Faculty - Policies, Governance & Professional Development
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VIMS-Specific Policies
VIMS operations and employees are governed by VIMS Policy & Procedure Documents (PPDs) and by William & Mary university policies (see below). The VIMS PPDs serve to establish policies and procedures unique to VIMS and/or to provide additional information and guidance regarding the application of William & Mary university policies at VIMS. The VIMS PPDs include faculty-specific policies as well as policies that apply to all employees, including faculty.
Faculty-Specific Policies & Guiding Documents
The William & Mary Faculty Handbook defines faculty roles in the university and provides information on faculty rights, responsibilities and protections. In particular, it specifies the nature of and processes for faculty appointments, hiring, evaluation, tenure and promotion, and leave for faculty across the university. The Faculty Handbook applies to instructional and research faculty who have academic appointments in a School.
The Faculty Bylaws of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science/School of Marine Science define VIMS instructional and research faculty and administrative officer roles, provides information on VIMS faculty rights and responsibilities and describes faculty governance structure at VIMS.
In accordance with the policies and procedures described in the W&M Faculty Handbook and the VIMS Faculty Bylaws, the following VIMS-specific faculty policies, processes, and procedures have been approved by the VIMS faculty and at the university level.
Appointment, Evaluation, Retention, Promotion & Award of Tenure
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Faculty Funding Salary Model |
Junior Faculty Mentoring |
Leaves of Absence |
Named Professorships |
Retirement, Post-Retirement |
Affiliated Scholar Appointments |
Other Key VIMS Policies |
The policies listed above are also available in the Faculty or Dean & Director sections of the VIMS PPD Library.
University Policies
Benefit and leave information is available from W&M Human Resources.
The W&M Office of Compliance & Equity provides a centralized collection of current university policies. Policies are organized by major topic and cover areas such as Academics & Student Life, HR and Personnel, Research Activities, Safety and IT & Security.
Faculty Governance
University-WideQuick links: W&M Faculty Assembly Faculty Governance is central to how faculty have input into university operations and how campus leaders understand better the issues facing faculty members. The following faculty committees help formulate university policy and procedures and/or to negotiate and/or adjudicate in cases dealing with appeal, sanction, dismissal, and grievance. The W&M Faculty Assembly is the university-wide faculty governance body that includes elected members representing the five faculties: Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Law and Marine Sciences. Its purpose is to advise the President and Provost on matters affecting the welfare of the university as a whole and to represent faculty interests at the university level. The chairs of VIMS’ Faculty and Academic Councils are the VIMS representatives to the W&M Faculty Assembly. The Procedural Review Committee is charged with two functions. First, it reviews the procedures established by departments and schools regarding faculty personnel decisions for consistency with the Faculty Handbook and with other university policy. Second it entertains and considers petitions from individual faculty members in accordance with the provisions set forth in AAUP's "Academic Freedom, Tenure and Due Process." VIMS has an elected representative to the PRC. The Personnel Policy Committee advises the Provost, and through the Provost the President of the College, on faculty personnel policies and is also charged with assessing the administrative feasibility of procedures adopted by the Faculty for the retention and promotion of faculty and the award of tenure. The Personnel Policy Committee consists of the deans, the members of the Procedural Review Committee, and the Provost as chair. |
VIMS Faculty CouncilQuick links: Faculty Council; VIMS Faculty Bylaws Faculty Council (FC) - Faculty governance is accomplished through the Faculty Council, whose members receive their authority from the VIMS Faculty as stipulated in the Bylaws. The FC provides a forum for the discussion of the concerns and interests of VIMS faculty both with regard to the Institute and William & Mary more broadly. The FC's elected representatives consult with and advise the Dean/Director on matters of concern to the Faculty and the operations of VIMS. The FC consists of two Representatives elected by each Section, and two At-Large Representatives elected by the full Faculty. The Chair of the FC serves as a VIMS Faculty Representative to the W&M Faculty Assembly. The FC meets monthly. Representatives report back to their Sections on Council business and also serve as a conduit for bringing issues to the Council for discussion. The Committee on Faculty Status and Tenure Review (FS&TR) is a standing committee of the Faculty Council. This committee a) reviews the credentials of applicants for Faculty status and makes recommendations regarding Faculty appointments, rank, and status to the Dean & Director; b) reviews the records of Faculty members and makes recommendations to the Dean & Director regarding Faculty interim reviews, promotion, retention, the award of tenure and, when required, post-tenure review; c) reviews Faculty appeals of annual performance evaluations and provides findings and recommendations to the Dean & Director and d) develops procedures for the appeal of its decisions by Faculty. VIMS PPD - 1308 provides the procedures and criteria for appointment, evaluation, retention, promotion and award of tenure for VIMS academic faculty. |
VIMS Academic CouncilQuick links: VIMS Faculty Bylaws; Academic Council; Standing Committees of the Academic Council (all intranet): Academic Status & Degrees, Admissions (Graduate), Educational Policy, Quantitative Skills, Student Fellowship, Student Research Grant Faculty oversight of School of Marine Science academic program is accomplished through the Academic Council (AC). As stipulated in the VIMS Faculty Bylaws, AC has oversight of admission and academic degree requirements, and is responsible for continuing review of the curriculum and academic programs. The AC provides a forum for the discussion of the concerns and interests of VIMS faculty with respect to all aspects of the academic program. The AC’s elected representatives also consult with and advise the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs on matters related to the academic and degree programs. The Academic Council consists of two Representatives from each Section elected by the faculty of each Section, and two At-Large Representatives elected by the full Faculty. The Chair of the AC serves as a VIMS Faculty Representative to the W&M Faculty Assembly. The AC meets monthly. Representatives report back to their Sections on Council business and also serve as a conduit for bringing issues to the Council for discussion. The standing committees of the Academic Council are (all intranet): Academic Status & Degrees, Admissions (Graduate), Educational Policy, Quantitative Skills, Student Fellowship, Student Research Grant |
Professional Development
W&M Opportunities & ResourcesW&M Faculty Affairs & Development supports the professional development of faculty members through every stage of their career. They also maintain a calendar of Faculty Development Events. In support of faculty professional development, William & Mary holds an Institutional Membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). This nationally recognized, independent organization provides online career development and mentoring resources for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students from over 450 colleges and universities. In addition to the resources available to you as an Institutional Member, the Center also offers professional development training, intensive mentoring programs, and support needed to succeed in the academy. Members receive a weekly motivational email (the Monday Motivator) and access to the complete NCFDD Core Curriculum, guest expert webinars, intensive multi-week courses facilitated by national experts, a private discussion forum, monthly writing challenges, and the opportunity to connect with a writing accountability partner. W&M Human Resources – Talent Development offers courses, tools and trainings to help you meet your goals in areas such as leadership, communication, and personnel hiring and management. As a member of the W&M Community, you also have access to LinkedIn Learning in Cornerstone, the online learning management system for faculty and staff. Topics cover a range of business, creative and technical topics, from leadership “soft skills” to design principles to programming. W&M Diversity & Inclusion celebrates inclusive excellence champions and supports faculty professional development through a Lunch & Learn series, IDEA grants, Cornerstone Learning and an Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium. The Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation (STLI) provides resources and teaching-related professional development opportunities. They also offer one-on-one consultations. The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) provides W&M compliance committee members (IACUC, PHSC, and IBC, RAD), principal investigators, students, and staff with on-line trainings that document compliance with various federal mandates. Visit Research Support for information on how to access the CITI modules and VIMS Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. |
VIMS Opportunities & ResourcesThrough this portal, VIMS provides guidance and resources to support your work across Research, Advisory Service, and Academic, Teaching & Student-Advising. The VIMS Diversity & Inclusion Committee (known as Dive-In) offers trainings and hosts events that are open to faculty, staff and students. Watch email for announcements. VIMS faculty and staff are regularly invited to participate in professional, skill-building, and other workshops or trainings hosted at VIMS or W&M. Examples of recent offerings include a GIS and Remote Sensing Workshop Series and a Sharing Science through Social Media Workshop. Keep an eye on your email and the W&M Digest for information about these opportunities as they arise. Did you know? VIMS Professionals and Staff have access to the Professionals and Staff Development Fund (intranet) Please make sure that your employees are aware of this fund and encourage them to visit the PPF Council webpage (intranet) for information. |
External ResourcesMaking the Right Moves (pdf) is an older publication, but it remains a valuable resource for early career faculty and postdoctoral scientists. Professional societies offer a broad range of professional development opportunities. If you haven't already tapped into these resources, check out the list of opportunities we compiled for graduate students. |
Faculty and Staff Awards & Recognition
W&M Awards & OpportunitiesQuick link: W&M Awards & Opportunities; Duke & Aceto Awards; Inclusive Excellence Champions William & Mary recognizes and celebrates faculty and staff achievement with numerous awards given throughout the year. |
VIMS AwardsThe VIMS community gathers in May every year to recognize and honor exemplary performance by faculty, staff, and students during the previous calendar year. Learn more about how we celebrate service and excellence at VIMS. |
last page edit: 6/28/24 by LCS