Tonight the Faculty Senate approved a whole host of changes for faculty Position of Responsibility Statements. Basically, a Position of Responsibility Statements is a job description for faculty that outlines exactly what their job is, and what that job entails.

1. Everyone needs a Position of Responsibility Statements. Currently, not all faculty actually have a Position of Responsibility Statements on file in their department. With the new changes to the faculty handbook, all faculty, including administrators and non-tenure track faculty, would have to have a Position of Responsibility Statements on file with their departments.

2. Position of Responsibility Statements need to be specific. Currently, many Position of Responsibility Statements throughout the university aren’t very specific when it comes to the expectations for how much time and effort faculty spend on teaching, research, university outreach, etc. The new requirements mandate that all PRSs include specific expectations for what faculty are supposed to spend their time on.

3. Position of Responsibility Statements are supposed to be public information. Currently, many faculty Position of Responsibility Statements are considered part of the faculty’s personal files, and thus not eligible to be reviewed by people who don’t have a “need to know.” With the new changes, Position of Responsibility Statements will be considered closer to budget books in terms of who has access. Just as the public can find out just how big President Leath’s salary is, so too will you be able to look at his Position of Responsibility Statements.