Professional Responsibilities

Policies of the SUNY Board of Trustees

The Policies of the Board of Trustees defines the roles of College Administration, the President, Department Chairs and Faculty. Significant statements from the Policies of the Board of Trustees include:

1. “The chief administrative officer shall supervise the members of the professional and non-academic staff of such college and shall appoint or recommend to the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees persons for appointment as members of the professional staff of the college.” [Article IX, 2]
2. “The faculty of each college shall have the obligation to participate significantly in the initiation, development and implementation of the educational program.” [Article X, 4]
3. “… Chairs of departments or divisions of colleges shall be designated and redesignated by the college chief administrative officer after consultation with appropriate faculty including the department or division concerned… The Chairs of departments and divisions of a college shall, in consultation with their respective faculties, be responsible to the chief administrative officer of the college for the supervision of the personnel and educational program of the departments or divisions for which they serve. They shall have such other powers, duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the chief administrative officer of the college.” [Article IX, Title C, Items 2 and 4]: SUNY Board of Trustees’ Policies

Academic Department Chairs

(From a Statement on the Role of the Department Chair, dated February 14, 1994)

Within the college governance structures the department chair acts in a unique role. The chair is an integral link between the department and the college administration. He or she serves both as a representative and as an executor for the department, its program and its faculty. As a representative of the department the chair serves as spokesperson (for recommendations, opinions and concerns of department members) and advocate for department interests. As a departmental administrator the chair is accountable for properly managing the department and is responsible to the college president, the Provost, and the appropriate dean. In addition, the chair must maintain ties to his or her discipline by teaching courses and by being a strong advocate for the discipline within and outside the college environment. The Faculty Center site has a section devoted to academic department chairs: Chair Resources.

Expectations of the Chair

The role of the chair includes but is not limited to these primary responsibilities:

1. Facilitating the development and implementation of department goals, plans, and programs;
2. Facilitating curriculum development (including timely course offerings and schedules, course change requests, new course proposals, changes in major or minor), and assuring quality of curriculum and instruction;
3. Facilitating responses to external and internal reports for assessment documents and information;
4. Facilitating development of faculty teaching schedules, office hours and examinations, and supervising same;
5. Advising students and acting on student requests such as course waivers, transfer credits, course overloads, and declarations of both majors and minors, certification of minor completion and award of departmental honors;
6. Approving department internships, independent studies, individual course enrollments, and grade change requests while assuring academic quality and consistency with college policies and procedures, including transmission of all transactions and summary reports to the appropriate dean;
7. Preparing reports as needed, including Annual Reports;
8. Processing external department correspondence and requests for information;
9. Communicating department needs to the administration in a timely fashion;
10. Maintaining appropriate liaison with other academic departments, units, and the administration;
11. Facilitating information flow (administrative guidelines, criteria, expectations, etc.) from the administration to the department;
12. Representing the department by attending meetings and official functions as the department’s spokesperson and representative;
13. Ensuring department representation on college committees, and at other functions;
14. Facilitating relationships between and among faculty/faculty, faculty/administration, faculty/student, and faculty/student/administration;
15. Managing the department office, facilities and staff;
16. Facilitating personnel actions such as preparation of department recommendations for hiring, contract renewals, promotions, continuing appointments, and discretionary and special awards;
17. Administering the departmental account(s);
18. Conferring with the dean regarding designation of an acting chair to carry out the duties of the chair during periods of planned absence;
19. Recommending approval or disapproval of various faculty requests for travel, absence, reduced teaching loads, sabbatical and other leaves, and reporting faculty absences to the dean; and
20. Accepting other responsibilities as assigned.

Modification and Review of Schedules Including Low Enrollment Courses

During the schedule preparation process, department chairs prepare justifications for low-enrollment courses. The dean reviews these justifications. Following preliminary enrollment information, the dean again reviews courses whose enrollments are low and makes schedule adjustments in consultation with the department chairs. The decision to retain some low-enrollment courses is based upon a number of factors including overall institutional as well as programmatic need, effective use of resources, and budgetary constraints. The administration will analyze, on a regular basis, faculty utilization, using both a statistical summary of workload data and other faculty activities that do not lend themselves to statistical review.

Preparation of Class Schedules

Class schedules are developed to accommodate student, faculty and department needs while taking into account space and other resource limitations.  Common guidelines for managing the complex process of developing an academic year’s course schedule are used to achieve the goal of offering a schedule that meets the needs of students and demonstrates good stewardship of resources.

The creation of the schedule of classes should follow the Registrar’s instructions. Chairs should consult with their faculty about proposed courses, including pedagogical demands and classroom and day/time assignments. Departments should input schedules electronically on the timeline indicated below.  Upon approval by the dean, the schedule will be forwarded to the Registrar.

Guiding Principles

• To achieve the goal of an evenly distributed schedule, each department must distribute its offerings such that no more than 7% of the department’s courses are scheduled during any given time pattern. The goal is to use all time patterns and avoid over scheduling in peak time patterns – MWF 9, 10, 11, 1 and TTh 10, 11:30.
• The College’s established time patterns will be enforced. All classes must start at the established time and be scheduled within the stipulated format unless otherwise approved by the appropriate School dean.
• Multiple sections of a course should be distributed throughout the day and across time patterns (e.g., MWF, TTh).
• It is extremely important that course caps are realistic, justifiable and accurate: room assignments will be based on the requested caps.
• In general, courses should not be offered that cannot meet baseline enrollment standards (12 for undergraduate courses; 7 for graduate courses).  It is understood that courses offered as part of new programs may not be able to comply with these standards, but written justification for predictably low-enrolled courses is required in all cases.
• Department chairs whose curricula support each other’s majors should coordinate schedules to assure required courses do not conflict.
• Courses required for the major should not be offered at the same or overlapping times, unless offered in multiple sections.  Co-requisites should be cooperatively scheduled by the involved departments to avoid time conflicts. Prerequisites may be offered in overlapping times with the sequel course.
• No section of any course should be listed with “STAFF” as the instructor of record unless specific permission has been granted by the appropriate dean.

Room Requests

For example, The Spring 2018 Excel document has 4 worksheets:

• SP18 Special Topics—be sure to submit New Course Proposal forms to deans for  each special topics course
• SP18 Reserved Seats
• SP18 Cross Listed Courses
• SP18 Special Needs – this should only list any special needs that could not be identified by assigning a room attribute or building preference code. 

When the department chair is finished entering all courses, he or she should send one all-inclusive Excel file entitled “ROOM REQUESTS” to the Registrar’s office with all Special Topics, Reserved Seats, Cross listed courses and Special needs data entry completed.  If nothing needs to be entered in the Excel spreadsheet, inform the Registrar’s office that the department has finished entering the schedule.

The Banner username is SCHEDULE and the password will be sent in a separate email.

Online Courses

Scheduling of online sections must be done in a manner that is consistent with the College policy regarding instructor training and course design/delivery as detailed in the Distance Learning Policy.

Changes to the Schedule of Classes

Changes to the schedule after it is published online should be avoided. Once students begin registering, schedule changes are disruptive. No changes should be made to the schedule of classes once registration has commenced, except under the following circumstances:

• Instructors of record may change. 
• Rooms may be changed if the Registrar’s office is notified of the room change and the Schedule of Classes is updated with the new room.
• An emergency serious enough to warrant disruption to enrolled students such as a last minute instructor change that requires a new meeting time for the course.
• If class schedule changes are made, it is the responsibility of the department to contact all students affected and work with them to resolve any resulting conflicts or to find suitable substitute classes. Additionally, departments and faculty should consider and resolve the predictable consequences of substantive changes such as the need to cancel APPs, cancel or revise book orders, or communicate with the Registrar or other administrative units.

An appointment as department chair may not exceed 3 years. While the department chair is appointed by the chief administrative officer of the College in accordance with the Policies of the Board of Trustees, the selection process leading to this appointment is normally carried out in the following manner:

1. The department will meet, use its internally agreed upon selection process, and present its recommendation for department chair to the dean.
2. The department will then present one or more nominees to the dean by the first week of the last semester of the current chair’s appointment.
3. The dean will then make a recommendation to the Provost. It is the normal expectation that the dean’s recommendation will support the departmental recommendation. If this is not the case, the dean will meet with the Provost to discuss this situation. The dean is obligated to share the department’s recommendation with the Provost. If the dean still cannot support the department recommendation, the dean and department will submit separate recommendations to the Provost.

Discretionary Process for Department Chairs

1. Each department should submit a statement or recommendation to the dean that considers the chair’s performance as chair and also addresses the chair’s performance as a faculty member (as per the Faculty Activity Form).
2. The dean will recommend awards to the Provost.

Because of the responsibilities associated with the position of chair, the individual normally receives compensation in the form of a reduced teaching load and a stipend. The size of the reduction in teaching load and the amount of the stipend are tied to the weight of the administrative responsibilities connected with a particular department. While most chairs are on academic year appointments, some chairs spend a considerable amount of time in the office during the summer. The stipend is paid in partial recognition of that fact. Chairs on academic year appointments are not, however, required to work during the summer, but when they are absent they should designate someone as being in charge in case of emergencies.

Period of Professional Responsibility for Faculty

SUNY has different types of appointments that are described in Article XI of the Policies of the Board of Trustees defined below. Refer to your appointment letter for your designation.

Term of Obligation. The term of professional obligation, except in the case of part-time or temporary employment where the obligation may be less, shall be one of the following as determined by the chief administrative officer, or designee:

1. Calendar year obligation - an annual obligation of service for the full year, i.e., 12 months; or
2. Academic year obligation - an annual obligation of service for the academic year, not to exceed 10 months; or
3. College year obligation - an annual obligation or service for any period less than the full year.

Professional Obligation. The professional obligation of an employee, consistent with the employee’s academic rank or professional title, shall include teaching, research, University service and other duties and responsibilities required of the employee during the term of the employee’s professional obligation.

Appointment Year. Unless the terms of appointment otherwise provide, the normal appointment year shall be from September 1 to August 31, regardless of payroll mode; provided, however, that an academic year employee may be required to commence the employee’s professional obligation at a date reasonably prior to September 1 as may be necessitated by a college’s operating requirements.

Other Employment. No employee may engage in other employment that interferes with the performance of the employee’s professional obligation.

Classes begin in August. Commencement occurs before Memorial Day weekend. Academic custom and tradition define the normal duties of a faculty member to include participation in regularly scheduled orientation and workshop sessions, student advisement and counseling (both at registration and later during the term), and commencement exercises, the evaluation of student learning (including final examinations except in those courses where other means of evaluation make finals unnecessary), and meeting the normal deadlines for functions related to instruction such as submission of interim grade reports, final grades, class schedules, etc. Although the major task of the faculty is regular class instruction, examinations are a basic part of instruction. A flexible schedule is followed during the last week of each term. Periods of two and one half hours are scheduled and must be used either for final examination or other instructional purposes. Faculty members should be available to students during that period and should not be out of touch with the College in case they need to be contacted.

Faculty Professional Obligations and Expectations

The following was included in the State University College at Oneonta Faculty Utilization Policy submitted at the request of SUNY System Administration in 1992.

Responsibilities of Full-Time Faculty

To provide a quality undergraduate education as well as create excellence in its graduate programs, SUNY Oneonta encourages all faculty to engage in teaching, scholarship and service activities. SUNY Oneonta recognizes the normal responsibilities for all full time faculty to include instruction, scholarship (research or creative activities), and campus and community service. The specific responsibilities assigned to a faculty member are made by the department chair after review by the division deans. However, the final determination of duties resides with the President of the institution.

The duties assigned to a faculty member are based upon institutional need and the training, interests, and expertise of the individual faculty member. Teaching assignments are determined by division deans, who will take into account the recommendations of the department chair. The appropriate balance among the activities of teaching, scholarship, and service is communicated to faculty in a variety of ways including:

1. Statement of Faculty Teaching Responsibilities;
2. Preparation and Submission Guidelines for Term Contract Renewal, Continuing Appointment, and Promotion; and
3. Faculty Activities Report.

The normal undergraduate teaching commitment for all full time faculty members is 12 or 9 semester hours per semester or 21 semester hours per academic year. In consideration of the diversity of educational needs, as much flexibility as possible will be provided for purposes of departmental scheduling while keeping in mind the general guideline stated above. Reductions in the semester hour commitment may be authorized when recommended by the department chair and approved by the appropriate dean. Reductions may be justified based on alternative assignments or on an exceptionally heavy workload in the remaining teaching assignments. The approval of such reductions must be based on the overall needs of the College. Appropriate justifications for reductions may include but are not limited to the following:

1. exceptional involvement in specific instructional activities, such as preparation of a new course, the revision of existing course materials, involvement in the development or instruction of new academic programs, or the instruction of graduate level courses;
2. exceptional involvement in a specific program of research and scholarly activity;
3. exceptional involvement in specific service activities, such as assignment to special college projects or committees;
4. involvement in professional development activities, such as retraining for another specialty area or to address departmental needs;
5. administrative assignments, such as service as department chair or designation as program or area director;
6. an exceptionally heavy workload in teaching assignment, due to reasons such as participation in courses with large class sizes resulting in unusual time commitments, such as assignments that generate a total of 375 credit hours or more.
7. supervision of internship activities for program or department;
8. an unusually high teaching load or other assigned professional responsibilities in a previous semester or planned for a subsequent semester;
9. other assigned professional responsibilities or scholarly activities as deemed appropriate.

Faculty Activities Reports

The Faculty Activities Report is required of all faculty at the end of each academic year. Forms are available in departmental offices. The Faculty Activities Report, along with a cover page narrative highlighting the faculty member’s contributions over the past year, is submitted to the department chair for use in the department’s annual report and also to the division dean for review.

Along with their Faculty Activities Reports, faculty will be asked to describe any planned changes in their current responsibilities regarding teaching, research, scholarship, or service that are anticipated for the following year. Each faculty member’s teaching assignments for the coming year are determined through the normal process of developing and publishing the College class schedule. This process includes approval of each faculty member’s individual teaching assignments by the appropriate department chair and division dean. Certain non-teaching assignments and other responsibilities are also arranged during the schedule development process.

Responsibility for Instruction

The College Senate passed the following resolution:

The main business of the College is instruction. Instruction takes precedence over vacations, bus schedules, or personal convenience. Classes before and after vacations are a significant part of instructional time. Instructors will include significant materials in these classes, and will at their discretion schedule examinations or other written assignments for these days.

Members of the faculty have the responsibility to attend to the following:

1. Teach the topics covered in the Catalog description of the course and in accordance with the course syllabus;
2. If the course is a General Education course, it must meet the objectives of the SUNY Learning Outcomes;
3. Following the Course Syllabus Checklist (see checklist below), develop and distribute the course syllabus no later than the second class meeting;
4. Submit a copy of the course syllabus to their department office by the 2nd class meeting;
5. Meet their respective classes at the appointed time, duration, and location as scheduled;
6. Obtain permission to change class meeting times and/or location (including time and location of final exam). Changes require prior approval from the department chair, dean and Registrar;
7. Meet all classes, including those the day before and following a scheduled college vacation;
8. Notify department chair of any absence that would result in a failure to meet a class at the designated time;
9. Submit interim progress reports required by the College by the deadline established by the Provost;
10. Meet each class at the designated final exam time for the purpose of giving a final exam OR providing instruction;
11. Submit final grades within 48 hours of the administration of the final exam;
12. Be present in their office during posted weekly office hours. At least one office hour per week for each 3 semester hour class taught on campus is required;
13. Be on campus at least 4 days a week;
14. Provide effective academic advisement;
15. Retain grade books/final exams according to College policy.

Course Syllabus Check List

A course syllabus for each section of courses you teach is required to be distributed to enrolled students by the second class day. One must also be placed on file with the Department Chair.

Please use the checklist below to assure that your syllabi contain all the required elements.

Required Elements for the Course Syllabus

• Course and section number, semester and year
• Course title
• Classroom location (building and room number)
• Class schedule (meeting days and times)
• Faculty name
• Faculty office phone number
• Faculty office location (building and room number)
• Faculty office hours
• The College Catalog description of the course, to include course prerequisites and approved General Education course attributes
• Course goals/objectives, preferably as measurable student learning outcomes.
• SUNY Learning Outcome objectives must be listed if a course is a General Education course.
• Textbook title(s), author(s), publisher(s), date of edition(s)
• Reading list & additional resources to enhance course as applicable (required for graduate courses)
• Order of readings and other assignments, preferably by due dates
• Course activities and teaching strategies as applicable
• Outline listing course content by expected order of coverage, preferably by dates
• Course requirements
• Method of evaluation specifying evaluation procedure
• Test dates and test coverage
• Attendance policy
• Late assignment and make-up test policy
• Emergency Evacuation Procedures
• Additional unique aspects of course

Responsibility for Advisement

Faculty advising is a key aspect of faculty responsibility and is an integral part of the recruitment and retention of students. Faculty members are assigned advisees by their department chair.

The Academic Advisement Center works closely with the academic departments, administrative offices, and faculty to coordinate academic orientation and continuing advisement programs for matriculated undergraduates. In its function as a central clearinghouse of academic information, it provides reliable up-to-date advisement through Advisement Documents and information sheets. The Academic Advisement Center also monitors curriculum declarations and other components of the advisement operation.

Responsibility for Assessment

Along with all other SUNY campuses, the College at Oneonta must address a variety of externally originated expectations. Especially noteworthy among these is the need for assessment. Overarching assessment mandates have arisen from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (the entity responsible for periodically reaccrediting the College), the State Education Department, and SUNY Systems Administration. Middle States, for instance, emphasizes “outcomes assessment” which “involves gathering and evaluating quantitative and/or qualitative information that demonstrates congruence between the institution’s mission, goals, and objectives and the actual outcomes of its educational activities.” Presently, external mandates exist related to assessment of all undergraduate and graduate academic majors and the undergraduate general education program. More specific assessment mandates also have arisen within particular academic disciplines (for example, within the School of Education and Human Ecology or the School of Economics & Business). The non-academic areas of the College face parallel assessment expectations tailored for them. Therefore, successfully undertaking meaningful assessment has important implications ranging from the viability and future of the College itself to that of individual academic programs and the participating students. Of course, the process of meeting these expectations provides the College and its components with invaluable opportunities to reflect on its mission, how it is meeting that mission, what modifications and improvements may be undertaken, and planning for the future in a challenging and shifting regional and national environment.

It is vital that faculty, students, and staff meaningfully participate in the assessment process. As noted by Middle States, “…Implemented effectively, the assessment of student learning will involve the shared commitment of students, administrators and academic professionals. The assessment of student learning has the student as its primary focus of inquiry. It is related to the assessment of institutional effectiveness…” Assessment-related expectations typically first are communicated to the College President and Provost. Within the Division of Academic Affairs the Provost and division deans work with the department chairs and program directors and the faculty to implement and monitor the effectiveness of assessment processes. It is very important that this line of communication be maintained to address mandates as they may evolve or to address competing mandates from different external sources. It is equally critical that faculty complete the appropriate assessment-related activities in a timely fashion: setting articulated expectations, undertaking their assessments often using campus forms (for example the “SUNY General Education Course Assessment” form), and using these assessment results to improve teaching and learning (“closing the loop”). Pragmatically, this permits the College to meet formal external expectations and associated deadlines. At the same time, however, the College strongly encourages faculty and staff to embrace the assessment process as an opportunity to effect meaningful improvement in our activities and thus in the outcomes for our students.

Retention of Class Materials and Grade Books

• If an incomplete or pending grade for a student has been assigned or is extended, all course materials should be kept until the final grade for the course has been assigned.

• All graded material not yet returned to students should be kept by instructors for a period of one year beyond the semester in which a course is taught. This is in compliance with College policy that states grades may not be changed after one year has passed.

• Instructors should keep all grade books (hard copy records of attendance, quizzes, exams, papers, etc.) for a period of three years beyond the semester in which a course is taught. This is in compliance with the SUNY Records Retention and Disposition manual.

• All instructors who will not return for the following semester should leave class materials with the department chair at the end of the course, after turning in the grades for the course. This includes faculty who are beginning a sabbatical as well as adjunct instructors hired for one semester. Chairs should maintain records for non-returning instructors in accordance with the above.

When disposing of materials, please note that Federal law requires shredding of any personally identifiable information. Pages with names and/or ID numbers and grades should be shredded. Portions of materials not containing this information may be recycled.

Responsibility for Classroom Environment

Instructors have a responsibility to maintain an effective learning situation in their classrooms and to deal promptly with any disruptions that interfere with the learning situation. The instructor is in charge of the classroom. If it is felt that a student is interfering with the right of other students to profit from attendance in that classroom or if the instructor feels unreasonably hindered in the presentation of subject matter, the instructor has every right to eject the offending student from class and/or notify the Student Development Office of the student’s behavior. Either course of action should be taken with discretion and only for reasonable cause.

If a student is ejected from the class it shall be for that class period only and the instructor should submit immediately a written report of the incident to the Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Development and a copy to the student and the appropriate division dean. (If the incident involves physical violence, a report should also be made to the University Police.) Upon receipt of the report, the Campus Judicial Officer will immediately schedule an interview with the student to discuss the incident. Any subsequent incident reported to the Vice President for Student Development involving the same student in any class will result in administrative action by the Student Development Office and possible referral to the Standing Disciplinary Board of the College. The consequences of such action may include denying the student further access to the class or other disciplinary action, including dismissal from the College.

Refer to the Student Code of Conduct and the general information available on the website of the Office of Community Standards for more information.

College Handbook Policies

Additional relevant policies can be found in the College Handbook, in the Policy Library, or in the current Undergraduate or Graduate catalogs.(Accessing the catalogs from these links may require you to use the pull-down menu at the top/right of the Catalog home page.)

Graduate Teaching Faculty Status (GTFS)

Academic and professional accrediting agencies mandate that faculty who teach graduate courses (500 and 600 level) meet certain qualifications to offer these courses. Requests for Full Graduate Faculty appointments, Associate or Temporary Graduate Faculty appointments, or for status as an Affiliated Professional must follow the procedures and meet deadlines and criteria as detailed  in the Graduate Faculty Appointment Policy in the Policy Library.

In general, The College Graduate Committee will forward its recommendation to the Provost when applications come forward in keeping with standard procedures. New appointments can be considered at any time; outside of the fall and spring semesters a sub-committee of no less than three committee members will review the materials and make a recommendation. Procedures can be found within the policy.

Professional Development Opportunities

Ashok Kumar Malhotra Seva (Compassionate Service) Award

This award is designated to recognize a faculty member who has an exemplary record of community service (locally, nationally, and/or internationally); who demonstrates an ability to motivate others to perform community service; and who has a record of integrating community service into the teaching and learning process. The successful applicant will receive a prize of $1,000 and will be required to give a public presentation on the subject for which the applicant was granted this award. Deadline for a submission of an application is September or early October. More information is available through the Provost’s Office (Netzer 340, x 2517).

Richard Siegfried Junior Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence

All full-time, non-tenured faculty or those faculty recently approved for tenure are eligible for this award. Applicants with an excellent record of scholarship, creative activity, or other evidence of academic excellence who can present an interesting and stimulating lecture to a general audience are invited to apply. The successful applicant will receive a prize of $1,000. Deadline for submission of an application is early November. More information is available through the Provost’s Office (Netzer 340, x2517).

Susan Sutton Smith Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence

This $1,000 cash award is given to a tenured member of the College faculty in recognition of academic excellence as demonstrated in the contributions made to his/her field of study. The term academic excellence is to be broadly interpreted to include not only research and scholarly work, but also work in the creative and performing arts. The winner of the award attends a morning ceremony at which the award is announced, and on the evening of that same day, does a presentation related to his or her work. The presentation consists of an address of an hour or less to a general audience comprised of students and faculty members of the College, people from Oneonta and the surrounding communities, and the press and is televised live on a local cable channel. The presentation is followed by a question and answer period. Detailed information may be obtained through the Provost’s Office (Netzer 340, x2517).

Faculty Development Grants

Faculty development grants are available on a year by year basis pending availability of funds. This program is directed to teaching faculty and librarians. Grants are awarded based upon professional development potential and consonance with the strategic plan. Announcement of development grant opportunities is made early in the fall semester. Details may be obtained through the Provost’s Office (Netzer 340, x2517).

The Teaching, Learning and Technology Center (TLTC) makes funding available to provide faculty with opportunities to improve student learning through the use of information technologies. Any tenured, tenure-track or adjunct faculty member of the College may apply for a Fellowship. Calls for this program usually come out in October of each academic year and are announced in The Bulletin. For more information on this program visit the Campus-based Grants for Faculty web site at the Grants Development Office.

Individual Development Awards Program

The State of New York/United University Joint Labor/Management Professional Development Committee’s Individual Development Awards Program is intended to assist eligible SUNY employees in developing their full professional potential and in preparing for advancement. Both full-time and part-time employees in the UUP Bargaining Unit are eligible for awards. Examples of projects or activities are: basic, applied or historical research; curriculum or instructional material development; workshop, seminar, internship or course work not covered by UUP waivers or SUNY tuition waiver; conference participation or attendance; preparation of material for publication; grant proposal development; artistic or creative endeavors; professional reading or independent study; or other work-related professional development projects or activities.

Grants Development Office

The Grants Development Office (GDO), a unit of the Office of Academic Programs, supports efforts to pursue resources for projects and programs not otherwise financially supported by the College. The GDO assists with the development and submission of requests for external funding; administers campus-based grant programs for employees and students to conduct research and creative activity; organizes campus-wide events that spotlight faculty and student research, creative activity and other scholarly pursuits; and otherwise supports initiatives that enhance faculty scholarship and development, and student engagement.

College policy states that all proposals to external funding sources must be facilitated through the GDO, which provides the following grant-seeking services to faculty and staff:

• Funding source searches: helps to identify appropriate potential sources of funding for specific projects, and provides access and training for a variety of funding search tools.
• Proposal development: provides support through all phases of grant application development, including interpreting requirements and guidelines, preparing supplemental documents and forms, assisting with draft narratives, and editing and formatting final documents.
• Budget development: in consultation with the principal investigator (PI) / project director (PD) and the Sponsored Programs Office (SP), provides assistance in the development and preparation of budgets based on the needs of the project, sponsor guidelines, campus policies, and approved rates for salaries, wages, stipends, fringe benefits, and indirect costs.
• Campus endorsement: coordinates the process of requesting the institutional approvals required before any proposal for external funding is submitted; potential external grant applicants must notify their dean/supervisor of intent to submit an application early in proposal development; the GDO will assist with completing the campus routing form prior to submission.
• Proposal Submission: takes the lead in the actual submission of applications (online or otherwise), working in conjunction with SP.

Faculty are encouraged to contact the GDO in the early stages of project development to ensure that the most competitive external application can be prepared, and that the proposal complies with sponsor guidelines and College, SUNY and Research Foundation for SUNY policies and procedures.

In support of faculty development, the GDO administers the Faculty/Professional Staff Research and Creative Activity Grant Program, which provides internal grant support for scholarly projects, and organizes the annual Life of the Mind (LOTM) faculty showcase, which spotlights the varied integrated contributions made by faculty to the intellectual life of the campus community and beyond.

The GDO also provides assistance to the College Senate Committee on Research to offer opportunities for students to engage in research and creative activity, and administers several related programs, including the Student Grant Program for Research & Creative Activity, the annual Student Research & Creative Activity (SRCA) Day, and the College at Oneonta Foundation Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity. Funding for students to attend professional conferences/meeting is available through the College at Oneonta Foundation’s Caroline ‘67 and David D’Antonio Undergraduate Student Travel for Excellence Fund and the College-supported Student Travel for Excellence Fund. 

Visit the GDO webpage often for more information and updates on the variety of services provided and programs administered through the GDO.