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HISTORY DEPARTMENT HANDBOOK
POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND LORE FOR NEW FACULTY MEMBERS Compiled, edited, and updated by: Ralph W. Mathisen (1999) With contributions by: Lawrence Glickman (1995) W. Dean Kinzley (1993) Welcome to the Department of History of the University of South Carolina! This manual is intended to provide new faculty members not only with some introductory information about university, college, and departmental policies and procedures, but also with "inside" information that might not appear in traditional kinds of documents. We hope that it will ease your transition into the university community and answer some questions without requiring a lot of "leg work" on your part. FIRST THINGS FIRST.... In this computer age, the new faculty member might initially be referred to several university WEB pages that contain or summarize much of the material presented below. These include: The USC Home Page http://www.sc.edu Provost's Home Page http://www.sc.edu/provost Registrar's Home Page http://argo.regs.sc.edu Sponsored Programs and Research Page http://www.spar.sc.edu "University Jet" http://www.spar.sc.edu/sparair.htm School and College Home Pages http://www.sc.edu/colleges.html College Of Arts And Sciences Home Page http://www.cas.sc.edu Department of History Home Page http://www.cas.sc.edu/hist/index.html General Faculty/Student Information http://web.csd.sc.edu Thomas Cooper Library Catalogue http://www.sc.edu/library/uscan.html Remuneration Most faculty are on a nine-month pay schedule with checks issued bi-monthly from 31 August to 15 May. It also is possible to arrange through the Payroll Department (777-4227 or 777-4755) to be paid on a twelve-month basis. Faculty may be permitted to teach one or two courses in the summer for additional compensation equal to 7 1/2% of the gross nine-month salary for each three hour course taught. Questions regarding "Dual Employment," that is, the holding of additional jobs/positions over and above the university appointment, should be referred to the Chair of the Department. Benefits New faculty should contact the University Benefits Office (777-6650) for information about health insurance, optional life insurance, pension plans, disability coverage, etc. Deductions for these are made from the paychecks (and for some of them there may be an extra-large deduction made from the May 15 check to cover the summer months). For several of these, coverage can only be obtained or changed during the open enrollment period in the early fall. In other instances, such as the birth or adoption of a child, coverage changes can, and should, be made immediately. I.D. Card and Parking Sticker Each faculty member needs to obtain a photo I.D. card in Petigru Hall soon after arrival on campus. Parking stickers are available at the Parking Department office in the Pendleton Street Parking Garage, located at the corner of Pendleton and Pickens Streets, a few blocks away from the Department. New university employees are usually given a "Z" parking sticker, which allows free parking in the parking lot next to the Coliseum on Assembly St. This is about 1/2 mile from the Department. It is also possible to purchase a parking space in a parking garage, such as the Pendleton Garage. Remote Access to Personal Information It is possible to access your university personal information file, containing material such as your benefits status, remotely via the university WEB page. In order to do this, you need to obtain a password from the university benefits office. Good luck. I've never been able to get it to work. The Faculty Manual The Faculty Manual is the faculty member's "Bible." It contains, in summary form, information on virtually every aspect of life in the university, including chapters on "Administrative Organization," "Faculty Organization," "Regulations and Policies," "Research," "Benefits and Privileges," and "Facilities and Services." Of much interest will be the chapter on "Regulations and Policies," which incorporates sections, e.g., on "Tenure Regulation," "Leave," and so on. Also relevant in this regard is the University Policies and Procedures Manual that provides still more information about every aspect of the University operations. Even though most of us have never seen it, a copy of this lengthy document is in the Business Manager's office if you need to consult it. It also is available on the WEB page of the Provost's Office. Bulletins The University of South Carolina Undergraduate Studies Bulletin and the University of South Carolina Graduate Studies Bulletin contain a great deal of useful information, including list of courses that are "on the books" (but not necessarily being offered at any particular time) and degree requirements for all the university programs. They are published each summer and each faculty member should automatically receive copies. If you have not, they are available in the department office, or just click on the link above. Master Schedule Every semester, just before advising week (generally in November in the Fall and April in the Spring), the university publishes a Master Schedule of all the classes being offered in the upcoming term. The Summer schedule is published at the same time as the Fall schedule. On-line listings of classes being offered during the current semester, and their current enrollments, are available on the Registrar's Home Page: http://argo.regs.sc.edu. South Carolina Honors College The South Carolina Honors College, directed by Dr. Peter Sederberg, is comprised of students with very high GPAs and SATs. History Department faculty have the opportunity of teaching either regularly scheduled courses (such as introductory Western Civ or American Civ) in the Honors College, or specially designed proseminars. This is a marvelous opportunity for faculty members who like to teach highly motivated students and to be kept on their toes. If you are interested, see the Assistant Chair for information on scheduling one of these courses. The Faculty Senate The USC Faculty Senate meets once a month. Faculty representatives are elected yearly (the Department of History currently has 3 Faculty Senators) and serve three-year terms. The Faculty Senate approves things like curriculum changes and new courses, and receives regular updates from the President and Provost. Membership is a good way to learn about what is going on in the university community and to have a say on future directions and decisions. University Committees There are a number of university-wide committees, most of which come under the purview of the Faculty Senate (777-6073 or 777-6078), on which faculty members are eligible to serve. Some of these are the University Grade Change Committee, the Patents and Copyrights Committee, and the University Library Committee. Service on these committees generally is not onerous, and affords an opportunity to fulfil the "service" requirement expected for satisfactory professional progress. One indicates one's interest in serving on these committees by returning a form that is circulated by the Faculty Senate each year. A list of university committees and their members is available on the WEB page at http://www.sc.edu/provost/committees.html. Libraries History department faculty are likely to be heavy users of the University libraries, including the Thomas Cooper Library (the main university library, located behind the reflecting pool on Greene St.) and the South Caroliniana Library (located on the Horseshoe). Faculty have semester-long book borrowing privileges, and books can be renewed indefinitely merely by countersigning a form that is sent by the Circulation Department each semester. Bound periodicals can only be taken out of the library for one day and current periodicals do not circulate at all. Your photo I.D. serves as your library card. Library studies are available for faculty use: check at the main circulation desk to apply for one of them. Other campus libraries also contain holdings of potential interest to faculty members, such as the Law Library, where books on legal history are often directed, and the Business School Library, where many books on labor history end up. The Department has its own book budget earmarked for the purchase of books for the Cooper Library, and preference in purchasing is given to junior faculty members. To order books for the library fill out and sign a book order form, available in the History Office. The office staff will fill out the forms for you if you give them a book catalogue/brochure with indications of which books you would like to order. Completed forms should be sent to the Department's library representative. The library has a university and trade press purchase plan and receives automatically many of the publications of the major presses. Please keep in mind, however, that this plan has a variety of exclusions, and there is no certainty that any particular book will automatically ordered even from a major university press. Therefore, faculty members are well advised to submit order forms for any books that they feel must be in the library. The Interlibrary Loan Office is located in the Cooper Library (777-4041). Requests can be made via the ILL WEB page or by E-Mail, and materials can be picked up at the Circulation Desk in the Cooper Library or in the ILL office, just below the main floor of the library. The library "Special Collections" section (i.e. the rare book room) is located upstairs (on the mezzanine) in the Cooper Library. Thomas Cooper also houses a Video library. To request films and videos for classroom use, or to order new films, call 777-2858. Bookstore Course book order forms are sent to all faculty not long after the beginning of each regular semester. These should be completed and returned to the Undergraduate Secretary. Book orders usually are divided among the several bookstores on campus, which include the University Bookstore in the Russell House (777-4270), the South Carolina Bookstore, and the Adams Bookstore. A professor may indicate that an order is an exclusive one, for one particular bookstore only; this can be useful in small classes. The Russell House Bookstore also gives faculty members a 10% discount on book purchases if you show them your faculty I.D. Faculty are responsible for ordering desk copies for themselves and their Teaching Assistants. Desk copy forms to be sent to publishers are available in the main office. Instructional Services The Instructional Services Center will deliver to the departmental office various kinds of audio-visual equipment, such as movie projectors, VCR's, and televisions. Note that increasing demands on the equipment make it advisable to make reservations as far in advance as possible. Call ISC East at 777-4941, or the main office at 777-6430. In addition, a number of classrooms in Gambrell (e.g. 151, 152, 153) have been designated as "Smart Classrooms," and have been fitted out with various kinds of audio-visual and projection equipment. Keys to the cabinets in each room, and instruction on the operation of the equipment, can be obtained from the Instructional Services Center at 777-6481. The key to the projection room in the Gambrell Auditorium (Gambrell 153, also known as the "Zebra Room") is available from the Dean's Office. Computer Services: The Mainframe Computer The University mainframe computers are maintained by the University Computer Services Division (CSD), a branch of the Division of Libraries and Information Systems. Faculty members may log onto the mainframe computer, and get direct access to E-mail and (in a rudimentary, but very effective, way) the Internet by obtaining an account number from CSD (777-7366). The mainframe can be accessed either from the local network or over the phone lines (as well as via TELNET). Space Reservations In general, rooms for holding special meetings, review sessions, colloquia, seminars, etc. may be reserved by calling Brenda Hinkle at the Office of Space Scheduling (777-4898). Reservations for Gambrell Hall 428 and 429, however, are overseen by the Dean's office; and those for Gambrell 236 and 241 are coordinated by the History Office. Russell House The Russell House is the main "Student Center" on campus. Along with the University Bookstore, it houses Student Services and Student Government offices, a ball room where events and banquets are held, and a movie theater that shows second-run films very inexpensively. The "Quik-Copy" center (777-3820), a duplicating office, also is located there. Dining University Cafeterias are located in the Russell House and the Capstone Dormitory (the one with the big round "hat" on it). There also is a Snack Bar located next to Gambrell Hall, but be aware that it closes at the drop of a hat. Opportunities for more varied kinds of dining can be found at a number of restaurants that ring the campus, e.g. west of campus on Main Street and east of campus in "Five Points" (where Blossom and Harden Streets meet). Student Regulations, Programs, and Services The University has a number of offices whose purpose is to deal with various kinds of student needs. These include The Campus Writing Center (777-2078), which provides free advice; and The Office of Disabled Student Services, which provides note-taking and proctoring services for disabled students. A complete overview of university policies and programs for students is available in Carolina Community. University of South Carolina Student Handbook & Policy Guide, published by the Division of Student and Alumni Services. In addition, the USC Career Center (777-7280: http://www.sc.edu/career) provides counseling and information on student career prospects, and the Department of Athletics regularly checks up on athletes in your classes and requests updates on how they are doing. Grades Grades, of course, are due at the end of each term. You will be provided with a grade lists by the office, and they are to be turned back to the Undergraduate Secretary. Incompletes may be filed by filling out an "Incomplete Form" and removed by filling out a "Removal of Incomplete Form." Grades can be changed by filing a Grade Change Form (available in the "Form's File" in the History office) with the Grade Change Committee at the Faculty Senate Office. An informal way to deal with students who get final work in a bit late, but for whom you do not wish to assign a formal "Incomplete", is the "NR" ("Not Reported" designation). Leave the grade blank on the grade sheet, and submit if when the work is completed. If students don't complete the work of a course within the prescribed deadlines, they automatically get an F. Note also that the Registrar issues a mid-term grade sheet. These are useful for identifying students who are registered for the course but not attending, or who are attending but not registered; faculty members don't need to complete those forms. Who's Who... Every faculty member should have a copy of the University of South Carolina Telephone Directory and the Faculty & Administrative Staff Directory, both of which are automatically delivered to faculty members each year. An Online Faculty, Staff, and Student Directory is also available on the WEB at http://web.csd.sc.edu. Getting the News Out Several university publications by the Department of University Publications publicize and highlight the work of university faculty. For example, the USC Times, published twenty times a year, includes a regular "Faculty Activities" section that lists faculty members' publications, presentations, and honors received. Individual faculty members are responsible for reporting their own activities. Send them to Editor, TIMES, 701 Byrnes Building. To avoid having all your accomplishments appear at the same time, it can be tactically wise to submit items one at a time, a few months apart. In addition, the Department in the past has published a newsletter, The USC Historian, highlighting the accomplishments of our faculty and graduate students. It is intended for distribution to History alumni and to other "friends" of the Department. THE College Of Arts And Sciences The Department of History is very conveniently located on the same floor of Gambrell Hall as are the offices of the College Of Arts And Sciences (777-7161). General information about the college, its programs, and its students is available in the publication USC College Of Arts And Sciences. New Student Handbook, available at the CLA office. Advising Undergraduate advising is coordinated at the college level. New students first visit the college advising office and receive a copy of a transcript, including any transfer courses. They bring this to the faculty advising session. The college publishes the College Of Arts And Sciences Guidelines for Advisement every semester. It is the "Bible" for both advisers and students. Everyone should have a copy, which should be delivered automatically, and which is available from the college advising office. For advising questions, call Mary Ann Byrnes (777-2993). Meetings and Committees There generally are two meetings of the College Faculty each year, in the Fall and Spring. This is where committee members are nominated and elected. If you are nominated, you will almost surely be elected. Computer Lab The College Of Arts And Sciences Computer Laboratory is conveniently located in the basement of Gambrell Hall. There are computer stations there for student and for classroom use, as well as specialized equipment that can be used, e.g., to convert computer files to different formats, or for computer graphics. The CLA Computer Lab also maintains the networks to which the departmental computers are connected. If problems occur, call Network Support at 777-7840. Canteen The famous Gambrell Canteen is located on the first floor of Gambrell Hall, with a variety of vending machines. Refunds are available (or used to be) in the Computer Lab in the basement. Donor's Room On the first floor of Gambrell, adjoining the foyer, is the Donor's Room, a poshly appointed room that can be used for small meetings, receptions, and special occasions by permission of the Dean. THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY The Department of History is committed to maintaining a culture of democracy, participation, and collegiality. We encourage active involvement in departmental affairs by all faculty members, although junior faculty are sheltered from excessive departmental service burdens. Departmental governance and decision making is carried out in accordance with the Bylaws of the Department of History. A copy of the Bylaws is attached to this handbook. Strategic Plan In 1997 the Department completed a year-long self-study process, the result of which was a detailed Strategic Plan enumerating the Department's strengths and weaknesses, and including strategies by which the Department could meet the needs of the future. A copy is available in the departmental office. Meetings The faculty has regularly scheduled meetings at least four times a semester, and meets additionally on an as-needed basis. Tenured and tenure-track faculty are expected to attend unless schedule conflicts or other pressing matters prevent their doing so. Visiting faculty are also welcome to attend but are under no obligation to do so, and the President of the Graduate History Association (GHA) also is invited to attend and report on graduate student activities and concerns. Committees The Department has two elected committees (the Tenure and Promotion Committee and the Executive Committee) and several appointed committees. The character and responsibilities of the elected committees are defined in the Bylaws. Committee service is an important part of the department's democratic tradition and all faculty are expected to participate. First year faculty normally have reduced committee service responsibilities. Search committees are appointed for each position we hope to fill. They gather, process, and evaluate files on prospective candidates and make this information available to all faculty. All faculty are encouraged to participate in the search process as much as possible. Promotion and Tenure Normally, junior faculty are considered for promotion and tenure in their sixth year of service (note that time spent on leave generally does not count toward the "tenure clock"). Earlier decisions may be possible; individual schedules should be discussed with the Chair and the Dean. Candidates for promotion and tenure are assessed according to the Department's Tenure and Promotion Criteria, which are available in the departmental office or from the Chair of the Tenure and Promotion Committee. The current University Tenure and Promotion Calendar is available on the Provost's WEB Page. Junior faculty also have a pre-tenure review in the third year. Flexible Scheduling for Research The Department is committed to encouraging the productive research of all faculty members, especially untenured junior faculty. To that end, junior faculty, following the successful completion of their third-year review, may be eligible for a semester free of teaching duties which will give them additional time to devote to research and writing. In addition, the Department's Flexible Scheduling Policy allows faculty to teach unbalanced teaching loads, e.g., a 3-3-0 load in three successive semesters in place of the normal 2-2-2 load. Requests for such scheduling must be made to the Chair of the Department in advance. Teaching The normal teaching load in the department is two courses per semester, four courses per year. All faculty are expected to be active in undergraduate teaching and will be called upon regularly to teach introductory survey courses. Course planning and scheduling is overseen by the Assistant Chair. Undergraduate majors are expected to complete a Senior Seminar (History 497 or 498). These seminars are research courses, and students are generally expected to write a substantial paper making use of primary sources. In exceptional cases, students may substitute a senior thesis (History 499) for this requirement. This option, however, should be used only when faculty members feel it to be academically warranted. Scheduling graduate courses should be discussed with the Director of Graduate Studies and the department's Assistant Chair. Advisement The Department considers student advisement an important part of the faculty members' teaching and student service responsibilities. All faculty members are called upon to share equally in this task. The Undergraduate and Graduate Directors assign specific advisement responsibilities. The usual undergraduate advisement load is about 15 advisees. The regular advising periods are in November and April, with additional advisers assigned on a voluntary basis for "late advisement", which occurs the week prior to the beginning of the Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions. The College Of Arts And Sciences Guidelines for Advisement handbook is available from the College Advising Office in Gambrell. Professional Travel The department makes every effort to support travel to conferences and other professional forums. Historically, faculty have been able to receive travel funding to attend conferences at which they are presenting papers. It sometimes also is possible to receive support for those who have other conference-related responsibilities, such as Chairing or Commenting at a session. Travel-funding requests should be filed, using a "Travel Request Form," with the Chair in the fall, for all anticipated trips, even if travel plans have not been finalized. Before departing on a university-funded trip, a green "TA" ("Travel Authorization") form should be filed with the Chair. Even for non-funded trips, it is necessary to give written notice to the Chair of the pending trip (among other things, this is for reasons of maintaining one's insurance coverage when out of town). Upon return from a funded trip, it is necessary to file a Travel Reimbursement Voucher with the Chair. The actual reimbursement is handled by the Travel Department of the USC Controller's Office (777-2602). Main Office and Office Staff The current office staff consists of a Business Manager, a Graduate Secretary, an Undergraduate Secretary, a Receptionist, and a part-time Computer Consultant. The office staff will reproduce syllabi, exams, handouts, etc. from computer diskettes or hard copy. Requests should be made on work order slips that are at the Department front desk. These requests should be made in good time to avoid unfairly burdening the staff with last-minute requests, especially during busy times such as registration or exam periods. The department office will also photocopy materials necessary for classroom use. Turn in material to be copied at least 24 hours in advance of when you need it. Some manuscript and general typing can be done by the office staff but receives lower priority than immediate instructional and departmental needs. Other typing cannot be done at all. Map Room The departmental "Map Room," located in the main office complex, contains several slide, recorded sound, and videodisk collections, along with (obviously) many maps. There also is a xerox machine for faculty use. Occasionally, a graduate assistant is appointed to oversee this room. Forms File All the forms discussed here, and many others, are available in the Departmental "Forms File", in a file cabinet in the main office. Supplies General office supplies (stationery, grade books, pens, etc.) can be obtained by filling out a request form available in the Department office. Keys You should have at least three keys: 1) an office key, 2) a Faculty Lounge key, and 3) a key for the outer doors of Gambrell Hall, which are often locked at night, on the weekends, and during holiday periods. One must manipulate the key and a large button on the door in order to open the door. The outdoor key also opens mailbox #60 in the History Department, which can be used to leave mail and photocopying jobs when office is closed. Office Equipment and Support New faculty members on tenure-track appointment will receive personal computers and printers for their offices. Additional printers are available for faculty use in the Department's Computer Lab. Every computer in the department is connected to a Local Area Network, providing capability for E-mail and access to the Internet. Each office will also be equipped with a filing cabinet, bookshelves, and, upon request, a typewriter. These needs can be discussed with the Department's Business Manager. Computer Consultant and WEB-Master Computing assistance may be obtained from the Department's Computer Consultant (Gambrell 216), from the College Computing Lab located in the basement of Gambrell (777-7840), and from the University Computer Services Division (777-6015). Meeting Rooms The Department houses two meeting rooms, Room 241, the so-called "Old Archives," located in the main office complex; and Room 236, a seminar room. Both rooms can be scheduled in the main office. The Department also has scheduling preference for two recently remodeled seminar rooms on the first floor of Gambrell next to the Canteen. Faculty Lounge Your Lounge key will provide access to the spacious and well-appointed Faculty Lounge, located across the hall from the mailboxes. Available there are a refrigerator and micro-wave, and some of the latest in historical periodicals, including the Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Review of Books. Phone, Fax, and FedEx Most university phone numbers are on a separate 777 university exchange. University telephones are connected to "Octel," an automated system that allows for voice mail to be retrieved. To retrieve voice mail on-campus, dial 777-6245 from your office phone, enter y your password (for information, call 777-2846), and follow the voice menus. To retrieve messages off-campus, dial 777-6245, press #, your office number, your password, and follow the menus. Each faculty member receives a long distance telephone allocation that is announced at the beginning of each year. This may be increased when faculty members are asked to take on certain administrative responsibilities such as Graduate Director or Search Committee Chair. Faculty will receive a monthly statement listing phone numbers and locations called. Amounts in excess of the allocation must be paid before the end of the spring term. There is a fax machine (777-4494) in the Department office. Faculty members will only be billed for telephone charges, which may be applied to the regular telephone bill. Express mail charges are the responsibility of the individual faculty members unless approved by the Department Chair. Faculty WEB Pages The History Department WEB Site includes WEB pages for all university faculty members. New faculty are encouraged to consult with the department's WEB Specialist to see about creating their own WEB page. INTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES The University of course encourages
faculty members to seek extra-mural research funding. The University, College,
and Department also have several competitive programs for funding research-related
activities, some of which are designed to assist in the start-up of new
projects and to assist faculty members in receiving outside funding in
the future. Internal funding opportunities include: Research and Productive Scholarship
Awards
Administered by the Office of Sponsored
Programs and Research (SPAR). A maximum of $7,000, with preference given
to younger faculty. Funding can be for travel, research materials, publication
expenses, and, in rare cases, salary supplements. There are fall and spring
cycles. History department faculty have been
very successful in winning all of these awards. Junior faculty are especially
encouraged to apply for support. Application deadlines vary. Faculty should
call, e.g., the office of Sponsored Programs and Research (SPAR) (777-7093)
for further information.
There are available in the University
several awards that recognize excellence in research and teaching. These
include: The Russell Research Award and Educational
Foundation Research Award
Administered by the Provost's Office; the university's highest award for research, awarded annually in the amount of $1,000. OTHER QUESTIONS...
It is very likely that that "one question"
you really needed to have answered was not dealt with above. To answer
that question, and others that come up, you can access one remaining resource:
your colleagues! History faculty have a great breadth and depth of experience
in teaching, scholarship, and professional development, and would be more
than happy to share it with you. Just ask!
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