Office for Faculty Affairs

News & Announcements

Q4 2024 State Lobbying Disclosure Due 12/16/24

To ensure compliance with the University’s state lobbying disclosure requirements, all University faculty and staff who participate in state lobbying activities for the University must report all time and expenses related to these activities to Government and Community Relations.  If you have been or will be engaged in lobbying activities for the University from October 1 to December 31, 2024, you will need to report those activities on Forms PLDA 1 and 2, found on the Government and Community Relations website:  http://www.govt.psu.edu/pennsylvania-lobbying-disclosure-act/  These forms must be submitted by no later than Monday, December 16, for the fourth quarter 2024 to Government and Community Relations.  

Also, please be advised that if you anticipate or plan to be engaged in future University activities that could be determined as a lobbying activity, please refer to University policy AD 50, which outlines the procedures for “contact with state and federal officials and official visits by government agencies”:  http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD50.html 

Reminder:  Government and Community Relations is to be informed in advance of all invitations to elected officials or their staff members to visit any campus of the University in their official capacity.

Please contact Michael Stefan, Vice President for Government and Community Relations, by calling 814-865-6563 or email Jennifer Hart (jra165@psu.edu) with any questions you may have.

Q4 2024 Federal Lobby Disclosure Due 1/3/2025

To ensure compliance with the University’s federal reporting requirements, all University faculty and staff who participate in federal lobbying activities for the University must report all time and expenses related to these activities to the Office of Government and Community Relations. Our office will then use this information to report the University’s activities and total federal lobbying expenses to the U.S. Congress on a quarterly basis.

Federal lobbying activities include contacts (in person, written, or by phone) with covered executive branch and legislative branch officials made on behalf of the University regarding: (1) legislation, legislative proposals, rules, regulations, executive orders, programs, policies, or positions of the government; (2) administration or execution of federal programs or policies (including federal contracts and grants); and (3) nomination or confirmation of a person for a position subject to confirmation by the Senate. In general, covered executive branch officials are political appointees, not program managers or grant administrators. It is not considered a lobbying activity if you were asked by a Member of Congress or a Congressional Committee to testify or respond to a request for information. Faculty and Staff are reminded that federal funds may not be expended for lobbying purposes.

If you have engaged in lobbying activities between October 1, through December 31, please read on. If not, you can disregard this message for this quarter. We ask that you forward this email to others in your units who need to submit forms for this reporting period.

This is a reminder that the Federal Lobbying Contact and Expense Reporting Form is due to Amanda Wintersteen by Friday, January 3 2025, for activities that took place during the time period of October 1, through December 31, 2024. The form can be downloaded from our office web site: http://www.govt.psu.edu/federal-lobbying-disclosure-act/ . Also on this site, we have provided a more detailed explanation of the information we are asking you to provide, as well as a link to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Ethics Manuals, the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, and other helpful information.

Please feel free to contact Valeria Warner at 814-865-6563 or AWintersteen@psu.edu if you have any questions.

New Faculty Affairs Resource

A new resource has been added to the Promotion and Tenure section of the Office of Faculty Affairs website. The Alternate Tenure Review Processes document provides more detailed explanations of review processes to assist units in determining the type of review with which to move forward. As noted on the form, in most cases, candidates will proceed through the standard P&T process. However, in certain circumstances, an alternate review process may be warranted.

Please note, prior to beginning any of these processes, units must obtain approval from my office.  

Updated Faculty Workload Guidelines

The College of Health & Human Development has developed updated workload guidelines to provide guidance across our departments and centers. The revised college workload guidelines, which now include separate guidelines for non-tenure line research faculty and non-tenure line teaching faculty as well as tenure-line faculty, will become effective AY25-26. 

• Workload Guidelines for Non-Tenure Line Research Faculty
• Workload Guidelines for Non-Tenure Line Teaching Faculty
• Workload Guidelines for Tenure-Line Faculty
• Frequently Asked Questions About Faculty Workload Guidelines

Any questions not covered in the FAQ can be addressed to HHD Faculty Affairs. 

2024-2025 University Office of Faculty Affairs Workshops

The Office of Faculty Affairs is pleased to offer a workshop series on preparing for success in the promotion and tenure process. The series will provide an in-depth exploration of the promotion and tenure process for all Penn State faculty, including tenure- and non-tenure-line.

Each session will be offered live via Penn State’s Zoom platform and each session will be recorded for later viewing. Links to recordings will be posted below after each workshop session. Audience questions are highly encouraged. Registration is not required to attend.

Learn more!

Contact Our Team

If you would like to schedule a meeting with Associate Dean Nicole Webster, please email her Administrative Support Coordinator.