UT Dallas Faculty Handbook

Resources for New Faculty Members

New faculty members face an onslaught of new faces, new information, new procedures, and students all within a few days of their arrival on campus. The materials below are provided to help faculty members navigate through the tide of requirements that face them as they begin their association with UT Dallas.

First, new tenure system faculty members received a list of Helpful Hints as they accepted the offer of employment from the university. Included in this document are references to syllabus procedures and templates, course evaluations from previous terms, and information about textbook ordering, the academic calendar, and grading policies. Another useful document for new faculty is the New Employee Checklist, also available on the Human Resources website. Because UT Dallas is a state-affiliated agency, the definitions used to classify Veteran status and ethnic/racial status are included here to help new faculty complete their new employee paperwork with less difficulty.

New faculty members are likely interested in the details of the benefits package available to them as a member of the university community. While full details are included on another web page in this section, details about Prescription Coverage for 2009-2010 and Medical Benefits for 2009-2010 are included here for your convenience; this information is also available on the UT System website.

Title III, Chapter 21 of the Handbook of Operating Procedures details the overarching principles and guidelines related to Faculty Governance at UT Dallas. This document provides extensive information about the Academic Senate and the Senate's committees. All faculty are encouraged to visit the Academic Senate website to view documents related to School and Departmental bylaws and the bylaws of the Senate.

Orion/PeopleSoft

General help for navigating through Orion, the Student Information System powered by PeopleSoft, is available through the Orion Training Web Site. However, the Office of the Registrar has produced a 1.2 MB PDF version of the training material for the Faculty Self-Service module to which all faculty should have access. In the Faculty Self-Service module, faculty have access to their schedule of classes, class rosters, and grade rosters. With Adobe Reader, you can access the Faculty Self-Service Manual for review at your convenience.

Learning about UT Dallas and its Students

The Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis offers a bounty of useful information about the university, its history, its programs, and its student populations. For the new faculty member, particularly useful is the Common Data Set information for 2008-2009, information that summarizes the university across a number of dimensions. Also useful is the VSA College Portrait for UT Dallas for the Fall term of 2008.

Other useful documents about the university environment include:

The UT Dallas Police Department Handbook for Faculty provides useful phone numbers and basic information about parking and the Campus Security Act as it is enforced at UT Dallas;
The UT Dallas Policy on Sexual Harassment reinforces common sense views about public and interactions with other campus constituents;
A presentation about Faculty Responsibilities in relation to EEO regulations and compliance provides a simple overview of the university's modus operandi regarding the desire to provide a safe, equitable, and harassment-free environment for faculty, staff, and students alike.
Similarly, the Harassment Prevention document provides useful resources and tips for avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace and in the classroom.

Instructional Resources

As a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, the University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing an exemplary instructional program. New faculty members should review the documents below as they provide guidance in the university's assessment initiatives and in working with graduate teaching assistants.