Supporting Visiting Faculty

1. Goals of the Visitor’s Time at Amherst: What to Convey and Discuss

Convey that Amherst wants visitors to thrive and to use their time here to plan their next career steps.

Note that the department will assign a mentor to each visitor (if this is departmental practice)

2. Departmental Expectations about Teaching: What to Convey and Discuss

Discuss substance and goals of visitor’s courses and how they fit into the department’s curriculum

Describe workload and grading expectations for courses in the department

Provide deadlines for submitting course materials 

3. Resources Available at Amherst: What to Convey and Discuss

Note that most opportunities available to tenure-line faculty are available to visitors too

Offer as examples: faculty orientation events, teaching and professional development workshops, teaching consultations through the Center for Teaching and Learning, funding for speakers

Check in with Austin Sarat to confirm that an opportunity is available to visitors

Describe the ADC’s role and responsibilities and services the department provides for faculty

Plan for helping the visitor make connections with faculty and staff outside the department

4. Mentoring around Teaching: What to Convey and Discuss

Ask visitors whether they would like to have their classes observed  

Ask visitors whether would like to attend a class taught by the chair or another colleague

Note that there is an expectation that teaching evaluations will be solicited from all of each visitor’s students in all classes (similar to procedures for pre-tenure faculty)

Note that “annual conversations” take place with visitors who have multi-year contracts 

5. Help with Tackling the Job Market: What to Convey and Discuss

Ask if the visitor would like to do a mock job talk?

Ask if the visitor would like the chair or another senior colleague to review the visitor’s job application materials (e.g., CV, cover letter, teaching statement, research statement)

Ask if the visitor would like the chair to provide a letter of recommendation around teaching

Discuss what makes someone an attractive candidate for a tenure-track job

6. Department Meetings: What to Convey and Discuss

Convey expectation that visitors will attend department meetings unless the meeting concerns searches or personnel matters.

Discuss department meetings’ norms and procedures

7. Faculty Meetings

Note expectation that visitors will attend the first faculty meeting when they are introduced.

Note that It is visitors’ right and responsibility to attend regular faculty meetings 

Convey that it is understood that visitors have many competing obligations and that attending faculty meetings may not be the best use of their time

Discuss norms and procedures of faculty meetings