Posts Tagged: Academic Personnel

End of academic review period sparks conversations about streamlining paperwork

We are now just one week from of the end of the current review period for UC ANR academics. I know many of you have confirmed your intended salary advancement action for the review period. Whether you intend to seek a salary advancement action or prepare an annual evaluation, you have likely noticed that a few of our trainings on those topics have been postponed.

The postponement is due to efforts underway to make document preparation for all actions less time consuming, regardless of your planned action. At the request of AVP Powers, the Academic Assembly Council Personnel Committee and the 2019 Peer Review Committee are working together to develop recommendations to greatly streamline and improve those processes. Following AVP Powers' review and decision, training dates will be established. All trainings will to take place this fall.

Many of our UC ANR academics say report that they spend over a month preparing their merit and promotion documents and that the current process can be quite stressful. Annual evaluation documents take almost as much time to compile. While the merit and promotion process is important, what's most important is that one's document provide the opportunity for an academic to share their accomplishments and contributions to UC ANR as well as their community, and their profession. The review process does is supposed to help evaluate one's work; it's not supposed to get in the way of an academic actually conducting their work. Similarly, the purpose of the annual evaluation is to guide activities towards achievement of an academic's stated goals without taking so much time that the process itself impedes success.

As we finalize enhancements to the document preparation guidelines that reflect the needed improvements recommended by many of you, I want to share the results of the 2019 merit and promotion review process. Case numbers vary from year to year, as do success rates; however, what we strive to ensure does not change is the rigor and high expectations we ask of our UC ANR academics. Because of this, our UC ANR academics not only progress well throughout their career but they are highly respected throughout the nation and in many sectors.

The message I want to leave you with is that we are committed to ensuring that paperwork and evaluations do not get in the way of the important work research and extension you do. The mission we serve and the work you contribute toward that is where we need to focus our energy. As always, many thanks for all the great work you do!

The following table provides a comparison of Program Review Outcomes over the past 5 years.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

Employee comment sought on academic freedom, responsibilities of non-faculty academics

The University invites comments on a proposed new Academic Personnel Manual Section 011 (APM - 011), Academic Freedom, Protection of Professional Standards, and Responsibilities of Non-faculty Academic Appointees.

Currently, APM - 010 (Academic Freedom) defines academic freedom as it pertains to faculty and defines the freedom of scholarly inquiry for students, as it derives from the faculty's academic freedom. APM - 015 (The Faculty Code of Conduct) defines the corresponding responsibilities as it pertains to faculty only. Although APM - 010 states that it is not intended to “diminish the rights and responsibilities enjoyed by other academic appointees,” APM - 010 and APM - 015 do not address how these concepts apply or do not apply to non-faculty academic appointees. The proposed new policy is intended to address the academic privileges, rights, obligations and responsibilities of non-faculty academic appointees.

The proposed new APM - 011, Academic Freedom, Protection of Professional Standards, and Responsibilities of Non-Faculty Academic Appointees, is posted at https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/academic-personnel-policy/policies-under-review/apm-011.html.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than July 1, 2019.

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

New code of conduct for UC academics takes effect July 1

A revised version of UC policy APM – 015 (The Faculty Code of Conduct) and APM - 016 (University Policy on Faculty Conduct and the Administration of Discipline) will become effective on July 1, 2017. Changes in policy include improving prevention of and response to sexual violence and sexual harassment. Academics should read the revised policy sections posted at http://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/academic-personnel-policy/policy-issuances-and-guidelines/revised-apm-015-and-016.html.

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

Employee comments sought on Academic Personnel Manual revisions

The University of California is inviting comments on proposed revisions to the Academic Personnel Manual sections listed below. Note that APM 740 applies to Agriculture and Natural Resources:

• 740, Leaves of Absence/Sabbatical Leaves (APM - 740);
• 285, Lecturer with Security of Employment Series (APM - 285);
• 210-3, Instructions to Review Committees that Advise on Actions Concerning the Lecturer with Security of Employment Series (APM - 210-3); and
• 133-0-B, Limitation on Total Period of Service with Certain Academic Titles
• (APM - 133).

Proposed revisions modify language intended to make the title more accurately reflect the requirements for advancement in the series and make hiring, evaluation and promotion practices more consistent across the UC system.

The proposal is located on the UCOP Academic Personnel and Programs website, “Policies under review,” under the “Systemwide Review” tab at http://ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/academic-personnel-policy/policies-under-review/index.html.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu no later than June 26, 2017.

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

VP issues 2016 call for CE positions

Colleagues,

Continuing our commitment to deploying Cooperative Extension (CE) specialists and advisors to address critical issues, ANR is soliciting proposals for these CE positions. The new 2016 call aims to identify positions for strengthening and rebuilding the ANR network to address programmatic gaps and emerging needs. The call, including the updated position proposal template as well as the process flowchart timeline and criteria documents, is posted at http://ucanr.edu/2016callforpositions.

The online position-proposal submittal process will be open from January 12 to May 5 to allow as much time as possible for internal consultation and discussions with ANR stakeholders in all program areas. We expect and strongly encourage engaging external stakeholders, including commodity groups, cooperating programs, agency partners, community groups, and others, to explicitly discuss priority needs for positions.

Filling critical academic positions is a top priority for ANR. Since the beginning of 2012, ANR has hired 86 advisors and specialists, and has 45 approved positions under recruitment or to be recruited in 2016. This list is posted on the 2016 call website. New 2016 position proposals should identify additional crucial positions.  

The resources released through retirements and separations continue to enable us to hire new advisors and specialists. As with the current recruitments, we will remain nimble with future hiring in phases over time to enable us to accomplish the search and hiring process in an orderly fashion, evaluate resources on a real-time basis, deal with unexpected changes in staffing, and address unforeseen critical gaps as they emerge.

Sincerely,

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

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