Faculty & Staff Resources

This session outlines the administrative responsibilities of the Department/School during the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) process. All Department Chairs/School Directors, Departmental Admins, and Departmental RPT Committee Chairs are expected to attend this session.

Zoom information will be sent via Umail. 

This session outlines the administrative responsibilities of the Department/School during the Career-line, Adjunct, and Visiting faculty review process. All Department Chairs/School Directors, Departmental Admins, and Departmental FAC Chairs are expected to attend this session.

Zoom information will be sent via Umail. 

• Elements training materials can be found here.
• All questions/concerns about Elements can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs Lien Fan Shen is available to meet with faculty and academic administrators over Zoom individually. To schedule a meeting with Lien, please contact Trent Wells (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

This is the monthly enewsletter for CFA Faculty. If you would like to be added to this distribution list, email Trent Wells (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

• CFA Absence Policy (for all faculty members in the College of Fine Arts)

The Dean's Office has created a Faculty Handbook to assist faculty in the College of Fine Arts. It is filled with faculty resources, student resources, grading policies, information about the college, and many other helpful resources to help you be successful as a faculty member at the University of Utah.

*Updated Faculty Handbook coming soon

Faculty Handbook

CFA Syllabus Template - updated July 2024

• CFA Career-line, Adjunct, and Visiting Faculty Policy - Appointment, Review, Reappointment & Promotion (approved for implementation in July 2019, changes approved in Dec. 2023, final update in March 2024)
• CFA Tenured Faculty Review Policy (approved for implementation in January 2020)
• Department of Art & Art History RPT Policy(approved for implementation in July 2014)
• Department of Art & Art History RPT Policy (approved for implementation in July 2023)
• School of Dance RPT Policy (approved for implementation in April 2025)
• Department of Film & Media Arts RPT Policy (approved for implementation in July 2017)
• Department of Film & Media Arts RPT Policy (approved for implementation in July 2025)
• School of Music RPT Policy (approved November 2008)
• School of Music RPT Policy (approved for implementation July 2022)
• Department of Theatre RPT Policy (approved for implementation in July 2018)
• Department of Theatre RPT Policy (approved for implementation July 2022)

A sabbatical is a research leave for tenure-line faculty members lasting either one or two semesters. The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to increase the scholarship and professional development of members of the faculty and thereby enhance their capacity for continued research, teaching, and service. Leave of this type from academic duties is a privilege granted to afford the faculty member the opportunity for intensive study, investigation and research.

For Sabbatical Requests:

• Please submit your request to your Chair/Director. The Chair/Director must submit requests for faculty Sabbatical leaves (including the Chair/Director letters of support and ranking) to the Dean by 9 a.m., November 6th, 2023. Please make note of any School/Departmental deadlines ahead of this date as well. In addition, the Chair/Director should consider all the grant and leave applications that their faculty are submitting each cycle/year – both inside and outside the College/University – in order to determine whether Department/School responsibilities will be adequately covered if all the applications are successful.
• Please read all information carefully on the downloadable forms. You will turn in the completed application form and all supporting documentation to your Department Chair/Director by their internal deadline. The Sabbatical Compensation Confirmation Form should be sent to the Office for Faculty once your sabbatical has been awarded, and is due to them by May 31st.

Request Forms for 2023-24 Sabbaticals here.

For more information about the rules governing sabbatical leaves please see sections 4 & 9 of University Policy 6-314. Tenured faculty members who have not previously taken a sabbatical or whose last sabbatical leave was in or prior to academic year 2017-2018 are eligible for (but not guaranteed) another sabbatical starting with the 2024-2025 academic year. Note that other leaves taken since that year may be taken into consideration in recommending individuals for sabbatical leave. Pre-tenure faculty members who are currently undergoing tenure review are eligible for (but not guaranteed) a sabbatical starting with the 2024-2025 academic year, contingent on a positive outcome of the review. Before deciding which sabbaticals to recommend, please ensure that your departments can cover their needs while faculty members on sabbatical are away. Any sabbaticals granted for 2023-2024 but deferred to 2024-2025 do not count against the allocations for this year; however, each department must have the resources needed to cover the combination of deferred and new sabbaticals.

For questions about the application process please contact the CFA Dean's Office.

This new Faculty Search Manual is intended as a resource for Department Chairs/School Directors, Admins, Search Committee Chairs, and Search Committee Members. It is an effort to provide information that will support the college in developing fair, and successful search processes aimed at recruiting and hiring excellent candidates. We hope you will find it useful as you navigate the faculty search process. 

Faculty Search Manual

• CFA Travel Summary Form
• CFA Mileage Reimbursement Request Form
• CFA P-Card Monthly Purchases Template
• Federal W-9 Form
• CFA Student Exception to Sales Tax

University of Utah Office for Faculty

University of Utah Human Resources

“We stand at a crossroads, locally, nationally, and globally. The pace of change is accelerating. Our competitors are gaining ground. And the stakes for research, across science, technology, health, and society, have never been higher. This moment demands more than excellence. It demands intention. Direction. Leadership. This strategy is our way forward." — VPR Erin Rothwell.

Visit the VRP's Strategic Plan website to read more and to view and download the plan. 

Info coming soon!

To further support faculty research and foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the College of Fine Arts has introduced Special Interest Research Groups (SIRGs) within the CFA. These groups provide focused environments for faculty to engage in scholarly writing, artistic, creative activity, and dialogue around shared research interests.

Each group meets regularly, with meeting frequency and format determined by the faculty members who sign up. Sessions may include dedicated writing time, peer feedback, and collaborative discussion, tailored to the needs and goals of each group.

CFA Faculty Scholarly Writing Group

The CFA Faculty Writing Group is a cross-disciplinary initiative designed to support faculty in advancing their scholarly writing projects in a collegial and focused environment. Meeting regularly throughout the academic year, the group offers dedicated time for writing, peer accountability, and optional feedback exchange. Sessions typically include brief check-ins, quiet writing time, and opportunities to share progress or challenges.

Open to faculty across all departments within the College of Fine Arts, the group fosters a culture of research productivity, mutual support, and interdisciplinary dialogue. Whether participants are working on journal articles, interviews, grant proposals, book chapters, or creative scholarship, the group provides a consistent space to build momentum and connect with colleagues engaged in scholarly work.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Current Special Interest Research Groups include:

• Creativity, Performance Science, and Innovation Investigating the intersections of creative practice, performance research, and innovation across disciplines, including science and technology (e.g A.I), translation research in business and industry.
• Arts Research in Cultural Historical Contexts (ARCH) Supporting scholarship that explores the arts within cultural, historical, and theoretical frameworks, including art history, musicology, film, dance, mixed media, critical theory, and cultural studies.
• Arts & Community Readiness Focusing on the role of the arts in community engagement, resilience, and social impact, including public practice, arts education, and community-based initiatives with a variety of populations (e.g., displaced individuals, veteran and military families, disaster response).

Faculty interested in joining a group or proposing a new one are encouraged to contact the CFA Office for Research. These groups are open to all full-time and interested adjunct CFA faculty and are designed to complement individual research goals while cultivating a vibrant, collaborative research culture.

Benefits of Joining CFA Special Interest Research Groups

1. Focused Writing Support Engage in regular, structured writing sessions tailored to your research interests, helping you stay accountable and make consistent progress on scholarly projects.

2. Interdisciplinary Collaboration Connect with colleagues across departments who share similar research themes, fostering new perspectives and potential collaborative opportunities.

3. Peer Feedback & Mentorship Receive constructive feedback from peers and offer insights to others, strengthening the quality and clarity of your scholarly work.

4. Research Community Building Be part of a vibrant, collegial research culture within the College of Fine Arts, where ideas are exchanged and scholarly identities are nurtured.

5. Flexibility & Customization Groups set their own meeting schedules and formats based on member preferences, allowing for a personalized and manageable commitment.

6. Visibility & Impact Increase the visibility of your research within the college and beyond, with opportunities to share work-in-progress, publish collaboratively, or present findings.

7. Resource Sharing Access shared tools, readings, and strategies for effective scholarly writing, grant development, and publication planning.

Bi-Weekly | Open to All CFA Faculty

Join us for the CFA Research Hour, a bi-weekly gathering designed to spotlight the vibrant research culture within the College of Fine Arts. This informal yet engaging series brings together faculty who have received CFA or external grants, are involved in special interest research groups, or are exploring new scholarly and creative directions.

Each session features rotating topics, guest speakers, and faculty presentations, offering a space for sharing insights, building connections, and sparking interdisciplinary dialogue.

🔍 What to Expect:

• Short presentations from CFA faculty and invited guests
• Highlights of funded projects and emerging research
• Opportunities to connect across departments
• Open discussion and Q&A

Whether you're presenting, listening, or just curious, the CFA Research Hour is a great way to stay inspired and informed.

📅 Schedule:

Bi-weekly during the academic year Dates and topics announced via CFA Research Newsletter

📬 Interested in presenting or attending?

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to RSVP or propose a topic.

Staff Conference 2025 — Info to come early 2025. 

Absence Request Form

The College of Fine Arts is committed to creating an environment in which staff can flourish and grow. Performance reviews provide an opportunity, at least once a year, for staff members to have a personal conversation with their supervisor about their contribution in the workplace and to get feedback and coaching about their job performance.

STAFF PERFORMANCE REVIEW PROCESS--To be completed by employee and their immediate supervisor:

Phase One occurs at the start of the performance review period and consists of the staff member initiating a “Performance Plan” in UUPM. Each staff member will be asked to establish various goals that they will work on throughout the year. 

Once goals have been set and the supervisor has approved the Performance Plan in UUPM, the staff member will work towards their goals during the year. 

Phase Two is the evaluation part of the review process. The employee will provide additional information in their performance plan (such as their accomplishments for the year). Both the staff member and their supervisor will select a rating for each goal/accomplishment using a 3-point scale (Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, or Does Not Meet Expectations). The supervisor will provide any additional written comments in UUPM, and the staff member and the supervisor will meet to discuss both the staff member’s performance and the supervisor’s comments.  

This will conclude the Performance Review process for the year, and a new Performance Plan will need to be created in UUPM for the next year. 

Timeline for CFA Staff Performance Reviews (2023-2024): 

• Phase One: Creation of Performance Plan in UUPM: (Fall TBD - TBD)
  • Supervisor will provide job description for Staff Member
  • Staff Member will create Performance Plan and set Goals
  • Supervisor will approve Performance Plan
  • Goals should be submitted by employee and approved by supervisor by TBD

• Work Towards Accomplishing Goals: Start of Review Period to End of Review Period

• Phase Two: Performance Review: (Spring TBD - TBD)
  • Staff Member will evaluate how they have accomplished their Goals and fill out additional information (such as their accomplishments for the year)
  • Supervisor will evaluate the Staff Member’s performance
  • Supervisor and Staff Member will meet to discuss performance

All Performance Reviews should be completed by TBD.  

Professional Development Fund

The College of Fine Arts offers limited support for staff members (.75 FTE or higher) to request funds for professional development training or relevant University courses. Designed to mirror/complement the "Dean's Travel Funds", this Professional Development Fund is a way that staff members throughout the College can be supported in their goals of receiving advanced training.

The total amount of funding available for Staff Professional Development is $5,000 and will be disbursed on a first-come basis.  The College will provide a 1-to-1 match for the Department/School contribution, up to the eligible dollar amount (Max: $500 from Department/School + $500 from CFA / 1 allowance per year) and both the Staff member and the Department Chair/Director/Supervisor need to complete the form.

Download the Staff Professional Development Request Form

Visit this page for past awardees and nomination information. 

University of Utah Staff Council

Professional Development at the U