Resources for Geosc faculty and staff
Travel
Employee Travel
Completed for all Employee Travel and return to Loren Newman, Financial Coordinator, 116 Deike.
Travel Reimbursement (CONUS) Checklist Form
Penn State has lifted the requirement of prior approval for travel for all faculty, staff, students and post-docs. We are to return to pre-COVID travel processes, so please work with your respective department staff to coordinate travel. If you are traveling internationally, you must be fully vaccinated by the date of their departure and must register your international travel in the Travel Safety Network (TSN) at least 30 days in advance or as soon as possible.
For more information, please visit: https://virusinfo.psu.edu/travel-guidelines/#employeedomestictravel
Group Meals
Complete and return to Loren Newman, Financial Coordinator, 116 Deike.
Non Employee Travel
Must be completed for travel reimbursement by non-employees. Return to Loren Newman, Financial Coordinator, 116 Deike.
Department Policies
Department Key Policies
Department Key Policies Form is new and needs to be signed and turned in along with the Key Issuance form to Laura Rush, 116 Deike in order to receive any keys.
Key Issuance Form
Bring completed, signed forms to 116 Deike, Laura Rush. Must have faculty's approval for lab keys (faculty signature on form giving permission to student/PostDoc). Keys will be ready to be picked up the following day after 8:30 a.m.
Governance Procedures, Policies, and General Procedures
Other
Department Committee Member List
Geosciences Department Operations Overview
HR-17, Sabbatical Leave, is the University policy that governs sabbatical leaves of absence with pay. Forms for leave requests are available on GURU at http://guru.psu.edu/formpublic/AppLeaveSabbatical.pdf.
Please note that individuals who are granted sabbatical leaves are required to return for a full contract year of service following the sabbatical leave. Any person who does not return, or does not remain for the full contract year following the sabbatical leave, will be required to refund the salary received from the University during the sabbatical leave. We have received questions regarding enforcement of this requirement. Please note that we do not waive this requirement. In addition, all faculty are required to submit a report to the Provost, via the department head and the dean, within two months of their return from leave.
According to HR-17, “A sabbatical is a privilege which may be granted to an individual who has demonstrated by publication, teaching, exhibition or performance an above average ability in scholarship, research, or other creative accomplishment.” Proposals for the study of pedagogical topics or for intensive pedagogical development are eligible and indeed, encouraged.
Attached is a copy of the sabbatical leave guidelines that were developed to assist faculty members in the preparation of their proposals and may also be found at http://www.psu.edu/vpaa/pdfs/sabbatical_guidelines.pdf.
State Mandated Collection System Log In Instructions
Click here for instructions to complete Faculty Hours form
AC23 Promotion and Tenure Procedures and Regulations (Formerly HR3)
Promotion and Tenure Procedures and Regulations | Penn State Policies (psu.edu)
Earth and Mineral Sciences, Department of Geosciences Promotion and Tenure Criteria
Working within the framework established by University regulations (AC-23) and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (as detailed in the statement of criteria to be used for Promotion and Tenure), the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Review Committee in the Department of Geosciences will base its recommendations on the scholarly achievements of the faculty members. This concept, in our interpretation, encompasses research, teaching, and other scholarly services to the academic community and society, and involves quality as well as quantity of scholarly production, as reflected by peer-reviewed publications. The most critical measure in our evaluation will be the individual's impact on science and higher education, i.e. their impact on students, colleagues, departmental programs, and field of specialization. We wish to promote and reward those who excel in their academic work and thus serve to uphold or enhance our reputation as a distinguished, inclusive, and equitable Department of Geosciences.
The Committee's recommendations will be based on merit, not on seniority, although it must be recognized that protracted diligence is required to establish a reputation meeting the criteria set forth above.
Although it is recognized that the composition of the faculty, in the long range, is affected by budgetary factors or the evolution of new educational trends, these factors will not be considered in tenure and promotion recommendations.
Thus, the three main criteria are teaching ability and effectiveness; research, creative accomplishment and scholarship (including, where appropriate, the scholarship and research of geosciences pedagogy, justice, or diversity); and service to the University, the public, and the profession. The relative weighting given to these three criteria may vary amongst individuals and through a faculty member’s career.
Revised and approved by the Geosciences Faculty, September 14, 2010
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on September 8, 2011
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on September 6, 2012
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on November 14, 2013
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on September 11, 2014
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on August 27, 2015
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on August 30, 2018
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on September 26, 2019
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on September 24, 2020
Ratified by the Geosciences Faculty on August 26, 2021
Department Contact:
Amy Hasan, Administrative Support Coordinator, alh31@psu.edu
Risk Management Home Page
http://www.controller.psu.edu/Divisions/RiskManagement/index.html
Approved Vendors
http://www.controller.psu.edu/Divisions/RiskManagement/vendors.html
Contract Cover Sheet
http://www.controller.psu.edu/Divisions/RiskManagement/docs/coversheet.pdf
Software and Software-as-a-Service (Saas) – New Software Request Form
In order to standardize the process for fulfillment of software or software-as-a-service (SaaS) agreements that are routed to Purchasing or Risk Management, users can now utilize a single, consolidated questionnaire to gather relevant information about the use of the software or SaaS by the requestor. The information gathered in the questionnaire is very important in the review of the license terms. If you were responsible for completing the Risk Management Electronic Agreement Cover Sheet or Purchasing’s Software Agreement Cover Sheet, you will now instead complete the new online Software Request Form (https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_en6NEiMElsu35l3). After you complete the survey, further instructions will be provided on how to process the request based on information submitted in the new Software Request Form.
Please refer to the following websites for additional information:
Purchasing: https://purchasing.psu.edu/software
Risk Management: https://controller.psu.edu/forms
If you require additional assistance, please contact purchasesoftware@psu.edu.