Information for Faculty and Staff

Department Bylaws

Duties of Department Officers


A. Chair

  1. The program for the Department is conducted by the department faculty under the leadership of a Chair, who shall have general responsibility for the activities of the Department.
  2. The Chair appoints the Associate Department Chair(s), Graduate Coordinator, and Undergraduate Coordinator. The Chair informs the faculty of responsibilities delegated to the Associate Chair.
  3. The Chair presides over faculty and departmental meetings.
  4. The Chair is ultimately responsible for ensuring that required reports as referenced in this document are appropriately compiled and disseminated.
  5. The Chair is responsible for sending periodic email bulletins to the faculty (and others, as appropriate) about events and developments that affect the Department.
  6. The Chair will appoint search committees other than the committee to search for Chair.
  7. Other specific duties and responsibilities of the Chair are stated elsewhere in this document.
  8. In the anticipated absence of the Chair, the Chair appoints an Acting Chair for the period of time of the absence and disseminates this information in a timely manner to the Dean, faculty, staff, and graduate students.

B. Associate Chair

  1. The Associate Chair is appointed by the Chair.
  2. The Associate Chair normally assumes the role of Acting Chair in the Chair’s absence.
  3. The Associate Chair provides advice to the Chair concerning departmental academic affairs.
  4. The Associate Chair is an ex officio member of the Chair’s Advisory Committee. The Associate Chair may serve as liaison to other department committees as directed by the Chair.


C. Graduate Coordinator

  1. The Graduate Coordinator is appointed by the Chair.
  2. The Graduate Coordinator serves as Chair of the Graduate Admission and Stipends Committee.
  3. The Graduate Coordinator acts as the liaison between the Graduate School and the Department and its graduate students. The Graduate Coordinator ensures that the Department conforms to Graduate School regulations and communicates Graduate School regulations to faculty and graduate students. The Graduate Coordinator advises the Graduate School about matters of concern to faculty and students, suggesting any desired modifications in Graduate School procedures. The Graduate Coordinator ensures the accuracy of information about the graduate program published in the Graduate Catalog.
  4. The Graduate Coordinator advises entering graduate students of departmental and Graduate School programs, policies, and regulations and may offer initial advice about courses. The Graduate Coordinator also assigns faculty mentors to first-year students.
  5. The Graduate Coordinator monitors graduate student progress and consults with students about any deficiencies in academic achievement or violations of departmental or Graduate School regulation. The Graduate Coordinator annually evaluates the records of students approaching graduation to be sure that they have met department and Graduate School degree requirements. See current Graduate Program Policy and Procedures document.
  6. The Graduate Coordinator maintains a database on graduate students, including such information as date of initial enrollment, entering GPA and GRE score, program, supervisory committee, financial aid received, and degree progress. These data on currently enrolled students are reported on an annual basis to the faculty, along with the names of students who have completed degrees and/or left the department.
  7. The Graduate Coordinator annually reports to the faculty the names, academic backgrounds, intended areas of study, initial faculty advisors, and financial aid awards for all entering graduate students.


D. Undergraduate Coordinator

  1. The Undergraduate Coordinator is appointed by the Chair.
  2. The Undergraduate Coordinator represents the Department at College meetings dealing with undergraduate affairs and curriculum. The UC ensures the accuracy of information about the undergraduate program published in the Undergraduate Catalog and appearing in the online catalog.
  3. The Undergraduate Coordinator is the primary advisor for students majoring in Political Science and is assisted by other faculty members appointed as undergraduate advisors. The UC evaluates senior student records to determine whether Political Science major and minor requirements have been met.
  4. The Undergraduate Coordinator oversees the process for awarding University scholars and departmental undergraduate awards.
  5. The Undergraduate Coordinator reports on undergraduate matters at least annually to the faculty.


E. Graduate Placement Director

  1. The Graduate Placement Director assists PhD students in preparing to enter the job market as they near completion of the degree. The position has three main responsibilities.
  2. The Placement Director organizes a professionalization workshop each fall semester to orient PhD students in their first through fourth years to building a research agenda, thinking about publishing opportunities with faculty and on their own, conference attendance and presentations, professional presentation (i.e. CVs and web pages), and the structure of the academic job market.
  3. The Placement Director organizes a placement workshop each spring for those students intending to enter the job market in the fall. This workshop is aimed at presenting the time line of the job market, the assembly of job files, conference activities specific to those entering the job market, etc.
  4. During the job market season the Placement Director reviews the CVs and cover letters of job candidates in August and subsequently works with students as they prepare for interviews, field offers, negotiating with hiring departments, and so forth.

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Chair Service and Evaluation

  1. The Department preference is for a rotating Chairmanship that shall pass among a diverse range of faculty. Accordingly, Chairs should normally serve a three- or four-year term.
  2. Should the faculty prefer it, it may request that the Dean extend a Chair’s term for a maximum two-year renewal.
  3. Former Chairs may serve again following a full term out of office.
  4. The Chair will be evaluated in the penultimate year of his/her initial term, in a process to be organized by the CAC.


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Chair's Advisory Committee

The CAC is intended to facilitate departmental self-government. It is not intended to replace the periodic meeting of the faculty but to serve as an initial forum for the discussion of issues and the consideration of multiple perspectives in decision-making. This committee provides a way to keep the Chair in touch with the faculty and vice versa. In carrying out its duties, the CAC should keep in mind that it is intended to represent the views of the faculty and empowered principally to put items on the agenda for eventual disposition by the entire faculty. No consultation of the Chair with the CAC can abrogate the rights of the faculty for disposition of issues.

A. The CAC has the following responsibilities:

  1. The CAC has the authority to convene itself and should do so on a regular basis throughout the year. The Chair is expected to consult regularly with the Committee.
  2. The Chair of the CAC and/or elected members may choose to initiate discussion on a topic and the Department Chair may request items for discussion.
  3. Consistent with University regulations, faculty members may bring complaints to the CAC for mediation. The CAC will consider such complaints in closed session.
  4. The Graduate Coordinator may bring complaints from graduate students to the CAC. The CAC is not intended to replace the union or graduate student organization as a voice for graduate students.
  5. The CAC does not have a role in tenure and promotion decisions. It may not conduct advisory votes. The Chair may ask the CAC for advice on the composition of tenure and promotion committees.
  6. Although it is impossible to anticipate all such activities, the following responsibilities are specifically entrusted to the CAC:
  1. Chair succession – In addition to the penultimate-year review of the Chair (see II.4 above), the CAC will initiate the process of Chair replacement when necessary. In the spring semester of the Chair's penultimate year, the CAC will assess the state of the Chairmanship, the interest of the incumbent in extending the term, and the level of support for such extension among the faculty. The Chair’s Advisory Committee will also suggest to the faculty how to proceed in the event a search is necessary. It does not replace the Chair Search Committee but rather arranges for a department discussion and vote to select the five tenured or tenure-accruing faculty members who constitute that committee. Such votes shall occur by approval voting among all faculty who are qualified to vote for the composition of the advisory committee. The Chair Search Committee shall then oversee the search process, including extensive consultation with the faculty and a secret ballot by the faculty on formal Chair recommendations made to the Dean.
  2. Initiatives - The CAC will be made aware of departmental initiatives by the Chair and discuss them. As appropriate, the Committee will ask the Chair to put these items on the agenda of faculty meetings.
  3. Recruitment - The CAC should discuss issues of recruitment. However, final decisions on hiring priorities are reserved for the faculty at regular meetings or the annual retreat and the entire faculty will continue to authorize job offers for permanent positions.
  4. Budget - The CAC will be consulted on major budgetary matters and should be consulted specifically in the first stage of proposed cutbacks. It is the Chair's responsibility to share budgetary data in a timely manner with the committee.
  5. Hiring - The CAC will advise the Chair on appointments of adjunct faculty, and visiting faculty. In emergency situations, the Department Chair may consult the CAC Chair without a full Committee meeting. In non-emergency situations, the Chair will vet adjunct faculty and visiting faculty considered for positions with the full faculty prior to hiring.
  6. Annual Program Review - The CAC will review the Department Chair’s proposed Annual Program Report before it is finalized and suggest revisions as appropriate. The CAC will have access to annual reports from past years.
  7. Curriculum Review - The CAC may recommend that the Chair and faculty implement a curriculum review process.
  1. This enumeration of responsibilities is not meant to preclude the CAC from considering other issues beyond those specifically entrusted to the entire faculty.

B. Composition:

  1. The CAC shall consist of five faculty members elected by tenured  or tenure-track faculty and those individuals who have been granted voting privileges by the Department. The five shall be elected by approval ballot in the following manner:
  1. 1 untenured faculty member selected by the untenured faculty
  2. 1 tenured faculty member elected by the tenured faculty
  3. 1 untenured faculty member elected by the entire faculty
  4. 1 tenured faculty member elected by the entire faculty
  5. 1 faculty member (of any rank or tenure status) elected by the entire faculty
  1. These five members shall be elected at the end of the spring semester (before the retreat) to serve one-year terms. The only faculty members who may decline election are those who are on partial or full leave (including sabbatical) and those who have served three consecutive one-year terms at the time of the election.  All tenure-track faculty members (including those who hold Department portfolios) except the department Chair and Associate Chair (who serves as an ex officio member) or faculty who hold full-time administrative appointments outside the Department are eligible for membership. The faculty as a whole may confer eligibility on affiliated faculty members who do not hold tenure-track appointments in the Department.

C. Structure and Operation:

The CAC will elect a Chair. The meetings of the CAC will normally be open but may be closed at its discretion to consider complaints, personnel matters, and other sensitive items. The CAC Chair will issue monthly emails with a brief report on the topics considered during consultations. The CAC may also choose to invite other faculty members to its meetings as appropriate.


D. Ballot structure for the election to Chair's Advisory Committee (adopted 11 April 2003)

  1. Ballot - Each ballot will designate whether the voter is a tenured faculty member or an untenured faculty member. Each ballot will provide a list of tenured candidates and a separate list of untenured candidates. The Chair, faculty who have full-time administrative appointments outside the Department, and faculty who will be on leave in the forthcoming Fall semester are ineligible. These rules of election shall be printed on the reverse side of the ballot.
  2. Approval voting - Each voter may cast a vote for as many candidates on each list as s/he wishes.
  3. Election of Untenured Seat - The untenured candidate who receives the most votes from untenured faculty is elected to the Untenured Seat.
  4. Election of Tenured Seat - The tenured candidate who receives the most votes from tenured faculty is elected to the Tenured Seat.
  5. Election of At-Large Untenured Seat - The untenured candidate who receives the most votes from all faculty (regardless of rank) is elected to the At-Large Untenured Seat, unless s/he was elected to the Untenured Seat. In that case, the untenured candidate with the next highest number of votes is elected.
  6. Election of At-Large Tenured Seat - The tenured candidate who receives the most votes from all faculty (regardless of rank) is elected to the At-Large Tenured Seat, unless s/he was elected to the Tenured Seat. In that case, the tenured candidate with the next highest number of votes is elected.
  7. Election of At-large Seat - The candidate who receives the most votes from all faculty (regardless of rank) and who is not elected to another seat is elected to the At-Large Seat.
  8. Ties - Ties for any seat will be broken by coin-flip

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Departmental Governance


A. General Information

  1. Standing committees include: Chair’s Advisory Committee, Merit Committee, Market Equity Committee, Admissions and Stipends Committee, and Curriculum Committee. Some committees have elected members; others have appointed members.
  2. A list of standing committee memberships (in item IV.A.1) shall be made available to the faculty by the Chair no later than the middle of the fall semester.
  3. Departmental policy favors student membership on committees. In order to protect privacy rights, however, students may not be present when the records or activities of students, faculty, or staff are being discussed or examined, nor should privileged information be made available to students.
  4. The secret ballot will routinely be employed in making personnel decisions. On all other matters, the secret ballot will be employed upon a motion and second to that effect.


B. Chair’s Advisory Committee

See above.

C. Merit Committee

The Merit Committee shall consist of three faculty chosen from among those budgeted in the Department. The committee shall be selected by a process of approval voting with a secret ballot. The faculty receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to serve on the committee. The ballot will contain the names of all eligible tenured and tenure-track faculty members, with the exception of untenured faculty who make a timely, explicit request not to be on the ballot. Members of the committee will serve three-year terms with one new member elected each year. The committee member with the greatest length of service on the committee will serve as Chair. A member may not succeed himself or herself after a three year term. (Section IV.C. amended April 25, 2008.) Lecturers and Visiting Faculty who are budgeted in the Department are eligible to vote in the election of the Merit Committee, but they will not appear as candidates on the ballot.

D. Market Equity Committee

  1. In compliance with the collective bargaining agreement between the UF administration and the United Faculty of Florida, the department faculty to agreed to establish a Market Equity Review Committee. An individual faculty member may make a request at any time to the Department Chair to conduct a market equity salary review. The Market Equity Review Committee will review all requests twice a year and make recommendations to the Chair, who in turn will make recommendations to the Dean by September 30th and January 31st each year. Click here for CLAS guidelines.
  2. The Market Equity Review Committee shall consist of three faculty chosen from among those budgeted in the Department. The committee shall be selected by a process of approval voting with a secret ballot. The faculty receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to serve on the committee. The ballot will contain the names of all eligible faculty members. Untenured faculty members can opt out if an explicit request from that faculty member is made. Members of the committee will serve three-year terms with one new member elected each year. Lecturers and Visiting Faculty who are budgeted in the Department are eligible to vote in the election of the Market Equity Committee, but they will not appear as candidates on the ballot.
  3. The committee member with the greatest length of service on the committee will serve as Chair. A member may not succeed himself or herself after a three year term. Committee members who themselves request a market equity review must recuse themselves from the committee's deliberations during the semester of their review request.
  4. The Market Equity Committee shall estimate each applicant’s market salary based on available national and regional salary data for Political Sciece faculty at Research I universities, adjusted for time in rank and evaluations over the last five years.The Committee’s recommendations to the Chair will include these estimates.


E. Curriculum Committee

  1. The curriculum committee will be appointed by the Chair.
  2. The curriculum committee will meet as the need arises to advise the Chair and the faculty of necessary or proposed changes to undergraduate and graduate curricula.


F. Participation in Governance by Visiting Faculty and Lecturers


Visiting Faculty
  1. Visiting faculty are welcome to attend general departmental faculty meetings, and may be recognized by the Chair in general discussion. But Visiting faculty do not have a vote on departmental business.
  2. The Chair may appoint Visiting faculty to serve on department committees (including field committees) as part of their service assignment, and they may vote in those committees.
  3. Faculty who are recruited by a search and who are appointed to Visiting Faculty lines for administrative reasons in anticipation of an imminent appointment to a tenure-track or tenured faculty position have full participation and voting rights on all department matters (subject to limitations in College and University rules). For example, a foreign national who is appointed as a Visiting Assistant Professor while awaiting the completion of Immigration procedures will generally be considered as an Assistant Professor for purposes of department governance.

Lecturers
  1. Lecturers are welcome to attend and participate fully in general departmental faculty meetings, and, as a general rule, they have a vote on all matters EXCEPT those that assess or address research, or affect the composition of the tenure-track faculty.
  2. Examples of issues on which Lecturers have the right to vote include:
  1. routine department decisions,
  2. undergraduate and MA curriculum and teaching,
  3. dismissal or termination of funding for M.A. students,
  4. hiring decisions related to Lecturer positions,
  5. the election of CAC (voting as untenured faculty)
  6. the election of the Dept nominee for CLAS T&P committee [per College rules indicating that "budgeted" faculty have suffrage rights in this case]
  7. Senior and Master Lecturers have the right to vote on promotions to Senior Lecturer, and Master Lecturers have the right to vote on promotions to Master Lecturer.
  1. Examples of issues on which Lecturers do not have the right to vote include:
  1. setting hiring priorities [affects composition of tenure-track faculty],
  2. extending or recommending offers for tenure-track or tenured faculty positions [affects composition of tenure-track faculty],
  3. merit committee rules {assessment of research],
  4. emeritus status of professorial faculty [assessment of research],
  5. PhD curriculum [assessment of research],
  6. dismissal or termination of funding for Ph.D. students [research], and
  7. tenure or the tenure process, and promotions within the professorial ranks.
  1. By majority vote of the tenure-track and tenured faculty, the Department may extend to an individual Lecturer full participation and voting rights on all department matters, including those that assess or address research or affect the composition of the tenure-track faculty (subject to limitations in College and University rules).
  2. The Chair may appoint Lecturers to serve on department committees (including field committees and search committees) as part of their service assignment, and they may vote in those committees.

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Faculty Evaluation and Performance


A. Mentoring Plan

  1. Upon arrival at UF, the Chair will assign each untenured faculty member a tenured faculty mentor. At the end of each year, the faculty member and the Chair will discuss the relationship with the mentor and decide jointly whether another mentor might be more appropriate, with the Chair giving strong consideration to any preference of the untenured faculty member. Mentorship of faculty members under this plan will continue until the faculty member has met all the criteria for tenure and promotion at UF.
  2. The mentoring relationship has both informal and formal components. Often mentoring may be best carried out through a series of casual office visits or lunch discussions about the challenges and opportunities presented by academic life. For example, mentors might help the untenured faculty member develop syllabi, identify lecturing aids, trouble-shoot classroom problems, fine-tune research agendas, critique grant or fellowship proposals, negotiate departmental politics, or locate resources within the department, college or university.
  3. The mentoring policy has two formal components:
Classroom Visitation

A classroom visitation of the untenured faculty member will be conducted at least once per academic year. Scheduling the classroom visitation is the obligation of the evaluator. The date of the classroom visitation is to be mutually agreed upon in advance by the evaluator and untenured faculty member. Prior to the visitation, the untenured faculty member will supply the evaluator with course materials, such as syllabi and examinations. After the visitation, the evaluator will engage the untenured faculty member in a dialogue about teaching and provide feedback from the classroom visitation in the form of observations and suggestions. The evaluator will complete an evaluation following the classroom visitation using the department's Teaching Evaluation Form. The untenured faculty member and the department Chair will receive a copy of the completed Teaching Evaluation Form. In subsequent years, the Chair may assign other tenured faculty members to conduct the classroom visitations, so as to broaden the feedback that he or she receives. The completed Teaching Evaluation Form will be forwarded to the mentor.

Meeting with Chair and Mentor

Late in the spring semester of each academic year, the faculty mentor will arrange and participate in a meeting with the untenured faculty member and the department Chair. This meeting will provide a forum to assess the untenured faculty member's progress in research, teaching and service, and to discuss any concerns or queries that the untenured faculty member might have.

B. Faculty Development and Support

  1. Assuming budgetary resources are available, the Department Chair will seek to provide each faculty member with funding for basic operating expenses (FedEx, business long distance and faxes), course development, conference travel and summer research awards that may be used for other professional activities.
  2. N.B. Travel allowance monies that are not encumbered by May 30 of the current academic year will be forfeited.
  3. These awards will be determined by the Chair after consultation with the Chair’s Advisory Committee.
  4. Departmental research awards may be used for:
  1. Seed money for grant-writing
  2. Symposia or conferences held at UF that will lead to edited volumes or other publications
  3. Travel to international conferences
  4. General research support
  1. All proposals should consist of a project description (a maximum of 3 single-spaced pages, including references) and an itemized budget (a maximum of 1 page).

C. Annual Evaluations and Merit Criteria

  1. This section defines the standards and criteria that will be used for annual evaluations of faculty by the Chair and consideration of faculty members for merit salary increases. Recognition will be given to those who contribute to the realization of the Department's goals in pursuing excellence, and to the intellectual life of the Department and that of the larger academic community.
  2. The Department Chair shall determine which faculty members will be awarded merit pay increases when such money is available. There shall be a departmental Merit Committee with responsibility for recommending to the Chair those individuals who should be eligible for such awards. The committee shall classify each faculty member's contribution and performance as highly meritorious, meritorious, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory. The Chair, in consultation with the Merit Committee, shall determine merit awards between and within these categories. Each member of the Merit Committee will be excluded from the discussion of her or his own assessment. The assessments of each member of the Merit Committee will be made by the remaining members of the committee. The committee's assessments will be made on the basis of the Annual Activities Reports.
  3. Faculty will be evaluated in terms of their Departmental work assignments. Exceptions may be made for faculty on leave. Determinations of merit shall be based on consideration of faculty's research, teaching and service record.
  4. For purposes of evaluation, the category of research shall include:
  1. Articles in professional journals
  2. Original scholarly books
  3. Textbooks
  4. Scholarly monographs
  5. Edited books
  6. Chapters in books
  7. Convention papers
  8. Fellowships, grants and other financial awards
  9. Invited papers and addresses
  10. Book reviews, commentaries, research notes and research reports.
  1. When evaluating research productivity, consideration will be given to both quality and quantity. Distinctions will be made between publications in leading journals and others in the field and its sub-fields and among publishing houses.
  2. The Merit Committee shall give consideration to a faculty member's entire research program. Since some research comes to fruition only after a long period, a faculty member may receive meritorious recognition for research produced but not yet published or accepted for publication, or for research published in previous years. (This provision is expected to apply principally to books.)
  3. Co-authored works may be considered for merit, assuming the individual in consideration has made a substantial contribution to the collaborative work.
  4. Revised or new editions of previously published works may be considered for merit.
  5. The following shall be considered the rank-order of research productivity from most to least meritorious:
  1. Original contributions to knowledge in scholarly articles, research notes, monographs, books, book chapters, and external fellowship and grant awards
  2. Contributions representing primarily a synthesis of existing knowledge such as textbooks, edited books and review essays
  3. Other professional activities such as convention papers, invited addresses, book reviews and commentaries, internal fellowship and grant awards, and colloquia and lectures.
  4. For purposes of evaluation, the category of teaching shall include undergraduate and graduate instruction, thesis and dissertation supervision, intern supervision, course and curriculum development, and other related activities.
  5. Faculty members failing to perform these normal duties satisfactorily will not be eligible for a merit pay award. It is assumed that the service duties of junior faculty will be lighter than those of their senior colleagues.
  1. Other service activities that may be considered appropriate for merit evaluation include:
  1. Exceptional performance of normal departmental responsibilities
  2. Service as departmental graduate coordinator, undergraduate coordinator, associate Chair, datalab and consortium management, and related activities
  3. Service on College or University committees, participation in or supervision of special programs and initiatives, and other significant contributions to the College or University
  4. Serving on editorial boards, as an officer in a professional association, a journal editor, a Chair or section leader for a major professional conference or other professional program participation, a reviewer for professional journals and other publications, a reviewer for professional research funding agencies, and a contributor to projects associated with professional work or other activities enhancing the reputation and visibility of the Department, College or University
  5. Membership on government boards or commissions, leadership in community organizations, and election to public office or other activity enhancing the reputation and visibility of the Department, College or University
  6. Service to primary or secondary schools.


D. Third-Year Review Policy

  1. The department shall conduct and deliver a pre-tenure review of untenured, tenure-track faculty prior to the beginning of the faculty member's fourth year in the tenure track. The primary purpose of the mid-career review is to provide the faculty member with a substantive progress report and to suggest what the faculty member might need to accomplish in the areas of teaching, scholarly research, and service before the formal tenure review. The mid-career review shall be one in which no external reviewers are contacted. Other members of the department, college or university community may provide input to the committee, but it is not required.
  2. The review should begin early in the third year of tenure accruing appointment. The Chair shall notify the faculty member of the time of the third-year review and request that the faculty member submit relevant materials. By February 1st of that year, the candidate will complete a tenure and promotion packet and present it to the Chair of the department.  The packet will include:
  1. A Tenure and Promotion packet, as complete as appropriate given the time in rank of the candidate.
  2. Annual letters of evaluation from the Chair.
  3. Peer review of candidate's teaching and supporting teaching materials.
  4. A research/scholarship portfolio including the candidates' research publications, papers submitted for publication, grant proposals, and similar information.
  1. The review will be conducted by a special committee comprised of three tenured faculty in the department (or joint appointments), to be appointed by the Chair. The candidate's mentor may serve on the committee at the Chair's discretion. The reviewing committee may request other materials, and the faculty member may elect to submit other supporting materials. The third year review for faculty with joint appointments or duties in other units will include information about their activities and contributions to those other units. In cases of joint appointments, one member of the review committee will be appointed by the Chair/director of that unit.
  2. The committee will present its report at a meeting of the department's tenured faculty. The committee's third-year review and the discussion of the report by the department's tenured faculty will be shared verbally and in writing with the faculty member by the Chair. The Chair will draft a letter of review based on the candidate's packet, the committee's report, as well as the discussion and other information from the faculty. For faculty with joint appointments, that letter should be co-signed by the director or Chair of the center or other department. The letter will be explicit in stating that the letter itself is not a decision for tenure and promotion but is rather a mid-career review and nothing more. The intent of the review process is that it be advisory to the candidate and without any prejudice in future reviews.
  3. Before April 30th, the Chair will meet with the candidate to provide a copy and discuss the letter of review. The candidate and Chair should discuss the strengths and weaknesses in the candidate's packet; what the candidate might do to strengthen her/his papers in the future; and what assistance might be available in the department, college, and/or university to address candidate needs and improve performance. A copy of the letter of review will be placed in the candidate's personnel file. The faculty member has the right to submit a written response to the report if so desired, and the response will be placed in the faculty member's personnel file for future reference.
  4. The Chair's letter of review will be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs by the end of the Spring semester. The College will contact the Provost's office and inform that office that the review has taken place, but will not transmit the substance of the review.

E. Tenure and Promotion Criteria

Candidates for tenure and/or promotion will be evaluated with respect to their accomplishments in teaching, research and service. The department requires that candidates demonstrate significant achievements in all three areas. Especially notable achievements must be evident in research and in at least one other area.

Tenure and/or Promotion to Associate Professor
  1. Teaching - Teaching effectiveness will be evaluated in a number of ways, including peer evaluations of classroom performance, instructional materials (e.g. syllabi, exams), student evaluations, intern supervision, course and curriculum development, and participation in thesis and dissertation committees. Candidates must demonstrate a sustained commitment to excellence in teaching.
  2. Research - Candidates must have established a program of original research that has gained recognition in refereed journals and/or with reputable presses. The expectation is that the candidate will have published a book and/or a significant number of refereed articles, at least some of which are sole-authored. Textbooks, scholarly monographs, edited books, chapters in books, book reviews, commentaries, research notes and research reports will also be considered but generally will carry less weight. The reputation and quality of the journals and publishers will bear on the assessment of publications. Generally, some publications will be derived from the individual's doctoral dissertation. Publications that clearly extend beyond such work or introduce new research must also be evident, indicating the promise of ongoing excellence in scholarship. The ability to obtain fellowships, grants and awards will enhance the candidate's standing. Candidates are also expected to have given paper presentations at conventions or other scholarly meetings. The department recognizes that there are different expectations across subfields and junior faculty will build a research record in different ways. It is imperative that annual review letters and the third-year review in particular provide clear feedback and suggestions for strengthening junior faculty members’ research records.
  3. Service - Candidates must have demonstrated commitment to enhancing the life of the Department, College and University. The service contributions of untenured assistant professors are kept relatively light to facilitate excellence in teaching and research. Nonetheless, some student advising and committee work is expected. Regular participation in faculty meetings as well as attendance at recruitment colloquia is required. Scholarly service to the discipline (e.g. reviewing submissions to journals and panel participation at professional meetings) is also expected. Service contributions to the community, state, or nation are encouraged.

Promotion to Full Professor
  1. Teaching - Teaching effectiveness will be evaluated in a number of ways, including peer evaluations of classroom performance, instructional materials (e.g. syllabi, exams), student evaluations, intern supervision, course and curriculum development, and participation in thesis and dissertation committees. Teaching performance must be exemplary to merit promotion to full professor. Normally this will include supervision of Masters theses or Ph.D. dissertations. Innovative curriculum development is expected.
  2. Research - Candidates must have established a national and/or international reputation for excellence in scholarship, as made evident by the number of publications and the quality of their journals and presses, by book reviews, by citations of work, and by assessments of recognized authorities. There must be evidence of substantial publications since the candidate was last promoted, indicating a sustained research program. Significant success in winning grants, fellowships, and/or awards is expected.
  3. Service - Candidates must have established a notable record of service to the Department, College and University, as well as to the profession. This service should include the assumption of leadership roles (e.g. Chairing committees, administering programs, organizing and convening sections for annual meetings, membership on editorial boards). Contributions to the community, state, and/or nation are also expected.

Promotion to Distinguished Professor

Full professors (with the exception of endowed Chairs and graduate research professors) may be nominated by the department Chair for promotion to the rank of Distinguished Professor in recognition of well-established national and/or international reputations in their fields of endeavor and exceptional records of achievement (beyond that expected of full professors) in the areas of teaching, research, and professional and public service.

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Teaching and Advising


A. Peer Teaching Evaluation Guidelines

  1. Faculty in the Department of Political Science regard high quality teaching as an integral part of their professional responsibilities. Indeed, high quality teaching is essential to the educational mission of the Department. The Department aspires to improve student-teacher interaction and to systematically identify, evaluate and reward good teaching at all levels of course offerings.
  2. The Department will use the following guidelines and criteria to identify good teaching, to evaluate the quality of teaching, and to encourage all faculty to improve their teaching methods. The guidelines and criteria may be used for a number of purposes, including the following:
  1. Evaluation and improvement of tenured and untenured faculty teaching
  2. Guidance and self-help for faculty wishing to improve their teaching capabilities
  3. Supporting evidence for tenure, promotion and/or Merit Committee decisions
  4. Evaluation and improvement of graduate students’ teaching
  5. Nominations for College and University teaching awards.
  1. With specific regard to the mentoring of untenured faculty, the Departmental Mentoring Plan (approved by the Faculty on 2/21/05) states, “The mentor will complete an evaluation following the classroom visitation using the department’s Teaching Evaluation Form. The untenured faculty member and the department Chair will receive a copy of the completed Teaching Evaluation Form. In subsequent years, the untenured faculty member may request that the Chair assign other tenured faculty members to conduct the classroom visitations, so as to broaden the feedback that he or she receives. The completed Teaching Evaluation Form will be forwarded to the mentor.” These Peer Teaching Evaluation Guidelines will facilitate peer evaluators’ providing systematic, comprehensive and comparable evaluations and letters on an annual basis for use by tenure and promotion committees’ assessment of the instructional abilities and progress being made by untenured faculty members.
  2. At minimum, the following procedures are suggested:
  1. Evaluation will occur over a period of time appropriate to the purpose of the assessment. For example, untenured faculty will likely arrange an evaluation session with their mentor at least once a year to augment their portfolio leading up to the Third-Year Review for Tenure-Accruing Faculty. Graduate student instructors will be evaluated at least once during the semester the course is being offered.
  2. Dates of the classroom visits by the peer evaluator will be arranged jointly by the instructor and the peer evaluator; i.e. no “drop-in” evaluations are envisioned.
  3. Evaluation will include a discussion of the instructor’s “Philosophy of Teaching” and in-depth discussion of all aspects of the instructor’s teaching employing the PEER TEACHING EVALUATION GUIDELINES (available at: http://web.polisci.ufl.edu/documents/infofac-peer_teaching_guidelines.pdf) to structure the conversation.
  4. Results of the evaluation will be discussed with the instructor and at a subsequent meeting of the instructor, peer evaluator and the Departmental Chair.
  5. The peer evaluator will generate a letter based upon these procedures and discussions to be placed in the instructor’s personnel file, available to the Departmental Chair, Merit Committee, and promotion and tenure committees, as appropriate.


B. Undergraduate Advising

Generally, faculty who have been assigned an honors section will serve as undergraduate advisors during the semester following the assignment of their honors section.


C. Summer Teaching

The department usually offers a range of undergraduate courses during the summer terms. Assignment of summer teaching shall generally accord preference to the undergraduate and graduate coordinators, junior faculty, other interested faculty, and advanced graduate students, in that order, contingent on the availability of resources.


D. Assignment of Graduate Teaching.

As a general rule, faculty will teach one graduate seminar each academic year with the exception of Eminent Scholars. Further assignment of graduate teaching (i.e. more than one graduate class per year) will take place only after all graduate faculty have been assigned a graduate class and under exceptional circumstances as determined by field Chairs as well as the Chair and Associate Chair. The Department strives to balance service and equity in the assignment of graduate teaching. As such, faculty who regularly teach one of the Department’s four required courses for PhD students shall generally be assigned an additional graduate course every other time they teach one of the core courses.


E. Teaching Equity

Those faculty teaching large introductory sections will be assigned teaching assistants, who may lead discussion sections one day per week. The assignment of large introductory sections should be rotated equitably among faculty by field Chairs in coordination with the department Chair and associate Chair and the number of teaching assistants assigned will be determined according to whether or not the teaching assistants lead discussion sections.


F. Allocation of Teaching Loads

The Chair, following instructions outlined by the Dean of the College, shall assign teaching loads. They shall generally be 2-2 for tenured and tenure-track faculty and 3-3 for lecturers and the Chair shall follow CLAS guidelines.


G. Guidelines for Dismissal

If dismissal of faculty should be required due to budgetary concerns, the Chair shall proceed in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement reached between the University and Faculty, and according to the same standards used in annual evaluations of faculty.


H. Policy on Maternal and Parental Leaves

The goal of this policy is to help tenured and tenure-track faculty members reconcile the demands of their academic job with the demands of childbearing and childrearing. Toward this end, the Department Chair will modify the active duties assigned to new mothers and/or new parents in the following fashion:

  1. Parental leave - The Chair will reduce by one course the teaching load assigned to faculty members who:
  1. become biological, adoptive, or foster parents of a new child
  2. and are responsible for caring for the child at least fifty percent of the daytime from Monday through Friday.
  3. This course reduction will be granted in the semester during or immediately after the arrival of the child; it may be taken in addition - either concurrently with or subsequent to - a maternal leave. Eligible faculty will be assigned other workload activities during this period to offset the teaching reduction. If both parents of a child are members of the Department, either may take a parental leave, but not both.
  1. Maternal leave - The Chair will reduce by one course the teaching load assigned to faculty members who give birth to a child. This course reduction will be granted in the semester during or immediately after the birth of the child. Eligible faculty members will be assigned other workload activities during this period to offset the teaching reduction.
  1. Implementation of additional maternal leave will be subject to annual departmental budgetary consideration.

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Conditions for Dismissal of Graduate Students from the Doctoral Program


A. Exam Failure

Failure in two major field qualifying exams or failure in two minor field qualifying exams constitutes unsatisfactory progress toward the Ph.D. degree, and will lead to dismissal from the program. (This applies whether the student fails two examinations at the same level in the same field or in different fields.)

B. Unsatisfactory Progress toward the PhD

The Department will dismiss from the program students not making satisfactory progress toward the degree. The grounds for dismissal include the following:

  1. A graduate GPA of less than 3.25 for more than one semester.
  1. Two grades less than "B-" (either in the same semester or in different semesters) constitute evidence of unsatisfactory progress.
  2. Failure in two major field qualifying exams or failure in two minor field qualifying exams. (This applies whether the student fails two examinations at the same level in the same field or in different fields.)
  3. Failure to defend the prospectus in a timely manner shall constitute evidence of unsatisfactory progress toward the degree.
      1. The submission of a written prospectus and oral defense must happen within nine months of the student's defense of her or his final exam, although students can formally petition for an extra three months if, in conjunction with the committee chair, they feel this is necessary.
  1. A recommendation by the supervisory committee that satisfactory progress on the dissertation is not being made.
  2. A judgment by the supervisory committee meeting in the final examination that the dissertation is unacceptable.
  3. The passage of five years from the date of admission to candidacy without the submission of an acceptable dissertation. (See Graduate School Catalog.)


C. Rules on Grades and Dismissal
  1. Grades below "B-" in the Ph.D. program indicate a failure to master material at an acceptable level. One grade less than "B-" will precipitate a stern warning from the graduate coordinator, a supervisory Chair, or another designated faculty member. Two grades less than "B-" (either in the same semester or in different semesters) constitute evidence of unsatisfactory progress and grounds for dismissal from the program. Students may request a meeting with their existing supervisory committee, which is formed according to Graduate School rules. The committee may then consider whether the student should be retained. The supervisory committee will then issue a recommendation to the graduate coordinator with the final decision of retention or dismissal resting with the graduate coordinator. In the absence of a supervisory committee, the graduate coordinator may consult with faculty members who have taught the student in question when making a final decision regarding dismissal.
  2. Appeals are to be governed by Graduate School rules.
  3. The Graduate School permits students to carry incompletes into one new semester. If incompletes are not made up during the next semester in residence, they will turn into failing grades. A student carrying two or more incompletes at the beginning of a semester will lose an assistantship for that semester. Students who carry one or more incompletes past one semester will be ineligible for an assistantship until the incompletes are removed.

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Conditions for Dismissal of Graduate Students from a Masters Program


A. Unsatisfactory Progress toward the MA

The Department will dismiss from the program students not making satisfactory progress toward the degree. The grounds for dismissal include the following:

  1. A graduate GPA of less than 3.25 for more than one semester.
  2. Two grades less than "B-" (either in the same semester or in different semesters) constitute evidence of unsatisfactory progress.
  3. A judgment by the supervisory committee meeting in the “final examination” for the MA program in question that the student’s performance is unacceptable. What constitutes the “final examination” differs between degrees (i.e., M.A. in Political Science versus M.A. in International Relations) and among programs (general M.A. in Political Science, Certificate in Political Campaigning, and Certificate in Public Affairs). (See below.)


B. Summary of Final Examinations by M.A. Degree and Program
M.A. in Political Science (General)

Students may complete the general M.A. degree in Political Science with a thesis or without writing a thesis.

  1. M.A. with Thesis - For students pursuing the M.A. with Thesis option, the thesis defense constitutes the final examination.
  1. M.A. without Thesis - For students pursuing the M.A. without Thesis option, the submission and defense of the two qualifying papers constitutes the final examination.

Certificate Programs within the M.A. in Political Science
  1. Certificate Program in Public Affairs - For students pursuing a certificate in Public Affairs, the final examination is the completion of the “Management/Policy paper.”
  1. Certificate Program in Political Campaigning - Students in the certificate program in Political Campaigning pursue the M.A. without Thesis.  Prior to graduation, students take a comprehensive exam with both written and oral components. A member of the political campaigning program faculty must chair the student’s four-person examination committee, and one member of the examination committee must be a political practitioner.  The written exam consists of questions drawn from the MA courses taken by the student, including one in applied politics. The oral component of the exam will be scheduled prior to the Graduate School deadline for the completion of M.A. graduation requirements.  The combined written and oral examination is evaluated as "high pass, pass, or failure." The chair of the committee is responsible for communicating the results of this deliberation to the student and to the Graduate School on the appropriate forms.  Two failed attempts to pass the comprehensive exam constitute unsatisfactory progress toward the degree and lead to dismissal from the program.

M.A. in International Relations

The final examination for the MA in International Relations is a comprehensive examination, which consists of two parts, a written exam and an oral exam. Failure in two comprehensive examinations constitutes unsatisfactory progress toward the MA-IR degree, and will lead to dismissal from the program.

C. Rules on Grades and Dismissal
  1. Grades below "B-" in an M.A. program indicate a failure to master material at an acceptable level. One grade less than "B-" will precipitate a stern warning from the graduate coordinator, a supervisory Chair, or another designated faculty member. Two grades less than "B-" (either in the same semester or in different semesters) constitute evidence of unsatisfactory progress and grounds for dismissal from the program. Students may request a meeting with their existing supervisory committee, which is formed according to Graduate School rules. The committee may then consider whether the student should be retained. The supervisory committee will then issue a recommendation to the graduate coordinator with the final decision of retention or dismissal resting with the graduate coordinator. In the absence of a supervisory committee, the graduate coordinator may consult with faculty members who have taught the student in question when making a final decision regarding dismissal.
  2. The Graduate School permits students to carry incompletes into one new semester. If incompletes are not made up during the next semester in residence, they will turn into failing grades.

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