CEPS Handbook 2023-24

The College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) Handbook serves as a guide and reference for CEPS academic departments, units, programs, faculty, and staff regarding information critical to the college’s operations.

Effective September 1, 2023

1. Introduction
   The College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) Handbook serves as a guide and reference for CEPS academic departments, units, programs, faculty, and staff regarding information critical to the college’s operations. While these policies and procedures are specific to CEPS, they are consistent with CWU Policies and Procedures and the United Faculty of Central Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). These policies and procedures should be reviewed and revised regularly to reflect relevant changes in the college and university. The dean’s office will lead a complete review of the CEPS Handbook at least every three years in consultation with the dean’s council and input from college faculty and staff.
   
   The college will maintain a separate policies and procedures handbook (“School of Education (SOE) Handbook”) pertaining to the SOE overseen by the SOE Director and approved by CEPS dean and academic deans impacted by SOE.
   
   
2. College Organization and Operations
   The dean of CEPS is the chief executive and academic officer, hiring authority, and principal academic administrator of the college. The dean’s staff includes two associate deans (ADs) (one of the ADs serves as the SOE Director), an administrative specialist, a director of development, an alumni engagement coordinator, a recruitment and outreach specialist, an advising director, and a secretary senior. The organization chart is located on the CEPS website.
   
   
3. Communication Plan
   Communication and collaboration are values of the CEPS. We are one - departments and the dean’s office - and work towards a common goal of total student success and making CEPS a college of choice. Whether it is overload submission or curriculum proposal, timely, complete, accurate, and transparent communication between the dean's office and the departments is crucial to mission fulfillment and achieving our vision. The plan’s purpose is to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the dean’s office staff and share an operational calendar so that communication and collaboration are streamlined and effective.

Quarterly contract requests

• NTT additional assignments contract requests
• TT/T Overload requests
• Arranged course forms
• Individual student forms
• Schedule/Grade change forms
• MOUs/MOAs
• Internships
• Course Challenge

• Tuition Waivers
• Meal memos
• Professional Development funds
• Submitting schedules
• Sending out email from dean’s office

1. Associate Deans Roles and Responsibilities

   Associate Deans (AD) are leadership partners to the dean and are critical to the college's success, growth, and future. The specific roles and responsibilities between the two ADs are below so that CEPS staff and faculty have clarity on who to reach out to with their queries, concerns, ideas, approvals, etc. 

   Associate Dean, CEPS

   • Supervise advising director and Outreach & Recruiting Specialist
   • Policies and Procedures development and revision – CEPS
   • Data: (1) track weekly enrollment and produce enrollment reports, and (2) produce data analytic reports for CEPS
   • Oversee the overload process
   • Assessment and Accreditation: (1) program assessment review, (2) liaise with specialized accreditations
   • Strategic planning leadership (new Mission, Vision, SWOT, Strategic priorities, DC Values)
   • Represent dean’s office at CEPS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee
   • Student issues – professional studies-related programs
   • Approvals: Forms, schedule changes, e-Subs, learning agreements, curriculum management, and Curriculog approval in collaboration with SOE director for teacher preparation-related programs
   • Budget – general awareness and support, NTT budget conformance, and tuition waivers

• Meetings
  • Orientations
  • CEPS staff meetings
  • Academic advising meetings with the dean
  • Dean’s Council
  • ASL Meetings
  • Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee
  • Substitute for other meetings the dean cannot attend
    
    
• SOE Director / Associate Dean, CEPS
  • Implement SOE project recommendations.
  • Supervise Teacher Certification, Teacher Academies, teacher education assessment, and Field Experience personnel.
  • Represent CEPS in all SOE-related committees both external and internal.
  • Act as a liaison for education departments for curriculum management. Curriculog approval for programs that are “part of a Teacher Preparation Program”
  • Strategic planning leadership for SOE (Mission, Vision, SWOT Analysis)
  • Cultivate relationships with school districts and external SOE partners
  • Policies and Procedures development and revision – SOE (e.g., SOE handbook)
  • Student issues education areas
  • Budget – awareness and support of CEPS budget, and oversee SOE related budgets
• Meetings
  • Orientations
  • CEPS staff meetings
  • Academic Advising Meetings with the dean
  • Dean’s Council
  • ASL Meetings
  • Substitute for other meetings the dean cannot attend
  • SOE-related meetings internal and external

1. Administrative Team Roles and Responsibilities
   The CEPS administrative personnel support the Dean's office and our departments to fulfill our mission and vision and complete hundreds of tasks in keeping our college moving forward and are integral to the success of the college. The following captures their specific roles related to communication between the departments and the college to streamline many processes.

   Administrative Specialist

   • Contracts for non-tenure track faculty (NTT)
   • Overload for T/TT faculty
   • Payroll (excluding benefits or payroll deductions)
   • New instructor system access
   • Budget questions / use of funds
   • Summer appointment letters for all faculty
   • Hiring questions
   • Search Committee/budget requests

• Secretary Senior
  • Follow up on Dean’s signature requests
  • Meetings with the Dean
  • General/Other inquiries
  • CEPS website
  • DC meetings/agenda/minutes

1. Approval and Implementation of CEPS Departmental Policies and Procedures CEPS’s departments will conduct its operations in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Departments and other units under CEPS must develop their policies and procedures with input from and consultation with faculty and staff where appropriate and any relevant external or internal entity (e.g., EHS office for safety policies). These must be reviewed at least every (5) years.

   1. Any policy or criteria related to Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion (RTP), and PTR must be reviewed and approved by the dean and the provost before implementation. (CBA Article 24)

   2. Departments are encouraged to maintain a single manual or handbook that houses RTP, PTR, and other critical department-wide policies and procedures. This department-wide policy manual or handbook must be approved by dean or designee (in some cases by the Provost) before implementation.

   3. All policies and procedures will have revision and approval dates and responsibility information. For example, [Responsibility: Dean, College of Education & Professional Studies, [2023]; Approved by: CEPS Dean’s Council; [2023]

       

2. Agreements (Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Contracts, etc.)

   All external agreements (outside CWU) must be reviewed and signed by the dean or designee (i.e., Associate Dean or School of Education Director) or, on a few occasions, by the Provost. Faculty and staff cannot sign external agreements on behalf of the university. This includes online external agreements such as click-through agreements. With the few exceptions detailed in the below-linked policies and procedures, all external agreements must be submitted through the contract intake system to the contract office for their review and approval. While providing opportunities, these agreements may carry substantial risk to the college and the institution, so we must do due diligence and manage our risks adequately. CWU’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) (dean of graduate studies and research) must sign all externally sponsored prime agreements. The applicable dean of the grant must sign contracts under externally sponsored agreements. For internal agreements, the dean or the designee must review and approve them to be considered binding.

    

   All CEPS employees must review and make sure they understand these policies/procedures:

    

   • CWUR 3-10-612 Contracting: http://www.cwu.edu/resources-reports/cwur-3-10-612-contracting

      

   • CWUP 2-10-170 Appointing Authority, Delegation of Authority, and Contracting Authority: http://www.cwu.edu/resources-reports/cwup-2-10-170-appointing-authority-delegation-authority-and-contracting-authority

    

   When departments are purchasing goods or services, all competitive procurement requirements must be observed. ($10,000 is the direct buy limit, with some exceptions up to $30,000). Here is a link to the CWUR 3-10-610 Competitive Procurement Requirements: http://www.cwu.edu/resources-reports/cwur-3-10-610-competitive-procurement-requirements The Contracts and Purchasing home page contain additional links that are quite informative: http://www.cwu.edu/contracts/contracts-purchasing-surplus-home.

    

3. Budget

   Department personnel must obtain chair approval before encumbering expenses for official CWU business. Examples of expenses that must be approved prior to being encumbered are mileage reimbursement, meal reimbursement, marketing, recruitment, etc. The university, college and department will not reimburse unauthorized expenses. Expenses must be in compliance with state, university, college and department policy for use, such as, but not limited to course fees, foundation, and the departments goods and services. The Chair must obtain the

   Dean's approval before committing an expense of over $200 towards the foundation accounts. The college encourages the use of the department purchasing credit card as allowable with policy when making arrangement to pay approved expenses prior to use of personal funds and reimbursement.

    

   1. CEPS Standing Committees

      CEPS faculty and staff share in the college's governance by participating in various committees, task forces, and councils and making recommendations to the dean. CEPS believes that the ability to improve the success of college-level decisions increases exponentially the more faculty and staff engage in the decision process by serving on these committees and participating in the shared governance process. Given the budget realities, the college encourages T/TT faculty members to use their three service workload units to serve on CEPS committees. CEPS will consider the service to the college as part of the tenure, promotion, and PTR reviews. However, in special circumstances, the dean may assign a faculty member additional workload in consultation with the chair. In the case of NTT faculty members serving the college on these committees, the dean will assign workload in consultation with the chair, depending on the scope and responsibilities.

       

      All CEPS standing committees, will share an annual, brief, and one-page yearly report with the dean and a short presentation at the CEPS end-of-the-year event. The dean may request that a committee representative share the findings with the DC.

       

      1. CEPS Dean’s Council (DC)

         The CEPS DC practices value-based leadership by operationalizing CEPS values as shown on the CEPS website. The DC strives to engage in proactive and solutions-based discussions and make recommendations to the dean to make CEPS the college of choice. The CEPS DC includes the dean, CEPS administrative leadership, and academic department chairs. The DC meets weekly to advise the dean on college policies and procedures, budget, and other operational items. The DC will be the conduit for information flow between the Dean’s office and the departments.

          

      2. College Personnel Committee (CPC)

         Article 24.6.2 of the CBA prescribes the requirements for the college personnel committees.

          

         “The college personnel committees will be composed of at least three (3) full professors, plus one (1) full professor who will serve as an alternate member, with no more than one (1) member from each department. Members of the department personnel committees and chairs are eligible to serve on the college personnel committee, but will be replaced by the alternate member for purposes of the committee’s consideration of any issue they reviewed as a member of the department personnel committee or department chair. (a) The members of the college personnel committee will be elected by the tenured and tenure-track faculty within the college.

         (b) The college personnel committee is responsible for evaluations relating to reappointments beginning in the fourth (4th) year, tenure, promotion and post-TR. The committee will provide a written recommendation to the Dean.” In addition, the CPC will review chair merit applications.

         The CEPS CPC will be composed of at least five (5) full professors, plus one (1) full professor who shall serve as an alternate member, with no more than one member from the same department. Of the five members, three must be from departments considered to be part of professional studies and two from the CEPS teacher preparation departments (EDTL and CSEL); the alternate may be from either group. Members of department personnel committees (DPC) and chairs are eligible to serve on the CPC but will be replaced by the alternate member for purposes of the committee’s consideration of any file they reviewed as a member of the DPC or department chair.

         1. The members of the CPC will be elected by the tenured and tenure-track faculty within the college. The election of CPC members will typically occur during the Spring quarter.

         2. To promote equity and inclusion and to provide an opportunity for faculty members from CEPS to serve on this vital leadership committee, CPC members will serve for a staggered four-year term with a maximum of two consecutive terms. Starting AY 22-23, the one vacant seat will be up for election, followed by the longest serving member up for election the following year, and so on. The dean’s office will maintain the schedule.

         3. The committee shall elect a chair on an annual basis.

         4. Each faculty file will be reviewed by three CPC members and will ensure that the same three CPC members do not consecutively evaluate the same faculty member’s files. The chair shall lead the committee in dividing tasks fairly and appropriately, relative to expertise.

         5. The CPC will meet with the Dean at the start of the academic year and towards the end of the academic year to debrief.

          

      3. Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Committee

         The Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Committee will develop and maintain a forum for productive dialogue regarding diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusivity among faculty, staff, and students within CEPS. The EDIB committee will represent the commitment to inclusiveness and belonging within the College. The EDIB Committee will support and advise the dean in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in CEPS by:

          

         • Generating and pursuing innovations in teaching strategies that promote a more diverse and inclusive learning environment.

         • Creating opportunities for academic sharing of experiences, knowledge, and perspectives that are different from our own.

         • Identifying and communicating training and other resources to enhance a culture of diversity and inclusivity throughout the College.

         • Assuring equitable recruitment, retention, and advancement of faculty, staff, and students that reflect a diverse campus community.

         • Acting as advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusivity in their respective academic units.

         • Other charges as assigned by the dean.

          

         The EDIB committee will include at least one member per academic department in the CEPS representing faculty and/or staff, the associate dean of CEPS, and the SOE director. At least one member of the Committee must be a non-tenure-track faculty member, and at least one member of the Committee must be a staff member. Terms of service for faculty and/or staff will be 3

         years and appointments will be staggered. Each appointed member of the Committee will identify at least two students from their programs to serve as members of a student advisory group for the Committee for each academic year.

          

         Members are appointed by the dean or the dean’s designee from nominations made by department chairs every spring for the following academic year. A chair will be elected by committee members to serve a 2-year term and will be responsible for presiding at committee meetings, leading the implementation of tasks as indicated by the committee, appointing ad hoc committees as needed, and representing the committee at other venues, as may from time to time be authorized by the Committee. A chair-elect will also be elected to assume chair responsibilities upon the completion of the outgoing chair’s term. Elections for chair and chair-elect take place in the spring for the following academic year.

          

      4. Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement Committee

         The overarching goal of the Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement Committee (PAEC) along with the DC is to establish a culture of philanthropy within CEPS. The PAEC is responsible for providing recommendations to the dean regarding alumni relations and philanthropy to ensure that the college develops and achieves philanthropic and alumni engagement strategic priorities, including identifying, measuring, tracking, and improving key performance indicators (KPIs).

         The PAEC will catalyze the internal planning to guide the college’s fundraising priorities and strategy leading into and throughout the capital campaign. Additional tasks will include:

         • Review and revise CEPS Alumni engagement plan.

         • Liaising between the college and departments to cultivate a culture of philanthropy and engage CEPS faculty and staff in support of alumni and donor engagement.

         • Serve as a bridge between the college and departments to gather information for the college in identifying donor prospects and sharing impact stories.

         • Advise the dean with strategies for the college to purposefully engage alumni, increasing alumni involvement in events, volunteerism, giving, pride, and CEPS give back.

         • Ensuring the existence of good operational and tactical plans

         • Serve as a strong ambassador and advocate for the college and its opportunities for advancement.

         • Make recommendations on college-level student scholarships.

         The dean appoints members from nominations. The PAEC membership will include faculty and/or staff representatives from each department, SOE, and the Dean. At least one member of the committee must be a non-tenure-track faculty member. Terms of service for faculty and/or staff will be 3 years, and appointments will be staggered. One or more student members will be appointed to serve on the committee for a term of one year or more, at the discretion of the committee.

          

      5. Marketing and Recruitment Committee

         The Marketing and Recruitment Committee (MRC) aims to develop and coordinate marketing and outreach events and activities that promote and increase the visibility of CEPS programs to current and prospective students, and community partners. Additional tasks will include:

         • Suggest ideas to enhance our social media presence.

         • Advocating for budget.

         • Developing and sharing CEPS social media content from members’ home departments.

         • Recommending general marketing materials and outreach (swags) supplies.

         • Suggest improvements for the CEPS website.

         MRC’s membership will include representatives from each department, SOE, and the dean. At least one of the members will represent our non-tenure track faculty members. The Dean appoints members from nominations. Terms of service for faculty and/or staff will be 3 years, and appointments will be staggered. One or more student members will be appointed to serve on the Committee for a term of one year or more, at the discretion of the Committee.

          

      6. Task Force and Ad Hoc Committees

4. The dean may appoint committees with specific charges of limited duration.
5.  

   1. Department Chairs

       

   2. General Provisions

      The responsibilities and duties of Department Chairs are governed by Article 12 of the CBA.

   3. Chair Election Guidelines

      The CBA governs the election of department chairs. The operational side of the election process is listed below.

      When a vacancy occurs, all voting faculty are notified of the chair opening and the nomination process. The dean seeks nominations for a chair from the department’s eligible faculty.

      Nominations, including self-nominations, should be submitted to the dean (or designee) in writing. The dean will consult with the provost on whether they accept the nominee(s) and communicate with the nominee/department. The dean seeks consent to serve, if elected, from each accepted nominee. All voting faculty members are notified of the nominee(s). The dean will provide sufficient time to allow candidates to present their views of department leadership and their vision at a forum (scheduled by the dean’s office) presided by the dean or designee. At this forum, the department (all faculty and staff) may meet to interview, hear statements, or read written statements from each nominee.

      Following the forum, the dean will announce an election date. The dean, or designee, presides over the election at the scheduled time and day for faculty to cast their ballot in person. Eligible faculty who cannot attend in person may submit an absentee ballot or written proxy to the dean or designee before the election day. Only tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track faculty holding the rank of senior lecturer with annual or multi-annual contracts teaching one-half time or more in the department are eligible to vote in the election as defined in the CBA. The vote occurs by secret ballot. The dean announces the winner but does not reveal the vote distribution.

   4. Department Chair Performance Evaluation

      According to the CBA Article 12.5, “The Dean shall evaluate the chair, at a minimum, in the 6th quarter of their term, and meet with the chair to discuss the results of the evaluation. Department faculty shall provide input into the evaluation through the process described in the college evaluation plans. Based on the evaluation, the Dean, in consultation with the chair, will develop performance goals. (See Section 18.5 for Merit Awards for Chairs.)”

      In addition, the CBA Article 18.5 states, “Chairs may apply for a merit increase in the fourth (4th) year of their four (4) year term. Those chairs who are judged to be excellent in the chairpersonship will receive a three percent (3%) increase to their base salary. Applications for chair merit will be submitted to the College Personnel Committee and the Dean, who will make recommendations to the provost.”

      Department chairs are an integral part of CEPS leadership. It is critical to their success and growth that the college has a system in place to evaluate the chair’s performance and shares constructive feedback for their continuous improvement. The goal of the review process is to enhance the effectiveness of the chair through a thoughtful analysis of areas of strengths and weakness. CEPS will take a two-prong approach to chair performance evaluation – annual goals assessment and bi-annual evaluation.

      1. Chair Goals and Assessment

         The chair will develop goals to be reviewed with the dean by mid-fall quarter of each year. The chair will complete a self-assessment by June 15th of each year. The dean will meet with each department chair to conduct a mid-year evaluation of goals during the winter quarter and an end-of-year assessment by the end of June. The self-assessment should be brief and answer the following questions.

         • Beginning with the goals you developed last fall, provide a summary of your accomplishments as department chairperson for the past academic year.

         • Summarize any areas in which you were unable to realize your goals and the reasons why.

         • Describe your goals for the coming year. Indicate any needed resources or developmental opportunities that the dean’s office might provide to enable you to be more effective as chair.

            

      2. Chair Bi-annual Evaluation

         The CBA requires that the dean and the department will evaluate the department chairs in the 2nd and 4th year of their 4-year term against the criteria developed by the college. The dean’s office will develop and maintain a calendar to track chair evaluation timelines. The evaluation will be administrated through an online survey using the evaluation criteria (see section 3.4) in the Spring quarter. At the end of the evaluation process, the dean will summarize the departmental input and share their comments and feedback in writing.

          

         3.3.3. Chair Excellence

         Chairs may apply for a merit increase in the fourth (4th) year of their four (4) year term. A chair is not eligible for merit until successfully completing a full four-year term as chair. As part of their application, chairs will submit a personal statement detailing how they meet the criteria for merit. To meet the excellence criteria, chairs must provide qualitative and quantitative evidence. Evidence may include testimonials, recommendation letters, departmental metrics, a summary of CEPS evaluation criteria (see 3.4), faculty and staff comments, and other exemplars. For quantitative evidence, chairs may use these guidelines:

         • Excellence in chairpersonship will mean that a chair receives a majority “strongly agree” or “agree” in 12 (out of 18) or more items and at least one majority evaluation of “strongly agree” from each of the three leadership domains. No more than 2 “strongly

           disagree” or “disagree” ratings across the 18 items and no more than one “strongly disagree” or “disagree” rating in each of the three evaluated leadership domains.

         • Effectiveness in chairpersonship will mean that a chair receives a majority “strongly agree” or “agree” in 6 (out of 18) or more items and at least one majority evaluation of “strongly agree” or “agree” from each of the three leadership domains. No more than 4 “strongly disagree” or “disagree” ratings across the 18 items and no more than one “strongly disagree” or “disagree” rating in each of the three evaluated leadership domains.

          

         The dean’s letter will evaluate the chair as effective or excellent, using the closed-ended and open-ended items listed in the criteria, the evidence shared by the chair, chair personal statement, and the dean’s experience with the chair’s performance on these same elements and annual goals assessment.

          

   5. Department Chair Merit Evaluation Criteria

6. The College expects department chairs to be academic leaders; good stewards of fiscal, physical, and human resources; and advocates for their departments within a context of college-wide and university-wide priorities. The dean and the departmental personnel will use the criteria below to evaluate department chairs. An online survey will be used to conduct the evaluation. In CEPS, the chair evaluation survey will be completed by full-time department faculty, part-time faculty on multi-year contracts, and staff.
7.  
8. The criteria are categorized into three leadership domains and three open questions. Evaluators will indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements about their department chair by selecting the appropriate indicator: SA=Strongly Agree; A= Agree; D=Disagree; SD=Strongly Disagree; NBJ= No Basis for Judgement;
9.  
10. Leadership Skills

11. Promote the mission of the department.

12. Develops, articulates, and executes the vision for the department.

13. Provides leadership in innovation and change.

14. Promotes a positive department image with external stakeholders both inside and outside the department.

15. Promotes positive connections and fosters a culture of belonging within the department.

16. Fosters a safe work environment.

17. Cultivates a culture that acknowledges and values each person's unique contributions, and values diversity and differences as assets.

18. Establishes equitable workloads and fairly evaluates faculty.

19.  
20. Department Operations Management

21. Utilizes inclusive and transparent approaches to decision-making.

22. Is reliable, timely, accessible, and available.

23. Ensures departmental facilities are organized and safe.

24. Addresses the professional needs of individual faculty and staff.

25. Manages the daily operations of the department effectively.

26. Advocates for resources needed by the department and manages them effectively.

27. Facilitates curricular matters effectively.

28.  
29. Interpersonal & Communication Skills

30. Listens to learn and resolve faculty, staff, and student concerns.

31. Keeps faculty and staff informed of relevant information to establish regular, reliable, and transparent channels of solution-based communication to all stakeholders.

32. Celebrates and acknowledges the work of faculty and staff engages in active mentoring of faculty and staff.

33.  
34. Open Questions
35. What are three strengths of the chair?
36. What are additional areas on which the chair can improve? Any additional comments?
37.  

    1. Department Chair Compensation

    2. Academic Year Compensation

       Department chair compensation will be in accordance with the CBA. Department chair duties will be reassigned from the instructional portion of faculty workloads. The nominal chair assignment in CEPS for the nine-month academic year will be 18 workload units, and the maximal assignment will be 36 workload units. Chairs are also compensated an additional 2.5 workload units for each of the periods September 1-15 and June 16-30.

        

       Assignment of greater than 18 workload units will be negotiated with the dean based on the number of FTE faculty in the department, the complexity of department programs, other factors such as the number of program coordinators released for administrative duties, and historical work demands in the department. Chairs may request additional workload reassignment for years in which a greater-than-normal amount of administrative activity is anticipated (e.g., building construction). Usually, the range for such an additional reassignment will be from 1 to 3 workload units. In consultation with the dean, a chair may allocate a portion of their assigned workload units to other faculty in the department (e.g., to appoint someone as assistant chair or program coordinator). Typically, the range for such assignments will be from 2 to 5 workload units or any minimum prescribed by the CBA. Department chairs typically serve a 10-month appointment from September 1 to June 30. The standard term for a department chair is four years, not including sabbaticals. Chairs continue to be eligible for the reappointment, tenure, performance and compression adjustment, and promotion opportunities associated with their faculty positions.

    3. Summer Compensation

38. Department chairs oversee the administration of their departments during the summer. University policy on summer chair compensation is outlined in section 5-110-030 of the CWU Policy Manual. Ten-month chairs may teach in the summer for additional compensation. Administrative credits and teaching that exceed 10 workload units are compensated at the non-tenure-track salary rate subject to proration.
39.  

    1. Faculty Program Coordinators

        

    2. General Provisions

       The general guidelines about program coordinators are governed by Article 14 of the CBA. Article 14 of CBA addresses the roles and responsibilities of the faculty program coordinators (PCs).

        

       “Many faculty have programmatic duties that fall outside the Department Chair or SIDP (SIDP refers to Structured Interdisciplinary Programs) Director roles defined in this Agreement. These faculty serve their degree programs, minors, and certificates as program coordinators, graduate coordinators, or in similar roles within their academic departments.”

        

       Faculty program coordinators perform a variety of duties, including serving as the primary contact for the degree program, managing/coordinating curriculum, maintaining appropriate specialized accreditation, coordinating program assessment and evaluation, maintaining industry boards, and other programmatic duties. The CBA states that, “Faculty program coordinators will receive workload to perform the duties described in their department or college guidelines.”

       “In determining the amount of workload, the appropriate Dean will consider the size, complexity (# of Center locations, # of departments involved, # academic programs, # of students), and extent of the coordinator’s duties relevant to the program.”

    3. Appointment and Removal

       As the academic leader of the department, the department chair will appoint the PCs in consultation with the program faculty and with approval by the dean. The PCs are responsible to the chair for managing a degree program and associated specializations, minors and certificates. A degree program means a set of educational requirements identified jointly by the department or other degree-granting unit and the college or university, which leads to an academic degree. A graduate program is considered separately.

       The chair may remove a PC after consultation with the dean. Departments can include a process of appointing and removing coordinators in their department handbook. In cases where no faculty member is willing or available to serve as the program coordinator, (1) the chair, in consultation with the dean, can serve the program as the coordinator with appropriate workload units negotiated with the dean; (2) the chair can also appoint a faculty member from a closely related degree program in some instances.

    4. Teaching Release

       Every program is different, and a PC's range of duties varies significantly. Faculty program coordinators will receive workload release to perform the duties described in college guidelines that fall outside the department chair duties. The PC release is typically in the form of release from the instructional portion of faculty workloads, and in certain circumstances with consultation with the faculty and chair, from the service portion of faculty workloads, as a program service.

       CEPS has set a workload unit range under the assumption that: (1) workload decreases as the program size decreases and vice versa; (2) duties beyond minimum duties may increase workload, and below minimum duties may decrease workload; (3) program complexity based on factors as defined in the CBA; (4) the duties fall outside of the chair duties. CEPS defines the workload units to fulfill the minimum duties required by a PC for a degree program as 3 WLUs or lower considering the four factors above. The nominal PC reassignment in CEPS for the nine-month academic year will be one workload unit, and the maximal assignment will be six workload units. Typically, the maximal workload units are assigned to programs that are large defined in terms of enrollment, have specialized accreditation (i.e., requires additional work beyond regular university assessment), and exceed minimum PC duties that fall outside the department chair duties. The intent is not to assign release time to PCs for the same duties that their department chair is released to fulfill their duties in the CBA. It is critical to the success of the college, department, and programs that the chair and the PCs work together to identify the duties needed to administer the department and distribute their workloads accordingly.

       Coordinators may request additional workload reassignment for years in which a greater-than-normal amount of administrative activity is anticipated (e.g., years in which specialized accreditation site visit occurs and the need to author self-study reports and coordinate visits). Usually, the range for such an additional reassignment will be from 1 to 3 workload units. The chair will negotiate the release with the coordinators based on factors listed in section 5.4, equity, duties, and chair release, and make a recommendation to the dean. The dean will consider several factors including workload equity across the college when approving releases. The coordinators shall fill out CEPS release forms and submit it along with their workload plan. The chairs are responsible for reviewing the performance of the coordinators based on criteria established by the department.

    5. Duties

       The minimum coordinator duties include below. Many of these duties are assigned to the department chairs in the CBA. Hence, the chairs and PCs will work together to avoid redundancies to maximize college resources and comply with the CBA requirement (see article 14) and distribute the administrative workloads accordingly.

       • Along with the chair, serve as the primary contact for the program including prospective and current students, alumni and employer, community, or industry partners.

       • Manage and coordinate curriculum in the program in consultation with the chair.

       • Coordinate ongoing program and course assessment efforts, with support from the chair.

       • Coordinate, with the chair’s assistance, faculty teaching assignments and schedules.

       • Coordinate or lead faculty advising for student organizations in the program.

       • Participate in program recruitment and marketing and help to ensure program representation in departmental or university events, when appropriate.

40. The coordinators will not use the title “director” and do not hold supervisory responsibility over fellow faculty. The chair of the department is responsible for curriculum including any change in modalities or offerings, and the PCs serve in an advisory role.
41.  

42. Curriculum

    Innovation is a value for CEPS, and its programs shall be proactive in adapting our curriculum to be inclusive, and meet the current workplace standards, practices, and expectations to prepare our students to be career ready. CEPS affirms that the faculty, collectively, are the primary force governing the university’s curriculum. The faculty acts through the departments, the deans, the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, and the Faculty Senate to complete the curricular process.

     

    The role of the chair is to provide leadership in the planning, scheduling, delivery, assessment, accreditation, improvement, and development of the academic curriculum in the disciplines housed in the department.

     

    CEPS departments must be fiscally responsible while proposing new curricular proposals or revising existing ones. Departments must be open to deleting, holding off, or revising outdated programs and courses that lack demands. CEPS strongly encourages inter- and intra-college collaboration in line with its value. Departments should consider using existing courses instead of duplicating courses from other areas within the university. For curricular proposals, the chair shall brief the dean or designee about the proposal’s impact on departmental resources, including workloads, equipment, personnel (faculty, staff, and students), space, etc., before submitting the official proposal. Faculty members will start the conversation with the chairs (who then consults with the dean) during the conceptual phase of the curricular proposals.

     

    Each department will establish and implement a process to ensure that the department faculty participate in the curricular process and to provide clear and consistent departmental guidelines for faculty to develop specific courses and programs, delete programs, and initiate course/program changes. All proposals should comply with CWUP 5-50 (policies), CWUR 2-50 (procedures), and all relevant university policies and procedures. University policies and procedures will supersede this document in case of conflict.

     

    Each program will need to participate in outcomes assessment that has the potential to lead to curricular improvement. Programs will publish their program-level outcomes, identify artifacts and rubrics to use in assessing those outcomes, and will complete the assessment of selected outcomes. Each program will also prepare and submit annual assessment reports, that describe that year’s assessment work, to a central repository.

     

43. Instruction

     

    1. Course Outlines and Syllabi

       A syllabus forms a complete statement of the course content and learning objectives independent of who teaches the course. A course outline, typically embedded in the syllabus, is distributed to students in each course section, and it describes operational details such as course outcomes, reading and other assignments, lecture topics, examination dates, office hours, and grading standards.

        

       At the beginning of each quarter, faculty members must distribute a written syllabus with a course outline to students in every class and submit a current copy to the department syllabus file. The course outline forms a common understanding between professor and student and lays out student and instructor obligations in a university class. A syllabus should include, at minimum, the information listed in CWUP 5-90-040(42).

        

    2. Office Hours

       CWU policies and the CBA require faculty to hold office hours as part of their professional responsibilities. CBA Articles 15.3 and 15.4 state that the professional responsibilities of T, TT, and NTT faculty members include, “maintaining reasonable posted office hours.” Office hours allow students to ask in-depth questions and explore points of confusion or interest that faculty members cannot fully address in class.

        

       Student success is our value, and in line with the CBA, CEPS expects faculty who teach in-person to post and observe at least two hours of in-person office hours per week during an academic quarter in which they have teaching or instructional-related responsibilities. Virtual office hours may be used instead of in-person only for those quarters when a faculty member is exclusively teaching online courses.

        

       Faculty should schedule additional office hours based on their teaching load. For these additional office hours, faculty should consider adopting an Open-Door policy with available hours or by appointment through email, telephone, bookings, or QR code system, etc. Open door policies aim to increase the 1:1 relationship between faculty and students, further heightening the learning environment, helping with retention, and creating a place of equity and belonging.

        

       Faculty should schedule office hours at times that are reasonably convenient to students, consistent and predictable, and held in accessible academic spaces. Faculty will communicate their office hours to their students through their syllabi (see CWUP 5-90-040(42)) and provide reasonable notice if they need to be adjusted. Faculty are encouraged to explain to students the purpose of office hours during their first day of class.

        

    3. Final Exam Week

       Final Exam Weeks are a part of the academic year/university calendar days, as established in the catalog. Faculty are expected to meet with their classes during their established/published exam days/times during Finals Week. For both face-to-face and online classes, a "culminating experience" should be conducted and/or collected at this time. Exceptions, and the process for exceptions, are described in the policy, which is included below for your reference CWUP 5-90-040 Academic and General Regulations.

44. Faculty Searches and Appointments

    Conditions governing faculty appointments are found in the CBA. Faculty search procedures must follow the procedures outlined by HR here. The hiring process also must follow CWUP 2-30-200 and CWUR 7-40-140. The search flow described on the human resources website may only begin after approval by the dean and provost. This section summarizes policy and procedures at the college level. It complements the hiring process posted by human resources. Departments should ensure that both sets of guidelines are followed to ensure conformance with college and HR standards.

     

    The dean must first approve search committee members before initiating search meetings. Committees must include diverse representation. For positions that support teacher preparation programs, committees require a member of the School of Education. Committee responsibilities, including confidentiality guidelines, are detailed by human resources.

     

    Decisions to hire full time NTT instructors are made in consultation with the dean. The hiring process is similar, but not identical, to that for tenure-track faculty. Please follow the separate NTT procedures identified by HR here: http://www.cwu.edu/hr/hiring/faculty.

     

    Some general guidelines include:

    • According to the CBA, the department chair initiates and oversees search committee activities. The chair shall work closely with the search committee chair to ensure that the search is successful.

    • For TT/T searchers, the search committees must conduct at least one reference check on all candidates who are invited to participate in a Zoom/telephone interview after the invitation and before the interview. In addition, before inviting candidates to campus the committee should do one more reference check.

    • The committee and the department chair should give the dean an unranked list of candidates with a preliminary list of strengths and weaknesses (S/W), along with copies of the candidates’ CVs and cover letters. After consulting with the search committee and the chair, and the provost; the dean determines who is invited to campus.

    • The search committee will host the candidates and lead the campus interview. The campus interview process, at a minimum, will include a classroom presentation, interviews with the dean, chair, and search committee, and a general meet and greet with all department stakeholders.

    • After completing the campus interview search process, the search committee will meet, discuss the S/Ws of the candidates, and seek and consider input from groups who participated in the interview process. Based on its assessment and feedback from constituents, the search committee sends a list of S/Ws of each candidate to the department chair(s) who oversees the search. The chair forwards the unedited S/Ws from the search committee and their list of S/Ws to the dean. The search committee shall not include rankings, ratings, or voting in the submission.

    • After considering the S/Ws, calling an off-list reference, and after consultation and approval from the provost, the dean will make the offer to a candidate.

45. Faculty Mentorship

    1. Objectives

       Mentoring arrangements are designed to provide support, assistance, and academic and departmental acculturation for all tenure-track and all full-time non-tenure-track faculty. Mentors offer advice and address questions and concerns in a confidential manner.

    2. Guidelines

       The department chair should assign at least one mentor for each newly hired tenure-track and annual FTNTT faculty member within the first month of their first academic year. Normally, the department chair discusses the choice of mentors with the faculty member, whose preferences for mentors are taken into consideration. It is recommended that mentors and new faculty interact regularly during the first two years, especially during the reappointment process.

        

       The mentor provides advice, guidance, support, and assistance on professional matters such as teaching and pedagogical development, design of a research/creativity program, professional service, preparing for reappointment or tenure/promotion, and navigating departmental and University systems. The arrangement is both formal and informal, enabling constructive dialogue. The relationship should assist the faculty member and provide valuable exchanges and creative opportunities for the mentor as well. Activities that mentor and mentees might engage in include observing each other's classes, attending university workshops and other functions together, and reading or viewing each other's work.

        

       Ideally, mentors and mentees develop a mutually beneficial relationship, where each person offers ideas and support for the other, to minimize the sense of oversight and judgment and enhance the sense of partnership and collegiality.

    3. Procedure

       The department chair will inform the dean by early fall quarter of the names of the mentor(s) for each new TT/T and FTNTT faculty member. The dean and associate deans will coordinate monthly gatherings of first-year faculty to help facilitate community and support. At the end of the year, chairs will review the effectiveness of each mentoring arrangement.

    4. Suggested Minimum Activities for Mentors

       1. Regular interaction between mentee and mentor during the academic year.

       2. Observe at least one of the mentee’s classes per year and have the mentee observe at least one of the mentor’s classes per quarter. Observations should include follow-up discussion.

           

    5. Quarterly NTT Faculty Mentoring Program

       Faculty members who are part-time NTT are critical to the college and play a vital role in our total student success. The needs of these faculty members are unique since many teach only one course a quarter or sometimes only once a year. While it is not feasible to expect an entire formal mentoring program, these faculty should be onboarded and guided in a manner that sets them up for success during their time at CWU/CEPS. The purpose of this program is to help ease the

       transition of the new part-time faculty members into the college and to provide them the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty members in their field. The mentorship program (i.e., checklist) shall complement the newly developed CEPS NTT onboarding program.

        

       The department chair shall select mentors who are outstanding faculty members who can serve as a resource and positive role models for new quarterly NTT faculty. Mentors must have been employed at CWU full-time faculty for at least three years. The mentor's expectations are at least one meeting at the start of the NTT faculty member’s appointment CWU and are available as a resource from that point. Chairs may pair new quarterly NTT faculty members with mentors who are in the same, or a closely related, discipline.

        

    6. Dean’s First-Year Tenure-Track Faculty Group

46. This group, which shall meet once a quarter, is designed to build community, facilitate cross-departmental collaborations and conversations, and establish a strong line of communication between the dean and new faculty. It is also intended to offer new faculty a structured opportunity to learning about other departments and the college.
47.  

48. Staff Mentorship and Onboarding

    CEPS staff play a crucial role in fulfilling the mission and vision of the college. All staff will be onboarded through the CEPS onboarding program and assigned a peer mentor to help them transition into the college. In consultation with the Dean’s office, the supervisor will assign a mentor. Mentors must have been employed at CWU as full-time staff for at least three years.

    Mentors must spend approximately 10 hours for the first year and serve as a resource and positive role model. Mentors may not be supervisors.

     

49. CEPS Awards

    CEPS recognizes the incredible work that its faculty and staff do daily toward student success, and end-of-the-year awards are one way to celebrate their efforts. The college will acknowledge its personnel under the following categories:

     

    • High-Performance Team Award - Recognizes a group of faculty or staff within a department, office, school, or division who have worked exceptionally well together to perform projects, develop and execute innovative ideas, improved coordination and/or cooperation toward mission fulfillment.

       

    • Outstanding Scholarly/Creative Achievement - Recognizes a faculty that demonstrates excellence in academic research and creative activity.

       

    • Faculty Advisor Award - Recognizes an individual who spends a significant portion of their time providing exemplary direct delivery of academic advising services to CEPS students and has exhibited exceptional leadership in advancing academic advising.

       

    • Outstanding Teaching Awards (1 T/TT; 1 FTNTT; 1quarterly NTTN) - Recognizes an individual who is a compelling, excellent teacher in their field and who demonstrates a

      commitment to the core mission of providing an exceptional educational experience to their students through specific activities or other aspects of teaching.

       

    • Outstanding Service Award - Recognizes a faculty and/or staff member who demonstrates a commitment to the College and makes a significant professional contribution to quality service.

       

    • Outstanding Staff Award - Recognizes a staff member who consistently demonstrates exceptional performance, excellent service to others, and demonstrates a passion for what they do in their role.

       

    • Rising Star Award - Recognizes a new faculty and/or staff member (1-3 years) of service who has gone above and beyond in demonstrating excitement and commitment to their roles, and performs at a high level of excellence.

       

    • EDIB Champion Award – See section 11.1

50.  
51. The college will accept nominations via a web form on the CEPS website, and the dean's office will email the link to all CEPS staff and faculty. An ad hoc team will review all the nominations and decide who will receive the awards. Awardees will be contacted ahead of time for delivery of their award via in-person or email. The dean's office will ask the person who nominated the awardee or the chair to speak during the celebration on their reasoning for their nomination.
52.  

    1. EDIB Champion Award Criteria and Selection Process

        

       • CEPS EDIB Champion Award

         • The CEPS EDIB committee has established the Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Committee Champion Award to be announced at the CEPS annual recognition event each spring. The Committee will coordinate the award nomination processes, and review and select award recipients. The award will be announced by the CEPS Dean’s Office. The awards will be shared with the CEPS community.

            

       • Eligibility

         • Nominees can be any member of the CEPS community: faculty, staff, and/or students.

         • Three awards will be given: faculty, staff, and student.

            

       • Selection Process

         • The Dean’s office issues three calls for nominations (one for faculty, one for staff, one for students), including the process and criteria, at the start of spring quarter.

         • Online nomination form opened to all CEPS faculty, staff, and students at the same time as the announcement.

         • The Committee chair receives the nomination forms. The full Committee reviews nominees based on our selection criteria.

         • The Committee chair informs the Dean of the selection. The Dean’s office will provide gifts for the champion.

         • Celebrate at the CEPS end-of-the-year event.

            

       • Selection Criteria (5,3,1,0 point): Online nomination form will require nominees to provide evidence for the selection criteria.

         • Demonstrates commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

         • Exhibits leadership in the area of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

         • Activities have advanced equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in CEPS.

         • Activities have advanced equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the broader community.

         • Demonstrates innovation in approach toward equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

            

       • Champions will receive:

         • Certificate of recognition.

         • Listing on the Committee’s website as part of a “EDIB champions hall of fame.”

         • Token of appreciation presented at the award ceremony.

    2. Department Awards

53. In addition to the college awards, each Department Chair will be responsible for choosing one faculty or staff member to be recognized. The award can be for teaching, service, or scholarship. Departments can choose the name of their award. Chairs will be asked to speak about their awardee during the celebration.