SENATE From the Senate Office: |
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March 24, 2015, Volume 61, No. 27 |
The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Vicki Hewitt, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Chair Claire Finkelstein gave a brief update on the activities of the Faculty Senate committees. She noted that SEC will discuss the Economic Status of the Faculty (SCESF) Report at the meeting, and that the Administration’s responses to the report will be published in Almanac along with the Report.
Past Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Past Chair Dwight Jaggard reported that the Academic Planning and Budget committee and Capital Council have been meeting.
Vote on the 2015 Senate Committee on Committees Slate of Candidates. SEC members voted to elect the slate of candidates selected by the 2015 Senate Committee on Committees.
Discussion of Tenure Process and FAQs from Office of the Provost. SEC members discussed a memo from the Provost concerning promotion and tenure. This memo is intended as a clarification of existing Faculty Handbook Section II.D.1. Procedures for Academic Appointments and Promotions. It says that all reviews for faculty promotion and tenure must be completed in the mandatory review year and will not be allowed in the terminal year. Faculty members who are denied tenure in their mandatory review year cannot be reviewed by the Provost’s Staff Conference a second time. This policy applies to tenure-track faculty, clinician-educators and research faculty. Faculty members can still come up for early review. However, if they are denied, the year after they are turned down becomes their terminal year. This clarification does not affect the process or basis for granting tenure clock extensions. The appeals and grievance process for cases of tenure denial also remain unaffected.
Discussion on the 2015 Economic Status of the Faculty Report. Erika Holzbaur, chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Status of the Faculty (SCESF), discussed the SCESF report. The majority of the data on which the report is based came from the Office for the Vice Provost for Faculty. The committee requested additional data from the Vice Provost for Faculty, and since this was not provided, the committee turned to publicly available salary data for senior administrators. The salary guideline for faculty has not been set above 3% since 2006. Faculty members in some schools, including the School of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine and the basic sciences faculty in the Perelman School of Medicine, were, on average, given salary increases below the 3% guideline. The committee noted the widening gap between faculty and senior administrator salaries. Compared to peer schools from the Ivy Plus group, Penn was in the middle of the pack with regard to full and associate professor salaries; Penn was ranked number one in salaries for assistant professors. Data from the Association of American Universities (AAU) allows comparisons between disciplines, and the committee felt that faculty salaries should be in the top 10% of their discipline. The committee also noted that mean and median salaries for women are substantially lower than those for men, and that this has not been improving over time. The committee recommends increasing faculty salaries relative to peer institutions; ensuring faculty salaries are in the top 10% of their discipline; consistency in implementing salary increases; addressing the continuing gender salary inequity; and enhancing transparency in the Administration’s communications with faculty regarding the determinants of faculty salaries.
SEC members and the Committee Chair then discussed: salary inequities for underrepresented minority faculty; strategies for achieving gender equity in salaries; and the gap between senior administrator and faculty salaries.
Update from the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty. Vice Provost for Faculty Anita Allen gave an update on activities in her office. Hiring of minority and women faculty is trending to historic highs. Since the Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence was instituted, there has been a noticeable increase in the percentage of underrepresented minorities hired. The diversity and inclusion initiatives are thriving. Faculty development and salary equity for women are continuing priorities. She then clarified the Provost’s memo concerning promotion and tenure.
SEC members and the Vice Provost for Faculty then discussed how the tenure policy will affect recruitment and retention; qualifications for coming up early for tenure; how the policy will be enforced at the school level; right of appeal for tenure denials; how this will affect those currently in the review process; the policy on extensions of the probationary clock; how to address the gender salary gap; and whether there should be faculty representation on the Board of Trustees. |