Passed: May 19, 2023
Vote results and comments
Posted: April 2023
Sponsor: RTE Task Force
Addendum with examples of current RTE inequities – May 10, 2023
Background
Research, Teaching, and Extension (“RTE”) faculty1 compose a significant proportion of the Cornell University faculty as a whole, ranging from 19.6% in CIS to 57.7% in the Vet School, with a median of 35.5% for all academic units.2 RTE faculty compose 100% of the faculty within the Cornell University Library. Within and across these academic units, RTE faculty perform a wide variety of duties encompassing all aspects of service at Cornell University.
In 2021, the Dean of Faculty established the RTE Task Force to study issues affecting RTE faculty and propose policies to ensure that the contributions of RTE faculty are appropriately recognized and credited. To focus its work on the issues of greatest concern to RTE faculty, the RTE Task Force conducted campus-wide surveys and interviews and reviewed previous surveys of RTE faculty.
The result of this work is clear: RTE faculty experience a significant lack of clarity with regards to performance reviews, promotions, and employment duties. Further, there are wide disparities between RTE and other faculty with regards to human resources infrastructure and other institutional support, as well as eligibility for some “university-wide” awards.3 But perhaps most importantly, the inequitable workplace climate at Cornell deeply affects RTE faculty, lowering morale, discouraging full participation in the academic life of the University, and hampering work performance. These issues are longstanding and serious. They require a timely and serious structural response, which must start with the University’s central administration. Accordingly, the RTE Task Force proposes the following resolution.
Resolution
Whereas the Research, Teaching, and Extension (“RTE”) Task Force has examined the rights and responsibilities of RTE faculty with respect to job duties, resources, performance reviews and promotions, service, advising, governance, and other academic and administrative duties;
Whereas RTE faculty have recently gained three key rights, those of University voting rights4, the right to emeritus status5, and the right to serve on the Faculty Senate6;
Whereas RTE faculty play a vital role at Cornell University by significantly contributing to research, teaching, extension, and service;
Whereas egalitarian treatment and respect for all faculty is necessary to the health and vitality of the academic environment, sense of community, and reputation of the University;
Be it resolved that RTE faculty have comparable structural equity and inclusion to the tenure-track and tenured faculty, except for those rights and responsibilities specific to tenure-track faculty arising from the hiring of tenure-track faculty and service on tenure and promotion committees for tenure-track faculty;
Be it further resolved that the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs represent the RTE faculty in the University Administration, with the responsibility of determining and implementing structural equity and inclusion of the RTE faculty in collaboration with the Deans of the schools and colleges.
This resolution is endorsed by RTE Task Force Members:
Anne LaPointe
Bob Karpman
Tobi Hines, University Library, RTE Senator
Sam Nelson, ILR RTE Senator
Roger Gilbert
David Brown
Natalie Cleavitt
Kim Kopko, Faculty At-Large RTE Senator
Lindsey Goodale
John Callister
Estelle McKee
Linda Barrington
Mitch Glass
Teresa Thresher-Oplinger
Chelsea Specht, Associate Dean of Faculty
Andy Horbal, Faculty At-Large RTE Senator
Elizabeth Lamb, CALS RTE Senator
1 University definitions of RTE and all other approved faculty titles can be found here: https://hr.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/2022-12/academic_titles_1.pdf
2 The proportion of RTE faculty to the faculty as a whole in the remaining academic units are as follows:
|
27.7% |
CoE |
|
28.9% |
CAS |
|
32.9% |
AAP |
|
33.3% |
SC Johnson College |
|
35.5% |
Law School |
|
49.0% |
BPP |
|
50.2% |
CALS |
|
50.8% |
CHE |
|
52.5% |
ILR |
|
100% |
CU Library |
3 For example, eligibility for the Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service through Diversity was recently expanded to include RTE faculty https://facultydevelopment.cornell.edu/grants-and- awards/faculty-diversity-award/.
4 https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/the-new-faculty-handbook/appendix-2-opuf/#I
5 https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/the-new-faculty-handbook/5-retirement-and-becoming-emeritus/5-2a/
6 https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/faculty-senate/senators/university-voting-rights/
The second resolution to have the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs represent the RTE faculty in the university in consultation with the deans of schools and colleges should include something that extends that consultation to RTE faculty or a committee constituted to represent their voices. Otherwise, resolving that a university administrator represent us to the university administration seems much like the way things are already.
It is not clear from the resolution what exact rights and responsibilities are conferred with “comparable structural equity and inclusion to the tenure-track and tenured faculty.”
The specifics may be controversial, so clarity is important for an informed discussion and vote.
For the resolution to be actionable, codifying those specifics is also necessary.
The table in note 2 is incomplete in that it does not include the RTE faculty in the Research Division (OVPRI).
I hope that the Research Division is indeed considered an “academic unit”, and that this is just an oversight. I will note, however, that the RTE faculty of the Research Division are one of the few faculty groups that are not explicitly represented in the Faculty Senate, but instead are only represented by the At-Large RTE Senators.