Faculty Exchange Guidelines

These guidelines for short-term faculty exchange have been approved by the Chief Academic Officers of Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley. The purpose of these guidelines is to facilitate the process of arranging for such exchanges by setting out a common process agreed to by all the member schools. Participating institutions include SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University.

Rationale
Successful faculty careers extend over many years. Disciplines, institutions, students and the interest of faculty members all change over time. Many strategies are necessary to facilitate and ensure long-term professional growth, renewal and vitality.

While sabbatical leaves are the most common program for faculty renewal in academia, faculty exchanges present an additional opportunity. Exchanges provide a potentially rich set of activities and they can be arranged with little or no added cost to the sponsoring universities.

Faculty exchanges benefit not only the people who participate in them, they also benefit in significant ways the participating department and universities.

• Additional sections of classes can be offered in specialty areas.
• Faculty can develop and offer a new course.
• Faculty can collaborate on research and scholarship with new colleagues.
• Networking opportunities abound with colleagues at another institution.
• Teaching at another institution can be stimulating for the faculty member.
• Departments can enrich curricular options by drawing on the expertise at other campuses.
• Campuses can address temporary staffing needs.

The Associated Colleges Faculty Exchange Program has the following two options for exchange.

One-for-One Direct Exchange

These exchanges are between departments and involve the exchange of one faculty member from one institution for a second faculty member from the second institution. The course load remains the same for the two faculty members involved in the exchange. These exchanges may be for one semester or one year. These exchanges may be for one course or several; exchanges may be concurrent or successive.

An agreement in writing, detailing the scope of work and responsibility for the exchange faculty member must be agreed upon in advance of the exchange. It must be approved by the department chairs and deans of the sending and receiving institutions.

Faculty members participating in one-for-one direct exchanges (whether for one course or several) should be treated as if on remote assignment from their own institutions, with the home institution continuing to pay salaries and benefits. A $500 honorarium will be paid by Associated Colleges and then reimbursed by the receiving institution.

The scope of work and responsibility for the visiting exchange professor should not normally include committee service or academic advising. One-on-one faculty exchanges will have the same faculty privileges for the library, computer services, etc. as faculty members of the institution being visited.

An application form is available. Associated Colleges will keep appropriate records. Evaluating the success of the exchange is the responsibility of the one-on-one faculty exchange members, their department chairs and their deans.

The provosts and academic vice presidents support this program and may be consulted to help resolve local issues that present impediments to exchange participation.

Released Time Borrowing

No exchange is provided in this option. A faculty member from one institution is borrowed by the second institution. The course load remains the same for the faculty member. Release time borrowing may be for one semester or one year. Borrowing may be for one course or several.

An agreement in writing as well as the application form detailing the scope of work and responsibility for the release time borrowing must be agreed upon in advance of the borrowing. Approval should be confirmed by the department chairs and deans of the sending and receiving institutions.

Faculty members participating in release time borrowing (whether for one course or several) should be treated as if on remote assignment from their own institutions, with the home institution continuing to pay salaries and benefits. A $500 honorarium will be paid by Associated Colleges and reimbursed by the receiving institution.

The scope of work and responsibility for the release time borrowed professor should not normally include committee service or academic advising. Release time borrowed faculty will have the same faculty privileges for the library, computer services, etc. as faculty members of the institution being visited.

An application form is available. Associated Colleges will keep appropriate records. Evaluating the success of the exchange is the responsibility of the faculty exchange members, their department chairs and their deans.

The provosts and academic vice presidents support this program and may be consulted to help resolve local issues that present impediments to exchange participation.

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