TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY HANDBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS PREAMBLE The Faculty Handbook embodies the essential elements of the employment relationship between the Faculty, individually and collectively, and Tennessee State University (TSU). It establishes the terms of employment, the manner of appointment, the procedures and standards for tenure and promotion, the duties and privileges of Faculty, the procedures and standards for termination of employment, and Faculty related policies and procedures of the University and the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). It describes Faculty organization and confirms the authority of the Faculty to participate in the governance of the University, especially in regard to academic matters. The Faculty Handbook is a guide that does not replace the force of an employment contract. Amendments to The Faculty Handbook are presented for the consideration and approval of the Faculty and the Administration before submission to TBR. The Faculty Handbook Committee will update the Handbook as changes occur. Faculty must observe University publications that are pertinent to their teaching, research, advising, and administrative assignments. The following publications are especially important with electronic links located in Section IX & X of this Handbook as well as the left Nav bar of this website: ACADEMIC CALENDAR GRADUATE FACULTY HANDBOOK GRADUATE ASSISTANT HANDBOOK HUMAN RESOURCES PERSONNEL HANDBOOK RESEARCH & SPONSORED PROGRAMS (RSP) STUDENT SUCCESS ADVISEMENT CENTER MANUAL TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS POLICIES AND GUIDELINES THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG THE GRADUATE CATALOG THE STUDENT HANDBOOK p. 1 July.30.2015 *THIS IS DRAFT.v.5 and is a work in progress. Changes will occur with additional reviews. SECTION I HISTORY AND MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY HISTORY: http://www.tnstate.edu/about_tsu/history.aspx Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University (TSU) is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant institution. Our Nashville home offers two locations—the 500-acre main campus nestles in a beautiful residential neighborhood along the Cumberland River, and the downtown Avon Williams campus sits near the center of Nashville’s business and government district. AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL NORMAL SCHOOL In 1909, the Tennessee State General Assembly created three normal schools, including the Agricultural and Industrial Normal School, which would grow to become TSU. The first 247 students began their academic careers on June 19, 1912, and William Jasper Hale served as head of the school. Students, faculty, and staff worked together as a family to keep the institution operating, whether the activity demanded clearing rocks, harvesting crops, or carrying chairs from class to class. AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL STATE NORMAL SCHOOL The school gained the capacity to grant bachelor’s degrees in 1922, reflecting its new status as a four-year teachers’ college. By 1924, the college became known as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal College and the first degrees were awarded. In 1927, “Normal” was dropped from the name. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the college grew in scope and stature under the charge “Enter to learn; go forth to serve.” When President Hale retired in 1943 after more than 30 years of service, one of the institution’s growing roster of impressive alumni, Walter S. Davis, was selected as his successor. Until his retirement in 1968, Davis led the college through an era of tremendous growth in academics and facilities that led to worldwide recognition. The Tennessee General Assembly of 1941 authorized a substantial upgrade to the educational program of the college. Graduate studies leading to the master’s degree, initially offered in several branches of teacher education, were established. The first master’s degrees were awarded in June 1944. SACS ACCREDITATION The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted accreditation to TSU in 1946. In August 1951, the Tennessee State Board of Education approved university status. The resulting reorganization of the institution’s educational program created the Graduate School, the School p. 2 July.30.2015 of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of Engineering. Provisions were also made for the later addition of other schools in agriculture, business, and home economics. LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITY STATUS Under the name Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State University, the institution achieved full land-grant university status in August 1958. The Land-Grant University Program included the School of Agriculture & Home Economics, the Graduate School, the Division of Extension and Continuing Education, and the Department of Aerospace Studies. The School of Allied Health Professions and the School of Business were created in 1974, and the School of Nursing was established in 1979. NAME CHANGE: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY After Walter Davis retired as president in 1968, another TSU alumnus, Andrew Torrence, was named the University’s third president. During his relatively brief tenure, the state legislature dropped “Agricultural & Industrial” and officially changed the name to Tennessee State University. MERGER WITH UT OF NASHVILLE When Frederick Humphries became TSU’s president in 1975, Nashville was also home to a second public four-year university. The Knoxville-based University of Tennessee began offering extension credit in Nashville in 1947 and expanded its programs throughout the 1960s. By 1971, it was accredited as a degree-granting institution that occupied new quarters at the corner of Tenth and Charlotte Avenues. But in 1968, TSU faculty member Rita Sanders filed a lawsuit, which became known as Geier v. Tennessee, alleging a dual system of higher education in Tennessee based on race. On July 1, 1979, the case was settled by a court order merging the former University of Tennessee at Nashville with TSU. As president, Humphries was the first to face the challenge of maintaining the balance between TSU’s role as one of America’s preeminent historically black universities and its emerging status as a comprehensive national university. The Geier v. Tennessee case, however, remained alive for 32 years. Rita Sanders Geier was joined by the U.S. Department of Justice and by TSU professors Ray Richardson and H. Coleman McGinnis as co-plaintiffs in the suit. After numerous court-ordered plans failed to produce progress, all parties achieved a mediated consent decree that was ordered by the court on January 4, 2001. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND PROGRESS Following a year as interim president, Otis Floyd became TSU’s fifth chief executive in 1987 and continued moving the university forward, initiating efforts that resulted in the state general p. 3 July.30.2015 assembly providing an unprecedented $112 million for capital improvements in 1988. Under this plan, nearly all campus buildings were renovated and eight new facilities were constructed, including the Floyd-Payne Campus Center, the Ned McWherter Administration Building, the Wilma Rudolph Residence Center, and the Performing Arts Center. Then, in 1990, the Tennessee Board of Regents appointed Dr. Floyd its chancellor, opening the way for James Hefner to become TSU’s sixth president in 1991. Hefner supervised additional improvements to campus facilities and fostered enrollment growth to an all-time high of 9,100 students. The Otis Floyd Nursery Crops Research Station in McMinnville was dedicated in 1996, and, in 1999, researchers at the TSU Center for Automated Space Science were the first to discover a planet outside our solar system. Melvin N. Johnson became the university’s seventh president in June of 2005, and was instrumental in continuing to bring national attention to the university by recognizing the Freedom Riders 14, engaging the university in the Tennessee Campus Compact, receiving national awards for community service and engagement, awarded $8 million for Race to the Top Funds by President Obama, opening the university’s doors to flood victims and businesses, and obtaining Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In the University’s 100-year history, Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover became president in January 2013 and continues making changes to further emphasize the excellence for which TSU is known worldwide. CURRENT OFFERINGS Academic Programs: http://www.tnstate.edu/academic_programs/ Today, Tennessee State University offers 45 bachelor’s degree programs and 24 master’s programs and awards doctoral degrees in biological sciences, computer information systems engineering, psychology, public administration, curriculum and instruction, educational administration and supervision, and physical therapy. In entirety, Tennessee State University comprises eight colleges and schools. VISION, MISSION, CORE VALUES, AND GOALS VISION STATEMENT: http://www.tnstate.edu/dipa/documents/SP%20executive%20overview%20powerpoint%20final. pdf Tennessee State University aspires to achieve national and international prominence, building on its heritage and preparing leaders for a global society. p. 4 July.30.2015 Tennessee State University projects itself to its students, faculty, and alumni and to the citizens of the State through the motto, "Think, Work, Serve." MISSION STATEMENT: http://www.tnstate.edu/legal/mission.aspx Tennessee State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), fosters scholarly inquiry and research, life-long learning, and a commitment to service. CORE VALUES Tennessee State University maintains