Williams College Employee Handbook

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Faculty Teaching Duties and Related Responsibilities

Teaching Duties Full-time

Full-time faculty are expected to teach the equivalent of four courses a year, in addition to a Winter Study course every other year. This guideline may be modified by individual departments, which may add to the considerations for determining an individual's teaching load such matters as administrative responsibilities, supervision of independent study and theses, laboratory work, and supervision of musical or theatrical performing groups and musical performances (see Released Time Policy below). In all cases, however, a full-time faculty member must teach at least one course each semester, and may not teach more than three courses in a single semester, except in extraordinary circumstances (see Teaching Overloads below). Teaching responsibilities during a year in which a faculty member has a one-semester leave are spelled out in Professional Leave.

Winter and spring breaks excepted, all faculty members not on leave are expected to be in residence from the start of classes in early September through Commencement. Those who expect to be absent from campus during January or for more than five days during a semester should consult well in advance either with the appropriate committee, program, or department chair, or, in the case of chairs, with the Dean of the Faculty, to see whether they will be needed to fulfill their committee, departmental, or other administrative responsibilities. A faculty member who is unable to meet one or more classes should discuss the matter with his or her department chair to see whether any special arrangements should be made.

Reporting of Grades

In May 1976, the faculty passed the following resolution, which covers the responsibilities of all faculty members in reporting grades of students in their courses:

All grades in all courses (including theses and independent studies) are due in the Associate Dean for Student Services and Registrar's Office within four days after: (a) the final examination for courses with scheduled final examinations; (b) the last day of self-scheduled and take-home examinations for courses offering such options; (c) the last day of the examination period for courses with oral examinations; (d) the last day of classes for courses with none of the above.

Grades for students who have been granted an extension by the Dean of the College are due in the Associate Dean for Student Services and Registrar's Office four days after the extension date.

Released Time Policy

Full-time faculty are expected to teach the equivalent of four courses a year plus a Winter Study course every other year. The College, however, sometimes releases full-time faculty from one or more of their undergraduate course responsibilities to enable them to take on administrative or other specific College assignments, as stipulated below. The President may also at his or her discretion choose to grant course relief to individuals. The CAP in all such cases reduces the departmental FTE count by the appropriate fraction, enabling the department, when possible and appropriate, to replace the missing fraction.

Official releases from undergraduate teaching responsibilities are given, in varying amounts, for service as:

a dean or provost
an elected member of the CAP
a member of the Faculty Interviewing Panel
a chair of a department whose undergraduate teaching FTE is 12.0 or more; or
a chair of a department or program with more than two assistant professors; or
a chair of an interdepartmental program for two years, if in each of those two years there are a total of twenty or more junior and senior concentrators or majors
a chair of the Committee on Educational Policy, the Committee on Priorities and Resources, the Faculty Steering Committee, the Winter Study Committee, or the Science Executive Committee
a director of the Multicultural Center, the Center for Environmental Studies, the Center for Developmental Economics, or the Oakley Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences
a Kenan Professor or a Gaudino Scholar
a manager of certain technical support services
a director of some co-curricular activities in the performing arts
a leader of a special faculty seminar sponsored by the Oakley Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences
a faculty member who is teaching graduate courses in the graduate programs in Art or Developmental Economics

Released time is to be distinguished from other arrangements that reduce one's teaching duties such as a) a course-buy-back made possible by an outside grant; b) a course reduction to carry out special departmental responsibilities, in which case the chair authorizes the arrangement and the CAP does not replace the FTE fraction; c) a reduced teaching load with a pro-rated reduction in salary.

All questions concerning released time should be directed to the Dean of the Faculty.

Teaching Overloads

Faculty members may occasionally take on extra teaching responsibilities when illness, death, or disability prevent a colleague from meeting classes. Depending on the extent and duration of the additional responsibilities, the Provost may provide some additional compensation for the individual concerned. The extent and the form of such compensation depend upon individual circumstances.

Other Employment During the Academic Year

Additional teaching at other institutions is permitted at the discretion of the individual departments, and subject to approval by the Dean of the Faculty. Modest involvement in outside consulting and other similar remunerated activity is also permitted. Whenever such activity requires that the faculty member be absent from campus for the equivalent of more than eight weekdays per semester, permission of the Dean of the Faculty must be obtained. Individuals who are engaged in research under Federal grants or contracts and who also carry on other remunerated activities should discuss their situations with the Provost to ensure compliance with government regulations as well as College responsibilities.

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