should contact Employee and Labor Relations in the Office of Human Resources.

B Faculty Promotion and Tenure Appeals

Promotion and tenure appeals procedures are set forth in Faculty Rule 3335-5-05.

C Faculty Misconduct

Complaints alleging faculty misconduct or incompetence should follow the procedures set forth in

Faculty Rule 3335-5-04.

D Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct

The Office of Institutional Equity exists to help the Ohio State community prevent and respond to all

forms of harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct.

1 Ohio State’s policy and procedures related to affirmative action, equal employment

opportunity, and non-discrimination/harassment are set forth in the university’s policy on

affirmative action and equal employment opportunity.

2 Ohio State’s policy and procedures related to sexual misconduct are set forth in the

university’s policy on nondiscrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct.

E Violations of Laws, Rules, Regulations, or Policies

Concerns about violations of laws, rules, regulations, or policies affecting the university community

should be referred to the Office of University Compliance and Integrity. Concerns may also be

registered anonymously through the Anonymous Reporting Line.

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F Complaints by and about Students

Normally student complaints about courses, grades, and related matters are brought to the attention of

individual faculty members. In receiving such complaints, faculty should treat students with respect

regardless of the apparent merit of the complaint and provide a considered response. When students

bring complaints about courses and instructors to the school director, the director will first ascertain

whether or not the students require confidentiality. If confidentiality is not required, the director will

investigate the matter as fully and fairly as possible and provide a response to both the students and

any affected faculty. If confidentiality is required, the director will explain that it is not possible to

fully investigate a complaint in such circumstances and will advise the student(s) on options to pursue

without prejudice as to whether the complaint is valid or not. See Faculty Rule 3335-8-23.

Faculty complaints regarding students must always be handled strictly in accordance with university

rules and policies. Faculty should seek the advice and assistance of the school director and others with

appropriate knowledge of policies and procedures when problematic situations arise.

G Academic Misconduct

Faculty members will report any instances of academic misconduct to the Committee on Academic

Misconduct in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct. See also Board of Trustees Rule 3335-

23-05.

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Appendix A: Selection of Division Chairs

Division Chairs are selected by the membership of each division in accordance with policies developed

by each individual Division.

The Earth History Division and Water, Climate, and Environment Division have adopted the

following procedures for Electing a Division Chair.

When selecting a new division chair, division members will be informed of the meeting date, typically by

email, at least seven days in advance of a meeting.

Quorum: At least 60% divisional faculty attendance is required to conduct business. Teleconference,

phone, and videoconference are acceptable ways to participate in meetings.

Selection of Chair: Nominations are requested by the current chair and self-nominations are permitted.

The current chair presents the name(s) of the nominee(s) to the division members. If necessary, nominees

are ranked by each division member. The top two candidates are identified from the ranked lists of

nominees. Each member votes for one candidate by submitting her or his vote to the Administrative

Manager by the end of the next business day. At least 60% of the members must participate. The

candidate with 60% positive votes is elected chair (abstaining votes do not count in the tally). While

faculty are permitted to be in more than one division, each faculty member may vote only once a year for

a division chair within their primary division (Earth History or Water, Climate, Environment).

If fewer than 60% of the members participate in the election or neither candidate receives 60% of the vote

(e.g., the Division of Earth History has a total of six members, two members abstain and each candidate

receives two votes) then the school director selects the Division chair from the list of the top two

candidates.

This election process may proceed annually during the spring semester. The term of a Chair begins in the

autumn semester. The length of the term in generally two years. Special elections will be triggered when a

Division Chair announces that he or she is stepping down, the current Division Chair goes on FPL, or

when the majority of the membership of a division desires an election.

The other two divisions (Geodetic Science, Solid Earth Dynamics) will meet at the end of each

academic year (Spring semester) to reaffirm the current Division Chair or select a new Division Chair for

the upcoming academic year. As noted in Section VII (B), a Division Chair will work with division

members to establish a policy on voting on divisional business. In terms of voting, the Division of

Geodetic Science gives one full vote to each faculty member who belongs only to Geodetic Science, and

0.5 vote for any faculty who is a member of Geodetic Science + one other division.

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Appendix B: Selection of School Director)

During the last year of the term of the director, the divisional dean will conduct a thorough and

transparent review of the performance of the director during her or his term (e.g., using an anonymous

survey to collect feedback from faculty, staff and students), ascertain whether or not the director desires to

serve another term, and assess the level of support in the School for the director’s continuation. If the

director agrees to serve another term and his/her/their performance review is satisfactory, the dean will

consider feedback from the unit and then choose whether to reappoint the Director to another term.

If, based on a data-driven decision, a new director is to be selected, the dean will meet with the faculty of

the School to discuss the selection of a new director. After that meeting, the dean, in consultation with

the School, will form a search advisory committee composed of faculty, staff and students from the

School. The committee will include at least one member from a unit outside the School (e.g., TIU head

from another unit). The dean will appoint a chair from the members of the committee. Typically, the

committee chair will be the member from the unit outside of the School.

Working with the search committee, the School will identify candidates for the director position. It is

expected that faculty, students and staff will be involved in the selection process.

For external searches, normal faculty search procedures will be followed with the director search

committee serving as the search committee. TIU heads must be members of the faculty of the unit they

administer. Therefore, appointment of an external TIU head at senior rank requires approval by the

eligible faculty, the college dean, and OAA.

After the selection procedure has been conducted, the search committee will provide a recommendation to

the College concerning the appointment of the director. Specifically, the dean expects to receive a list of

potential Director candidates, an evaluation of the candidates by the search committee, and a sense of the

degree of overall support by the School for each candidate. The list of candidates may be ranked or

unranked. The dean will appoint a Director, taking into consideration the recommendations made by the

search committee and input received from the School (faculty, staff, and students).

The dean determines the terms of appointment in light of the needs of the school, circumstances of the

person to be appointed, and any other relevant considerations. Directors are normally appointed for a

four-year term. Mid-year appointments terminate at the end of the third full academic year of

appointment. A shorter appointment period may occasionally be specified in special circumstances.