The Policy Review Committee met via Zoom on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
Policy Updates
Faculty Workload Policy
Darin Padua, Associate Provost for Academic Operations, presented the University’s new Faculty Workload Policy. This new policy follows the UNC System policy and rules on faculty workloads and is the product of broad collaboration across University Units. This policy will help quantify the work each faculty member does – whether teaching, research/creative activity, or service. Workloads will vary by School or Unit, but the workload plans are to document what the expectations are of each faculty member and to create equity within a School or Unit. There will also be a review and monitoring of a faculty member’s progress within their workload plan. This policy is going before the Board of Trustees (BoT) in January 2024 for their review and approval. After BoT approval, the provost’s office will work with University Units and Departments to help roll out this new policy.
Policy and Procedure for Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct
Eric Everett, Institutional Research Integrity Officer, presented the University’s updated Policy on, and Procedure for, Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct. The edits separated the policy and procedure into separate documents, brought the policy into compliance with the current University policy templates, and incorporated recently-released recommendations by the U.S. Government’s Office of Research Integrity. These updated policy documents better reflect how the University addresses any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Ongoing investigations of alleged misconduct will continue to be addressed under the old policy. Any new allegations of misconduct will be addressed under the updated policy.
Standard on Emergency Use of Designated University-Owned Facilities
Crystal Donaldson, Continuity and Resiliency Planner in the Office of Emergency Management and Planning, presented the University’s new Standard on Emergency Use of Designated University-Owned Facilities. In response to the increasing frequency of emergency events at the University and in nearby areas and schools, the University has established a standardized agreement for both internal and external requests regarding the emergency use of University-owned facilities. This helps the University respond better and faster to any incidents. Also, to get the most financial support from federal agencies like FEMA, it’s important to have these agreements ready before an emergency happens, not just during or after.
Administrative Updates
2024 PRC Meeting Schedule
The 2024 PRC meeting schedule has been added to the Ethics and Policy website. The January and May 2024 meetings will occur on the 4th Thursday of the month to avoid conflicting with BoT meetings during the regularly scheduled 3rd Thursday. December 2024 will occur on the 2nd Thursday of the month to accommodate the Winter Break. Details for deadlines to submit policy documents for review by the PRC have also been updated. The BoT schedule has not been updated past July 2024, so PRC meeting dates later in the year may need to be adjusted if they conflict with BoT meetings.