2.8

The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution and to ensure the quality and integrity of each of its academic programs. Upon application for candidacy, an applicant institution demonstrates that it meets the comprehensive standard for faculty qualifications. (Faculty)

Compliance Judgment

X     In compliance     Partially compliant     Non-compliant

Narrative

Francis Marion University has sufficient full-time faculty “to provide students with an excellent education, stimulate inquiry and research, and serve the Pee Dee region and the state of South Carolina” [1]. To foster this process the administration and faculty ensure that students have classes which are sufficiently small to allow the instructor to engage students with intellectual inquiry and analysis. This level of engagement is ensured not only by controlling class size, but also by controlling teaching schedules and involving part-time faculty in meaningful ways. These efforts lessen the workload for faculty thus allowing more opportunity for interactions outside of class.

The average class size for the 2015-2016 academic year was 21, and the student-instructor ratio was 15:1 [2]. According to the most recent Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data, Francis Marion University compares favorably with peer institutions as seen in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Student-Instructor Ratios for Francis Marion University and Peer Institutions

Table 2 below indicates the number of tenured, tenure-track, temporary full-time, and part-time faculty at Francis Marion during the Spring 2017 semester for all academic degree programs. The average student-instructor ratio for courses for each program is also given. Student-instructor ratios refer to the number of students enrolled in disciplinary courses required for a degree program / the number of sections taught in each discipline. The average ratios for degree programs range from 1:1 to 40:1.

Departments that service a larger number of General Education courses often show higher student-faculty ratios due to the nature of the courses. However, class size is determined on a course-by-course basis.  For example, a literature survey course that may fulfill a General Education requirement may be adequately taught with a higher student-faculty ratio than a first-year composition course.

Table 2. Relationship Between Number of Students Enrolled in Courses and Number of Instructors in Spring 2017

In 2007, the Francis Marion University Board of Trustees adopted a budget plan “to reduce the teaching load of the faculty to allow them to also focus on research and publications” [3-scroll down to p. 3]. The Faculty Handbook 2016 lists the “usual” teaching load at 12 credits hours per semester [4], but since 2007, tenured and tenure-track faculty have been assigned 9 credit hours in one of their academic semesters for 21 teaching hours per academic year. Currently, the faculty across most departments have a 3-4 or 4-3 academic year teaching load as seen in position announcements for English [5], Geography [6], History [7], and Sociology [8]. The School of Business faculty–with the exception of Computer Science–have a 3-3 teaching schedule for the academic year [9]. The Computer Science faculty teach a 4-3 schedule.

Full-time voting faculty are classified as tenured, probationary (i.e., tenure-track), or temporary faculty [10] who are given an annual contract for a period of nine to twelve months [11]. Any faculty in these categories who routinely teach six, or more, hours per semester are voting members of the faculty. These positions are identified as full-time-equivalent positions by the South Carolina Executive Budget Office, and these faculty are eligible for all benefits offered to state agency employees [12]. Temporary faculty teach four courses per semester, and the typical period of employment is three years and rarely exceeds five. Temporary faculty are eligible to apply for tenure-track positions, and, if the need for a permanent position develops, the temporary position may become tenure track.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty are expected to pursue teaching excellence, scholarship, and service [13]. Tenure and promotion decisions are based upon performance in these areas.

Part-time Faculty

Temporary and part-time faculty are encouraged to maintain scholarly pursuits which allow them to provide excellent instruction, and they are encouraged to engage fully in the Francis Marion community; however, their primary purpose is to provide excellent instruction.

Part-time faculty members are often used in situations where the employment of a full-time faculty member is not warranted. For example, Business Law is an integral part of the curriculum for the School of Business. An attorney, however, would have limited credentials to teach other courses; so he/she teaches only when Business Law is offered. Similarly, departments with clinical or applied programs may also have no need for a clinician in a full-time position, but the expertise of the clinician is critical for some course or learning experience.

Unexpectedly high enrollments may necessitate the hiring of a part-time individual to ensure the maintenance of an acceptable student-faculty ratio. Part-time faculty also ensure continuity in academic offerings when full-time faculty are away for an extended period of time due to personal reasons or sabbatical leave.

Part-time faculty are valued members of the university community and are issued contracts on a semester-to-semester basis, when their services are needed. They may attend faculty meetings and have the privilege of the floor but they cannot vote. They are required to “meet the same professional, experiential, and scholarly criteria as their full-time counterparts [and] As a condition of their employment, part-time faculty members agree to be available on a regular basis to their students for purposes of academic assistance” [14]. They are provided new-faculty orientation, and they distribute Student Evaluation Forms to their students at the end of each semester. The chair/dean receives summary data for all full and part-time faculty of the unit.

Scholarly Activity

Scholarly activity is an important part of the role of a faculty member at Francis Marion University and is a basis for hiring [15,16,17], tenure decisions [18], and promotions [19]. Some schools and departments have external evaluators that set these criteria. For example, in the School of Business, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) establishes categories of professor/instructor based largely on the type of research they conduct and sets requirements as to how many professors should fall into each category to maintain accreditation. AACSB also reviews impact of the program on the community which includes the service the faculty members provide such as consulting, faculty-led student professional projects, service on local boards, and many others.

Francis Marion recognizes a wide range of practical, professional, and pedagogical research as well as more traditional primary, quantitative research. Acknowledging the wide diversity of possibilities this allows, evaluation of the adequacy of research is handled at the level of the department or school in most cases. Every faculty member undergoes an annual review including a review and evaluation of their scholarly activity, as detailed in Comprehensive Standard 3.7.2.

By keeping low student-instructor ratios across academic programs, full-time faculty enjoy opportunities to extend research into the classroom. Faculty can take students with them to other states or countries to conduct research. This is funded through the school, and faculty can make grant requests as they see fit. For example, in November of 2016, an Assistant Professor of Biology proposed to take his Tropical Ecology class to Ecuador to conduct research [20]. The grant was approved, and Dr. Paul Zwiers taught the class in May of 2017 [21]. Full-time instructors from other departments and schools across campus, for example Industrial Engineering and Education, help fulfill the university mission of stimulating inquiry and research through international travel grants [22,23].

Beyond keeping student-instructor ratios at a manageable level, Francis Marion has other mechanisms to allow faculty members the time to pursue scholarly activity. For example, the Board of Trustees reduces the teaching load for scholars who demonstrate excellence in, and commitment to, research in their field [24].

Service

Service to the needs of the community represents another crucial component of the Francis Marion mission [25]. Once again, this may be quantified and evaluated by external reviewers (e.g., AACSB). It is one of the expectations for a new faculty member and part of the tenure and review process.

Faculty members provide educational services beyond the campus. For example, in July of 2016, a political scientist used his expertise and research to deliver an informative lecture about “Brexit” to the Rotary Club of Florence, South Carolina [26].

Professors also participate in the community not only by delivering invited talks, but by providing their own cultural services as well. For example, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, Keith Best spent several years writing a play entitled bestill, which with the help of colleagues in the department, he premiered in downtown Florence, South Carolina at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in February of 2016 [27]. Additionally, Professor of Music and acclaimed pianist Dr. Paolo Gualdi, went on a world tour from the end of 2016 to the beginning of 2017, where he performed piano recitals and taught master classes in Italy, China, and Uruguay [28].

Documentation

1. Catalog 2016-2017, Mission Statement, p. 9
2. Catalog 2016-2017, The University, p. 9
3. Board of Trustees, Minutes, June 1, 2007
4. Faculty Handbook 2016, Teaching Assignments and Loads, p. 4
5. English Position Announcement
6. Geography Position Announcement
7. History Position Announcement
8. Sociology Position Announcement
9. School of Business Position Announcement
10. Faculty Handbook 2016, Teaching Hours, p. 3
11. Faculty Handbook 2016, Full-time Faculty, p. 4
12. Faculty Handbook 2016, Faculty Contracts, p. 3
13. Catalog 2016-2017, Mission Statement, p. 9
14. Faculty Handbook 2016, Part-time Faculty, p. 4
15. Biology Science Position Announcement
16. Computer Science Position Announcement
17. Physician Assistant Studies Position Announcement
18. Catalog 2016-2017, Policy on Continuous Tenure, p. 21
19. Catalog 2016-2017, Criteria for Promotion in Academic Rank, p. 24
20. Biology International Collaboration Grant
21. BIOL 318: Tropical Ecology Syllabus
22. Industrial Engineering International Collaboration Grant
23. Education International Collaboration Grant
24. FMU Website, Kyer, Wittmann-Price Named Research Scholars
25. Catalog 2016-2017, Mission Statement, p. 9
26. SCNow, Florence Rotarians Get Latest News on Brexit from FMU Professor
27. FMU Website, FMU Profs Get Busy to Create bestill
28. FMU Website, It’s World Tour Time for FMU’s Piano Master