7. Administrative Procedures And Policies
For purposes of merit evaluation, each member of the Baylor School of Music faculty is required to file a Faculty Annual Report of their professional accomplishments: teaching, scholarly and creative activities, and service. Those faculty who do not to submit a complete annual report will not be considered for increases in salary during the next fiscal year and will be subject to review by the University Provost
Faculty Annual Reports shall follow the standard format prescribed herein and shall be submitted to your Division Chair on or before the prescribed deadline in January.
Review Period
This review should include activities and accomplishments from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
The Faculty Annual Report consists of two components:
- Planning for the Year Ahead Document
- Music – Activity Report from Digital Measures
Planning for the Year Ahead
An essential part of the Annual Faculty Performance Review process at Baylor University is the “Planning for the Year Ahead” document that each faculty member completes for review by and discussion with the chair.
Planning for the Year Ahead fillable PDF
Music – Activity Report from Digital Measures
Music – Activity Reports should be created in Digital Measures (DM), which can be accessed at www.baylor.edu/digitalmeasures. Each item you add into Digital Measures MUST have a date in order to be pulled into your Activity Report.
Important Note: Information entered into a downloaded Word version of the Music – Activity Report will not be saved in Digital Measures. To alter a downloaded report, please enter the information into the appropriate location in Digital Measures and run a new Rapid Report. Please do not attempt to correct items by editing the downloaded Word document.
If any automatically populated information is in error, please contact Brandon Riddle in Institutional Research and Testing at x8340 or Brandon_Riddle@Baylor.edu. You must click SAVE when you have finished inputting an activity for it to be saved into Digital Measures.
The home page is divided into four sections: 1) General Information, 2) Teaching, 3) Scholarship/Research, and 4) Service.
General Information
Summary statement (Mandatory): Each faculty member must complete the Summary Statement section. The summary statement screen allows the faculty member to bring attention to those elements in the Music – Activity Report that are of greatest significance. Such statements will range from a single paragraph to a page or two depending on the diversity of the person's activities. The focus, however, should be on those elements of greatest importance to the preparer. It should not be a restatement of the entire dossier. The Date of Submission for the Summary Statement should be “2024,” even if the statement is written in early 2025.
Materials that clarify or lend stature to the Activity Report may be submitted along with the Summary Statement. Such materials should be presented judiciously, however. Quality, instead of quantity, should be used in determining which materials are necessary. If faculty members wish to include additional, hard-copy supplementary materials, those arrangements should be made between the faculty member and Division Director with the understanding those hard copy materials will not continue from the Division Director to the Dean.
Awards and Honors, Licensures and Certifications, Media Contributions, Professional Membership, and External Connections and Partnerships are screens where faculty members may input data. Each entry needs to be dated in order to be included in the Activity Report.
Education, Administrative Data, and Workload Information should be automatically populated into Digital Measures. Workload Information from Digital Measures will not accurately represent Fall 2024 until after December 31.
Teaching
Academic Advising, Non-Credit Instruction Taught (e.g. recital), and Directed Student Learning should be completed by the faculty member. Scheduled teaching is automatically populated for you.
All faculty members delivering instruction in the School of Music are required to submit to the School of Music a course syllabus by the first day of class for each course taught. Each syllabus must include a calendar that clearly lists all activities outside of scheduled class time. Consequently, for Scheduled teaching, you may upload a syllabus for each course if you wish, but it is not required for the Music – Activity Report. If Division Directors wish to review a syllabus for a particular course, please contact the Undergraduate Academic Programs Manager.
For student accomplishments, use the Directed Student Learning screen. When you add a new item, select Involvement Type “Student Award or Honor.” If it is a former student, please input a degree year for the student. If it is a current student, input an anticipated graduation year or leave the field blank.
Scholarship/Research
Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits, Presentations, and Intellectual Contributions will be the screens most commonly used by music faculty. Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research (OSP Data) is automatically populated for you, while Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research (Self Reported) is not.
If you have published materials listed in a BibTex file (RefWorks, Google Scholar, etc.) or listed in ORCID, Scobus, Web of Science, Cross Ref, or PubMed, you may import the information from those sources by clicking “Import” on the top right of the Intellectual Contributions screen and following the prompts.
For the entry of multiple, similar events in DM, there is an option that is easier than manually entering each event. From the Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits screen, you can check a box on the right-hand side of the screen for the item you wish to duplicate and then click the “Duplicate” button that appears on the top right of the screen. That will create a duplicate entry of the item, and you then can change any of the details that are different from the original entry. Once you click “Save,” you will have two different and distinct entries.
For Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits that are on-campus performances and which bear workload credit (e.g. instrumental faculty chamber music, ensemble concerts conducted, etc.), please select “Music performances – On-campus performances” from the dropdown menu and select “Academic” for the question “Was this academic or nonacademic in scope?” For all other Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits, please select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu and answer “non-academic.”
Service
All information in this section must be added manually.
Once you have finished entering your information into Digital Measures (DM), click “Rapid Reports” at the top of the DM home page. Be sure “Music – Activity Report” is selected as the Report. Start Date is January 1, 2024 and the End Date is December 31, 2024. The File Format should be Microsoft Word (.docx). Then click “Run Report.” That will download to your computer an electronic version of your Music – Activity Report.
All Music – Activity Reports should be submitted to Division Directors electronically (ask your Division Director if they prefer email or Box), while hard copies may also be requested by individual Division Directors at their direction. (Only electronic copies of the Activity Reports should be forwarded by Division Directors to the dean, but Division Directors should provide hard copies of the Planning for the Year Ahead and the Annual Faculty Performance Evaluation Forms for the dean.)
Budget and Purchasing of Supplies and Equipment
All supplies and purchasing will be handled through the Financial Administrator for the School of Music and will be maintained by the designated Administrative Associates for the McCrary Music Building and Waco Hall Complex.
Equipment purchases are requested through the regular university budgetary process. Requests for equipment, supplies, work-study, advertising, and repair are submitted to your Division Director in January for the following academic year. Division Directors then collate and prioritize the requests from their division and forward them to the Business Officer. The deadline for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) will be Friday, January 31, 2025.
Items that have been approved through this process are communicated to Division Directors at the start of the new fiscal year. Anything that has been approved can be purchased at that time. Check with your Division Director to make certain your request has been approved, and if so, contact Lori Clifton (ext. 1162) with ordering details: website, and/or detailed vendor and item information. Speak to Lori Clifton or Angela Traylor before purchasing an item for reimbursement. We encourage faculty to place orders early in the academic year.
Equipment orders need to be placed by December 1.
All other approved expenses need to be incurred by or before April 15.
School of Music Off-Cycle or One-Time Funding Requests
What constitutes a Faculty Recruiting Expense?
Does include the following types of expenses:
- Advertising (After ad content approved by Dean’s Office)
- Candidate travel to Waco for interview (after interview is approved by Provost) including airfare, parking, meals in route, taxis, etc. Travel for temporary full-time lecturers will be reimbursed when a Provost interview is required.
- Candidate lodging while in Waco for Provost interview.
- Candidate meals are covered for the day(s) of the interview and for the candidate’s time in transit to and from Waco.
- Meals with Search Committee should host lunch at the McMullen Faculty Center when possible. Baylor will reimburse up to three faculty members accompanying a candidate for one dinner, unless previously approved by the Dean. Faculty should avoid excessive meal expenditures. Meals that are expected to be costlier than usual, faculty should first confer with the dean or business officer.
- Search committee member travel for recruiting purposes – must be pre-approved by Dean’s office (Examples: Mileage to DFW to pick up candidates and travel expenses to conferences to recruit)
Does not include:
- Candidate travel to Waco for personal reasons such as house hunting
- Expenses for Candidate’s spouse
- Expenses for spouses of search committee members (Example: Meals with candidate); they may attend but their expenses are not covered by Baylor
How are Recruiting Expenses paid?
- Airfare – Airfare can be purchase through Baylor’s approved travel agents and be charged to School of Music via the TAAF (Travel Agency Authorization Form). Lori Clifton or Angela Traylor will submit the TAAF to the Travel Agent and Accounts Payable once the flight arrangements have been made.
- Search committee member expenses reimbursed on Expense Report in Ignite.
Questions:
Angela Traylor ext. 3662 and/or Lori Clifton ext. 1162 - financial and policy questions
Angeline Townsend ext. 1221 for advertising content/approvals/interviews
Faculty and staff seeking travel funding from the School of Music must complete the Faculty/Staff Request for Travel form. The maximum annual allotment per individual is $3,500, and the form must be submitted at least three weeks prior to the travel date.
Additional travel policies can be found here:
- Student travel procedures can be found in the Undergraduate Handbook - 2.8 Travel.
- Group travel procedures (e.g., ensemble, studio, or class travel), can be found in the section 7.5.1 Group Travel.
- International travel procedures can be found in the section 7.5.2 International Travel.
Funding Consideration Criteria
Travel funding is prioritized based on the following:
- Presenting or performing at professional conferences or events
- Holding leadership roles within conference or professional organizations
- Attending events for professional development
- Participating in recruitment activities or events with potential recruiting impact
University Travel Policy Reminders
- University personnel must be familiar with the university’s travel process and travel and business expense policy.
- The University Travel Policy requires that all expenditures have a clear business purpose and be correctly recorded.
- Travelers are expected to choose the most reasonable and economical transportation option.
- Tax exemptions must be applied where applicable:
- Texas Hotel Tax Exemption
- Out-of-State Hotel Exemptions (for states where Baylor holds exemption status)
Prior to Travel
- Complete the Faculty/Staff Request for Travel Form (due at least 3 weeks in advance).
- Submit a Travel Authorization Request in Ignite if any of the following apply:
- International travel
- Total estimated cost exceeds $1,500
- Trip is funded by a sponsored program (e.g., grant, federal subsidies, etc.)
- Vehicle Use: Anyone driving a Baylor-owned, leased, or rented vehicle for university business must be pre-authorized. See the University’s Driving Policy for more information.
After You Return
- Submit an Expense Report in Ignite. You may request assistance from the Financial Administrator by submitting all receipts within 15 days of your return. Receipts must be submitted within 30 days of the travel end date to avoid tax implications. Per IRS guidelines, expenses not submitted and approved within that timeframe may be reported as taxable income to the traveler.
- Retain and submit original (hard copy) receipts to the Financial Administrator or Business Officer for proper documentation.
Travel involving multiple students—whether through an ensemble, studio, or other School of Music group—should be carefully planned to avoid scheduling conflicts, ensure sound financial planning, and consider the impact on students’ time and academic responsibilities.
All planned group travel must be communicated in writing to all faculty before the start of the semester in which the travel is scheduled to occur.
- Approval & Coordination of Group Travel
- To ensure alignment across the School and minimize scheduling or personnel conflicts:
- All ensemble travel (tours, run-outs, off-campus performances) must be coordinated through the Ensemble Division Director, in consultation with the School of Music’s Scheduling Office.
- All studio or class travel (including off-campus performances, field trips, or conference appearances) must be coordinated through the Department Chair in consultation with the School of Music’s Scheduling Office.
- Faculty planning to apply for a major regional or national conference appearance must notify the appropriate Division Director or Department Chair at the time of application, not after acceptance.
- To ensure alignment across the School and minimize scheduling or personnel conflicts:
- Travel Prioritization Criteria
- When reviewing travel requests, the Student Travel Committee will consider:
- Impact on the School’s visibility and/or recruitment efforts
- The educational value of the experience for participating students
- Alignment with the School of Music’s strategic goals and mission
- Availability of financial resources and overall cost-effectiveness
- When reviewing travel requests, the Student Travel Committee will consider:
- Group Travel Funding Guidelines
- Funding Requests: Large Ensembles must submit the Group Travel Request Form by May 1 of the year preceding their scheduled rotation. All other group travel funding requests must be submitted using the Group Travel Request Form at least 6 months prior to the travel for priority consideration. The Student Travel Committee will review submissions and make recommendations to the appropriate Department Chair.
- Funding Considerations: Travel funding may be awarded in full or in part based on the availability of funds, the number of requests, and the overall benefit to the School of Music. If the travel is not fully funded by the School of Music, all other necessary funding must be in place and available prior to the approval and scheduling of the travel.
- Funding priority will be given to essential expenses in the following order:
- Transportation
- Lodging
- Meal per diem
- Equity in Participation: While students may be responsible for costs not covered by funding, no student should be excluded due to financial need. The School of Music is committed to equitable access and will assist in providing support when possible.
- Group Travel University Policy
- Lodging and transportation arrangements for the group must be scheduled and paid through the university travel management company, CTP
- The travel card, personal funds and departmental purchasing cards are disallowed for group lodging or transportation expenses. These expenses must be paid via purchase order with CTP.
- The university travel card is the recommended payment option for group meal expenses
- Registering Group Travel
- Group travel that includes students must be registered with Risk Management (domestic travel) or the Center for Global Engagement (international travel)
Must register international business travel with Center for Global Engagement.
Student Travel: Undergraduate Handbook - 2.8 Travel
Regular Lecturers (Full-time), Senior Lecturers, and Teaching Professors
Each newly appointed Regular Lecturer in the School of Music will have a School of Music review committee appointed by the Dean, in consultation with the Division Chair and the Music Council. This committee will consist of tenured faculty members and Senior Lecturers in the Lecturer’s Division and is chaired by the Division Director. Additional review committee members may be added from outside the Division as needed. This committee will remain intact and will serve as the review committee throughout the review / promotion process. Regular Lecturers may be promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer, followed by Teaching Professor, at no less than six-year intervals for each.
Tenure-Track Faculty (Assistant Professors)
Each newly appointed tenure-track faculty member (Assistant Professor) in the School of Music will have a School of Music tenure review committee appointed by the Dean, in consultation with the Division Chair and the School of Music Council. This committee will consist of all tenured members of the newly appointed faculty member’s Division, as well a member or members from outside the Division and will be chaired by the Division Director. This committee will remain intact and will serve as the review committee throughout the tenure-track faculty member’s probationary period. Members of this committee will participate fully in the annual review process and the annual tenure review meeting with the probationary faculty member. The members of this committee will complete tenure ballots in the tenure review year for submission to the Division Director, Dean, and University Tenure Committee.
Occasionally, tenure-track faculty are hired at the level of Associate Professor; in this case, the standard tenure procedures will still exist unless tenure is granted at the time of hire.
The School of Music Addendum to the Tenure and Promotion policy may be found here: https://provost.web.baylor.edu/departmentalresources
Promotion to the Rank of Professor
Each Associate Professor interested in promotion to the rank of Professor should consult with the department chair about the appropriate year to seek promotion. The tenured faculty member, all available Professors in the department, the departmental chair, the dean, the Provost, and the President participate in the promotion review process, as follows. Typically, faculty will not attain the level of eminence and leadership consistent with the rank of Professor before at least six years past the granting of tenure. In any case, faculty will not receive promotion to the rank of Professor through the process described in this document sooner than four years after they were initially granted tenure (that is, the candidate would not apply for promotion before the spring of the third year as a tenured faculty member). However, upon the recommendation of the Provost, the President may promote a faculty member to the rank of Professor without following this process, if such a decision serves the interests of the University. Such a decision must be based on the criteria of excellence described in the Promotion Policy and approved by a majority vote of the Professors of the applicable department (secured by secret ballot) and by the dean of the applicable School or College.
https://baylor.box.com/shared/static/alt5whakte5krygu1atvc8ey7ovbclqq.pdf