Section 7: Faculty Support Services

• 7.1 Faculty Travel
• 7.2 Library Services
• 7.3 Instructional Technology
• 7.4 The Maytum Center for Student Success
• 7.5 Printing Services
• 7.6 Student Assistants
• 7.7 Pre-Tenure and Sabbatical Leaves
• 7.8 Guidelines for Applying for Academic Support Committee Grants
• 7.9 Guidelines for Supplemental Research Fund Grants (SRFs)
• 7.10 Institutional Mentors
• 7.11 Course Releases for Advising Senior Projects

7.1 Faculty Travel 

Limited funding for professional travel is typically available through four sources: 

1. Faculty travel allowance. All continuing faculty receive a travel allowance to be used for conference travel and some forms of professional development. 
2. Academic Support Committee. Funds may be obtained from the Academic Support Committee to support travel associated with a specific project related to a faculty member’s research or teaching. See Section 7.8 for details and application procedures. 
3. External grants. Faculty who are able to obtain external funding to support travel expenses are encouraged to do so. Likewise, faculty whose travel plans are consistent with the purposes of existing grants are encouraged to use these funds. 
4. The Provost’s Office also has limited funding to support faculty travel to conferences and workshops about trends and debates in higher education generally. The Provost encourages faculty to participate in such opportunities through presentations, publications in journals such as Peer Review, service on national boards, etc. and will fund these opportunities, as budget permits, above and beyond the faculty member’s travel allowance and traditional disciplinary- focused support from the Academic Support Committee. 

For travel expenses to be paid through the faculty travel allowance or as part of an Academic Support Committee grant, a faculty member should complete an online Faculty Travel Authorization Form.

Upon returning from the trip, a detailed travel expense report, with receipts, must be filed with either the Associate Provost’s Office or the appropriate administrative supervisor. 

Faculty are reminded that Allegheny’s first priority is teaching. Care should be taken to limit travel which interferes with the faculty member’s teaching schedule, and to make up classes which are unavoidably missed. 

Allegheny’s general policy on travel is available in the Employee Handbook, Employee Travel and Entertainment Expense Guidelines. Specific guidelines for travel expenses and a link to the form for reimbursement are available at this link. 

7.2 Library Services 

Please visit Library Services for an up-to-date list of library faculty services. 

The Library’s staff collaborates with faculty in support of the academic programs and curriculum of Allegheny College. We urge all faculty to share any suggestions they may have about our collections, policies, services, or procedures. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rick Holmgren (x2898 rholmgre@allegheny.edu) or talk with any library staff member. 

7.3 Instructional Technology 

Please visit Allegheny’s Instructional Technology site for up-to-date information and details about instructional technology services.

7.4 The Maytum Center for Student Success 

Located in Pelletier Library, the Maytum Center for Student Success provides a variety of support services for students and resources for faculty. Center for Student Success staff and peer consultants can help students improve their skills in writing, speaking, time management, study strategies, and general transition to college. Tutoring is also coordinated through the Center for Student Success, as is the Navigator program; please visit the Center for Student Success website to learn more about services available to students. As of Spring 2016, the Center for Student Success is a nationally certified tutoring center. 

In addition, the Directors of Speech and Writing in the Center for Student Success maintain a number of faculty resources related to advising and teaching, especially teaching in the FS program. 

Academic Performance Reports 

Academic Performance Reports (“APRs”) submitted through WebAdvisor are an effective way for instructors and advisors to communicate with the Center for Student Success about students who are experiencing difficulty in class. Copies of the APR are also sent to the student’s Academic Advisor and (when applicable) Athletic Coach and/or Co-Advisor. 

Faculty are encouraged to complete an APR whenever they are concerned about a student’s performance. APRs are particularly important early in the semester because students have time to make adjustments while their efforts can still make a difference. 

The Center for Student Success requests faculty to submit an APR if they observe any of the following behaviors: 

• Two or more class absences within the space of two or three weeks. Failure to attend class for ill-defined reasons (e.g., “I didn’t feel well so stayed in bed”) is frequently an indication that a student is having other difficulties; 
• Poor performance on tests, essays, assignments, or in class activities; 
• Sudden negative changes in the quality of a student’s work ; 
• Disengagement from the course or other behaviors suggesting that the student may be in need of assistance. 

Faculty can submit more than one APR for the same student if they have further reason for concern (for example, failure of a second major examination or continued class absences). Multiple submissions when warranted are very helpful in our efforts to retain students and support student success at Allegheny. 

A Center for Student Success staff member reads all submitted APRs and determines if contact with the student should be made and, if so, who is the best person to make the contact (e.g. Center for Student Success, Residential Life, coach, or the Dean of Students Office). The assigned staff member may email, meet with, or call the student. Staff members often consult with the faculty member to determine the best course of action. If you do not want outreach to the student by a Center for Student Success staff member, please select “FYI ONLY: Please take no action at this time. I am working with the student.” on the APR form. If you choose the “FYI” option, the box labelled “An email was sent to the student indicating poor academic performance” will be disabled. 

If you have questions about APRs or how the Center for Student Success can help your students, please contact a member of the Center for Student Success staff at 814-332-2898.

7.5 Printing Services 

Allegheny’s Printing Services, now part of Gator Post and Print, powered by Ricoh, provides high-quality printing, copying, and finishing at reasonable prices. 

Copyright Information. The College—as well as its faculty, staff, and students—may be liable for damages if copyrighted materials are reproduced without permission or are in violation of the law. Guidelines for copying classroom materials can be found online at.

Copying. Printing Services is equipped with two high-quality, high-production copiers capable of printing 65 pages per minute in color and 90 pages per minute in black and white. All machines are capable of producing 12”x18”. Printing Services also offers envelope printing of sizes up to 10”x13” in full-color. 

The department’s services, which provide quick turnaround at a low cost, are popular with students, who order copies of term papers and Senior Comps, among other projects. Students’ resumes can be copied on quality bond paper with matching envelopes. The copiers are also equipped to produce transparencies, and tabs. 

Wide-Format Printing. Large posters can be printed on our wide-format printer and can also be laminated/mounted on foam core. Maximum size of lamination is 25” wide and foam mounting material is 36”x48”. 

Finishing. Finished orders can be stapled, punched, folded, numbered, cut to size, and shrink-wrapped. Printing Services offers three types of binding: saddle-stitched, spiral or comb, and thermal. Laminating is offered up to 25” wide 

Other Services. The Printing Services department also provides the following copying, publishing, and designing services: 

Paper Choices. The department stocks many colors and weights of paper, from 20# bond to heavyweight card stocks. They also have access to specialty papers; however, preference is to select from on-campus paper stock offerings. Many of the papers they use are Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified and contain at least 30 percent post-consumer waste. They also carry papers that are 100 percent recycled. 

Submitting Files. PDF is the preferred file format to submit projects to Gator Post & Print. Various file formats such as Publisher, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Photoshop are also accepted. Printing Services can also scan and resize files for printing reproduction. Call Gator Post and Print at 814-332-2375 or email p2xprint@allegheny.edu if you have questions. 

Desktop Publishing and Design. Desktop publishing services including layout, design and creative concepts are not offered through Printing Services. For design services such as layout and creative concepts, contact the Office of College Relations. 

Timelines for Printing and the Order Form. A print-ready PDF is the preferred file format and will ensure the quickest turnaround and delivery time. Other file formats and adjustments that must be made will add to the time required to complete the job. Please note a longer turn around time will result if a proof is required.

When completing the print request form, a completion date for the job must be entered on the form. Same day requests are not guaranteed given print request volumes at any given time. 

There is a downloadable/printable Order Form available online.  

(Updated Fall 2018) 

7.6 Student Assistants 

Faculty members who wish to employ students must complete the FA Job Posting Database Form for both filled positions and positions to advertise. 

Open positions will be posted to the Student Job Database where students searching for employment will be directed. If faculty members have an open position, but cannot post the position because of the specific skill set needed from the student worker, please still complete the FA Job Posting Database Form, but indicate zero vacant positions on the form. 

The Financial Aid Office will create and send back to the faculty member their section of the Student Employment Form as the supervisor. When combined and returned to the Financial Aid Office with the student section of the Student Employment Form, time sheets are created on Self-Service to generate the student’s payment. 

Please hire students based on your department’s student wage allotment and directives from the Accounting Office. For additional information, please visit the Student Employment website.

7.7 Pre-Tenure and Sabbatical Leaves 

Pre-Tenure Leaves 

Tenure-track faculty may apply for a pre-tenure leave for professional development. Pre-tenure leaves provide for a one-semester leave at full pay with no responsibilities on campus to allow the faculty member extended time for conducting research or working on course development. Tenure-track faculty members are eligible for a pre-tenure leave after a successful pre-tenure review and after having served at least three years. This means that faculty members on a normal tenure clock are eligible to apply for a pre-tenure leave in the fall of their fourth year of service for the following (fifth) year. Likewise, faculty members in their fifth year are eligible to apply for their sixth year. Faculty members on an accelerated tenure clock due to prior service are eligible to apply for the leave in the fall of their third year of service for the following (fourth) year. 

If a pre-tenure leave is combined with a personal or professional leave of absence from the institution, the faculty member may choose to postpone the tenure clock by one year. Full-time non-tenure-track faculty members are not eligible for a pre-tenure leave. Faculty members who take a pre-tenure leave are eligible to receive their first regular sabbatical leave after an additional six academic years of full-time teaching. 

Sabbatical Leaves 

Sabbatical leaves, like pre-tenure leaves, provide the faculty member time for professional development. Faculty members who do not take a pre-tenure leave are eligible for their first regular sabbatical after receiving tenure and having served for at least six academic years. This means that faculty members on a normal tenure clock are eligible to apply for their first sabbatical leave in the seventh year of service for the following (eighth) year. Faculty members on an accelerated tenure clock due to prior service are eligible to apply for their first sabbatical leave in the sixth year of service for the following (seventh) year. Faculty members are eligible for their next sabbatical leave after an additional six academic years of full- time teaching. For example, a faculty member taking a sabbatical leave in the fall of 2010 and/or spring of 2011 is eligible to take their next sabbatical leave during the 2017-18 academic year. 

Unlike the pre-tenure leave, a sabbatical leave provides the option of either a one-semester leave at full pay or a two- semester leave at five-eighths pay. 

Full-time non-tenure-track faculty members with faculty rank are eligible to apply for their first sabbatical leave in their seventh consecutive year of service for the following (eighth) year. They are eligible for their next sabbatical leave after an additional six academic years of full-time teaching. 

Pre-Tenure and Sabbatical Leave Applications 

All pre-tenure and sabbatical leave applications should be submitted via the Pre-Tenure/Sabbatical Leave Request form, which requires faculty to upload a completed Leave Application. Department chairs will also need to submit a letter of support indicating how the
department intends to cover the applicant’s absence. All submission forms and additional instructions can be found on the Sabbatical/Pre-Tenure Leave Application page.

The Leave Application requires the following information:

1. Project Narrative. A brief statement (at most 1 single-spaced page) that clearly defines the project and summarizes the project’s rationale, relevance to the faculty member’s professional development, potential outcomes, and broader impact. The statement should be directed at a general academic audience, avoiding jargon and explaining the project and its context as clearly as possible.
2. Prior Pre-Tenure or Sabbatical Leaves. A listing of previous pre-tenure or sabbatical leaves and a brief description of outcomes resulting from these leaves.
3. Additional Information. Any other details that may assist the ASC in evaluating the request.

Applications for pre-tenure and sabbatical leaves are due by November 1 of the year prior to the academic year in which the leave is to take place. Note that for most faculty applying for their first sabbatical leave or a pre-tenure leave this schedule may mean submitting a leave request before receiving a decision on their tenure or pre-tenure review. Final approval of the leave request will be contingent upon a positive decision in the tenure or pre-tenure review. 

Pre-tenure and sabbatical leaves also are contingent upon the ability of the College to meet its teaching needs during the faculty member’s absence. The Provost’s Office, in consultation with the Academic Support Committee, will make the awards and notify faculty. It is understood that a faculty member will continue in the College for at least one regular academic year after the leave unless granted a transitional leave. 

Leaves may not be accumulated. That is, faculty members are not eligible for leaves at less than seven-year intervals. If, however, the Provost approves delaying the leave for one academic year for institutional reasons, the faculty member is eligible for the next leave one academic year earlier than would otherwise have been the case. 

Recipient Responsibilities

Faculty are required to submit a sabbatical/pre-tenure leave report using the form on the Academic Support Committee page. This report should be a 1-2 page summary of the faculty member’s sabbatical/pre-tenure leave goals, activities, challenges, and outcomes. The faculty member should also briefly describe how their sabbatical/pre-tenure leave work connects to their professional trajectory, the College, or the broader community. Reports should be written for a general audience.

For fall one-semester leaves, reports are due by March 31. For spring one-semester leaves and for two semester (fall/spring) leaves, reports are due by October 31.

(Revised 21 April 2022, 19 October 2023) 

7.8 Guidelines for Applying for Academic Support Committee Grants   

Introduction and Funding Guidelines

The Academic Support Committee is charged with granting funds for faculty development in areas related to research and teaching. Funding is available for sabbatical projects and those that occur during summers and throughout the academic year. Funds are available to all full-time continuing faculty: those in the process of establishing a career as well as those sustaining their professional development. The Committee is most likely to fund well defined projects that can be carried out, or significantly advanced, in the time available to the applicant. The term “project” is used to encompass traditional research, the visual and performing arts, and teaching. Funds from ASC are distributed on the basis of the fiscal year (July 1-June 30). The ASC sets yearly and five-year limits (current limits indicated on the ASC website) on funding for all faculty members.

Application Deadlines

1. November 1 is the first deadline for ASC grant applications, including pre-tenure and sabbatical leave funding requests. Requests received after that date will be considered during the February review.
2. February 15 is the second and final deadline for ASC grant applications, including pre-tenure and sabbatical leave funding requests. Requests received after that date will be considered only if funds are still available.

Examples of proposals the Committee has approved

1. Travel, lodging, meals and out-of-pocket expenses associated with a short term trip to develop a specific project. 
2. Photocopying and acquisition of documents necessary for the development or completion of a project when other sources of funds are not available. 
3. The development of workshops, conferences or seminars related to teaching or scholarship.  
4. Necessary supplies or small equipment purchases that cannot be obtained through other sources of funding such as departmental budget or grants. 
5. Attendance at conferences and workshops related to development of a specific project or to teaching. 
6. Hiring of temporary student research assistants when other sources of funds (e.g., departmental budgets) are not available. 
7. Supplemental living grants where the project requires the faculty member to live for an extended period away from campus. Such grants are most likely to be considered when the faculty member is on sabbatical.

If there are any questions concerning the appropriateness of a specific project, faculty members are encouraged to consult with the Committee chair, a Committee member, or the Director of Faculty Development prior to submitting an application.

Proposals the Committee usually does not fund

In unusual cases and circumstances, the Committee will consider requests in these areas; however, a rationale for asking for support in these areas must be provided by the applicant making the request. 

1. Requests for assistance with expenses normally incurred in obtaining advanced degrees. 
2. Requests which are primarily for equipment. 
3. Requests for funding of projects which have already been completed. 
4. Requests for funding while on leave of absence. 
5. Requests for supplies and services that are usually available from departments. 
6. Requests for publication page charges, reprints, offprints, or preprints. 
7. Requests for stipends. 

Proposals approved and/or funded directly by the Provost Office, not by the ASC

1. Requests for funding for travel to present scholarly work. 
2. Requests for released time. (Released time is negotiated among the faculty member, the department chair, and the Provost.) 
3. Requests for leave of absence.
4. Proposals specifically concerning department or College-wide curriculum development. 

How to Apply for Academic Support Committee Grants

All ASC grant applications should be submitted via the ASC Funding Request form, which requires faculty to upload a completed ASC Funding application. This form and other instructions can be found on the ASC Grant Applications page.

The ASC Funding Application requires the following information:

1. Project Narrative. A brief statement (at most 1 single-spaced page) that clearly defines the project and summarizes the project’s rationale, relevance to the faculty member’s professional development, potential outcomes, and broader impact. The statement should be directed at a general academic audience, avoiding jargon and explaining the project and its context as clearly as possible. 
2. Itemized Budget. A budget of all anticipated expenses, divided into appropriate categories. Faculty members are asked to request full funding. The Committee may not be able to award full funding, but the Committee feels it is fairer to all applicants if all anticipated expenses are listed in the proposal. All requests should clearly indicate the fiscal year in which funding is needed. The fiscal year ends on June 30. Funds provided for expenditure in one fiscal year cannot be carried into the next fiscal year.
3. Additional Sources of Funding. A list of other sources from which the applicant has requested funding and the likely date of notification from those sources. The Directory of Faculty Development should be informed immediately if alternate sources of funding are obtained. 
4. Prior ASC Funding Outcomes. A list of previous Academic Support Committee grants and a brief description of outcomes resulting from the funded work. 
5.  Additional Information. Any other details that may assist the Committee in evaluating the request.

Recipient Responsibilities

1. Grant monies may be used only for the purpose outlined in the proposal. Should circumstances necessitate a significant change in the use of the funds, permission must be obtained from the Committee.
2. Receipts for reimbursements or receipts indicating how a funding advance was spent must be submitted to the Director of Faculty Development. See the Faculty Funding page for additional information.
3. If a faculty member does not intend to use all of the approved funds, the Director of Faculty Development should be notified as soon as possible.
4. Short reports that summarize the outcome of ASC funding are required and should be submitted using the form on the Academic Support Committee page.
   1. Reports must be submitted by June 30 of the fiscal year in which the funding is received.
   2. Failure to submit ASC funding reports could negatively affect future funding decisions by the Committee.
5. Support from the Allegheny College Academic Support Committee should be acknowledged in publications. 

(Revised 24 October 2013, 21 April 2022, 19 October 2023)

7.9 Guidelines for Supplemental Research Fund Grants (SRFs)

Short-term research opportunities sometimes arise at times that make Academic Support Committee applications impractical. For these occasions, full-time continuing faculty at Allegheny can apply to the Academic Support Committee for Supplemental Research Funds for support at a modest level.

Requests for Supplemental Research Funds should be submitted via the online application form found on the Academic Support Committee page. These requests are evaluated by the same standards that apply to standard ASC funding applications. Faculty should therefore consult the funding guidelines and recipient responsibilities described in Section 7.8 when applying for SRF funding.

The Director of Faculty Development, in consultation with the Committee, will evaluate SRF applications and will typically inform the applicant of their decision within 10 days of the application.

Please note: SRF awards are included in the accounting of an individual faculty member’s cumulative ASC allocation (not to exceed the yearly and five-year limits). Also, in any given fiscal year, the Committee may exhaust its entire budget on standard ASC grant applications, in which case SRF funds will not be available. Faculty are encouraged to check with the Chair of the Committee or the Director of Faculty Development before completing an application to ensure that funds are still available to support an SRF request.

(Revised 21 April 2022)

7.10 Institutional Mentors

 The Institutional Mentoring Program provides new tenure-track faculty and tenure-track faculty who have passed their pre-tenure review with the opportunity to work with a senior faculty member outside of their department in a mentoring relationship. This program is overseen by the Director of Faculty Development (DFD), who is responsible for identifying potential mentors, inviting tenured faculty to serve as mentors, connecting mentors and mentees, providing guidance on the mentor-mentee relationship, requesting mentor stipends from the Provost’s assistant, and assessing the mentoring program.

The nature of the mentoring will be exclusively formative; no classroom observations, documents, or actions connected to this relationship will be used in the evaluation of the mentee. The mentor and mentee will not be required to share any details of the mentoring work with anyone, including members of the mentee’s department, members of the Faculty Review Committee, or the Provost. No details beyond the number of meetings each semester should be shared with the DFD.

All institutional mentors receive a stipend from the Provost’s office for this work.

Mentor Requirements
Faculty who serve as institutional mentors must:

• Be tenured in a department or program different from their mentee(s),
• Have considerable institutional experience, and
• Want to mentor.

New Tenure-Track Faculty
All new tenure-track faculty are assigned an institutional mentor at the beginning of their first year at Allegheny. Institutional mentors are expected to work with mentees for two consecutive years and typically have up to three mentees from the same cohort of new faculty. Institutional mentors meet with their mentees periodically each semester, offering confidential, formative feedback about teaching and professional development in a fashion and at a frequency determined by the mentor and mentee(s).

Post-Pre-Tenure Review Faculty
After successful completion of their pre-tenure review, faculty may be assigned an institutional mentor for up to two years. This assignment can be made at the Provost’s request via communication with the DFD or at the faculty member’s request in response to an offer from the DFD. Details about candidates’ mentoring assignments will not be considered in the tenure review process.

Mentors and Faculty Reviews
Given the formative, confidential, and supportive nature of this relationship, institutional mentors will not participate in the summative evaluation of their mentees. Mentors who serve on the Faculty Review Committee (FRC) must recuse themselves from deliberations whenever one of their mentees is up for discussion for pre-tenure review. FRC members must recuse themselves during tenure review cases if the candidate is currently the FRC member’s institutional mentee or has been such a mentee within the past two years.

Mentoring Expectations

• Mentors should meet with their mentees three to four times per semester.
• Mentors with multiple mentees can meet with their mentees collectively, but will have at least one individual meeting with each mentor per semester.
• The specific mentoring activities are determined by the mentee/mentor pair.
• At the end of each semester during the mentoring arrangement, the mentor will communicate to the Director of Faculty Development the number of times they met with each of their mentees.
  • Mentor stipends will be processed after this information is shared with the DFD.
  • No other details of the mentoring work should be shared with the DFD.

(Revised 19 October 2023)

7.11 Course Releases for Advising Senior Projects

Senior projects are the capstone of an Allegheny education, and directing senior projects is a vital component of the teaching done by Allegheny faculty. To recognize the energy and effort that faculty devote to this work, eligible faculty members receive teaching credit for their work on senior projects in one of two ways:

• Teaching a senior project seminar class, in the course of which the enrolled students complete their projects, or
• Receiving “senior project points,” which are awarded and used according to the following system:

1. If students complete their projects as part of a senior project seminar class for which the instructor receives teaching credit, no points are awarded to the first readers for those students’ projects (i.e. to the seminar instructors). However, readers from departments other than the department in which the seminar is taught may receive the usual points awarded for their work with these students.
2. Each senior project may earn a maximum of four points, regardless of the length of the project (one vs. two semesters) or the number of departments or faculty involved.
3. If a student fails a senior project in which faculty have invested significant time and effort and must enroll for the final semester of senior project a second time, points will be awarded for each of the student’s attempts. 
4. ​For departmental projects, the first reader typically receives three points and the second reader one point. Alternative arrangements may be made in writing, by mutual agreement with the Department Chair and participating faculty, though the total points awarded for the project must not exceed four.
5. For double-major projects, the primary reader from each department or program typically receives two points. Alternative arrangements may be made in writing by mutual agreement with the relevant Department Chairs and participating faculty, though the total points awarded for the project must not exceed four.
6. The distribution of points awarded for a project should reflect, as accurately as possible, the relative contributions of the supervising faculty. Points may not be “given” by one faculty member to another.
7. Point allocations must be made in units of whole or half points.
8. Faculty who have accumulated 44 senior project points are eligible for a course release. Such releases must be approved in advance by the Department Chair, who will consider staffing needs in determining the timing of the release, and by the Provost. Faculty should apply for releases using the Senior Project Points (SPP) Course Release Request Form, which is available from the Provost Office.
9. Course releases should be used as they are earned and may not be accumulated. Under no circumstances may faculty take three senior project point course releases in a single semester.
10. All senior project points are earned via successful completion of the Senior Project Assessment (SPA) form; faculty submit an SPA form for each Senior Project on which they serve as a reader. The senior project points, as indicated on the SPA form, are tracked by the Provost Office, which provides a compilation of points earned and used to Chairs no later than September 15 each year. Chairs are responsible for providing this information to individual faculty members, who are responsible for identifying numerical inaccuracies in existing records and working with the Provost Office to correct them. No adjustments will be made for senior projects completed more than one year prior to the most recent distribution of data.

(Revised 7 December 2023)