Department of Psychology

Guidelines for Off-Campus Scholarly Assignments

  1. Home
  2. Faculty & Staff
  3. Guidelines for Off-Campus Scholarly Assignments

GUIDELINES FOR OFF-CAMPUS SCHOLARLY ASSIGNMENTS

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

(Approved Spring 1999, renewed Fall 2006; revised Fall 2013)

Purpose

An Off-Campus Scholarly Assignment (OCSA) is one means by which Appalachian State University facilitates continued professional growth of faculty. These assignments provide faculty the opportunity to develop, maintain, and broaden academic and instructional competencies that are valued by the university.

 The Department of Psychology seeks to establish guidelines for the equitable and orderly distribution of OCSAs and to specify conditions and policies related to OCSAs.

 Eligibility

  1. All tenured faculty who have served at Appalachian State University for a minimum of four years are eligible.
  2. In order to facilitate scheduling, applications for an OCSA beginning in the Fall semester will be due by the beginning of the previous Spring semester (January); applications for Spring semester will be due in April of the previous Spring semester.
  3. The proposal for an OCSA will include information describing the overall plan for the assignment consistent with university guidelines. Proposals should specify the purpose of the assignment, the site and nature of the work, and the type of product that is expected at the end of the assignment. Direct and indirect benefits for students, faculty, department, or the university may be included. Non-traditional activities may be requested when there are special circumstances or unusual opportunities. Faculty requesting an OCSA may be asked to provide additional information. The proposal should be submitted to the chairperson.
  4. Assignments will be made on the basis of two factors: longevity of service in the department and the number and recency of OCSAs. First, faculty members will be listed from most to least years of service, including the dates of any OCSAs received. A month prior to the proposal deadline, the chair will provide an updated copy of the rankings to faculty. All who wish to apply will notify the chair. The chair will then post a list of those who have applied, ranked by length of service and number/recency of OCSAs, at least a week before a departmental meeting in which proposals will be presented for approval. A majority vote of the faculty and endorsement of the chair constitute approval at the departmental level.
  5. If there are more applications than available OCSAs, eligible faculty are encouraged to agree among themselves about the order in which requests will be considered. If an agreement cannot be reached, the chair will establish the ranking.
  6. The chair should encourage faculty to apply for an OCSA as soon as possible once they become eligible. This will facilitate the orderly distribution of OCSAs.
  7. If an unusual opportunity (e.g., grant, visiting professorship) arises for a faculty member, s/he may apply and be considered for an OCSA even if s/he is not at the top of the departmental rankings. The department may also choose to accommodate such a special request in addition to a request for an OCSA.

 Other Conditions

  1. While the university guidelines state that an OCSA may be granted for full salary for “one or two semesters,” it is usual practice for the OCSA to be granted for one semester.
  2. Stipends from grants or other outside sources may be combined with Appalachian State’s support to equal a faculty member’s salary. In no case will the university provide financial support that would result in a salary in excess of the faculty’s contract salary. Supplemental support from outside sources for travel and/or subsistence will not be counted in computing the salary.
  3. Upon completion of an OCSA, the faculty will provide a report of the results and accomplishments of the assignment. The results will be presented at a departmental colloquium; further, a written summary of the report will be filed with the department, Dean of the college, and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.
  4. The faculty member receiving an OCSA is obligated to return to Appalachian State University for a period of at least one year at the conclusion of the OCSA. Further, the recipient can expect to teach the customary load following their return to the department.

 Review

This policy has been reviewed and renewed on October 27, 2006 and revised and renewed on August 19, 2013. It should be reviewed again no later than the fall of 2018.