Summary of Changes from Previous Year

Handbook Changes Approved by the Board of Trustees
May 31, 2024
 

Subject Description Handbook Sections
Preface Removed specific definition of “faculty” within the preface, to allow for clarity between academic and administrative faculty, and to facilitate Mines opportunity to create a handbook for administrative faculty. Preface
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles ORA has agreed to allow Research Associates and Post Doctoral Fellows to PI grants with approval. Revisions were made to have expectations match the work being performed by Research Faculty. 4.1.2
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles Removed National Labs listing as it is outdated 4.1.2.E8
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles Added verbiage to allow the Provost to approve an Emeritus Faculty nomination based on special circumstances 4.1.5
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles Revised wording to match practice 4.1.7
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles Revisions made will divide Graduate Faculty status into Full and Associate levels. Doing this will distinguish those that can serve as primary advisor (full status) vs. those that can serve as co-advisor or committee member (associate). This will expand the latter group and greatly simplify tracking student committees in OGS. 4.3
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles Removed “service” requirement for Research Faculty and revised Affiliate Faculty qualifications 4.4.2
Faculty Positions - Faculty Ranks and Titles Updated hiring language to match hiring practice and removed reference to hiring Research Faculty as Admin Faculty 4.5.2
Rights, Privileges, and Benefits Revised language for this Handbook Section to reduce the full descriptions of individual benefit and leave explanations in exchange for a more general explanation and add hyperlinks to the Human Resources webpage that contains the full descriptions of individual benefit leave information. HR recommends focusing attention on the website, because federal and state benefit and leave programs are changed throughout the calendar year, and therefore, the information contained in the handbook is inaccurate. This shift will focus all academic and administrative faculty to seek current and correct information on the HR website. 5.2
Rights, Privileges, and Benefits Recommendation to add language to clarify benefits plans (5.2.1) and remove the details of leave benefits, linking to accurate data on the HR website (5.4). This will direct faculty to access the most current leave information. 5.4
Ethics, Responsibilities, Conflicts, and External Activities – Faculty Responsibilities Recommendation to add clarifying language under 6.2.3 Workplace Standards of Conduct. Adds more specific language regarding compliance with policies, procedures, and expectations for faculty. 6.2
Performance and Evaluation Research Faculty expectations 7.1
Performance and Evaluation Align policy with practice – clarify what is a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) 7.3
Performance and Evaluation Recommendation to update language to match practice, to clarify intent and timing with PIP (7.3). New language in 7.3.2 PIP for Teaching and Administrative Faculty clarifies leadership engagement, timelines, and plan implementation 7.3.1
Performance and Evaluation Clarify PIP timing and leader signoff for Teaching Faculty and Administrative Faculty 7.3.2
Termination of Employment Recommendation to clarify non-renewal notification requirement for Tenure-Track Faculty (9.1.1). The original language was confusing and assumed all faculty join Mines in August. Also, updated Section 9.3, Termination for Job Abandonment, to align with practice and practicality 9.1.1
Termination of Employment Revised language to reflect current industry standards by lowering the threshold for job abandonment 9.3
Policy for Research Integrity and Procedures for Addressing Research Misconduct Updated definitions: Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research, Procedures, Roles and Responsibilities, Research Integrity Officer. 10.3
Policy for Research Integrity and Procedures for Addressing Research Misconduct Removed detailed Procedures for Addressing Research Misconduct from handbook to policy library. Changes will still require campus input. 10.3
Policy for Research Integrity and Procedures for Addressing Research Misconduct Processed edits include allowing membership on inquiry or investigation committee representing status of respondent (student, research faculty, postdoc…). Require a tenured faculty member as chair. 10.3
Policy for Research Integrity and Procedures for Addressing Research Misconduct Cited Policy for Academic Integrity/Misconduct in Policy for Research Integrity. 10.3