Operational Gaps and Concerns - What are we sorry about?
What aspects of the School aren't working as well? This is not what we intend to happen.
Internal Working Conditions
o We regret a lack or cohesion & communication in governance within SST
o Low level of social and sports activities: faculty, departments
Workload Concerns & Expectations
o SST is under-staffed—overloads are expected
o Increasing faculty workload—including hidden workload
o We are sorry that our increasing responsibilities in teaching and service reduce our ability to maintain educational quality
Function/Structure of SST
o Outdated administrative structure
o Heavy emphasis on localized department issues
o Most departments are moving forward based on tradition & without planning for future
Resource Competition
Competition for scarce resources
o Large GE classes are hypocritical with proclaimed image of SSU as a college with small classes and low teacher-to-student ratio
o Positions
o Equipment
o We regret the lack of support for educational programs
o We are concerned about lack of sufficient support to provide quality teaching while maintaining scholarly activities
o SST programs are not sufficiently equipped
o Inequitable faculty workload distribution among departments, schools and campuses
o Sorry that we spend more time completing for limited resources and mere survival than for communicating and understanding other departments so we can grow as a school
RTP Expectations
o Inadequately defined and accessible RTP policies: department, school, university
o SST has inadequate amount of research and scholarship activities
o Different messages regarding balance of teaching, scholarship and service: departments, levels of review, administration
o Sorry that we feel that expectations are unclear yet seem higher than what can be physically accomplished without added support
o New faculty are often left adrift
Perception & Recognition of SST
o Perceived lack of respect from other parts of University—science is not liberal arts and it is expensive
o Relative lack of info about how ÅgUniversityÅh works
o Weaker level of interest in faculty governance with respect to other schools
o Weak marketing of our needs and accomplishments: brochures, websitesÅc
SST Relations with SSU
o SSU does not have a paper catolog
Don't have a way to get SST needs met
o Faculty have solutions to problems that are ignored or disregarded
o Faculty suggestions to improve processes have no weight or outcomes
o Need for a SSU feedback mechanism for responding to concerns of SST faculty/staff/administration
o Even with consultation & discussion with higher administration, decisions don't change
o Sorry with respect to SSU administration's communication with deans, faculty, staff, students
- e.g.—students who register during 1st Reg are affectively punished because they have to pay at the time they register: many students have to wait for financial reasons for 2nd Reg. creating an unanticipated, unplanned bulge which hurts scheduling & planning. (not to mention that those who are financially secure get first crack at classes, while those of lower incomes are affectively discriminated against as they have to settle for second or third choices in classes, or maybe not getting into required classes at all.)
- e.g.—growth not planned at department level, school level, university level