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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a study and report concerning faculty productivity at |
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general academic teaching institutions. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 51.4033 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.4033. STUDY AND REPORT REGARDING FACULTY |
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PRODUCTIVITY. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "Faculty member" means a person who is employed |
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full time by a general academic teaching institution as a member of |
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the faculty whose primary duties include teaching or research. The |
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term does not include: |
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(A) a person employed in the classified personnel |
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system of the institution or a person employed in a similar type of |
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position if the institution does not have a classified personnel |
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system; or |
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(B) a person who holds faculty rank but who |
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spends a majority of the person's time for the institution engaged |
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in managerial or supervisory activities, including a chancellor, |
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vice chancellor, president, vice president, provost, associate or |
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assistant provost, dean, or associate or assistant dean. |
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(2) "General academic teaching institution," |
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"governing board," and "university system" have the meanings |
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assigned by Section 61.003. |
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(b) To ensure the best use of state funds and the delivery of |
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high-quality postsecondary education to students in this state, |
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each general academic teaching institution shall conduct a study to |
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determine whether tenured faculty members are making a significant |
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professional contribution to their employing institutions or to the |
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academic community. The study must cover the five-year period |
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ending August 31, 2017, and include data regarding the number of |
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tenured faculty members who during that period did not achieve any |
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of the following performance benchmarks: |
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(1) teaching a class at the institution; |
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(2) actively conducting sponsored or |
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institution-funded research at the institution; |
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(3) authoring an article that is in the faculty |
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member's academic field and published by a major peer-reviewed |
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academic journal, as identified for the purpose of the study by the |
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Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Subsection (c); or |
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(4) making a significant written contribution to a |
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published book in the faculty member's academic field. |
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(c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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identify, with respect to each academic field taught in a general |
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academic teaching institution, all major peer-reviewed academic |
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journals and shall make that information available on the board's |
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Internet website not later than November 1, 2017. A general |
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academic teaching institution may recommend one or more journals |
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for inclusion in the journals identified by the coordinating board. |
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(d) The governing board of a general academic teaching |
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institution may appoint a committee to conduct the study required |
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by this section. A university system may conduct the study for one |
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or more of the system's component institutions or may direct a |
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component institution to conduct the study with respect to that |
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institution and to submit its report in a timely manner to the |
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university system administration. |
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(e) Each general academic teaching institution or |
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university system, as applicable, shall prepare a report based on |
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the study required by Subsection (b). The institution or system |
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shall submit the report to the coordinating board not later than |
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August 1, 2018. The coordinating board may adopt standards |
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governing the form and content of the reports. The coordinating |
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board shall compile the reports submitted to the board under this |
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subsection and, not later than December 1, 2018, shall submit the |
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compilation to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker |
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of the house of representatives, and the presiding officer of each |
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legislative standing committee with primary jurisdiction over |
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higher education. |
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(f) This section expires January 1, 2019. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |