Civility & Collegiality in H igher Education

1. Civility & Collegiality in Higher Education TFSC Winter Symposium Sharon Gaber, Provost & Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs

2. The Context • “Incivility a growing problem at work, psychologists say,’ USA Today, 8/9/2011. • Here (UA) we have stressors: • Increasing student enrollment • Flat budgets • Small salary increases • Changing job expectations • Among others…

3. The Civility in America 2011 poll (n=1000): • 38% believe workplace is increasingly disrespectful • 43% say they have experienced incivility at work • 67% cite a critical need for ‘civility training’ • “There are very, very negative effects of accumulated minor stresses.”

4. What is civility? Your opinion? What is collegiality? Your opinion? Difference between them?

5. I believe that 95% of our faculty are collegial • It is the 5% who aren’t that take a lot of energy • The University of Arkansas is a great place to work--- don’t treat it unfairly or take your colleagues for granted • We all (but faculty and students especially) deserve to be treated with respect and decency

6. Collegiality • Auburn’s Faculty Handbook: • In addition to demonstrating quality in the areas of 1) teaching, 2) research/creative work, 3) outreach and 4) service as described above under Promotion Criteria and, where applicable, in approved departmental guidelines, the candidate for tenure must demonstrate that he/she contributes as a productive and collegial member of the academic unit in all relevant areas. Are the candidate's professional abilities and relationships with colleagues compatible with the departmental mission and with its long-term goals? Has the candidate exhibited an ability and willingness to engage in shared academic and administrative tasks that a departmental group must often perform and to participate with some measure of reason and knowledge in discussions germane to departmental policies and programs? Does the candidate maintain high standards of professional integrity? Concerns respecting a candidate’s collegiality should be shared with the candidate as soon as they arise; they should certainly be addressed in the yearly review and the third year review. For tenure, the candidate must demonstrate that he/she contributes as a productive and collegial member of the academic unit in all relevant areas.

7. Collegiality statement in Department of History, FULB Department of History V. Criteria and Procedures for Tenure • Criteria for Tenure 5. Applicants for tenure are expected to serve on departmental, college, and university committees and to accept whatever special assignments they may be given by the department, dean, or other university officers as a part of their professional responsibility. Effectiveness in campus activity can be determined by contacting other members of the committee to ascertain at the least the expenditure of time and energy. Involvement in campus activities, particularly when voluntary, cannot stand in lieu of good teaching and acceptable research as adequate achievement for the attainment of tenure. Another factor to be considered is cooperation in and contribution to departmental activity. This does not imply agreement with existing conditions or arrangements but it does mean that a person must involve himself/herself in departmental business so that decisions are departmental decisions and the work load is distributed among all members

8. Work together as a faculty • Expect more from your colleagues • Don’t overlook early warning signs • Make sure department heads/ chairs document the issues • Read/ re-read emails before sending for possible misinterpretation • Don’t allow a ‘bully’ to dominate • Develop personnel policies that value collegiality