Last Friday, November 2, Provost Robert E. Palazzo announced plans for a complete review of the position of clinical faculty members at RPI, as well as the establishment of a Clinical Faculty Committee.
Announced in an e-mail to the tenured and clinical faculty, Palazzo stated that, at the request of President Shirley Ann Jackson, he and Vice President for Human Resources Curtis Powell would be working together on a comprehensive review of various aspects of the clinical faculty position.
To assist with the review, there will be input from a newly formed committee of clinical faculty members, also announced through Palazzo’s e-mail.
The committee is comprised of five RPI professors: Clinical Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences Maya Kiehl; Clinical Professor and Area Coordination for the Lally School of Technology and Management on the Hartford Campus John Maleyeff; Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Core Engineering, and Director of Multi Design Lab Mark Steiner; Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Lally School Frank Wright; and Clinical Associate Professor of Cognitive Science Bram Van Heuveln.
“We want to address the concerns and issues with the clinical faculty, and just take a look at the nature of the position in general,” said Palazzo, regarding the review.
The Clinical Faculty Committee will work with Palazzo and Powell during the review process as an advisory body and will also assist the Office of the Provost during the faculty governance review to provide perspective from clinical faculty members.
Palazzo, Powell, and the committee will collaborate to “review the compensation of clinical faculty to ensure appropriate compensation, develop a clear statement of clinical faculty benefits, review faculty teaching loads to clarify expectations for clinical faculty teaching responsibilities, and review opportunities for involvement of clinical faculty members in academic programming and faculty governance,” according to Palazzo’s e-mail. In addition, Palazzo hopes to involve the clinical faculty more in curriculum planning and other facets of the academic program.
Van Heuveln said that he too would like to see the committee address contracts, benefits, career advancement, and enfranchisement.
“For me, probably the most important issue is to get some formal recognition for what we are, what we do, and how we improve the whole of this university,” said Van Heuveln. “Being excluded from a formal definition of faculty is demeaning and a slap in our face: that is not the way to get dedicated employees.”
He continued, “I would like to see an in-depth discussion about the role of clinicals, and create some awareness of how we contribute to the well-being of this Institute.”
“This is an important process for us,” said Palazzo, regarding the clinical faculty review. “We want to go over exactly what the position entails and what everyone’s expectations are.”
The review is expected to be completed sometime during the spring semester this year, according to Palazzo.
