Interdisciplinarity: the agony and the ecstasy. The university encourages interdisciplinary research, and many colleagues enjoy the excitement of working with a team on a project with a great deal of potential. But there are also potential pitfalls to doing this early in your career. Interdisciplinary work really means building a new area of specialization that […]
Read More »The various University, College, and Department Standards contain language to the effect that your research must have made a “significant achievement”, that your contribution is “recognized as substantial” by authorities here and abroad, and there must be “evidence of leadership in the establishment and execution of a clearly defined program of research”. There is considerable […]
Read More »The USFA Constitution provides for two general membership meetings per year. The meeting package for the Spring General Meeting will be going out in the next few days. This meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 19th at 2:30 in Arts 241 Neatby-Timlin Theatre and will include presentations to USFA Retirees. Following the meeting please join […]
Read More »Read your standards carefully. Similarly, write your standards carefully. For example, “The candidate must hold a Tri-Council grant” means something very different from “There must be evidence that the candidate can obtain Tri-Council funding.” The first phrase narrowly ties a candidate to actually holding Tri- Council funding at the point of the tenure/promotion decision. This […]
Read More »The Collective Agreement is clear that you must meet the approved standards for tenure and promotion. Sometimes, candidates who have met the standard are advised to “wait until your case is stronger”. This may be well-intentioned, but can delay tenure or pay grades that you are entitled to. No one – not your Dean, Department […]
Read More »Today is the best day to start thinking about your promotion/tenure case. You have a lot of resources to help you with your case. By May 31, your Department Head or Dean should have met with you to discuss your progress with respect to the approved standards, with which you should be familiar. You don’t […]
Read More »The Collective Agreement is clear – you can elect to go for tenure or promotion in any year if you believe you have met your standards. The applicable standards may be less clear, and it may be difficult to gauge how strong your case should be. First, be sure you know which standards apply to […]
Read More »This is a reminder to all faculty whose family members are students eligible for the USFA Scholarship and who have successfully completed degree credit courses taken in the 2012-2013 academic year (May 1, 2012 –April 30, 2013). The USFA scholarship is open to students who are immediate family members of members of the University of […]
Read More »The next USFA member social is at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 at the University Club in the Windows Room. Join Executive Committee members and USFA staff for some refreshments. There’s a lot happening on campus and this is an opportunity to connect with colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere.
Read More »Have you considered running for election to the USFA Executive Committee? Each year one-half of the Executive Committee is elected by USFA members. A package soliciting nominations has been mailed and any regular member of the Association is eligible to run for a position. While being an Executive Committee member is a big commitment, our […]
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