Cornell University Library

Academic Assembly

Academic Personnel Policy Committee Annual Report, 1998-99

This year's APPC members are: David Block, Lenore Coral, Debra Lamb-Deans (chair), Boodie McGinnis, Scott Wicks, Susan Markowitz, ex officio and Susan Szasz Palmer, Academic Assembly Steer Committee liaison. I would like to thank the members of the Committee for all their hard work and their excellent sense of humor.

Activities:

Review Boards:

• In the Fall of 98, we appointed a Review Board for Promotion to Librarian/Archivist. There were no candidates for Promotion to Associate Librarian/Archivist, so no Review Board on this level was needed.
• A search committee for the Collection Development position at Mann Library was appointed.

  In May '99, we recommended members for the Review Board for Promotion to Associate Librarian/Archivist and Review Board for Promotion to Librarian/Archivist for the upcoming year.

The past few years, these review boards were not appointed until the fall, when the committee began their monthly meetings. This timetable slowed the review process down. We decided to recommend the review boards for the upcoming year in one of our last meetings, to help streamline the process. This is more in line with our charge (CUL Procedure #13, Appendix D, page 1, II Composition, "B. Members of the Boards are appointed once a year, in July, by the Committee on Academic Personnel Policy").

Policies and Procedures:

• The Committee reviewed and commented on the CU proposed policy "Leaves for Faculty and Academic Staff" draft version.
• The committee proposed and received Academic Assembly approval (April 1, 1999) for the revision of CUL Procedure #13, Appendix B, Criteria for Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion, IV Librarian. The revision is attached.

The Committee responded to a number of requests to clarify this particular section from many associated with the Review Boards over the past years. We met with several of the past chairs of recent Review Boards to hear their views on what worked and what was troublesome with this policy. We also reviewed the policies and procedures for promotion of librarians/archivists at a number of peer institutions.

Future Issues:

The Committee discussed a number of issues throughout the year we were not able to pursue because of time constraints. Yet, we feel these issues are too important to lose sight of. Therefore, we decided to include them in this annual report with the hope that future Committees will have the time to address them.

• University Policies and Procedures
  APPC should continue to monitor the University's progress with these policies and incorporate the appropriate ones into the CUL Procedures. When this is not possible, APPC should undertake the writing or revision of our current policies. Examples are the academic leave and maternity leave policy.
• Evaluation and Performance Appraisals of Supervisors
  It is critical the supervisors support, encourage and develop those they supervise. Reality is that this does not always occur. This issue includes providing supervisors with information on how to do this and making it a part of their evaluation criteria.
• Education in the Promotional Process
  Questions that need to be fully addressed include: What more can we do to assist those in the promotional process? What sorts of programs are needed? When should these be presented? Who is the best agency to provide this programming? What is the supervisors' role in this process?
• Travel Support for Professional Development Activities
  The endowed side is in the process of rewriting this policy. When this is accomplished, APPC may wish to assist in the effort to inform our community of the policy. Other issues to explore may be the adequacy of current funding and innovative ways to increase this funding.
• Procedure #13 Appeals
  APPC may wish to review the current grievance procedure in relation to the appeals section of Procedure #13. Is it still appropriate for our needs?

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