Department of Human Movement Sciences

Guidelines for Annual Salary Adjustments Exercise (Merit)

Departmental Mission Statement

Consistent with the nature of a Research II Institution, the mission of the Department of Human Movement Sciences is premised on the philosophy that the generation of knowledge serves as the foundation for all scholarly activity. Therefore, the mission of the Department of Human Movement Sciences is to engage in the generation, dissemination, integration, and application of knowledge specific to human movement and leisure in various contexts. These contexts comprise health promotion, maintenance, and rehabilitation in social settings ranging from medicine to recreation to education to industry. Department faculty conduct research that contributes to the knowledge base in the human movement sciences and informs curricular content. The Department of Human Movement Sciences provides an undergraduate and graduate curriculum that enables students to understand human movement and leisure, as it is expressed in physical activity, by integrating scientific and humanistic perspectives; by analyzing movement within an allied health context; by understanding the critical, social, behavioral, and physical bases of movement; and by applying this knowledge in diverse settings.

Purpose of Annual Salary Adjustments Exercise

The purpose of the Annual Salary Adjustment exercise is to evaluate the quality and quantity* of each faculty member's academic work and reward that which is deemed meritorious. The guidelines will be consistent with Departmental and Divisional guidelines for tenure and promotion.

Categories of Criteria for Annual Salary Adjustments

In documenting scholarly activities, faculty members should categorize their activities within the three components of Research and Scholarly Inquiry, Teaching and Academic Program Activity, and Service, providing a rationale for choice of category where necessary. The following scholarly activities are to be considered in the Annual Salary Adjustment Exercise:

Research and Scholarly Inquiry

Generation of knowledge and understanding via the conduct of well-designed and executed research and scholarly inquiry within one's area of expertise is a highly prioritized scholarly endeavor in the mission of the Department. Research activities may include: publications based upon original data or synthesis of existing reports, scholarly critique (e.g., editorial work, critical essays), literature reviews, meta-analyses, or theory development; proposals for research funding; presentation of research at professional meetings; technical reports; and/or development of tools for research support (e.g., software, hardware, psychometric instruments, etc.).

*Faculty on one-year or one-half year leave from the University (e.g., sabbatical leave, leave of absence) and 'new hires" should submit teaching materials for the semester/summer session(s) they were on campus and all research and scholarly inquiry and service materials for the year under review. Materials will be evaluated based on the guidelines presented herein.

Teaching and Academic Program Activity

Effectively sharing one's knowledge and expertise with various audiences is an essential scholarship activity. A faculty member should strive for excellence in the development, design, and delivery of instruction that focuses on academically sound student learning outcomes. Instructional efforts should demonstrate a mastery of the subject area, present material in a competent and organized fashion, encourage the development of written and oral communication skills, critical thinking and analytical problem solving within a paradigm of discovery, and deal fairly in all student relationships. Three sources of information may be used in the assessment of teaching: self, peers, and students/audience. Self assessment will involve the preparation of a teaching portfolio, the contents of which will include a statement of teaching philosophy, description of why and how courses have been designed, syllabi, descriptions of teaching materials and assignments, copies of examinations and other means of student evaluation. Peer evaluation, in the form of written commentary summarizing at least one observation of classroom teaching and teaching materials, will be provided by at least one faculty member annually. Student evaluation should include assessment of how well class goals have been defined, whether critical thinking is encouraged, and if methods of assessment are adequate.

Service

Service may take several forms. First, department, school, or university committee memberships and/or chairships will be considered service. Second, scholarly and/or professional society responsibilities including (but not limited to) committee memberships/chairships, offices held, organization/chairing of meetings, sessions, seminars, colloquial workshops, will be considered service. Third, lay presentations to, interviews or consultations with, etc. community organizations, groups, and individuals will be considered service.

 

Specific Criteria by Category for Annual Salary Adjustments Exercise

Research and Scholarly Inquiry

Adequacy: Must meet and provide verifying documentation of one item or a combination of a minor-grant and moderate manuscript reviewing:

Publications

• Significant contribution to a paper submitted to a refereed research journal, or
• A book in progress that has been accepted by a recognized publisher, or
• A book prospectus submitted to a recognized publisher, or

Grants

• Unsolicited, competitive (peer-reviewed), major grant proposal submission or resubmission*, or
• Two minor grant proposals (less time % money, less prestigious funding agency, limited scope; includes pre-proposals for major grant submissions), or

* The products of such grants may fall into any of the three categories of criteria for annual salary adjustment and will be evaluated accordingly.

Presentations

• Deliver one, first-authored, researched-based, peer-reviewed presentation (including posters) at national or international scholarly meeting, or

Research Activity

• Substantial data collection and/or analysis, or
• Development of computer software, psychometric instruments, or other tools/instrumentation necessary to conduct research, or

Editing Activity

• Editorship of recognized research journal, or
• Large volume of manuscript reviewing (8-1 0) for research journals

 

Meritorious (any and all items beyond the one(s) used to establish "adequacy"). Verifying documentation must be provided for each item claimed.

• Submitted or published article(s) in peer-reviewed, research journal(s)
• Submitted or funded grant(s)
• Published or in-press book or monograph
• Published or in-press book chapter
• Published or in-press article/book review, editorial, abstract, or other minor publication
• Research or scholarship award/honor
• Research proposal submitted and under review
• Presentation at scholarly meeting
• Articles, papers, chapters, books, monographs under review
• Editorship of a recognized research journal
• Reviewing of submitted research manuscripts or abstracts
• Reviewing of research grant proposals
• Service/equipment contracts (an agreement between a researcher and an individual or group interested in utilizing the faculty member's research expertise)
• Substantial data collection and/or analysis
• Development/modification, maintenance of computer software, psychometric instruments, or other tools/instrumentation (i.e., activities associated with directing a research laboratory)

 

Teaching and Academic Program Activity

Adequacy: Must meet and provide verifying documentation for all four of the following*:

• Philosophy of teaching statement
• For each course taught, submission of student evaluations of teaching performance with at least an 'average" rating (3 on current 5-point scale), and
• Peer-review of teaching, and
• For each course taught, submission of course syllabi (must follow University & Department guidelines), and
• If assigned workload, progress report on each thesis, project, or comprehensive exam student supervised

*Superior performance may be considered for merit (e.g., student and/or peer evaluation of teaching)

 

Meritorious: (any and all items beyond the one(s) used to establish "adequacy"): Verifying Meritorious: (any and all items beyond the one(s) used to establish "adequacy"): Verifying documentation must be provided for each item claimed.

• Contributions to overall graduate or undergraduate educational program development and maintenance (e.g., outstanding performance in role as graduate coordinator, or special assignments related to educational program support and development)
• Teaching awards/honors
• Teaching in excess of the teaching workload "norm" (over 9 workload hours in a semester assigned to teaching or teaching and graduate student supervision) - Overloads in workload which result from academic program activities such as student advisement and graduate program coordination beyond the "norm" of 9 workload hours - New course development, new preparations), or innovations implemented in courses. Provide a narrative describing changes and if warranted, additional relevant documentation, e.g., syllabi, course materials, test/evaluation instruments.
• Supervision or advisement of individual students (for which workload has not been assigned, e.g., independent reading students) which leads to skill development and degree progress. Provide a narrative describing supervisory/advisory role, student contact hours in these capacities, scope and nature of activities, e.g., completed theses, independent studies.
• Organization of, participation in, delivery of, or providing students with opportunities to participate in special educational programs, (e.g., seminars, colloquial institutes, clinics, workshops).
• Grants to develop/enhance/support teaching.

 

Service

Adequacy: Must meet and provide verifying documentation for both of the following*:

• Responsible participation (chairship, membership) in at least two of the following: departmental committee, subcommittee, or departmental special assignment, and
• Involvement in at least one extra-departmental or expertise-related program, or committee, or activity (University, School, community, or scholarly/professional organization)

"New hires' may meet adequacy with the first item (second item may be impossible to achieve).

 

Meritorious: (any and a# items beyond the one(s) used to establish "adequacy"): Verifyin-q Meritorious: (any and a# items beyond the one(s) used to establish "adequacy"): Verifyin-q documentation must be provided for each item claimed.

• International, national, regional, state or community service which is an extension of research or scholarship activity and is of university or professional significance (e.g., office or committee chair/membership in professional organization, media interviews)
• Awards/honors for professional service
• Special assignments for professional organizations--including: directing or moderating seminars, workshops, institutes, participation as a speaker, reactant, discussant, etc. at professional meetings
• Superior leadership or responsible membership in departmental, school, or university committees or task-forces

Procedures for Conducting Annual Salary Adjustments Exercise

1. Each academic year, the Department Executive Committee will organize and conduct the salary adjustment exercise.

2. All faculty members will receive a written notice from the Department Chair no later than January 31, of the academic year in which the exercise will be conducted. The notice will ask the faculty member to provide the Department chair, by a specified deadline, with the following materials:

1. Completed Annual Salary Adjustment Summary Form
2. Annual School Academic Activity Report for previous calendar year that clearly indicates adequacy and merit items within each of the three merit categories.
3. Adequate documentation of all specified adequacy and merit items.
4. Current Summary of Career Plans (including any approved revisions) for the period being reviewed.

3. Salary adjustment monies returned to the Department of Human Movement Sciences for distribution shall be allocated in the following manner:

1. Money to address existing salary inequities shall be reserved for this purpose and dispersed in a procedure separate from the performance evaluation or merit process.
2. Some portion of money will be applied to across-the-board salary increases for all faculty judged to have demonstrated at least "adequate' performance in two categories of criteria for salary adjustment according to the criteria detailed herein. If not specified by the UW System, the amount of money (percent of salary) involved in the across-the-board increases shall be annually recommended to the Executive Committee by faculty vote.
3. The remaining portion of salary adjustment monies shall be distributed in recognition of meritorious performance according to the guidelines herein presented. These "merit' monies shall be further subdivided into three pools designated for a) Research and Scholarly Inquiry, b) Teaching and Academic Program Activity, and c) Service. The percentage breakouts for the three pools shall be: 42% Research and Scholarly Activity; 42% Teaching and Academic Program Activity; and 16% Service. The remaining discretionary merit allocation (DMA) of 10% may be allocated by the individual faculty member in any proportion between research and scholarly activity and teaching and academic program activity. To be considered for a particular merit category, one must demonstrate adequacy in that category. The size of the research and teaching pools shall be the department average of the net results (37% + DMA) of the individual DMA decisions.
4. All members of the Department Executive Committee will independently review all faculty materials submitted in the annual salary adjustment exercise and make the following determinations:

1) Whether or not each faculty member is eligible for an "across-the-board' salary increase (must be "adequate" in at least 2 "Categories of Criteria for Annual Salary Adjustment').

2) Ranking of faculty members applying to and eligible for merit consideration in each of the 3 categories.

3) Each faculty member's areas for commendation and areas for further development.

5. The Executive Committee will then meet and, by consensus, make the following determinations*:

1) Whether or not each faculty member is eligible for an 'across-the-board" salary increase (must be "adequate" in at least two "Categories of Criteria for Annual Salary Adjustment').

2) Ranking of faculty members applying to and eligible for merit consideration in each of the 3 categories (there may be ties).

3) Assign numerical ratings to each ranked individual within each category, assigning a "10" to the top ranked individual and a "O' to any individual whose performance meets the criteria for 'adequate" but not "meritorious" performance. Individuals who do not meet adequacy will be assigned no ranking nor rating.

4) Each faculty member's areas for commendation and areas or further development.

*Individual Executive Committee Members will excuse themselves from the meeting when their rankings or ratings are being discussed and determined.

6. The Department Chair will:

1) Based on the ratings determined by the Executive Committee, sum the rating points of all applicants per category and calculate the percentage of the total points per category that each individual received. For example, if one individual received a rating of 5 in a category with a total of 20 allocated rating points (25% of the total rating points for that pool). That individual would receive 25% of the money designated for the pool.

2) Prepare a confidential summary of each faculty member's rating per category, percentage of total rating points per category, separate dollars amounts (when possible) assigned for across-the-board raises and meritorious performance, the number of faculty who participated in each pool, and written narrative describing areas or commendation and areas for further development.

3) Provide the Executive Committee, for their review and approval with materials described in #'2 1 and 2 above, and seek input regarding the adequacy of the salary adjustment guidelines and procedures.

4) Provide each faculty member with his/her confidential summary no later than the last contractual day of the academic year in which the salary adjustment exercise occurred.

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Last update: September 24, 2002