5d. Modeling Best Professional Practices in Service
1. What types of service are expected of faculty as part of the institution's and the unit's mission?
Within the Education Department, faculty are expected to perform a variety of services as part of the institution’s and unit’s mission. For example, one could serve as chair of their department. This would require them to be a leader among the faculty and mentor the untenured faculty in their professional development and scholarship. Each faculty member is also required to advise students. Although this is considered as part of our teaching mission, it is also a service to the university. The average number of advisees varies from department to department. Faculty are also chosen to be the advisor of student organizations such as Illinois Education Association or other professional honorary societies.
Within the wider College or University, faculty are expected to perform a variety of services as part of the institution’s and unit’s mission. For example, each faculty member in the education department is asked to serve on a university-wide committee such as Council on Curriculum, Council on Faculty or Council on Students and Academic Standards, to name a few. One could also serve as a program director, divisional chair, or be asked to work on a short-term project or special assignment that involves a university-wide initiative such as organizational restructuring or curriculum revision.
2. In what types of service activities are faculty members engaged? Provide examples of faculty service related to practice in P-12 schools and service to the profession at the local, state, national, and international levels (e.g. through professional associations). What percentage of the faculty is actively involved in these various types of service activities?
All full-time faculty members regularly contribute to the community through a variety of service activities. Service is expected of all full-time faculty members and 100% of our unit’s full-time faculty are actively involved in service activities. At the state and national level, faculty are involved in professional organizations so that they may stay current in new research and practices and keep others in the unit informed. As such, tenure and promotion to associate or full professor require significant contributions in the area of university service, and faculty report their service activities on their annual self-evaluation. These evaluations are maintained in the Director and Dean’s office (Policy and Procedures: Faculty).