By-Laws
- Mission
- Goals & Programs
- Organization
- Advisory Board
- Administrative Assistant
- Grant Development & Review
- Institutional Review
- Amendments to the By-Laws
Mission
The Center for Teaching Excellence promotes teaching practices that enhance student learning at UMass Dartmouth. To this end, the Center:
- Facilitates collaborative faculty engagement with the practice and scholarship of teaching;
- Provides services, programs, and information on effective teaching and teaching assessment practices to assist faculty with their on-going professional development as educators;
- Encourages innovative research and scholarly publication on learning and teaching in higher education;
- Connects UMass Dartmouth faculty with national and regional organizations and initiatives pertaining to the improvement of university-level teaching;
- Regularly assesses campus needs in the areas of teaching and learning to inform development of CTE programming;
- Contributes to the development of policies, initiatives, and campus-wide culture that supports excellence in teaching;
Goals & Programs
Annually the Director will propose to the Advisory Board a program of activities for the following academic year that support the Mission of the Center. After discussion and approval by the Board, the program will be recommended to the Provost.
Organization
Director
- The Center Director shall be selected as follows:
- The Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence shall be a tenured faculty member at UMass Dartmouth.
- On or before January 1st of the last year of the present Center Director's term of office, the Provost shall notify the faculty that the position is vacant and invite applications and nominations. All applicants will be reviewed by the CTE Advisory Board. The Board shall forward to the Provost the names of applicants it would recommend for the position by March 15th. The Provost will make the appointment from this list.
- The three year term shall commence on June 1st.
- The out-going Director may assist with the transition during the Summer.
- An individual may be renewed for one additional three-year appointment with the written recommendation of the Board and the approval of the Provost. The Director may serve a maximum of six consecutive years and may only serve additional terms if they are not consecutive.
- Should the Director resign, retire, or otherwise be separated from his or her faculty position, the term as Director shall also be terminated.
- The Provost is the Director's immediate supervisor on all matters related to the Center for Teaching Excellence. The Director's performance will be evaluated by the Provost and documented in written form. The Board may be asked to submit an annual written evaluation of the Director's performance to the Provost. The Provost will evaluate the various facets of the Director's performance under the appropriate categories of evaluation established in the Agreement between the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees and the University of Massachusetts Faculty Federation.
- An individual may be removed as Director before expiration of his/her term by:
- the Provost, only after consultation with and written recommendation from the Advisory Board; or
- a two thirds vote of the full Advisory Board and subject to the approval of the Provost.
- The duties of the Director are:
- to provide leadership and oversee the planning and implementation of the teaching development program;
- to submit to the Advisory Board a proposed program and budget for the subsequent academic year;
- to submit the proposed program and budget that has been recommended by the Advisory Board to the Provost;
- to convene meetings of the Advisory Board and to preside over said meetings;
- to submit an annual report to the Board (before mid-May) and the Provost (by July 1) of all activities carried out under the auspices of the Center including programming, program assessment, personnel, expenditures, and sources of funding;
- to work closely with the Office of Research Administration to ensure the timely publicizing and efficient processing and distribution of CTE grants;
- to appoint an Acting Director subject to approval of the Provost whenever the Director is expected to be absent for a period exceeding twenty working days;
- to evaluate the performance of the Administrative Assistant on a yearly basis;
- to recommend to the Board the creation or discontinuance of working committees or taskforces of the Center for purposes of planning and carrying out teaching development programs and to nominate Committee Chairs to the Board;
- to appoint new members of the Advisory Board, subject to the approval of the existing Advisory Board;
- to maintain a written record of all policies governing the operation of the Center and its personnel.
- to make recommendations, after on review of the Grants Committee's recommendations, to the Provost for the funding of grant proposals;
- to cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie by members of the Advisory Board except in matters involving the Director's position.
- The Center Director will have a teaching load reduction of at least three units or one course per semester during the appointment period. The Director will receive an additional stipend and a part-time summer appointment both of which are to be negotiated with the Provost.
- The Center Assistant Director shall be selected as follows:
- The Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence shall be a tenured faculty member at UMass Dartmouth.
- On or before June 1 of the last year of the present Center Assistant Director's term of office, the Provost shall notify the faculty that the position is vacant and invite applications and nominations. All applicants will be reviewed by the CTE Advisory Board. The Board shall forward to the Provost the names of applicants it would recommend for the position. The Provost will make the appointment from this list.
- The three-year term shall commence on June 1st.
- The out-going Assistant Director may assist with the transition during the Summer.
- An individual may be renewed for one additional three-year appointment with the written recommendation of the Board and the approval of the Provost. The Assistant Director may serve a maximum of six consecutive years and may only serve additional terms if they are not consecutive.
- Should the Assistant Director resign, retire, or otherwise be separated from his or her faculty position, the term as Assistant Director shall also be terminated.
- Duties include:
- Development and oversight of CTE Programs and activities selected by the Director.
- Submit an annual report to the Director (before May 1) of all activities carried out under the auspices of the Assistant Director position including: programming, program assessment, personnel, expenditures, and sources of funding.
- The Center Assistant Director will receive the equivalent of two course releases (which may be taken as a three unit course release or an additional stipend) and a possible summer stipend to be negotiated by the Director and approved by the Provost.
Advisory Board
Teaching development at UMass Dartmouth is a faculty-driven initiative. The Advisory Board plays a crucial part in developing the CTE into a center that effectively meets the teaching-related needs of the faculty and supports teaching excellence at UMass Dartmouth.
- The Board will consist of:
- UMass Dartmouth faculty and staff who are committed to teaching and teaching development
- 1to 2 members of each academic council; 1 representative for PTVLs; 1 representative from administration; 1 staff member; and up to 3 additional individuals committed to teaching development at UMass Dartmouth. The Board will have a maximum of 20 members.
- The selection process of the Board entails the following:
- Prospective members are nominated or self-nominated;
- Board members are selected by vote of the existing Board at the end of each academic year;
- Board members who fail to meet their responsibilities may be asked by the Director to resign;
- Should a member of the Advisory Board resign, retire or otherwise be separated from his or her University position, the term on the Advisory Board shall also be terminated.
- The tenure of Board service shall:
- consist of a 3 year term;
- be staggered to ensure continuity in Center governance
- Board members' responsibilities include:
- to attend CTE Board meetings (not missing more than 2 consecutive meetings);
- to review Director's report on Center programming and make recommendations for program planning;
- to review budget allocations and make recommendations for expenditures and encumbrances from the budget;
- to approve or reject nominations of individuals for appointment to the Advisory Board;
- to approve or reject Director's recommendations for creating or discontinuing working Committees of the Center for Teaching Excellence;
- to approve or reject Director's nominations of individuals for appointment or removal as Chairs of the Committees;
- to actively participate in one of the Center's working committees. These working committees are crucial to the functioning of the Center;
- to review, recommend, and approve any policies governing the Center's operations as specified in the Mission Statement and the By-laws;
- to approve or amend the Director's proposed annual report, financial statement, and proposed budget before it is submitted to the Provost.
The Director and Assistant Director must notify all members of the Advisory Board of the time, date, and place of all meetings at least two weeks in advance. A majority of the Advisory Board shall constitute a quorum. A majority of those present and voting shall be sufficient to grant or withhold the approval of the Advisory Board on all matters, except as specified elsewhere in the By-laws.
The Advisory Board will upon request submit an annual written evaluation of the Director's and Assistant Director's performance to the Provost and Faculty Evaluation Committee of the department in which the Director holds an academic appointment.
Affiliates to the Advisory Board
The Advisory Board will recognize faculty who make a significant contribution to CTE's success by naming them CTE Affiliates. This recognition can also be given to non-UMass Dartmouth people who make a significant contribution to the CTE. Affiliate status carries no duties or responsibilities. Affiliates are welcome to attend Advisory Board meetings (non-voting). Board members may nominate affiliates or people may self-nominate; nominations are to contain a statement of activities and justifications relevant to Affiliate status. Nominations will be called for in spring, timed appropriately so that the Director may present the nominations for next year's Affiliates to the Advisory Board for action at the last meeting of the academic year. Successful nominees will submit a resume to the Director so that their names and information about them can be posted on the CTE web site. Affiliates will retain that title for two years, and Affiliate appointments may be renewed indefinitely. It is expected that the list of current Affiliates will not exceed fifteen.
Administrative Assistant
The half-time Administrative Assistant for the Center is hired by the Director upon recommendation by the Board. The Director is the Administrative Assistant's immediate supervisor in all matters pertaining to the running of the office of the Center for Teaching Excellence. The evaluation of the performance of the Administrative Assistant is determined by the Director in accordance with the regulations that govern ESU contracts.
Grant Development & Review
CTE is responsible for the development and review of teaching development grants for UMass Dartmouth faculty. The CTE Grant Committee is responsible for helping to develop grants that effectively support teaching excellence among UMass Dartmouth faculty; make efficient use of available resources, and are fairly distributed.
- The selection of the Grant Committee shall entail the following:
- there will be members of the Advisory Board to represent each of the Academic Councils and the Director;
- the Director shall chair the Grant Committee;
- members of the Advisory Board will be nominated or self-nominated for membership on the Grant Committee;
- the Advisory Board will make recommendations for Committee membership to the Provost who will review and approve committee membership;
- each member (with exception of the Center Director) will serve a two-year term; consecutive renewal is possible only with approval from the Provost;
- terms will be staggered to ensure continuity of the selection process and wide participation in the grant selection process.
- The responsibilities of the Grant Committee include the following:
- to design grant opportunities that effectively support the Center's and University's Mission of teaching excellence;
- to develop and submit to the Provost for approval guidelines for all CTE grants;
- to help UMass Dartmouth faculty become aware of the Center's grant opportunities in a timely, effective, and systematic fashion;
- to work with interested faculty to develop fundable proposals;
- to fairly review all grant proposals in a timely fashion and on the basis of agreed-upon criteria;
- to make recommendations to the Director for the approval of specific grant proposals;
- the Director shall participate in the selection process, review the recommendations made by the committee; and forward recommendations for the approval of specific grant proposals to the Provost for funding;
- to provide timely and constructive feedback to all faculty who submitted grant proposals to the Center;
- to make recommendations to the Center Director for how the results of grant-funded work can be communicated to the wider campus community.
Institutional Review
Annual reports will be presented to the Provost who will review the focus and accomplishments of the Center for Teaching Excellence in accordance with University Policy. Institutional Review will provide an opportunity for the Provost and Chancellor to take corrective action to insure that the Center is functioning effectively.
Amendments to the By-Laws
Any new by-laws or amendments to the existing by-laws must be submitted in writing at a regular quarterly meeting of the Advisory Board. All changes in the By-laws must be voted on and approved by a two-thirds vote of the Advisory Board and submitted to the Provost for approval.
