ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é

Welcomes from the Deans

Jeff Runner, Dean of the College

Welcome to the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é! Our faculty are an essential piece of the College and we are excited to have you here. This guidebook should be a wonderful tool in helping you during your first years at the university. There are many opportunities to get involved in areas outside the classroom and we hope that you will take advantage of all the university has to offer. The distinctive ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é Curriculum provides students an opportunity to explore, to identify passions, and then to pursue them with all the energy they have. You will be a vital piece in that pursuit. Again, I welcome you and look forward to your many contributions in the years ahead.

Wendi Heinzelman, Dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Welcome to the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é! We are thrilled that you have chosen to start (or continue) your career here. Our faculty are one of our most valuable resources, and we are invested in seeing you succeed. We hope that you find the information contained in this guidebook helpful as you navigate the intricacies of developing your research and educational programs. The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é provides many opportunities for you to grow professionally and to develop relationships with colleagues inside and outside of your program. We hope you take advantage of these opportunities to become a part of this wonderful community of scholars of which we are all so proud. Meliora!

Nick Vamivakas, Dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

On behalf of the Office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), I am delighted to have this opportunity to welcome you to the community of scholars at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é. As you well know, graduate education is a hallmark of a research university, fuels faculty productivity, and is essential towards building the next generation of scholars and scientists. Within AS&E, graduate programs exist at both the Master’s and PhD level and we are home to over 1300 graduate students across the different departments. At ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é, PhD training is based upon a mentored junior colleague model where students are regarded as integral members of the program. Thus, doctoral education is aimed at mastery of the scientific skills in the knowledge area of the program faculty while allowing students to develop rapidly into independent researchers and contributors to the intellectual life of the university. PhD students also enrich the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é experience for undergraduates in the College through providing direct mentoring on diverse opportunities for undergraduate students to directly engage in research as well as through serving as teaching assistants within classrooms. Our master’s programs, whose enrollment has grown over the past several years, are becoming increasingly important as they provide specialized training that results in a professional qualification or preparation for further study and capitalize on the integrated configuration of AS&E by cutting across disciplines (e.g., Computational Biology, Optomechanical Engineering, and Sustainability).

To support our graduate students, GEPA houses a professional staff dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of our student population. As such, our office provides a number of services including information and advice on enrollment and registration, onboarding activities for new students, programming in academic and professional development and career services, support for mental health and emotional concerns, and hosting opportunities to connect with other students and with our local community. If there is anything we can assist you with as you embark on your faculty career at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Welcome from the Faculty Diversity Development Officers

Welcome to Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é! As faculty development and diversity officers, we are dedicated to your success and are so excited to see the positive impact that you will have on our school, students, and colleagues.

We look forward to your continued participation in the variety of faculty development events and efforts we are developing. Please reach out to us at any time with questions, big or small.

Contacts

Ellen Matson
Faculty Development and Diversity Officer
Associate Professor of Chemistry
ellen.matson@rochester.edu

Beth Olivares
Dean for Diversity
Faculty Development and Diversity Officer
beth.olivares@rochester.edu

Faculty Guidebook

This guidebook is an introduction to the many resources we believe are essential to you as you begin your academic career at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é. You will find answers to questions you might have about the various aspects of your academic journey, including:

• Service
• Research
• Teaching
• Resources for grant writing
• Writing
• Undergraduate and graduate student support
• Mentoring

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é is an interdisciplinary organization that brings together prestigious liberal arts, music, and medical institutions with distinguished local area hospitals. These partnerships allow for a wide arrange of cross-divisional research and collaboration.

Learn more about the University's overall structure and administrative teams on the .

Learn about the University's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on the vision and values page.

For more about each school's faculty, student body, courses, and degrees, see the University factbook.

Housed within the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é is Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E), which is made up of three main areas:

• The College

Academic Calendar

The AS&E academic calendar features important dates, including the first and last day of classes, registration dates, and exam periods.

See the for exact dates.

Faculty Orientation

The University president and leaders host a University-wide new faculty orientation highlighting the tools necessary to succeed, including support for learning excellence and support for research and scholarship, followed by concurrent discipline-specific discussions.

Meliora Weekend

Held in October, Meliora Weekend combines three ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é traditions: Family Weekend, Homecoming, and Alumni Reunion. Highlights include ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é Revue, UR Late Night, Carnival, and A Cappella Jam. Each Meliora Weekend, Wilson Commons Student Activities partners with the Office of Alumni Relations to feature a variety of famous speakers and entertainers.

See the Meliora Weekend website for more information about dates and to find a schedule of events.

Dandelion Day

Part of Springfest Weekend, Dandelion Day is held every year in late April or early May and includes carnival rides, food trucks, concerts, and other types of entertainment.

See the Dandelion Day page for more information about dates, events, and activities.

Commencement

Arts, Sciences & Engineering holds its annual commencement ceremony in May on the River Campus Eastman Quadrangle. During this ceremony degrees will be conferred for all bachelor's candidates.

See the for more information about this and other University commencement ceremonies.

Arts, Sciences & Engineering contact lists:

• Deans’ Office directory

During your first year as a new faculty member at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é, we encourage you to get to know your colleagues and how your department works. Talk to your department chair to understand promotion and tenure expectations in your department. Participate in departmental and University events to build rapport with your colleagues. You might also consider finding a mentor in the areas of research, teaching, or service as you launch your independent academic career. 

As a new faculty member, we suggest you:

• Get to know your department and colleagues
• Understand promotion and tenure expectations
• Talk to your department chair to understand promotion and tenure expectations in your department
• Create and begin to implement an academic action plan (including teaching, research, and service goals)

All faculty meet annually with their department chair to review their performance.

Junior Faculty Leave

An assistant professor whose work is progressing well may be granted academic leave of up to two semesters. Any academic leave approved for junior faculty has no effect on the tenure clock, and must be taken early enough that the work undertaken during it can be expected to benefit the tenure case. University support would typically be obtained through application for Junior Faculty Leave, a program for which untenured faculty become eligible after a successful reappointment review. Junior Faculty Leave is intended to encourage the research and scholarship of those who show real promise of becoming tenured members of the faculty. For more information on Junior Faculty Leave, see the .

Reappointment (Third Year) Review

The Reappointment Review is the most formal of what should be regular annual reviews that provide junior faculty members with feedback about progress and advice about how to strengthen performance.

Adopted, March 28, 2019

These guidelines expand upon and govern the implementation in Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) of the Faculty Parental Leave Policy, as stated in the .

Overview

AS&E is committed to providing world class education for its students, along with an environment conducive to outstanding faculty work. We support our faculty members who are the primary caregiver following the birth or adoption of a child. We especially seek to allay the concern that the needs and timing of a highly active academic career may be seen to conflict with those of parenting. As part of our commitment to a culture and policies that support our faculty in their pursuit of work-life balance, AS&E provides this guidance for modified duties related to the birth or adoption of a child. AS&E also provides an automatic extension of the tenure clock (if applicable) for the birth or adoption of a child, and will, upon request of the faculty member, add a statement of this policy to requests for external evaluation letters.

Deans and chairs of AS&E departments should make every effort to promote the equitable use of these guiding principles. Chairs with any questions or concerns about the implementation of these policies should confer with their school dean as soon as the questions emerge.

Who is eligible?

Per the Faculty Handbook, all “full and part time benefits-eligible faculty” are eligible for modified duties related to the birth or adoption of a child under the age of 18. In AS&E this includes tenured and tenure track, instructional track, and other full-time teaching faculty[1] who are serving as the child’s primary caregiver[2].

How does AS&E define modified duties?

A faculty member who is the primary caregiver of a newborn or adopted child is entitled, with no loss of pay, to a reduction in teaching duties amounting to a 50% exemption in a given 12-month period. This reduction may be either one semester of 100% teaching relief, or one academic year of 50% teaching relief, at the request of the faculty member seeking the benefit. The reduction must commence within nine months of the child’s birth or arrival into the home. 

What happens to service responsibilities and research during modified duties?

During the period of modified duties, faculty are excused from teaching (as described above) and from serving on committees. They are, however, expected to make themselves available for student advising and to continue their research or other scholarly endeavors. Faculty who serve in leadership roles (director, chair, etc.) should consult with the relevant dean to determine how best to meet the needs of that unit.

How does a faculty member request modified duties?

When possible, the faculty member requesting modified duties should notify the department chair in writing preferably at least five months ahead of the time for which they are requesting modified duties so that appropriate arrangements can be made to cover the faculty member’s teaching responsibilities.  Additionally, the faculty member should specify their preferred form of modified duties (e.g., a semester of 100% teaching relief or two semesters of 50% teaching relief each semester). 

What happens if both parents are AS&E faculty members?

Should both parents be members of the AS&E faculty, they may choose to divide the relief, with each being granted one semester reduction of half of his/her typical teaching responsibilities. Alternatively, one parent can elect to take the full reduction.

What happens if one parent is a faculty member in AS&E and the other is a faculty member in a different UR school?

Should one parent be a faculty member in AS&E and one in another UR school, the AS&E faculty member, if s/he is primary caregiver, will remain entitled to this benefit. The appropriate school dean(s) outside of AS&E should be consulted regarding the availability of modifications of the other parent’s responsibilities.

What happens if one parent is a faculty member in AS&E and the other is a staff member in AS&E or elsewhere in the University?

This rule applies only to faculty in AS&E. Parents who are staff in any school or unit of the university should refer to:

• Sick leave and short-term disability
• Family Medical Leave policy
• Paid family leave policy 

More Information

You can contact any of the following people if you have questions, using the information listed on the Dean’s Office directory page:

• Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
• Dean of the Hajim School
• Dean of the College
• Director of Faculty Affairs
• Faculty Ombudsperson
• Faculty Development and Diversity Officer

[1] Job codes 001 (Professor, Tenure Track), 003 (Associate Professor, Tenure Track), 005 (Assistant Professor, Tenure Track), 0110 (Assistant Professor, Non-tenure), 0111 (Associate Professor, Non-tenure), 0012 (Professor, Non-tenure), 0009 (Instructor), 0019, (Senior Lecturer), 0021 (Lecturer)

[2] “Primary caregiver” is someone who has primary responsibility for the care of a child immediately following the birth or adoption or coming of the child into the custody, care and control of the primary caregiver for the first time. QUOTED from the Faculty Handbook.

Mentoring is an informal relationship between a trusted and experienced individual and an early-career academic. Mentors give advice to new faculty with the goal of helping them make advances in their personal, professional, or career development.

Ideally, all new faculty should identify a mentor by the end of their first year. Some departments have formal mentoring programs. You can also look for mentors outside of your department.

Having trouble finding a mentor? Your chair, the Teaching Center, and faculty development and diversity officers (FDDO) can help.

Before meeting with your mentor, you should familiarize yourself with the following:

• Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) intranet
• Third-year review (mini-tenure case)
• Policies and rules
• What new faculty need to know about their departments, chairs, relationships, etc.

Benefits to Mentee

• Easier transition to the institution
• Becoming oriented to the various roles of being a faculty member
• Development of research, teaching, and service skills, with honest feedback on progress
• Socialization and network development within your department, on campus, and in your professional community
• Increased self-confidence and faculty morale
• Advice and experience for later transition to leadership positions
• Guidance on problem solving and dealing with difficult situations
• Higher career satisfaction
• Greater research productivity

Pearls of Wisdom from AS&E Faculty

“I do like to say that a faculty job is like that of a juggler, but where some balls are rubber and some are glass, and they constantly change from one to the other. The trick is to figure out which ones are the rubber ones and let them temporarily drop.” 

– Todd Krauss, Department of Chemistry

“Get yourself three big manila envelopes—or folders on your computer—and label them 'Good Girl’ (or ‘Good Boy’ as appropriate).  Keep one for research, one for teaching, and one for service.  Any time you get one of those nice thank you letters, or fan mail from a student, or kudos about your research, or praise for your service work, put it in the ‘Good Girl’ file.  You’ll be happy you did when you come up for re-appointment and for promotion and tenure.”

– Laura Smoller, Department of History

“Develop and maintain a research network—going to conferences and giving outside talks is probably more valuable to your research than you think.”

– Tom Tucker, Professor of Mathematics

On Getting Tenure

“The goals for achieving tenure should align with what you (hopefully!) love to do, namely research, teaching and service. Tenure is achieved through demonstrable impact of your research, teaching, and service to your community.  Focus on creating new knowledge, solving the really tough problems, answering the lingering questions, thinking about a topic in a new light, and educating the next generation to be thinkers and leaders, this is what will lead to not only a successful tenure case but, more importantly, a fulfilling career.”

On Work-Life Balance

“My motto is: work hard, play hard! While the balance of time spent at work and outside of work will vary as deadlines come and go, family obligations come and go, projects begin or wind down, always remember the importance of maintaining your physical, mental, and emotional health as well as your relationships with family and friends.  You will never regret making time for the important things.”

On Graduate Students

“Graduate students are the lifeblood of a research university.  They can energize a project with their new ideas and diverse ways of looking at problems.  Nurture the development of your graduate students; they are here to develop into independent researchers, and it is our job to help them along that path. ”

On Undergraduate Students

“A university thrives on its undergraduate student population, and we are so lucky to have some truly outstanding undergraduate students at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é!  Get to know them through advising, through your classes, and through research opportunities in your lab.  There is nothing like seeing students develop and mature through their time at the University, eventually seeing them off at commencement to start making their mark on the world!”

– Wendi Heinzelman, Dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Faculty Handbook

The outlines the University’s organizational structure and details the policies relating to the University, faculty, and students. The handbook also reviews faculty benefits and recent policy changes.

Tenure and Promotion

A decision about tenure is immensely important for both the faculty member and the University. The award of tenure is an acknowledgment that the faculty member has a distinguished record of scholarly achievement and is a demonstrably accomplished teacher. The key domains in which a candidate will be assessed are scholarship or creative work, and teaching. We also expect faculty to have contributed to the life of their departments and the University in general.

For more information see our tenure and promotion guidelines.

You must have an AS&E intranet account to view the tenure and promotion guidelines. Get access to the intranet by clicking on the “Need and account?” link on the intranet login page, and then completing and submitting the information in the pop-up box.

Faculty Annual Reporting (FAR)

Faculty Activity Reports (FARs) must be completed by all tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty. AS&E uses this annual report to better understand the activities of our faculty. The report requires you to upload a current CV and asks for information about all aspects of your work: teaching, research, and service activities.

Completed in February for the prior calendar year, the report is used as a basis for the annual Chair and decanal review of your progress. When in doubt, include all activities (external workshops (regardless of audience), supervision of undergraduate research, honorific distinctions, media appearances, grant proposals, internal and external committee service, etc). Information from the student questionnaires (SQOCs) will auto-populate.

You must have an AS&E intranet account to complete a FAR. Get access to the intranet by clicking on the “Need and account?” link on the intranet login page, and then completing and submitting the information in the pop-up box.

Important Policies

Intimate Relationships

The development of intimate relationships may, in some cases, compromise the academic relationships that are fundamental to the intellectual and professional development of members of the University. To protect the rights and interests of all members of the University community, faculty are prohibited from entering into intimate relationships with undergraduate students of the University and/or with any member of the University community over whom they exercise academic authority (as defined in the handbook). Faculty are also prohibited from accepting academic authority (as defined in the handbook) over any member of the University community with whom they currently share an intimate relationship, or with whom they have shared such a relationship in the past.

For more information on the policy regarding intimate relationships, see the .

Harassment

The University is committed to maintaining a workplace and academic environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. The University prohibits and will not engage in discrimination and harassment based on any status protected by law. Further, the University prohibits retaliation against any person who complains or opposes perceived unlawful discrimination or harassment, including those who participate in investigations or proceedings involving complaints of such discrimination or harassment.

For more information on the policy against discrimination and harassment, see .

Conflict of Interest

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é’s Faculty Policy on Conflict of Interest and Commitment requires all tenure-track and research faculty to complete the Outside Interest Report (OIR) each year. Through this report, faculty let AS&E administration know about financial interests that may represent conflicts of interest with a faculty member’s research, scholarly, or administrative activities at the University.

In cases where conflicts of interest are identified, the University will develop a plan with the researcher to manage these conflicts, avoiding outcomes that may be harmful to either or both parties.

You must have an AS&E intranet account to complete an OIR and to view the conflict of interest policy. Get access to the intranet by clicking on the “Need and account?” link on the intranet login page, and then completing and submitting the information in the pop-up box.

Guidelines and Required Forms

These guidelines were created to help departments conduct fair searches and to maintain compliance with federal recruiting laws. You can find the guidelines and forms on the AS&E intranet.

FORT2 (Faculty Online Recruiting Tool, Second Version)

FORT2 is an online recruiting tool used to conduct tenure track and non-tenure track faculty searches. You can by entering your NetID and password.

If you do not have an account, click on the “?” in the upper-right corner to request one. Be sure to include your NetID username in the message to expedite.

The system offers video and PDF tutorials. These can be found by clicking on the “I” in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. The FORT2 admin team also offers one-on-one training, which can be requested by emailing FORTAdmin@UR.ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é.edu.

Affirmative Action Applicant Coding

The University is subject to regulations issued by the Department of Labor and enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCPP). See the Affirmative Action Obligations document for more information.

For all searches conducted by the University that result in a hire, we are required to code applications. Disposition and reason codes (e.g., as to why candidates were not chosen for interview, which candidate was hired, etc.) are required. For more information, see the disposition and reason code explanation table.

Coding should be done as soon as a hire is made.

If department administrators are aware of the search committee candidate review/elimination process, then a designated search committee member can be given access in FORT2 to code applications.

Questions? Need Assistance?

For questions about FORT2, email FORTAdmin@UR.ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é.edu. All other questions about recruitment can be directed to Tammy Michielsen, director of faculty affairs, at tammy.michielsen@rochester.edu.

When it comes to tenure, teaching, research, and service comprise the three pillars on which you will be assessed.

According to the University's , “The first threshold that must be crossed on the path of tenure is excellence in teaching [...] The second threshold is scholarship or artistic work.” Service is the third component.

Research (or Creativity Activity)

Research/creative work is most important for a faculty member's tenure case. This is essentially the only means by which outside evaluators, who provide all-important letters, can asses our faculty.

Obtaining grants (especially from prestigious national agencies) demonstrates the potential to support an independent research program. Meanwhile, publishing with your new students here at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é provides evidence that you have established such a program.

The quality of your research is gauged by the journals in which you publish, citations of your work by others in the field, and invitations to present seminars at other universities and talks at meetings. 

See the "Research" section below for more information.

Teaching

The University values and promotes excellence in teaching. Generally, teaching (at the undergraduate and/or graduate level) takes places in classrooms (through lectures, discussions, or online) and in workshops, recitations, labs, and studios. 

Think about how your course fits into the department's overall curriculum and how it meets various learning objectives.

See the "Teaching" section below for more information.

Service

Service can occur at multiple levels:

• Departmental
• AS&E
• University-wide
• Societies and other organizations in your discipline
• Broader community

Consider getting involved in committees that can benefit you as an early-career academic (e.g., graduate admissions). Faculty search committees are also extremely important, as they can shape the nature of the department for decades to come. Meanwhile, serving on or chairing important college and university-level committees can increase your visibility and open up opportunities for leadership positions. Finally, you can think of novel ways to serve your department, the University, or the broader community.

See the "Service" section below for more information.

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é values and promotes excellence in teaching. Generally, teaching takes places in classrooms (through lectures, discussions, or online) and in workshops, recitations, labs, and studios. Students, both undergraduate and graduate, are then assessed through assignments and exams.

We suggest keeping a folder for each lecture where you can put recently published articles on the topic. This will help you stay up to date on the subject matter while keeping the course interesting for you.

The Teaching Center offers several teaching resources including information on:

• Teaching students with disabilities
• Designing a course
• Teaching a course
• Evaluating a course

See the Teaching Center's website for more information.

The University is always exploring new ways to use technology in teaching. Visit University to see the most current list of tools and support services, or schedule a consultation with the Teaching Center.

Event and Classroom Management (ECM) provides classroom technology support for classes and other activities on the River Campus. Contact the ECM help desk at (585) 275-9014 for urgent in-class audio-visual support.

You can also contact them via phone or email (ecm@rochester.edu) for additional services, including:

• Classroom orientation and training
• Equipment delivery
• Specialized software needs in computer classrooms

General Technology Support

IT support is available to all Arts, Sciences & Engineering faculty by a team of dedicated full-time IT support staff. These staff are reachable by email, phone, and through on-site visits Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Requests for support can be made by calling the help desk at (585) 275-2000 or by emailing univithelp@rochester.edu.

IT can assist with:

• Faculty office and lab computer workstations
• Portable devices that are Wi-Fi enabled
• Academic software and office productivity tools

Licenses for the Microsoft Suite of products (including email, calendar, office productivity software, and cloud storage) are available and IT is on hand to help with installation, configuration, and support.

Video conferencing software is available through the . Large file storage options and workstation backup services are also available.

Visit for general IT services available to faculty, staff, and students at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é.

The provide a gateway to different departments across campus, administrative and service-oriented offices, and your students. Partnering with the libraries can help you:

• Quickly access digital materials from around the world via inter-library loan (ILL)
• Create a data management plan to get funding and safeguard your work
• Decrease time spent on grading due to better quality student work
• Improve how easy it is for others to find and cite your research
• Find collaborators within and outside your field
• Distinguish and disambiguate yourself and your scholarship through Open Researcher and Contributor Identification (ORCID)
• Reduce the rising course material costs by creating free and open license educational materials
• Develop students’ mastery of information, digital, and data fluencies
• Build students’ confidence working in and showcasing learning in local communities

Blackboard is a virtual hub for student services that provides access to online course materials, grades, organizations, accounts, and many other academic and campus services. As a learning management system, Blackboard offers a number of online tools to supplement your face-to-face course, including discussion boards, tests, and homework collection through the assignments tools.

Faculty can distribute grades safely and securely back to students through the Blackboard grade center. A number of additional tools are also integrated within Blackboard for instructional use:

• Zoom for video conferencing
• Panopto for video creation and/or streaming
• Voice thread for multimedia discussions

Visit to learn more.

Faculty interested in getting help to use Blackboard tools can schedule a one-on-one consultation by contacting UnivtHelp@rochester.edu and making a request. Course information for students is also accessible through the Blackboard Student mobile app. Use Blackboard Instructor for access to the course you are teaching.

Instructors have several options for creating and managing course websites:

• Leverage the
• Set up a site on your departmental web server (see your department IT administrator, if applicable)
• Multi-semester courses or courses that need public facing elements can work with the

You can present course information through a combination of lectures, discussions, online presentations, workshops, recitations, labs, and studio work.

If you have assignments and exams that you haven’t taught before, be prepared to spend a lot more time than you might have guessed preparing for class.

Keep an electronic folder for each lecture, where you can put recently published articles on the topic. This will keep you up to date and keep the course from getting boring for you.

Developing a new course takes a lot of time. Avoid being pressured to shift frequently from one course to another. In fairness to all faculty, it is reasonable that there should be occasional shuffling between introductory courses and upper-level courses.

The College is home to the undergraduate students in Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) and is very diverse, with almost 30 percent of our students being international. View the for more information.

The CARE Network is a service that is committed to student wellness and support, and promotes education on destigmatizing help-seeking behaviors. This program also allows members of the University community to express their concern about a student, incident, or issue by submitting information through one of the following online forms:

• – For an individual student of concern
• – For incidences or demonstrations of discrimination based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation
• – For incidences that impact the University community, such as a humanitarian concern

For more information about CARE, including the process by which reports are handled and CARE, visit the .

A bias-related incident is characterized as a behavior or act—verbal, written, or physical—which is personally directed against or targets an individual or group based on perceived or actual characteristics such as race, color, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age.

Examples of bias-related incidents include:

• Defacement and vandalism
• Racial epithets written on someone’s dry-erase board
• Posting or commenting on social media related to someone’s identity in a biased matter
• Racially themed parties
• Using a racial, ethnic, or other slur in a joke or to identify someone
• Threats (including threatening phone calls or emails), destruction of personal property, or harassment
• Ridiculing a person’s language or accent
• Insulting a person’s traditional manner of dress
• Hate messages and symbols
• Language and imagery objectifying women

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é strongly encourages you to that occur on campus. Any member of the University community can submit a report, including faculty, staff, and students.

For more information, including how the University handles reports, see the Bias-Related Incident Response page.

Academic advisors assist students in developing and achieving personal, academic, and career plans as well as preparing for life after college. Through effective academic advising, students are empowered to own their educational choices and craft individual plans that will help them attain their academic goals.

In order to make the most of their intellectual journey at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é, new students are encouraged to build relationships with peers, staff, and faculty throughout their years of undergraduate study.

Academic advisors in Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) respect students’ confidentiality rights regarding personal information and follow the University’s guidance as it relates to the (FERPA). (Adapted from the National Academic Advising Association Statement of Core Values.)

For more information about academic advising, visit the College Center for Advising Services (CCAS) website or contact Marcy Kraus, executive director of CCAS at (585) 275-2354 or marcy.kraus@rochester.edu.

Instead of general education or foundation requirements, our students choose a major and two clusters* that interest them, each of which falls into one of the following academic divisions:

• Humanities
• Social sciences
• Natural sciences and engineering

Students also have the option of expanding one or both clusters into a minor or even another major. This allows our students to take ownership of their academic program within a flexible framework and study what they love.

Students are also required to complete the .

*Engineering students are only required to take only one cluster in another division.

For more information, see the .

The Office of the Dean of Students provides and that support and contribute to student learning and community development.

Units under the Office of the Dean of Students include:

• Center for Community Engagement

For more information, see the .

The Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center (BIC) is a joint venture of the Office of the Dean of Students and the David T. Kearns Center. It exists to:

• Promote cultural awareness and engagement
• Educate the community on issues of identity, culture, and diversity
• Provide avenues for intersection and opportunities for collaboration

The center works closely with students, staff, faculty, and offices across campus to foster a collaborative environment throughout the year. We also provide opportunities for education and dialogue on topics such as race, religion, LGBTQI issues, privilege, intercultural communication, and bias-related incidents.

Students can use the intercultural lounge and LGBTQI resource area, which is an ideal location for studying, checking out books and videos, engaging in discussions, and gathering as a community.

For more information, see the .

The College Center for Advising Services (CCAS) facilitates academic and individual success by providing advisement to all undergraduate students in a respectful, supportive, and confidential environment.

Visit the to learn more.

Learning Center

The Learning Center is a resource available to all students in Arts, Sciences & Engineering. All kinds of students with all kinds of GPAs and academic records make use of our programs. We work with strong students who wish to become even better, as well as with students who have not yet tapped into the strategies needed to succeed in college, and everyone in between.

We offer a variety of programs for students to help meet their individual needs:

• – Small student groups who meet each week to solve challenging problems under the guidance of a student who has recently completed the course successfully. Workshops are considered integral components of courses, and the leader training courses are co-taught by the course faculty and a member of the Learning Center staff.
• – Students study together with a student leader who has done well in the course. Student leaders are prepared through a credit-bearing training course to address both content questions and those about study strategies.
• – Students receive one-on-one assistance from a tutor for a specific assignment or concept. Students can also stop by the Tutor Zone in Genesee Hall 230 during .
• – Students can meet one-on-one with a consultant or take a course to improve their study skills. Some courses begin a few weeks into the term, so that students have the opportunity to identify the need for this course and enroll during the same semester.

Other Tutoring Programs

In addition to the Learning Center programs listed above, the University also offers the following:

• Math Study Hall is staffed by math graduate students who will answer your questions on a walk-in basis. The study hall is in Hylan, room 1104, and hours are posted on the door.
• Student Physics Society helps students with 100-level mathematics, physics, and astronomy coursework. Tutoring is conducted by upper-year students who can answer your questions on a walk-in basis. See the for more information.
• The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program (WSAP) offers a wide variety of writing support services for undergraduate students at all levels and in all disciplines. See the for more information.
• The Office of Minority Student Affairs(OMSA) coordinates study services for minority students and for students in the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). Academic assistance is offered in the sciences, social sciences, mathematics, and humanities. Students seeking help should .
• NROTC students can, in addition to the services listed here, seek help from their NROTC advisors, since their program does provide tutors for certain subjects.
• Tau Beta Pi is an Engineering Honor Society where engineering students can get help with their homework from members on a weekly basis. In turn, each Tau Beta Pi member is expected to tutor on a biweekly basis. Schedules will be at the beginning of each semester.

The Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections is committed to developing a culture where organizations and talent are brought together to transform the community. Our advisors are here to assist students in achieving their individual career goals while providing them with the resources and tools they need to develop connections between their aspirations, academic pursuits, and co-curricular experiences.

The Greene Career Center does this in a variety of ways, including:

• Offering one-on-one career coaching
• Assisting students with skill and interest exploration
• Improving job skills like resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, etc.
• Hosting or coordinating networking and career fair events

See the for more information.

The David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é focuses on creating replicable and scalable educational models that will increase the number of low-income and historically underrepresented individuals pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional education.

The center provides educational guidance, scholarships, and support services to students who:

• Come from low-income families
• Will be, or already are, the first person in their family to earn a college degree
• Come from racial groups identified by the federal government as underrepresented in higher education (African American, Native American, or Hispanic)

We also help develop and guide the University’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

The Kearns Center sponsors several undergraduate programs including:

• Kearns Center Scholars
• Ronald E. McNair Program
• Xerox Research Fellows

The center also helps connect students to summer and National Science Foundation (NSF) undergraduate research programs. For more information about these programs and other Kearns Center initiatives, see the Kearns Center website.

The Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) is the official academic home of all historically underrepresented minority students (Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander). We are dedicated to the betterment of the minority student experience at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é through:

• Advocacy
• Holistic advising
• Education
• Collaboration with campus units

Our department also connects minority students to various resources, on and off campus. We provide our students with the social capital needed to ensure academic, professional, and personal success.

To help achieve these goals, OMSA sponsors several programs, including:

See for more information.

International students can sometimes face academic adjustment issues including different academic norms, language barriers, time management, and the high pressure to succeed. The College supports international students with a variety of programs and services, including the following:

: Works with the students to file appropriate forms and permissions in a timely manner, counsels individual students on transition issues, and assists in campus-wide programming.

: An internship course designed for international students with an F-1 or J-1 visa seeking a paid internship opportunity in the United States that relates to their program of study.

: Addresses logistical, academic, and cultural concerns specific to students from abroad. International student orientation runs for the two days prior to the orientation program for all students.

: Undergraduates who serve as peer-to-peer mentors for international students.

: This course was designed to boost the personal and academic success of first-year students from abroad.

: Two-semester program for native and non-native English speakers that allows students additional time to focus on English writing, critical reading, and research skills. Students who might benefit from this program are identified for the program during the admissions process.

: A local non-profit organization dedicated to promoting international understanding and cultural exchange between the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é community and international students. RGC coordinates a friendship volunteer program for students and social events throughout the year.

Office of Undergraduate Research

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) works to increase the number of undergraduate research experiences available to our students and lower the barriers facing students and mentors as they set out to pursue this research. Please visit the for information about general policies and procedures, funding, student support services, and events.

Independent Studies

Independent study courses allow students to study subject matter not included or not treated in sufficient depth in a regularly offered course. For more information about independent studies courses, see the CCAS independent studies page.

The Office of Disability Resources is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and promoting disability as a component of campus diversity. Students with disabilities at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é are protected from discrimination and guaranteed equal access in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008.

For more information on teaching students with disabilities, see the .

Accommodation Letters

Faculty are notified of student disability accommodations via email. The Letter of Accommodation will state all required academic accommodations or adjustments that must be provided for the student. Students should meet with their instructors to discuss the implementation of their accommodations.

Faculty are not required to make academic adjustments for students without receipt of an official Letter of Accommodation from our office.

We encourage faculty to reach out to us anytime to discuss concerns or ask questions regarding the implementation of accommodations.

Accommodated Testing

We encourage faculty to make their own arrangements for student testing accommodations. This typically results in the best testing environment for students, aligning more closely to the experience of their peers.

In the event that faculty are unable to make arrangements for accommodated exams, the Office of Disability Resources can assist by arranging a proctor and alternate testing location in our office or another space on campus.

Classroom Materials

Instructors are responsible for ensuring that all classroom materials (including textbooks, readings, videos, etc.) are accessible. More information about can be found on our website.

Syllabus Statement

We recommend that faculty add a syllabus statement to each of their syllabi, directing students with disabilities to our office in order to seek academic accommodations through the appropriate channels. A can be found on our website.

Graduate training provided by the departments and programs of Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) accounts for more than 60 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded by the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é.

The University emphasizes individualized study that allows students to create an educational experience harnessing our unique facilities, nationally ranked faculty, and superb research infrastructure.

The AS&E Graduate Studies Office provides the following professional development opportunities to help supplement graduate students' efforts to succeed in their future careers:

• Teaching Assistant (TA) Training Workshops
• Fellowships Workshops
• Future Faculty Initiative Workshops
• Conflict Management Workshops
• Responsible Conduct of Research Training
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Workshops

See the for upcoming workshop/training dates and descriptions.

Graduate programs in Arts, Sciences & Engineering offer many types of financial support. Each academic department reviews applications for grant and scholarship assistance. Amounts are awarded by the specific department and are incorporated into the admissions offer.

PhD applicants offered admission to the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é are eligible for a full tuition scholarship. Various stipends are also available to supplement the cost of graduate education.

Master’s applicants offered admission to the University are eligible for tuition scholarships based on academic merit. Many of our master’s programs may be completed in one year or can be extended to two years with the addition of internship, co-op, or research experiences.

Visit the graduate student financial aid page for more information.

The CARE Network is a service that is committed to student wellness and support, and promotes education on destigmatizing help-seeking behaviors. This program also allows members of the University community to express their concern about a student, incident, or issue by submitting information through one of the following online forms:

• – For an individual student of concern
• – For incidences or demonstrations of discrimination based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation
• – For incidences that impact the University community, such as a humanitarian concern

For more information about CARE, including the process by which reports are handled and the CARE Resource Center, visit the .

A bias-related incident is characterized as a behavior or act—verbal, written, or physical—which is personally directed against or targets an individual or group based on perceived or actual characteristics such as race, color, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age.

Examples of bias-related incidents include:

• Defacement and vandalism
• Racial epithets written on someone’s dry-erase board
• Posting or commenting on social media related to someone’s identity in a biased matter
• Racially themed parties
• Using a racial, ethnic, or other slur in a joke or to identify someone
• Threats (including threatening phone calls or emails), destruction of personal property, or harassment
• Ridiculing a person’s language or accent
• Insulting a person’s traditional manner of dress
• Hate messages and symbols
• Language and imagery objectifying women

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é strongly encourages you to that occur on campus. Any member of the University community can submit a report, including faculty, staff, and students.

For more information, including how the University handles reports, see the Bias-Related Incident Response page.

Research, scholarship, and creative or artistic work are how outside evaluators assess our faculty and how faculty get tenure. The quality of your research is gauged by the journals in which you publish, citations of your work by others in the field, invitations to present or talk at other universities, grants obtained (especially from prestigious national agencies), and other such measures of success.

The following tips are for faculty just starting out in research:

• Don't save your start-up funds for a rainy day
• Get connected in your field
  • Give seminars at other institutions—this can be done by "inviting yourself" e.g., you will be in the area and would be happy to present a talk on your research, meet their faculty, etc.
  • Organize symposia and invite leaders in your field
  • Serve on grant panels, to get connected with program officers and other scientists, see how the system operates, and see what makes a successful grant proposal

Internal Funding

The ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é offers several different funding opportunities for faculty including:

Pilot Award Program in AR/VR: supports exploratory projects related to the science, technology, and applications of virtual and augmented reality.

: Intramural funding program for AS&E researchers that is designed to stimulate extramural funding for two kinds of projects that are otherwise difficult to launch:

: Supports proposals that fund things that enhance and/or increase undergraduate research opportunities for ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é undergraduates.

: Funding is awarded to recipients who demonstrate their projects favor new research with a high probability of being leveraged by future external funding.

: Promotes the transfer and translation of research into commercial applications.

(CIBEM): Awards two to three grants per year ($30,000-$50,000) to fund collaborations with CIBEM faculty.

: Available to tenure-track assistant professors in any field of humanistic study, including anthropology, art and art history, English, history, modern languages and cultures, music, philosophy, or religion and classics.

See the Arts, Sciences & Engineering research funding page for more information.

External Funding

External funding is critical because it:

• Helps you develop as an independent researcher
• Provides you greater autonomy as a scholar
• Enables equipment, students, travel, and collaboration
• Brings greater visibility for you, your research, your institution
• Helps relieve budget constraints to department and the institution
• Builds your career and case for tenure
• Helps you focus your research plans and career development by articulating them in writing
• Gives you research exposure to world-class scholars who participate in the peer-review process

Across the University and AS&E, there are people who can help you with your research agenda, including:

• Faculty mentors and your department chair
• Departmental administrators and support staff
• Dean’s Office in Arts, Sciences & Engineering, including the:
  • Dean’s Office Research Team
  • Institutional Research Office (for institutional data)
• Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) (primarily pre-award support)
• Office of Research Accounting and Costing Standards () (primarily post-award support)
• (for commercialization of technologies)
• (for legal issues)

Managing Your Scholarly Identity

New faculty conducting research should explore the , which authoritatively links you to your scholarly outputs. It is controlled and vetted by you, integrated into the research lifecycle, and can save you time and effort.

To learn more, contact Dale Hess, assistant dean for data analytics in AS&E, at dale.hess@rochester.edu or (585) 275-0680.

The University has subscription services for databases of funding opportunities. We encourage you to register for an  to discover funding opportunities and receive regular emails about targeted opportunities. You can also subscribe to receive e-alerts from federal sponsors.

• ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é's and  
• National Endowment for the Arts ()
• National Endowment for the Humanities ()
• National Science Foundation ()
• National Institutes of Health ()

The Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) serves and guides the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é community on all aspects of sponsored programs administration by providing:

• Pre- and post-award services
• Stewardship of external sponsored funding
• Training and education
• Research administration and funding information systems

Visit for more information.

The Office of Research Accounting and Costing Standards (ORACS) is responsible for oversight of post-award administration and indirect cost accounting. Oversight includes:

• Providing consistent and high quality financial stewardship
• Policy interpretation
• Compliance assurance to the University's research community, federal sponsoring agencies, and other non-federal sponsors

See the for more information.

The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program (WSAP) offers faculty writing groups to help faculty members:

• Establish focused time and a regular schedule for writing
• Find a supportive community around writing and publishing
• Set short- and long-term goals for writing to sustain progress over time
• Maintain a productive writing life

For more information, see .

Faculty committees are critically important to the functioning of Arts, Sciences & Engineering (AS&E) and the College. These committees help us to:

• Establish faculty governance
• Ensure various perspectives are represented, including disciplinary, divisional, and personal
• Create a more deliberative process, which reduces unintended consequences and bad decisions
• Build a shared understanding of the “common good” among faculty and students

Volunteering to chair or participate in a committee is a clear and easy way to track faculty service. It can also help to increase your visibility and open up opportunities for leadership positions. We suggest trying to get involved in committees that can benefit you as an early-career academic (e.g., graduate admissions).

The roles and responsibilities of individual committee members (not to mention the committees themselves) vary widely.

AS&E and the College have a number of committees to manage the academic business of these units. Committees typically fall into one of two categories:

• Standing: The composition of these committess are established by Section A of the College Rules. These committees are charged with general academic governance functions.
• Ad hoc: These committees are established through the Deans’ Office and range in purpose and role within governance (e.g., learning management systems, bibliometric software, entrepreneurship and community engagement, curriculum review).

Various committees also exist on the departmental level, including ones dedicated to faculty recruitment and graduate admissions. Faculty recruitment committees are especially important, as they can shape the nature of the department for decades to come.

There’s an understandable desire to have women and minority faculty represented on committees. Thus, women and URM faculty get asked to serve more often than other faculty.

Women and URM faculty should beware of getting over committed. If saying “no” is difficult, talk to your department chair regarding your concern about getting spread too thin. You can ask the chair to step in on your behalf.

We have been striving to hire more women and URM faculty. As the diversity of our faculty increases, the committee burden for women and URM faculty should decrease.

In addition to the individual committees listed below, there are also various committees for certificate programs, multidisciplinary programs (such as American studies and public health), and the Senior Scholars program.

Faculty Senate

The purpose of the Faculty Senate is to:

• Evaluate the state of the University and make recommendations on its academic development
• Inquire into any issue that impact the academic function and welfare of the University
• Create communication channels between the University and faculty

The senate is composed of 45 tenure-track faculty members, elected from each of the seven schools of the University. Elections are held “at large,” but each school has the right to be represented by at least one member and there can be no school with a majority of members. Senate members serve three-year terms, which are renewable for up to six years consecutively.

The senate handles issues like:

• Faculty representation when hiring deans
• Faculty job code revisions
• Faculty research activity
• Financial and administrative updates from central units

Faculty Senate Executive Committee (SEC)

The SEC manages agendas for the Faculty Senate and recommend senate actions in special cases.

The SEC is composed of eight members who are elected from the Faculty Senate. Members serve two-year terms but terminate concurrently with membership in the Faculty Senate.

University Committee on Tenure and Privileges (UCTP)

The UCTP reviews regulations concerning faculty tenure and privileges.

Faculty Council

Comprised of a representative from each academic department in AS&E, the Faculty Council reviews proposals on behalf of the faculty in any matter over which the faculty has jurisdiction.

The committee is chaired by the dean of the faculty of AS&E with the chair of the Steering Committee serving as vice chair. The committee convenes once per month during the academic year with an All-Faculty Council meeting/reception in September and February.

See the Faculty Council website for more information.

Faculty Council Steering Committee

The purpose of this committee is to prepare agendas for meetings of the Faculty Council, appoint members for committees under the Faculty Council, and hear reports from those committees.

The Faculty Council Steering Committee is composed of five members who represent each academic division plus one additional member from any division. No more than two assistant professors can serve on the committee and members serve one-year terms, which are renewable for up to two years consecutively.

The committee handles many of same issues as the Faculty Council, as well as approvals for most academic program changes (except for new majors) and changes to Faculty Council rules and procedures.

Committee on Graduate Studies

This University-wide committee is to advise on general policies for graduate work and approves new or revised graduate programs.

The Committee on Graduate Studies is composed of the directors of each graduate program in AS&E, the Dean of Graduate Studies, four graduate students, and the University Dean of Graduate Studies. Terms are based upon continued appointment in directorship.

The committee handles issues related to:

• Student opinions on graduate work/satisfaction
• Title IX
• Supervision
• Recruitment
• Changes to policies regarding graduate students

Administrative Committee

The purpose of the Administrative Committee is to establish administrative guidelines for reviewing academic records and related actions (e.g., probation, separation), plus for approving any exceptions to these guidelines.

The committee is composed of seven faculty members (at least one from the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Science), and three undergraduate students. Faculty serve for three-year terms, which are renewable.

This committee handles issues like the following:

• Reviewing individual student cases involving probation and separation (twice annually)
• Cluster exceptions
• Late withdrawals and additions from courses
• Uncovering S/F options
• Retroactive actions

College Curriculum Committee (CCC)

The purpose of this committee is to:

• Review and approve all academic programs (majors, minors, clusters, and certificates)
• Evaluate and approve changes to academic policy
• Establish general graduation requirements

CCC is composed of eight faculty members, six from the School of Arts and Sciences and two from the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Members are appointed by the dean of the College and serve yearly terms, which are renewable.

This committee handles various issues, including:

• Approvals of new curricula or changes to existing curricula
• Changes to the academic calendar
• Proposals for new academic initiatives
• Credit hour policy changes
• Effective functioning of the cluster system

Board of Academic Honesty (BAH)

The BAH consists of a chair, at least eleven faculty members, at least eleven undergraduate students, and at least two graduate students. Cases that are submitted for board resolution are typically heard by five board members—three faculty members and two students (undergraduate students for cases involving undergraduates, and graduate students for cases involving graduate students).

Faculty are selected by the Dean of the College in consultation with the faculty chair of the Board of Academic Honesty. Faculty represent each major division within the College (engineering, humanities, social science, and natural science). Members serve four-year terms, which are renewable once for up to eight years consecutively.

The board handles cases regarding academic dishonesty, including:

• Plagiarism
• Cheating on exams
• Copying or falsifying work
• Using another student’s work
• Giving unauthorized aid
• Misuse of library material

Academic Honesty Education Committee (AHEC)

This committee recommends practices and solutions to improve outreach and education on academic honesty.

There are three faculty on the committee, two College administrators, two graduate students, two undergraduate students and the Academic Honesty Liaison.

Faculty are selected by the College Dean’s Office in consultation with the Academic Honesty Liaison. Faculty represent each major divisions within the College (natural science/engineering, humanities, social sciences).

Committee on Individualized Interdisciplinary Programs (CIIP)

The CIIP reviews individualized programs of study submitted by students for academic merit and feasibility.

Faculty are selected by the College Dean’s Office. There are five faculty on the committee, representing major divisions within the College (natural science/engineering, humanities, social sciences). The committee is chaired by one of these faculty members. The Associate Dean of the College and the Assistant Director of the Multidisciplinary Studies Center also serve on the committee.

Take 5 and e5 Committees

These committees review applications for the special programs at the University that offer a “free” fifth year of study for undergraduates.

For Take 5, faculty are chosen by of the dean of the College. The same faculty have been serving for many years because of their interest and skill in selecting applications. There are four faculty on the committee, representing major divisions within the College (natural science/engineering, humanities, social sciences). The executive director of CCAS and the assistant director of the Multidisciplinary Studies Center also serve on the committee.

For e5, faculty are drawn from AS&E and the Simon School of Business. They are selected because of interest in entrepreneurship by the director of the Ain Center in consultation with the dean of the College and dean of the Simon School. There is not fixed number of faculty, but there are usually three to four on the committee. There are also two to three College administrators on the committee.

We want to see you thrive and succeed as a new faculty member at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é, so we've compiled additional resources you might find useful during your professional career.

The Arts, Sciences and Engineering (AS&E) Faculty Professional Development Travel Award has been developed to encourage and support teaching and tenure track faculty in AS&E attending and participating in professional and academic conferences for their continued growth and the nurturing of their academic careers.

Travel awards are given on the basis of merit, and are intended to partially reimburse transportation, lodging, and conference registration expenses. The typical maximum grant award is $1,500. To apply, faculty members should write a one to two page summary of the request, with an indication of the ways in which this event or conference will assist in their professional development. An indication of support from the department chair is also helpful. Submit all materials to Beth Olivares at beth.olivares@rochester.edu.

The awards committee, consisting of deans in Arts, Sciences and Engineering, makes final decisions concerning all awards. Not all faculty who submit an application will receive funding. After attendance at the conference/professional development event, awardees must submit a finalized expense report and a one-page description of the conference experience that highlights major points, lessons learned, and benefits of the experience.

Travel Award Guidelines

• Travel awards are granted by the committee based on the strength of the application materials, and the nature of the conference being considered for attendance (e.g., how much the conference is expected to support the faculty member’s professional development).
• The applying faculty member must hold a position in an Arts, Sciences and Engineering department both at the time of application and at the time of travel.
• Applications must be for funding toward attendance at an academic or professional conference or workshop that focuses on the professional development of faculty (e.g., the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity (NCORE), the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, ADVANCE workshops, others sponsored by disciplinary societies).
• All applicants are encouraged to request funding from other sources. Additional weight will be given to applicants who have made efforts to reduce their costs and/or find additional funding toward their travel.
• After attendance at the conference/professional development event, awardees must submit a finalized expense report and a one-page description of the conference experience that highlights major points, techniques learned, and benefits of the experience, to Beth Olivares. A blurb about the experience may be featured in newsletters or on the AS&E website. The expense report and descriptive summary are due within 30 days of completion of travel.

The following is advice from biology professor Sina Ghaemmaghami.

1. Get help. There are numerous campus resources available to you, including:
   1. Teaching Center
   3. Event and Classroom Management ()
   6. Departmental resources
   7. Other faculty
2. Start organizing your course early.
3. Don’t worry if students initially appear unengaged.
4. Teach what you’re passionate about and challenge your students.
5. Get to know your students.
6. Use classroom technology wisely.
7. If you want students to behave a certain way, tell them (nicely).
8. Have fun.

The senior operations officer at the University:

• Assigns and manages space for AS&E departments and programs
• Acts as a liaison for AS&E during renovation and construction projects
• Represents AS&E on various planning and steering committees
• Serves as the operations sector chief for the University's Comprehensive Emergency Management Team

Contact Gregory Meyer, the senior operations officer, at gregory.meyer@rochester.edu. For appointments, email Linda Wingerden at linda.wingerden@rochester.edu. 

Faculty Websites

Individual faculty members are responsible for maintaining their own professional pages. Several web server resources exist for hosting these pages:

• AS&E's web content management system (WCMS) provides a simple, easy-to-use template. to the AS&E Web Communications team and they will provide training and support.
• Your department may have a platform for personal faculty websites. See your department IT administrator for more information.
• The University’s central web server (WWW) allows faculty websites through WordPress. Submit a request to University IT at .

Lab Websites

For research lab websites, AS&E Web Communications provides a simple, easy-to-use template in the WCMS. The website will look similar to the . No custom modifications are available. To get a lab site in the WCMS, to the AS&E Web Communications team and they will provide training and support.

WordPress sites are also available upon request on the central web server (WWW). Research labs will be responsible for managing their own sites. To have WordPress installed, to University IT.

New faculty face multiple responsibilities and challenges, including developing new courses, getting a research program up and running, securing grants and other funding, and learning the ropes generally at a new institution. In addition, you might experience collaboration overload (from committee work, helping others, mentoring, etc.). Meanwhile, working toward tenure and starting a family often overlap, further increasing the demands on your time. 

Stress, resulting from these and other factors, can lead to compromised cardiovascular and immune function, poor coping skills, irritability, insecurity, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, binge eating, smoking, or substance abuse. 

Watch for these symptoms of imbalance and burnout: 

• Anxiety and feeling stressed out
• Low self-confidence
• Chronic pain and fatigue
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia or hypersomnia)
• Inability to focus or prioritize
• Impatience
• Not enjoying activities or your work
• Struggling with relationships
• Cluttered personal or professional space
• Weight change
• Getting sick more often
• Not meeting basic needs (e.g., eating well, exercising, spending time with family, etc.)
• Not going to work or not getting out of bed

Manage your stress by:

• Trying relaxation techniques or activities (e.g., meditation, yoga, tai-chi)
• Exercising regularly
• Eating healthy meals
• Learning to say no to requests the would create excessive stress for you
• Making time for hobbies, interests, and relaxation
• Getting enough rest and sleep
• Not relying on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce stress
• Seeking out social support and spending time with those whose company you enjoy
• Accepting that there are events you can't control
• Asserting your feelings and opinions instead of getting angry, defensive, or passive

And here is some advice from your fellow academics about work-life balance. 

• Work efficiently instead of working long hours.
• Divide important tasks into blocks of 30–50 minutes with no distractions.
• Limit multitasking: focus on one project at a time.
• Make the most of short chunks of time.
• Schedule important or difficult tasks for your hours of peak productivity, and easier, more-mindless work for off-peak times.
• Hit the gym during your low-energy time, which is late afternoon for many.
• Identify work that can be done at home after kids go to bed.
• Don’t read and respond to emails as they arrive. Switch off audible email alerts. Go over emails once or twice a day. Delete or archive most emails in your inbox.
• Prioritize incoming tasks: complete high-priority tasks right away; say no to low-priority tasks and explain why, or set a time when you can work on the latter.
• Parents should make time for themselves (e.g., by going out on a date for the evening).
• Have dinner together as a family to maintain close connections.
• To blend work and family, take older kids to conferences with you.
• Hobbies and activities offer important time away from the work environment.

The University has several policies and programs in place to help faculty achieve work-life balance. These include:

• Various leave options, including ones that focus on new parents (e.g., Short-Term Disability, Paid Family Leave, and Family Medical Leave Act; your benefits for health insurance, dental, tuition, etc. continue for all of these plans).
• University policies such as:
  • Modified duties for new parents — A modification of regularly assigned duties during the semester of birth or adoption, depending upon the ability of the department and school to accommodate this arrangement.
  • Part-time appointments in the year following birth or adoption — New parent faculty members may request reduced duties enabling them to work part-time for up to one year following the birth or adoption of a child.
  • Postponement of tenure clock — A tenure-track faculty member who adds a new child will automatically be given a one-year postponement of the tenure clock. May be repeated for a second child, but not for additional children.
  • AS&E meeting times — AS&E-level meetings (e.g., Faculty Council) are to end by 5 p.m., so faculty can attend to child-care or other responsibilities. Department chairs have been encouraged to have meetings that do not begin before 8 a.m. or go past 5 p.m.
• Family care programs, such as summer sports camps, youth programs, the Children's School at URMC.
• Well-U, the University's award-winning health and wellness program.
• (EAP), a free, confidential service to discuss personal or work-related problems.