Boise State Faculty Handbook

Boise State University is governed by policies and procedures established by the Idaho State Board of Education.

Mission: Boise State provides an innovative, transformative, and equitable educational environment that prepares students for success and advances Idaho and the world.

Themes: Foster Student Success, Advance Idaho, Strengthen a Culture of Innovation and Global Impact

Vision: To be a premier student-success driven research university innovating for statewide and global impact.

University Leadership

Boise State’s leadership team is made up of the Executive Team, as well as the Administrative Council. Individually and collectively, members advise the President and provide effective, responsive and informed leadership to the university.

University Leadership Organizational Chart

University Colleges and Departments

Click here for a complete list of colleges and departments.

Academic Affairs

The President of the University charges the Provost with: academic quality and student success, ensuring positive learning and working environments, development and implementation of an academic affairs strategic plan in alignment with the five-year plan, institutional accreditation and accountability, recruiting and maintaining a top-quality faculty, managing academic appointments, tenure, and promotion, and leading the university’s internationalization efforts. 

Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate is a representative body that is responsible for faculty participation in shared governance and planning for the University. The purpose of the Faculty Senate is to facilitate communication, understanding, and cooperation among the officers of Boise State University, and to ensure the orderly development of educational programs and policies for which the faculty are responsible. 

• Faculty Senate Constitution 
• Faculty Senate Bylaws
• Faculty Senate Processes and Committee Structure 
• AAUP Statement on Shared Governance
• American Federation of Teachers
• Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Policy 4000)

Other Governance Bodies

• Professional Staff Association and Classified Staff Association
• Associated Students of Boise State University (ASBSU)

• Faculty Recruitment
• Employment of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty (Policy 4210) – currently suspended
• Faculty Employment – Summer Sessions (Policy 4230)
• Part-Time Tenure-Eligible Faculty (Policy 4215)
• Lecturer Faculty (Policy 4250) – section 4.4
• Clinical Faculty (Policy 4490) – section 4.4
• Teaching Faculty (Policy 4730)
• Adjunct Faculty (Policy 4220) – section 7
• Graduate Faculty Appointments (Policy 4710)
• Endowed Positions (Policy 11030)
• Rehire Eligibility (Policy 7025)
• Joint Appointment of a Faculty Member (Policy 4570)
• Search for and Selection of Department Chairs, Division Managers or Unit Heads (Policy 4500)
• Financial Exigency Policy And Staff Reduction Procedures – Faculty (Policy 4540)
• Reduction-In-Force Appeal Procedure Tenured/Non-Tenured Faculty (Policy 4550)
• Financial Challenge – Faculty (Policy 4680)
• Faculty Exchange (Policy 4390)

Faculty Membership

University Policy provides the following summary of faculty membership (Policy 7000):

Information on Graduate Faculty Policies and Procedures:

• Graduate College Faculty and Staff Resources
• Graduate Faculty Appointments (Policy 4710)
• Graduate Faculty Categories and Nomination Procedures
• Graduate Faculty Nomination Form
• Department Endorsement to Chair Thesis and/or Dissertation Committees Form

Information on Graduate Teaching Assistants is located in Policy 7170.

• Idaho State Board of Education III.B: Academic Freedom and Academic Responsibility

• Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Policy 4000)
• Faculty Due Process (Policy 4720)

• Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (Policy 1060)
• Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking (Policy 1065)
• Equal Opportunity Statement, Veterans’ Preference, and Affirmative Action (Policy 1070)
• Non-discrimination on the Basis of Disability (Policy 1075)
• Accommodating Disabilities in the Work Environment (Policy 7570)

• Conflict of Interest and Commitment (Policy 1110)
• Purchasing (Policy 6130)
• Intellectual Property (Policy 1090)
• Use of Copyrighted Works (Policy 1130)
• Reporting Waste and Violations of Law, Regulation, or University Policy (Policy 7030)
• Misconduct in Research (Policy 5060)
• Export Control and Controlled Data (Policy 5120)
• Employee and Student Consensual Relationships (Policy 7015)
• Nepotism Policy (Policy 7050)
• Supplemental Pay (Policy 7195)
• Professional Research, Consulting, or Service Activities (Policy 4440)

• Employee Records (Policy 7060)
• Employee Files (Policy 7530)
• Annual Faculty Performance Evaluation (Policy 4290)

• Information Technology Resource Use (Policy 8000)
• University Web Policy (Policy 8040)
• Information Privacy and Data Security (Policy 8060)
• Mobile Communication Devices (Policy 8070)
• Information Technology Accessibility (Policy 8140)
• Institutional Messaging (Policy 8100)
• Remote Access (Policy 8130)

• Use of University Space (Policy 1100)
• Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace Policy (Policy 7020)
• Employee Political Activities (Policy 7070)
• Self-Disclosure of Criminal Proceedings (Policy 7520)
• Animals on Campus (Policy 9160)
• University Brand Standards (Policy 10000)
• Third-Party Communications and Marketing Services (Policy 10050)

Faculty members who believe existing laws, policies, procedures, or practices have been violated, misapplied, or misinterpreted, and are perceived to have adversely affected an individual employee’s professional or academic capacity, may file a grievance on their own behalf. (Faculty Grievance (Policy 4480))

The University’s attorneys through the Office of General Counsel provide legal advice to University employees and entities who in the course of their responsibilities are acting on behalf of the University.

The faculty of Boise State University must be reviewed annually to evaluate their performance. Evaluation of performance is an important component of faculty development and personnel actions such as reappointment, non-appointment, granting promotion and/or tenure, salary determination, and other personnel actions. (Annual Faculty Performance Evaluation (Policy 4290))

Additional policies which guide faculty in the tenure and/or promotion process:

• Faculty Tenure and Promotion Guidelines (Policy 4340)
• Faculty Promotion And Tenure Committee Duties And Composition (Policy 4310)
• Faculty Peer Review (Policy 4320)
• Periodic Review Of Tenured Faculty (Policy 4380)
• Policies Regarding Faculty (Idaho State Board of Education II.G)

• Clinical Faculty (Policy 4490)
• Teaching Faculty (Policy 4730)
• Research Faculty Policies and Procedures (Policy 5010)

• Department Chair Evaluation (Policy 4530)

• Annual Evaluation of Deans (Policy 4520)

Boise State University is committed to fostering an environment where research and creative activity thrive. Scholarship encompasses not only traditional academic research and publication but also the creation of artistic works or performances and any other products or activities accepted by the academic or professional discipline as reflecting scholarly effort and achievement. Boise State University recognizes the Boyer model of scholarship. This model identifies four types of Scholarship: (1) discovering knowledge, (2) integrating knowledge, (3) applying knowledge, and (4) scholarship of teaching. Scholarship should be subject to the critical scrutiny of departmental and/or professional peers and should expand the frontiers of knowledge. See section 5.3 for Professional Rights of Faculty related to scholarship (Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Policy 4000).

• Travel (Policy 6180)
• Centers and Institutes (Policy 5000)
• Research Faculty Policies and Procedures (Policy 5010)
• Faculty Research Advisory Committee (Policy 5040)

Institutional Review Boards

• Use of Human Subjects (Policy 5050)
• Animal Care and Use (Policy 5070)
• Biosafety (Policy 5080)
• Intellectual Property (Policy 1090)
• Use of Copyrighted Works (Policy 1130)

External Funding

• Facilities and Administration (F&A) Cost Rates and Waiver or Partial Waiver of F&A Costs (Policy 6080)
• Disposition of Balances of Unrestricted or Fixed-fee Grants and Contracts (Policy 6090)
• Allocation and Distribution of Recovered Facilities and Administrative Costs (Policy 6100)
• Office of Sponsored Programs (Policy 5030)
• Sponsored Programs Cost Transfer (Policy 5090)
• Sponsored Projects & Charitable Gifts (Policy 5100)

A sabbatical leave is awarded to provide time and resources for tenured faculty members to revitalize themselves in order to become more effective teachers and scholars and to enhance their services to the university.

• Faculty Sabbatical Leave (Policy 4400)

The integrity of the Faculty-Student relationship is the foundation of the University’s educational mission. This relationship vests considerable trust in the Faculty Member, who, in turn, bears authority and accountability as mentor, educator, academic advisor, and evaluator. The unequal power inherent in this relationship heightens the vulnerability of the Student and the potential for abuse and/or coercion. The pedagogical relationship between Faculty Member and Student must be protected from influences or behaviors that can interfere with learning consistent with the goals and ideals of the University. See Section 5.3 for Professional Rights of Faculty Related to Teaching and Students (Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Policy 4000).

• Student Course Evaluations (Policy 4300)
• Student Course Evaluation Comment Redaction Policy (Policy 4690)
• Last Week of Classes and Final Examinations for Undergraduate Courses (Policy 3080)
• University-Recognized Student Absences (Policy 3120)
• Maintaining Effective Learning Environments (Policy 3240)
• Student Privacy and Release of Information (Policy 2250)
• Student Code of Conduct (Policy 2020)
• Academic Advising Responsibilities (Policy 4010)
• Faculty Responsibility to Address Student Academic Misconduct (Policy 4180)
• Faculty-Initiated Withdrawal (Policy 4190)
• Equal Access to Students with Disabilities (Policy 2080)
• Student Privacy and Release of Information (Policy 2250)
• Recording Learning Activities  (Policy 1140)
• Information Technology Accessibility (Policy 8140)
• Proctoring Solutions (Policy 8170)

Shared governance brings with it a special responsibility for Faculty. The University has diverse concerns, perspectives, and interests that require Faculty to participate in relevant department, college, school, and University governance structures (see the AAUP Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities). See Section 5.3 for Professional Rights of Faculty related to service (Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Policy 4000)).

Service is expected of all Faculty who have workload assignments for service and may include the following: 

• Service to the Academic Department or Research Unit
• Service to the College/School and the University 
• Service to the Profession
• Service to the Community, State, Nation, World

Faculty as employees are covered by University policies and procedures that pertain to all employees. In some areas, however, there are distinctions between staff employees and faculty employees regarding benefits, retirement, and employee relations.

The Office of the Provost provides many HR types of functions, including the administration of appointments; faculty reviews, including Retention, Promotion, and Tenure and Post-Tenure Review; review of RPT criteria; non-medical leave; faculty relations; and a role in faculty grievance processes.

University Human Resources and Workforce Strategy (HR) administers the benefits package for all eligible employees, including faculty and staff. HR also manages medical leave and accommodations.

• Educational Tuition and Fees Waiver Benefit (Policy 7045)
• Employee Benefits Overview

• Sick Leave – Faculty (Policy 7260)
• Family and Medical Leave (Policy 7230)
• Donated Leave (Policy 7220)
• Paid Parental Leave (Policy 7610)
• Faculty Workload Release Plan (Policy 4700)
• Time Away from Work (Policy 7620)
• Absence From Campus – Faculty (Policy 4420)
• Annual Leave for Faculty (Policy 4410)
• Part-Time Tenure-Eligible Faculty (Policy 4215)
• Parental Leave for Graduate Assistants (Policy 7580)

• Retirement Overview
• Faculty Voluntary Phased Retirement Program (Policy 4470)
• Emeritus Faculty (Policy 4280)