Office of the Provost

Launching a University Advisory Committee on Faculty Workload Policy

November 20, 2025

This message was shared with faculty and staff on November 20. 

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the formation and charge of a University Advisory Committee (UAC) on Faculty Workload Policy. The committee will develop a university-wide faculty workload policy for all full-time faculty—tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track—by March 2026. This policy will serve as the foundation for unit-level workload policies within the colleges and schools, which are to be implemented by Fall 2027 in alignment with Academic Transformation.

UAC on Faculty Workload Policy Membership

  • Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, Co-Chair, Faculty Excellence & Academic Culture, Office of the Provost
  • Jason Silverman, Co-Chair, School of Education, Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning Excellence, Chair, Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs, Faculty Senate
  • Hande Benson, LeBow College of Business
  • Brian Daly, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Jennifer Kolker, Dornsife School of Public Health
  • Michele Kutzler, College of Medicine
  • Yvonne Leach, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
  • Michelle Rogers, College of Computing and Informatics
  • Christopher Weyant, College of Engineering

The UAC on Faculty Workload Policy will build on the work of the Consistent and Effective Policies and Practices Workstream, which developed a framework for a faculty workload policy. The workstream’s report and summary presentation can be found on the Academic Transformation SharePoint site.

Timeline

  • November 2025: Launch of UAC on Faculty Workload Policy
  • February 2026: Development of a draft University Workload Policy and presentation to Academic Transformation co-sponsors, Office of General Counsel, and Faculty Senate
  • March 2026: Additional stakeholder engagement via town halls or other mechanisms, Deans communicate timelines with the academic units for unit-level policy development, and final draft University Workload Policy submitted for approval per Academic Transformation Interim Policy Approval Process
  • June 2026: Final approval and dissemination of University Workload Policy

We want to thank the workstream members for their hard work and dedication in developing the foundational framework that will guide this important next phase.

We look forward to updating the University community on the outcomes of this work.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Jensen, PhD
Executive Vice President
Nina Henderson Provost

Kevin Owens, PhD
Chair, Faculty Senate
Associate Professor