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AA/15/AS/14/FAC - Endorsement of RPT Survey Report Recommendations

Effective March 2, 2015


Resolved: That the Academic Senate, California State University, Stanislaus express appreciation for the excellent work of the RPT Survey Group (Steven Filling, John Garcia, Mark Grabner, Ian Littlewood, Dennis Shimek, Provost Jim Strong, and Jim Youngblom); and be it further 

Resolved: That the Academic Senate recognize that the observations and recommendations contained therein are supported by a rigorous, thoughtfully designed research methodology; and be it futher 

Resolved: That the Academic Senate affirm that California State University, Stanislaus, has a highly functional RPT Policy and Procedmes and recognizes that the conflicts that developed around Retention, Promotion, and Tenme were largely symptoms of a broader organizational issue surrounding trust between faculty and administration; and be it further 

Resolved: That the Academic Senate endorse and recommend that the university implement the following three recommendations contained in the RPT Survey Report and continue efforts to share and discuss the report widely in Academic Affairs, appropriate governance committees, and the Colleges, Library, and Psychological Counseling: 

Recommendation 1: Acknowledge that the University has a highly functional RPT Policy and Procedures. Understand that the conflicts that have developed around Retention, Promotion, and Tenure are (largely) symptoms of a broader organizational issue surrounding trust between faculty and administration. Continue efforts, similar to those outlined in 9/ AS/11, to build trust around issues of shared governance, the primacy of faculty in issues related to the curriculum, and the leadership roles of administration in pursuing the mission of the institution. 

Recommendation 2: Ensure that all parties involved in the RPT process are utilizing the established review criteria. This can be encouraged by continuing and expanding outreach and training efforts targeting the various groups involved in the process. These outreach efforts should ensure that all parties are informed of the candidate’s rights, the review criteria, and the established timelines. All parties should also be informed that all review levels are receiving the same training and information.

Recommendation 3: Continue efforts to ensure that all tenured and tenure-track faculty, as discipline experts, have a good understanding of the complexity of developing elaborations and the role elaborations play in the RPT process. Share elaborations within and across Colleges and call upon all departments to regularly discuss and examine their elaborations with attention to both the unique aspects of their discipline and to the means by which other departments communicate their priorities and expectations. Utilize the Faculty Development Center to engage faculty in critical dialogue regarding strategies for thinking about and preparing elaborations.

Rationale: At the recommendation of the Academic Senate, the RPT Survey Group was established to better understand views surrounding the RPT policy and procedures and to determine if steps can be taken to reduce conflict and/or build trust in the RPT process. Over a two-year period, the Survey Group gathered and analyzed data about faculty and administrators’ views on specific issues related to the RPT process. As a result of their research, the Survey Group recommended three sets of actions that the campus community should take to reduce conflict and rebuild trust in the RPT process. An initial step in implementing the recommendations is acknowledging that CSU Stanislaus has a highly functional RPT Policy and Procedures as stated in the first recommendation of the RPT Report.

Review History: Approved by the Academic Senate on January 27, 2015. Approved by President Joseph Sheley on March 2, 2015.

Academic Affairs Division has the primary responsibility for this policy.

Attachment(s): AA/15/AS/14/FAC - Endorsement of RPT Survey Report Recommendations  


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