University of Wisconsin Colleges
Department of Mathematics
Department Bylaws
Appendix J
Guidelines for
Professional Service
In evaluating members of the department for annual merit
recommendations, for retention, for tenure, and for promotion, the Department
of Mathematics considers the professional service that faculty members have
provided. Four general types of service
are considered. Those four are (1)
service to the department, (2) service to the university, (3) service to the
mathematics profession, and (4) service to the community. The last area, service to the community, is
frequently referred to as "public service." In the University of
Wisconsin Colleges this type of service is to be discipline related. Reference is made to professional service in
UWC Senate documents 74.17 and 74.18 and Department of Mathematics documents
Appendix C and Appendix F of the bylaws.
In order to more clearly define the type of service considered for each
of these four areas, the following guidelines and lists of specific examples
will be followed. Not all types of
relevant activities will fall clearly into exactly one of these four
categories. But the descriptions and the
examples will help guide faculty members, as well as those who must evaluate
their professional activities.
1. Service to the
department.
This service shall consist of activities that contribute to
the operation of the Department of Mathematics at either the campus level or
the institutional level. Activities such
as service on departmental committees, serving as the Associate Chair on a
campus, taking minutes at departmental meetings, and conducting class
visitation evaluations are examples of service of this type.
2. Service to the
university.
This service shall consist of activities that contribute to
the operation of the
3. Service to the
mathematics profession.
This service shall consist of activities that contribute to
the well being of the mathematical community.
Activities such as serving as an editor for a mathematics journal,
serving as an officer of one of the professional associations in the
mathematical sciences, serving as a presider at a
professional meeting, writing problems or administering exams or correcting
papers for mathematics competition, and reviewing textbooks are examples of
service in this category.
4. Service to the
community.
This service shall consist of activities that one
participates in as a mathematician and which are a
contribution to the general public or an institution, agency, or enterprise
which is not part of the university or the mathematics community. Activities such as professional consulting,
serving on a mathematics advisory panel for a school, giving a talk about
mathematics, teaching a mathematics course for UW Extension, and tutoring
non-university students in mathematics are examples of contributions in this
category.
To further clarify the expectations of the Department of
Mathematics, some examples of activities which are not considered public
service are listed here. Activities such
as membership on a school board, membership in a service organization such a
Kiwanis or Rotary, serving as an officer or board member of an organization
which is not in the mathematical sciences such as a church or a chamber of
commerce group, serving as an elected or appointed political official, or
coaching in little league or any other athletic event, are all examples of
service that may do as an individual member of a community, but not as a
mathematician. Consequently, they will
not be considered when the Executive Committee conducts personnel evaluations.