Context
Historically, Ferris State University has been viewed as an undergraduate university. In its current Carnegie Classification, its “basic” description is “Masters Colleges and Universities - Medium Programs.” In recent years, an increasing number of graduate programs have been added, and the expectations for these programs have been inconsistently defined. Given its current structure, faculty load is determined at the level of Colleges. However, there are some common expectations for Ferris graduate faculty that transcend college boundaries. Greater clarity in the expectations of graduate faculty has been provided by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), whose standards Ferris must meet. The purpose of this document is to reinforce the scholarship expectations of graduate faculty at Ferris, including those specified by HLC, and describe the Ferris approach to graduate faculty qualifications.
Policy
Graduate faculty should engage in scholarship appropriate to their disciplines and consistent with criteria established for graduate faculty by key entities, including the Higher Learning Commission, specialized accreditors, and/or professional societies.
At Ferris, scholarship may take many forms and will be that most relevant for the discipline or the individual faculty member’s interests. In general, the University embraces the Boyer model of scholarship that incorporates Discovery, Integration, Application, and Teaching. With the university’s career-oriented mission and focus on teaching and learning, scholarship may often incorporate analyses of practices in the professions, contributions to the field, and assessment of learning, as examples. Given the HLC’s inclusion of “achievement,” this scholarly engagement may include achievements appropriate to the field, such as holding a high-level position such as a presidency for leadership faculty or contributions to professional associations of other faculty. Ferris scholarship, however imagined or defined, will conform to graduate standards that provide for the sharing of these achievements or contributions (through presentations, original research, publications, inquiry projects, professional development sessions, etc.) and requires documentation.
References
- For descriptions of the Boyer Model: https://depts.washington.edu/gs630/Spring/Boyer.pdf for descriptions of Boyer’s forms of scholarship.
Issue Date: 12/6/2016 Revision Date: NA
Graduate Faculty Scholarship Policy
Office of Academic Affairs | 1201 S. State St. | Big Rapids, MI 49307
Phone: (231) 591-2300 | Fax: (231) 591-3592 | www.ferris.edu
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