Faculty Success By Watermark

Beginning Fall 2023, full-time faculty members at Youngstown State University will apply for various processes and complete Chairperson Evaluations of Faculty Performance through Faculty Success by Watermark.

See below for detailed information regarding processes that will be completed through the RPT module of Faculty Success:


 

Where can I get training and learn more about Faculty Success by Watermark?

Register to Attend a Workshop

 

It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with Article 10 of the YSU/YSU-OEA collective bargaining agreement, which outlines the various processes. It is also important to familiarize yourself with your department governance document and any further discussion of these processes.

There is flexibility in how you organize and submit your materials. Each uploaded file should be titled in a clear, concise manner (for example, “Promotion Application” or “Pages of Evidence” or “Teaching Support Materials”). Keep your reviewers in mind when organizing and naming your files. Will your file names make sense to a reviewer?

Limit the number of files you upload in your application. If you have a large number of files, consider grouping them together into combined files (for example: Teaching Evidence, Scholarship Evidence, Service Evidence). Requiring reviewers to sort through and manage a large number of individual files risks a file being overlooked.

Allowed file types include (this is not a comprehensive list):

  • Word documents (.docx)
  • PowerPoint documents (.PPT)
  • PDF documents (.PDF)
  • Images (.JPEG, .PNG, etc.)
  • Video (.MP4, .MOV, .AVI, etc.)
  • Audio (.WAV, .MP3, etc.)

Where Do I Apply?

If you are eligible to apply for tenure, promotion, or tenure with promotion during the upcoming academic year, you will receive a Watermark notification in your email when the application is available to you.

Read the email language carefully and click the link contained in the notification to be taken to the application in Faculty Success by Watermark. You will be able to upload your support materials to the application. The application and all materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on September 1.*

*Note: If September 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, then 11:59 pm the first working day following September 1 shall be the deadline.

What is Needed to Apply?

  • Faculty Application for Tenure / Promotion / Tenure with Promotion (Watermark will automatically generate this report for you)
  • Curriculum Vitae (Watermark will automatically generate this report for you)
  • Support Materials
    • Please refer to your Department Governance Document, codicil, and Dean's Advisory Council documents for any specific requirements within your department and college.

Where Do I Apply?

If you are eligible to apply for tenure, promotion, or tenure with promotion during the upcoming academic year, you will receive a Watermark notification in your email when the application is available to you.

Read the email language carefully and click the link contained in the notification to be taken to the application in Faculty Success by Watermark. You will be able to upload your support materials to the application. The application and all materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on September 1.*

*Note: If September 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, then 11:59 pm the first working day following September 1 shall be the deadline.

What is Needed to Apply?

  • Faculty Application for Tenure / Promotion / Tenure with Promotion (Watermark will automatically generate this report for you)
  • Curriculum Vitae (Watermark will automatically generate this report for you)
  • Support Materials
    • Please refer to your Department Governance Document, codicil, and Dean's Advisory Council documents for any specific requirements within your department and college.

Where Do I Apply?

By August 28th, navigate to the Activities page in Faculty Success by Watermark and click on the Intent to Apply for Annual Processes link to indicate your intention to apply for a Sabbatical or Faculty Improvement Leave in the upcoming academic year. This Knowledge Base article provides more information about how to use the Intent to Apply for Annual Processes.

Highlight of the link intent to apply for annual processes

Using the dropdown menu, indicate your intent to apply for a Sabbatical/Faculty Improvement Leave for the next academic year:

edit intent to apply for annual processes
select yes or no for research professorship

If you indicate that you intend to apply for a Sabbatical / Faculty Improvement Leave, you will receive a Watermark notification email on September 1 informing you that the application is available.

Read the email language carefully and click the link to be taken to the Sabbatical/Faculty Improvement Leave application in Faculty Success by Watermark. You will be able to upload your materials to the application. The application and all materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on September 15*.

*Note: If September 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, then 11:59 p.m. the first working day following September 15 shall be the deadline.


 

What is Needed to Apply?

Read the below information and prepare the necessary materials prior to the application deadline.

Each application should stand on its own merit. The application should be written in a way that it can be understood by an individual who is not an expert in your field. Make every effort to ensure that all jargon is carefully explained and the problem is presented in a way that can be understood by the review committee members. Demonstrate how this activity will be of benefit to the department, college, and University.

The application should include the following components:

  1. Statement of Work (limited to five pages total)
    1. Abstract (limited to 250 words)
    2. Narrative, including:
      • Background information, a description of the problem, its significance, and relationship to applicant’s current research and other research in the field.
      • Relationship of the activity to departmental/college mission and goals.
      • Statement of objectives, providing the specific aims or goals of the proposed activity and the outcomes to be achieved.
      • Procedures for carrying out the proposed work. Do not assume that the reader will be familiar with methods. Provide sufficient explanation that a reader who is not an expert in the field can understand how the procedures will lead to the desired outcomes.
      • Availability of needed resources, facilities, or budgetary resources (if applicable). If travel is involved, demonstrate that the host site supports the activity.
      • Assessment measures. How will you evaluate the outcomes of the activity?
      • Plans for dissemination of the outcomes.
    3. As part of their Statement of Work, applicants for FILs shall indicate (a) the semester for which they seek the leave (fall/spring), and (b) whether they would accept a leave if granted for the other semester.
  2. Applicant’s vita (limited to three pages), including listings of pertinent publications, grant applications, and grant awards (both internal and external).
  3. Appendices may include letters of support from external organizations or host sites providing required resources or otherwise supporting the proposed activity.

After you submit your application, both your Chairperson and Dean will be asked to provide support for the proposed activity and to describe how the workload will be covered within the department/college. Notify your Chairperson and Dean of your intent to apply so that they can prepare their statements in advance.

Where Do I Apply?

By September 8, navigate to the Activities page in Faculty Success by Watermark and click on the Intent to Apply for Annual Processes to indicate your intention to apply for a Reseach Professorship in the upcoming academic year. This Knowledge Base article provides more information about how to use the Intent to Apply for Annual Processes.

Highlight of the link intent to apply for annual processes

Using the dropdown menu, indicate your intent to apply for a Research Professorship for the next academic year:

edit intent to apply for annual processes
select yes or no for research professorship

If you indicate that you intend to apply for a Research Professorship, you will receive a Watermark notification email on September 15 informing you that the application is available.

Read the email language carefully and click the link to be taken to the Research Professorship application in Faculty Success by Watermark. You will be able to upload your materials to the application. The application and all materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on October 15*.

*Note: If October 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, then 11:59 p.m. the first working day following October 15 shall be the deadline.

What is Needed to Apply?

Your application must include the following materials:

  1. Narrative (limited to five pages)
    1. Needs Statement: Background information, statement of problem, significance, timeliness, appropriateness, innovativeness, generalizability, relationship to the applicant’s current research, department and college mission and goals. Scope of research should be achievable in those where external funding is available, priority will be given to applicants who show evidence that the Research Professorship would improve the faculty member’s chances to obtain sponsored research funding in the future.
    2. Statement of Research Objectives: Specific aims or goals of the proposed research.
    3. Procedures: Methods used and project plan including timeline. Does the proposed research follow a rigorous research protocol?
    4. Statement of Evaluation: How the results will be evaluated and how the success of the project will be determined.
    5. Plan for Dissemination of Results: Publications, conferences, curriculum, sponsored research proposal, other scholarly initiatives.
  2. Availability of Resources (limited to one page)
    1. Resources: List any resources (equipment, material, funding, etc.) needed to complete this reach project with approximate costs.
    2. Resource Plan: Explanation of how the researcher will address any above-noted resource needs or limitations.
  3. Abridged Research Curriculum Vitae (this CV will be generated for you within the Watermark application)
  4. (Optional) The application includes a text box, which can be utilized to provide any additional information you would like to provide to the committee for consideration.

Where Do I Apply?

If you are to complete the Chairperson Evaluation of Faculty during the current academic year, you will receive a Watermark notification from "notifications@watermarkinsights.com" in your email when the workflow is available to you. The Chairperson Evaluation of Faculty workflow will launch on or around March 1.

Read the email language carefully and click the link contained in the email notification to be taken to the workflow in Faculty Success by Watermark. The Chairperson Evaluation of Faculty must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on April 1.*

*Note: If April 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, then 11:59 pm the first working day following April 1 shall be the deadline.

What is Needed to Apply?

  • Updating all activities and achievements in the Faculty Success Activities tab.
  • Faculty Activities Report for Chairperson Evaluation of Faculty (Watermark will automatically generate this report within the workflow for you).
  • Teaching, scholarship and service narratives and additional materials (Optional)
    • This information is NOT in the Faculty Activities Report
    • Please contact your department chairperson if you have any questions regarding the information and /or materials you should provide (if any).

Need Assistance with Completing your Evaluation?

ITL has developed several resources to assist you:

Drop-In Working Lunch Sessions: Drop in with any Faculty Success questions, such as importing your CV. No RSVP is required, but if you do, lunch is on ITL! RSVP HERE

All sessions are held in Jones Hall, Room 3049

  1. Tuesday, March 5th from 12:00-2:00pm
  2. Thursday, March 14th from 12:00-2:00pm
  3. Friday, March 22nd from 12:00-2:00pm

Virtual Drop-In Sessions: Can't join in person or prefer to have virtual assistance? No RSVP is needed!

Virtual Drop-In Sessions(JOIN SESSION HERE):

  1. Monday, March 25th from 2:00-4:00pm
  2. Thursday, March 28th from 3:00-5:00pm
  3. Monday, April 1st from 1:00=3:00pm

Faculty Success One-on-One Consultations: If you are unavailable to attend one of the drop-in sessions and/or would like to schedule a one-on-one session, please click here to book a consult. Select "Watermark Assistance" and a date/time that works for you.

Visual "Walk-Through" Faculty Success Guides: For those that would like to see a screenshot walk-through of the Faculty Success system, ITL has developed these short guides:

Workflow Charts: For those that would like to see a workflow chart for the Chairperson Evaluation of Faculty process, ITL has developed these charts:



 

Login to Watermark Faculty Success
 

Please see the Faculty Success by Watermark articles for instruction on use of the system.