Caucuses and Committees

This caucus is charged with addressing faculty members’ experience in the classroom. Last year, the caucus surveyed Dornsife department chairs about course release and overload assignments and began considering how to ensure equitable evaluation in student learning evaluations. This year, the Teaching and Pedagogy Caucus will continue their work related to increasing transparency around course release and overload assignments, and the caucus will begin developing resources related to Artificial Intelligence in the classroom, collaborating with campus stakeholders to do so.

Chairs:  Nina Kang

This caucus advocates on behalf of faculty on all issues related to inclusive excellence. This year, the DEI caucus’ primary charge will be to implement the 2021-2022 proposal for a permanent peer-to-peer Cross-Cultural Learning Community, which would provide faculty with support related to inclusive course design and classroom practices. The caucus will also collaborate with campus stakeholders (including the Dornsife Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) to create and sustain mentorship for faculty. 

Chairs:  Keasha Worthen

This caucus is concerned with most aspects of our faculty’s professional lives outside of the classroom, including research, professional development (merit review, promotion, and tenure), university policies, and pay and benefits. Last year, the Faculty Affairs Caucus surveyed departments about practices around merit review and created a flexible rubric for departments to adopt. This year, the Faculty Affairs Caucus is continuing its collaboration with the deans on its Merit Review Rubric and Process, taking up the work of the Joint Task Force for Academic Integrity, and holding promotions information panels in collaboration with the Dornsife Dean’s Office.

Chairs:  Dion Dickman

This caucus addresses issues that uniquely affect research, teaching, practice, clinical, and part-time faculty. In previous years, the RTPC/Part-Time caucus has focused on equitable teaching loads for part-time faculty, securing professional development funds, formalizing faculty onboarding and mentoring practices, and ensuring equitable compensation for RTPC faculty who were assigned Director of Undergraduate Studies in their department. This year, the RTPC and Part-Time Faculty Caucus is considering a variety of charges, including expanding the Housing Benefit for faculty and exploring best ways to mentor and support part-time faculty.

Chairs: Gayle Stuart Fiedler-Vierma, Eden Goldman, Richard Jones

This caucus addresses issues concerning salary and compensation affecting faculty members. We attempt to advocate on behalf of our constituents by providing an in-depth understanding of concerns relating to earnings; in recent years, much of this work has focused on salary transparency. This year, the Faculty Salary and Compensation Committee will continue its work toward faculty salary transparency and collaborate with the new Joint Senate Task Force on Compensation and Benefits.

Chair:  Lodovico Pizzati 

This committee is tasked with responding to the recent changes to operating procedures at the Office of Academic Integrity, in order to ensure that faculty remain appropriately supported by the office when reporting academic misconduct. Last year, the task force created a working document for departments in Dornsife to use when handling academic integrity issues.

Chair: Jim Clements

If you are interested in serving as a co-chair or member for any of these caucuses (or know someone who would make a great advocate for the interests of Dornsife faculty), please submit your nomination(s) to DFC President Anastassia Tzoytzoyrakos at tzoytzoy@usc.edu.