One OHIO Task Forces

In Fall 2021, the Faculty Senate and Office of the Provost established two joint task forces focused on One OHIO faculty processes, policies, and recommendations:

1. One OHIO Promotion and Tenure (P&T) task force is focused on continuing the work of the One OHIO Promotion and Tenure/Faculty Handbook Workstream to create recommendations for implementing practices and processes for promotion and tenure procedures. View the task force charge and list of members [PDF] [OHIO Login Required]
2. One OHIO Faculty Integration task force is focused on continuing the work of the One OHIO Faculty Integration Workstream to create recommendations for implementing practices and processes related to topics relevant to Faculty Senate's Professional Relations Committee and Faculty Senate's Educational Policy and Student Affairs Committee. View the task force charge and list of members [PDF] [OHIO Login Required]

Faculty are invited to contact members of the task force with questions, comments, and ideas. 

Athens/RHE Scheduling Group

The One OHIO Instructional Efficiency workstream developed a collaborative scheduling process and timeline that was approved in fall 2019. While the timeline was impacted by the pandemic, the process was implemented in phase 1 which runs through summer 2022. The work stream also identified some additional issues and next steps to work in phase 2. View the task force charge and list of members [PDF] [OHIO Login Required]

Regional Higher Education Faculty Integration

Several important considerations related to the integration of Regional Higher Education faculty members into Athens colleges are explained below.

1. While regional campus faculty will have a tenure home with their Athens department, they still have a primary campus on one of the regional campuses.
2. Athens and RHE workloads will continue to be different for most faculty members. Regional campus faculty primarily teach associate and bachelor’s degree courses and students, while Athens campus faculty primarily teach bachelor’s, Masters, and doctoral students, and their teaching loads will continue to reflect these different emphases.
3. Research/scholarship/creative activity and service expectations for regional campus faculty members for promotion and tenure must reflect their higher teaching requirements, including expectations for promotion to professor. Expectations for annual evaluations should similarly reflect higher teaching loads.
4. Per the One OHIO Faculty Integration Recommendations, “Evaluation of faculty, regarding teaching as well as service and research, should be conducted with input from peers and leadership relevant to each faculty member’s campus setting, workload, available resources, and other relevant circumstances.” P&T guidelines should specify how input from appropriate RHE peers and leadership will be included for regional campus faculty.
5. Regional campus faculty may still have regional campus service requirements as well as Athens campus service for their department. When assigning service, chairs should avoid doubling service obligations for regional campus faculty. Promotion, tenure, and annual evaluation criteria should recognize and value service on both the regional and Athens campuses.

One OHIO: Faculty Integration FAQs

What are the department chair / school director expectations and responsibilities as a result of the One OHIO Faculty Integration?

Department chairs and school directors are now the supervisor of record for regional campus faculty aligned to their unit. As such, chairs and directors are responsible for:

• Integrating regional faculty into department / school meetings and processes
• Performing annual and merit reviews
• Integrating regional promotion and tenure guidelines into department documents
• Reviewing regional faculty promotion and/or tenure dossiers
• Collaborating with RHE on schedule planning

What are the expectations for integrating regional faculty into the culture of a department or school?

There are three guiding principles for cultural integration:

1. Adopt meeting processes / procedures identified by the One OHIO Faculty Integration workstream
2. Develop department communication practices that reflect a cohesive faculty group
3. Embrace, support, and reinforce collegiality among faculty and staff across all campuses

Does One OHIO Faculty Integration mean regional campus faculty now follow promotion and/or tenure expectations of their Athens colleagues and peers?

No. Regional campus faculty continue under the existing criteria for promotion and/or tenure. Departments and schools are encouraged to work with faculty to update criteria and guidelines for newly hired faculty; however, these updated criteria and guidelines must continue to recognize the different workload distribution for regional campus faculty.

Does One OHIO Faculty Integration mean regional campus faculty workloads change?

No. Regional campus faculty workloads will remain the same. An overview of regional faculty workloads is available on the RHE website.

Can regional campus faculty members participate on college, department, or school committees, workgroups or task forces?

Yes. Regional faculty may include this activity as a part of their service. However, regional faculty remain active members of their regional campus community and continue to have local service expectations. College, department, or school service expectations cannot overshadow or supersede those of the faculty member’s home campus or the regional campus system.

How is course scheduling determined for department faculty teaching in different locations?

The approved One OHIO Instructional Efficiency course scheduling process outlines the process for course scheduling. The schedule development process includes the following steps:

1. RHE: Collect and review information from department chairs / school directors, faculty recommendations, and enrollment trends
2. RHE: Develop draft schedule for all regional campuses
3. RHE: Submit draft schedule to department chairs / school directors for review
4. Chairs / Directors: Review draft and provide feedback to RHE
5. RHE and Chairs / Directors: Discuss collaboration opportunities and any concerns
6. RHE: Implement schedule

What happens if the Athens unit does not agree with the RHE proposed schedule? Who has the final say?

The department will work with their college office, RHE, and the leadership of the regional campus(es) to identify a collaborative resolution that meets student needs and faculty load. It is important to note that regional campus faculty members are expected to fill their course load by teaching courses for the regional campuses.

Can regional campus faculty members teach classes on load for the Athens campus?

Regional faculty members are expected to fill their course load through the regional campuses. However, there may be cases where this is not possible or most efficient.

• A regional faculty member may teach an Athens course on load if their load cannot be satisfied with regional campus courses. This is an arrangement that must be agreed upon by the college and RHE.
• If a regional faculty member is at load with regional courses, but their area of expertise is needed by their Athens department or school, on load instruction may be possible if the department or school either 1) pays for an equivalent proportion of the faculty salary or 2) pays to hire an adjunct or overload to replace the load course. Either arrangement must be agreed upon by the college and RHE.

Who is responsible for course cancellations, particularly for low-enrolled courses?

The decision to maintain or cancel a low-enrolled regional campus course is the responsibility of RHE and the associated regional campus.

Can Athens based faculty be offered overloads to bring their courses to regional campuses for in-person instruction?

Yes, if there is a need for the course to be offered to regional students. This must be coordinated through Regional Higher Education and the associated campus leadership, as well as Athens college leadership. Note: where possible, instructional technology tools (i.e. OULN, Teams) should be used to create opportunities that do not increase course loads or result in an overload. We must seek ways to extend access without increasing costs.