in the
Among the full-time professional positions within the School of
Computer Science of Carnegie-Mellon University, it is desirable to make
particular provision for those that resemble research faculty positions in
level of accomplishment, but are devoted to the implementation, development, or
management of research. The holders of these positions shall be called, for the
purposes of this policy, Systems Faculty.
The
rank of systems faculty was created:
1. To provide a mechanism for recognizing the achievement of key individuals whose primary contributions may be other than original research, and therefore for whom regular or research faculty positions are not appropriate.
2. To provide a mechanism within the School of Computer Science for gauging the quality of key technical and project leaders.
3. To confer explicitly upon systems faculty the rights and responsibilities of leadership associated with regular and research faculty, including service as co-principal investigator and the co-supervision of research students where appropriate.
Unlike research faculty, who are evaluated as independent researchers,
systems faculty should be evaluated primarily on their overall contributions to large research
projects. The special provisions that follow implement a uniform review process
that recognizes these complementary accomplishments and assures quality control
across the School.
Systems faculty conduct and support research in basic and applied
computer science, and advance the state of practice. The hallmark of these
positions is creativity in the implementation of research ideas and problem
solutions, and in the management of research programs. These positions, which
range over computer science, computer architecture, communication,
robotics, and related disciplines, are characterized by expertise, depth of
knowledge, and sustained accomplishment in a particular specialization.
Moreover, managerial positions are focal points of responsibility for
formulating and achieving research goals that require the ability to lead and
coordinate technical activities. All of these positions require persons of sufficiently high caliber
and specific talent to justify the conferring of faculty status in order to
attract and retain them, without requiring of them all the activities expected
of regular faculty members.
The similar responsibility of the systems, research, and regular
faculty for the quality and reputation of the University carries with it:
1. the obligation to scrutinize appointments and reappointments to systems faculty positions with the same care and with the same fundamental principles and procedures as those pertaining to the research and regular faculty (the eligibility for tenure excepted), including evaluation at the School-wide level; and
2. the conferring on the systems faculty of the same privileges and benefits as on the University's special faculty (Category B).
The systems faculty, within the meaning of this policy, consists of
persons with the ranks of Systems Scientist or Systems Engineer; Senior Systems
Scientist or Senior Systems Engineer; and Principal Systems Scientist or
Principal Systems Engineer. For the purpose of the application of pertinent
provisions of the School's Appointment and Tenure Policy, as specified below, these
ranks shall be regarded as equivalent to those of Research Scientist, Senior
Research Scientist, and Principal Research Scientist, respectively.
The ranks and titles of the systems faculty are specific to that
faculty, and may not be used for any other positions in the School. On the
other hand, it is recognized that these designations may not be appropriate to
all disciplines. In particular, similar ranks and titles in which the word
"Systems" is preceded by a discipline descriptor, e.g. Robotics
Systems Engineer, Senior Computer Systems Engineer, Principal Linguistic
Systems Scientist, as determined by the individual departments and approved by
the Dean, shall be accepted under this policy, and all reference in this policy
to the ranks and titles of the systems faculty shall apply equally to such
alternative designations.
All systems faculty positions shall be established in academic
programs, research institutes, departments, programs, or research centers of
the School of Computer Science. The making of every appointment in the systems
faculty (including reappointment, with or without promotion, whether preceded
by an evaluation or not), and the specification of its term and compensation
require a proposal by the head of the program, institute, department, program
or research center and the approval of the Dean or his designee. The proposal
shall specify the manner of funding (whether from resources administered by that
unit or not), and the Dean shall not approve an appointment unless he is
satisfied that appropriate funding will be available during the entire term of
the appointment and reasonably satisfied that it will continue to be available
through the term in which the next evaluation would be required. The Dean or
his designee shall also review every decision to let an appointment (other than
a terminal appointment required to satisfy the provisions of this policy for
timely notice) lapse at the expiration of its term.
Every appointment (including reappointment, with or without promotion)
to a position in the systems faculty shall be for a term of one year (with the
exception of a terminal appointment, as mentioned). All reappointments and
promotions in the systems faculty are subject to the substantive and procedural
provisions of this policy.
When an appointment or reappointment (with or without promotion) is
made, it is the responsibility of the unit Head and the Dean to ensure that the
appointee is given clear and full information in writing concerning the terms,
functions, and duties of the appointment, including the applicable University
and School policies. No oral commitments supplementing written information
shall be made or recognized.
During the term of their appointment, holders of systems faculty
positions are subject to, and protected by, the same University policies
concerning academic freedom and dismissal for cause as are regular but
untenured faculty members.
Reappointment and promotion in the systems faculty are governed by the
contributions the candidate has made or may be expected to make to the
University's excellence, as well as by the maintenance of the funded research
program under which the appointment was made or its replacement by an
appropriate substitute program. All decisions on promotion, as well as the
decisions on reappointment described below, shall therefore be preceded by a
full and thorough evaluation, to be carried out according to the criteria and
procedures specified in this policy. A decision to promote may be made at any
time during a term of appointment, and the consequent appointment at the higher
rank shall supersede the current term.
A decision on a reappointment in the same rank shall necessarily be
based on an evaluation, as referred to above, whenever the reappointment would
first extend the term beyond
(a)
in the rank of Systems Scientist/Engineer, three years from an original
appointment or from the reappointment in this rank following the latest
evaluation; or
(b)
in the rank of Senior Systems Scientist/Engineer, three years from original
appointment or promotion to this rank, or six years from the reappointment in
this rank following the latest evaluation; or
(c) in the rank of Principal Systems Scientist/Engineer, three years from original appointment, or six years from promotion to this rank or from the reappointment to this rank following the latest evaluation.
In addition, within the first three years of an original appointment to
the systems faculty an early evaluation for promotion may be ordered by a majority
vote of the review committee; such an evaluation must be held no sooner than
three months after the vote of the committee.
Timely notice shall be given of every decision not to reappoint a
member of the systems faculty or to let an appointment (other than a terminal
appointment) lapse. Notice is timely if given six months before the expiration
of the term of appointment. In order to comply with this provision, it may be
necessary or desirable to extend a term by an additional appointment of up to
one year, designated as a terminal appointment, the decision not to reappoint
or to let the appointment lapse notwithstanding.
A. Introduction
Evaluation for appointment, reappointment, and promotion in the systems
faculty is aimed at determining the contributions the candidate has made and
may be expected to make to the School's excellence. All involved should
recognize that the final decision resulting from the evaluation is partly subjective.
Each affirmative decision is an indication to the individual that the faculty
and the administration feel that the candidate's overall accomplishments to
that point have been outstanding. Each appointment, reappointment, or promotion
does not, however, guarantee future reappointments or promotions. In addition,
those qualified for advancement may be denied reappointment or promotion
because of the unavailability of suitable funding or, following evaluation,
because their talents and interests do not sufficiently fulfill the needs and
promote the goals and priorities of the School.
B. Criteria
The criteria for evaluation lie primarily in the category of research
implementation, development, and management. The specific designation of
activities that relate to these general criteria may vary among different
organizational units within the School.
Research implementation, development, and management are those
activities which lead to the production of demonstrable and operational
systems; to increased problem-solving capabilities, including such activities
as design, analysis and interpretation; to substantively enhanced performance
and function of existing technology; or to the extension of the state of
practice in disciplines related to computer science. Promotion is based upon
the quantity, the performance, and the technical significance of such
accomplishments over time.
Systems faculty members may also carry on professional activities that
should be considered for evaluation: e.g., professional practice, teaching,
consulting, public service, service in technical and professional societies and
associations, and editorial work on professional journals. Insofar as such
activities either contribute to or are an extension of research or research
support activities, they should be considered as applicable.
In addition to all of the above, it is expected that every systems
faculty member, just as every faculty member, will contribute to the campus
community by, for example, serving on committees or participating in campus
activities.
A candidate for initial appointment or promotion to the rank of
Principal Systems Scientist/Engineer should be thoroughly established in his or
her specialization. The candidate should be an outstanding and widely
recognized contributor with a national or international reputation. Evaluation
for reappointment at this rank should confirm continued growth in technical
leadership and reputation. An evaluation for reappointment in the rank of
Senior Systems Scientist/Engineer should show that the specialized technical
leadership and reputation required for the rank of Principal Systems
Scientist/Engineer are at least firmly in the process of becoming established.
A candidate for initial appointment or promotion to the rank of Senior Systems
scientist/Engineer should have a record indicating a clear promise of
extraordinary accomplishment or technical leadership that in due time will be
sufficiently established to merit promotion to the rank of Principal Systems
Scientist/Engineer.
All provisions of the Appointment and Tenure Policy of Carnegie Mellon
University shall be applicable mutatis mutandis to the systems faculty with the
exception of those that refer to the granting of tenure, those that describe
criteria for evaluation, and any others that conflict with the provisions of
the present policy. In case of conflict, the provisions of the present policy
shall prevail.
Systems faculty candidates for reappointment or
promotion, original appointment to the rank of Systems Scientist/Engineer from
other positions within the School, and original appointments to the rank of
Senior or Principal Systems Scientist/Engineer, will be evaluated at the unit
level by a committee consisting of senior members of the regular faculty and
principal ranking members of the research and systems faculties, and at the
college level by the SCS Review Committee.
Other initial appointments shall be made in a manner consistent with that
for the regular faculty and within the characteristics of the systems faculty.
The University Committee on Special Faculty Appointments shall conduct
a triennial review of all positions to which systems faculty appointments are
made, for the sole purpose of ensuring that the functions of these positions
satisfy, or continue to satisfy, the requirements justifying their discharge by
means of special faculty appointments.
Though some
sections of the checklist may not be applicable for certain classifications,
candidates are all asked to use the same checklist for providing information to
be reviewed.