The Office of the Dean of Faculty serves faculty members, assisting them in navigating the complexities of their profession and the university. The office represents the interests of the faculty to the Board of Trustees, President, and the Provost as well as to students, employees, and alumni ensuring that faculty stay informed about important campus issues, including those relevant to different university constituencies. The office works toward fostering shared governance and expressing the collective wisdom of the faculty through the Faculty Senate and its committees.

Eligibility

The Dean of the University Faculty must be a member of the University Faculty, a holder of one of these academic titles: assistant professor, associate professor, professor, associate professor emeritus/a, or professor emeritus/a.

Formal Appointment

The Dean of the University Faculty is a faculty-elected position and a half-time appointment. The initial appointment is for three years and can be extended to a total of five years with Faculty Senate approval. Both the original appointment and any subsequent extensions require approval from the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees (as specified in University Bylaws Article XIII.3.) The human resources for this position are managed through the Office of the President.

Electorate

All faculty members with university voting rights can vote in faculty elections.

Interactions and Activities

The Dean of Faculty interacts with many individuals and offices across campus, including the central administration. The workload depends strongly on their inclination to delegate and take on projects that are deemed to be important. As a result, the Dean of Faculty is in a unique position to think broadly, independently, and effectively for the good of the faculty. The Dean of Faculty must be committed to shared governance, transparency, and inclusion, equity, and diversity.

Regular Interactions

• Faculty Senate
  Normally meets once a month but since the pandemic there has been a meeting every two weeks. Each meeting is 90 minutes.
• University Faculty Committee (UFC)
  Meets about three times/semester with the Provost to discuss pressing issues. The President attends one of these. Additional Senate agenda-setting meetings monthly.
• Associate Dean of Faculty
  Weekly meeting to coordinate activities and assess jointly managed initiatives.
• President
  A monthly one-on-one meeting to discuss issues of mutual interest.
• Provost
  A monthly one-on-one meeting to discuss issues of mutual interest.
• Academic Deans Meetings
  Once a week the Provost leads a two-hour meeting with all the college deans and vice provosts in attendance.
• Faculty Advisory Committee on Tenure Appointments (FACTA)
  Typically there is one full FACTA meeting each semester where the Provost is advised about difficult tenure cases.
• Financial Policies Committee (FPC)
  It is important to track the University’s financial well-being by attending these monthly meetings. Crucial to have a clear channel to the Senate.
• Teaching Awards Committee
  Approximately three 90-minute meetings are required to determine the awardees for the Weiss and other university-level teaching awards.
• A.D. White Professor-at-Large Selection Committee
  Meets three times during the year to review nominations for the A.D. White Professor-At-Large program.
• University Assembly (UA)
  This monthly 90-minute meeting brings together undergrads, grads, and employees  to act on matters of mutual interest.
• Cornell Academics & Professors Emeritae/i (CAPE)
  Monthly meetings designed to keep the emeriti informed and engaged.
• Board of Trustees
  There are four meetings to attend (October, February, March, and May) and each involves about 6 hours spread over three days. The February meetings are in NYC, while the other months are in Ithaca.

As-Needed Interactions

• General Counsel
  Frequently consulted on a wide range of issues that relate to policy and faculty matters
• Office of Vice Provost for Research (OVPR)
  The Office of the Vice Provost for Research provides essential support to handle research/academic misconduct cases which can be labor intensive.
• Deputy Provost
  Extensive collaboration in all matters that relate to faculty promotion and renewal policies and processes.
• Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (VPAA)
  Extensive collaboration the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and the Office of Faculty Development & Diversity
• Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE)
  Frequent interactions with the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education in matters that concern advising, teaching, and the Office of the University Registrar.
• Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE)
  Collaborate with the Vice Provost for Graduate Education on issues that relate to TA-ships and GRA-ships.
• Committee on Academic Freedom and Professional Status of the Faculty (AFPSF)
  This committee pays attention to the tenure process and free speech so attending their meetings and helping set their agenda as an ex officio is very important.
• Educational Policy Committee (EPC)
  Usually several resolutions each year come to the Senate via the Educational Policy Committee.
• Committee on Academic Programs & Policies (CAPP)
  The Committee on Academic Programs and Policy typically reviews for the Senate a number of new degree programs and policy changes each year.
• Employee Assembly (EA), Graduate and Professional Students Assembly (GPSA), and Student Assembly (SA)
  Important to engage employees, undergrads, and grads through these assemblies  whenever a pending faculty action has a direct bearing on these constituencies.
• Emergency Management
  The Dean of Faculty is part of the team that determines whether or not to close the university because of inclement weather. More about weather shutdowns.
• Other
  There are occasional interactions with the Vice President for Student and Campus Life, the Office of Human Resources, the Vice President for Facilities and Campus Services, and all the Vice Provost Offices and Senate Committees not mentioned above.
• Special Projects
  During any given semester the Office of the Dean of Faculty is always managing/leading various “special projects”. Sometimes they are at the behest of the administration (academic calendar, Policy 6.3, the antiracism initiative, etc.) and sometimes they are self-initiated (the emeritus project, the RTE initiative, etc.)