Grand Valley State University uses a two-part faculty planning process. The first part of the process involves each faculty member consulting with the Unit Head and putting together a prospective Faculty Workload Plan (FWP) that outlines the faculty member's anticipated activities and significant focus for the next calendar year. The second part involves filling out a retrospective Faculty Workload Report (FWR) to document how much of the FWP the faculty member completed. This planning process allows faculty members to develop individualized activity plans that reflect various career stages and interests, helps tenure-track faculty make positive progress towards tenure, encourages all faculty to reflect on their roles at the university, and provides a more objective basis for salary adjustments. (See Shared Governance SG 3.08: Faculty Salary Adjustment Program and Board of Trustees' Policies BOT 4.2.10.5 D: Candidate Materials).

A.  Faculty Workload Plan (FWP)

Faculty members plan their teaching, scholarship, and service activities a year at a time and share them with their Unit Head for advice and agreement.  By October 1 of each year, faculty members shall prepare and submit Faculty Workload Plans (FWPs) for the calendar year ahead (the coming winter and following fall semesters), indicating the courses they are prepared to teach, the service activities (including reassigned time) in which they may engage, and the expected outcomes of their Significant Focus (see SG 3.01.D ). Unit Heads will collect and review the FWPs and will hold individual discussions with each untenured faculty member.  When both Unit Head and the faculty member are satisfied that the proposed FWP is realistic and consistent with unit and college expectations, the Unit Head signs it and makes it available to the unit.  If modifications to the FWPs of either tenured or untenured faculty are needed as the year progresses, the faculty member discusses necessary changes with the Unit Head and edits the FWP to reflect approved changes. At the close of the calendar year, all FWPs will be appended to the corresponding year’s Faculty Workload Reports .

B.    Faculty Workload Report (FWR)

Faculty members shall prepare and submit current vitae along with Faculty Workload Reports (FWRs) for the preceding calendar year not later than February 1 of each year.  The FWR lists the courses taught, details the service (including reassigned time) performed, and explains the outcomes of the Significant Focus.  Each year’s FWR should discuss how much of the work anticipated in the corresponding FWP was able to be completed and explain any additional work performed. The Unit Head will collect the vitae and FWR, append the corresponding  FWP, and distribute the three documents to the unit for peer review.  The compiled results of the peer review and Unit Head’s evaluation form the basis of the annual discussion between Unit Head and faculty to set salary.  These documents also are used cumulatively to inform tenure and promotion decisions (see Shared Governance SG 3.07 and SG 3.08).

The policy for extending probationary appointments by pausing the tenure clock can be found in the Board of Trustees' Policies BOT 4.2.7.2

March 17, 2022 - Changed Faculty Activity Plan (FAP) designation to Faculty Workload Plan (FWP); Changed Faculty Activity Report (FAR) designation to Faculty Workload Report (FWR)

November 20, 2019 - updated GLEV recommendations

January 7, 2019 - retitled FH 3.02 A-B to SG 3.02