University Policies (including Faculty Handbook)

Definition of Excellent Teaching
The primary responsibility of faculty is effective teaching. Evidence of effective teaching is a significant factor in contract renewal, tenure, promotion, and salary increment decisions. A list of non-exhaustive examples of excellent teaching are provided.

Faculty Responsibilities in the Area of Scholarly/Creative Activity
All full-time ranked faculty members, including Library regular faculty are responsible for effective scholarly or creative activity.  Examples of each scholarly/creative activity category are provided:  advancement of knowledge/creative expression, scholarly engagement, and professional development.

Faculty Responsibilities in the Area of Service 
Shared university governance, contributions to GVSU communities, and the development of disciplines and professions all depend on meaningful service from faculty members.  Examples of activities in each service category are provided:  Service to the Institution, Service to the Discipline and Profession, and Service to the Community.

College and Unit Personnel Review Documents
All college and unit personnel standards documents that have been approved and are in effect are available.  Access is available to all faculty members, using the GVSU login.

Written Performance Summaries - Use in Annual Salary Adjustments and Personnel Actions
Identifies key policy statements for regular faculty related to annual written performance summaries.

Faculty Personnel Actions Workbook
This Workbook provides details on faculty personnel actions including contract renewal, tenure, and promotion.  Links to policy, as well as a timeline, procedures, and sample templates are provided.  Temporary personnel policies due to COVID are available in the Workbook.

Workload and Annual Evaluation Workbook
This Workbook reviews details of the faculty workload and evaluation processes.  Links to policy, as well as a timeline, procedures, and sample templates are provided.

Fulbright and Other Scholarly Awards
Outlines the University's support for faculty who receive Fulbright an other competitive scholarly awards.

Joint Faculty Appointment - Memo of Understanding
Provides the template for the conditions of an individual faculty joint appointment between the primary and secondary units and the faculty member.

Authorship Guidelines for Collaborative Scholarship
When a scholarly activity is collaborative, assignment and order of authorship should be based upon carful considerations regarding everyone’s contributions to the final product. These guidelines provide a fair and consistent method of judging scholarly contributions faculty and/or students.

Mentorship at Grand Valley State University
GVSU recognizes the value of mentoring for all faculty members and especially for new faculty. The University provides new faculty with a collaborative first-year University-Wide Mentoring Program that is designed to support them as they begin to adjust to faculty responsibilities and engage as teachers, scholars, and citizens of the university and greater community.  

Sabbaticals