Faculty Workload Policy

 

Who does the policy apply to?  

The Faculty Workload Policy applies to all tenured, tenure-track, and fixed-term university faculty.  

 

Which faculty are required to have a faculty work plan? 

Faculty work plans are required for tenure track faculty members and all faculty members who are appointed for longer than one year and who are full-time must have a workload plan. Faculty members who are appointed for one year or less or who are less than full-time may have a workload plan if directed by the institution. Faculty who also serve in administrative roles should have a workload plan.  

 

When will the new policy go into effect?  

The UNC Faculty Workload Policy was approved by the Board of Trustees in January 2024.  Each academic dean will be responsible for developing a workload policy that aligns with the institutional policy at both the college/school-level and department-level, where applicable.  All approved workload policies will be effective July 1, 2024. In accordance with UNC System Office mandate, all faculty must have a faculty workload plan in place on January 1, 2025. 

 

Why is there a new policy?  

The adopted policy is to provide clear guidelines and expectations for faculty workload, in line with the university’s mission and objectives. The new policy aligns with the UNC System Policy 400.3.4 which supports and recognizes the contributions of faculty while ensuring the deployment and monitoring of faculty workloads are consistent, efficient, and effective across all System institutions. 

 

What role did faculty members play in the development of the new policy?  

The System Office involved faculty from multiple system institutions in the development of its policy. A campus-wide committee, comprised of faculty and administrative representatives, was convened by the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost to formalize the University Faculty Workload Policy, which was approved by the Board of Trustees on January 18, 2024. 

 

What is faculty workload? 

The University identifies faculty workload as the distribution of effort for faculty in the primary categories of responsibility to include teaching, research/creative activity, service, and other related workload activities required within the school.  

 

How will my distribution of effort be determined? 

Workload categories are calculated on a percentage basis that totals 100%. Faculty will work with their department chair or dean to determine the appropriate allocation based on the time/work devoted to each category. This typically occurs during the development of the faculty member’s annual work plan or at time of hire. 

 

How are faculty work plans developed?  

Each faculty member will work with their department chair or dean to develop a mutually agreed upon work plan for the upcoming academic year that provides a clear framework to facilitate faculty planning, development, and evaluation. Each school will determine the relevant and specific criteria for faculty work plans, with an identified annual completion date. All faculty work plans must be approved in writing by the department chair or dean and the second level supervisor or designee. 

 

How will my work plan be affected if I have more than one faculty appointment? 

For faculty with more than one appointment, the department chair or dean of the primary department will be responsible for planning the faculty member’s workload in consultation with the unit head/s of the other appointing unit. Subsequently, the faculty member’s work plan must be approved by the primary unit’s department chair or dean in consultation with the unit head/s of the other appointing unit. 

 

How does the new policy differ from the prior policy on teaching loads? 

This policy replaces the teaching load policy that required minimum course loads based on the institution’s Carnegie classification. The older policy did not take into account the research, service, and mentoring that faculty perform in addition to teaching. 

 

Will there be any changes to how faculty are compensated for teaching under the new policy? 

The new policy does not stipulate any changes to how faculty are compensated for teaching. However, the University recognizes that unforeseen circumstances may arise related to teaching duties and such instances may warrant overload compensation. The Policy on Supplemental Pay for EHRA Employees outlines the request and approval process for overload pay. 

 

How will my work plan be used during the annual evaluation process? 

Under the new policy, the annual process requires assessment of specific criteria and evaluation of the faculty member’s performance based on the approved work plan. The faculty workload policies established at the college/school and department-levels will define the criteria for assessing performance and the process and schedule for which the annual evaluation will be conducted.   

 

Who should I contact if I have questions?

General inquiries about the faculty workload policy implementation plan should be directed to the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@unc.edu.