The Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (4.3) define seven apportionment categories – Teaching, Research,[1] Service, Extension, Outreach, Clinical, and Administration. This document provides descriptions of each of the apportionment categories with examples of activities that might be included. Other governing documents that describe policies related to apportionment include the Board of Regents Bylaws, the UNL Guidelines for Evaluation of Faculty, and bylaws of individual colleges.
UNL holds a Research 1 designation and Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. These designations provide important context for the activities described in this document. The Carnegie Foundation defines community engagement as follows: “Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.” In the spirit of this definition, community-engaged activities might be included in any of the categories below.
The examples provided within each category are illustrative, not exhaustive. Activities may vary across disciplines, and some may reasonably fall into more than one category. In such cases, an activity may be included in different apportionment categories for different faculty members, often based on published departmental or college norms. In alignment with Board of Regent Bylaws, changes to apportionment must be made through mutual agreement between the faculty member and their supervisor, but specific duties within the apportionment categories are assigned by the supervisor. Faculty and their supervisors should have open conversations about which activities should be included in which category and should take care to document their agreement.
Above all, transparency is essential: every faculty member should know their assigned apportionment and the activities expected in each apportionment category, so that evaluations can be based on clearly communicated expectations. Colleges and departments are responsible for communicating these expectations to their faculty (for example, in IANR, this is typically done through position descriptions.)
| Category | Definition of Category |
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| Teaching | Activities that support the instructional mission of the university. This includes teaching courses in all formats and modalities, student advising and mentoring, experiential learning, and other forms of instruction inside or outside the classroom. The following are examples of activities that may be included within a Teaching apportionment.
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| Research and Creative Activity | Activities associated with disciplinary inquiry, discovery, transmission, or dissemination of knowledge. This includes the development and presentation of creative works, intellectual property, and scholarly publications The following are examples of activities that may be included within a Research/Creative Activity apportionment.
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| Extension | This apportionment category is reserved for faculty who are funded through the Nebraska Extension Division. Extension involves scholarship that generates, transmits, applies, disseminates, and preserves knowledge for the direct benefit of external audiences. It emphasizes co-created, research-based programming. (For faculty without an appointment in Extension, similar activities should be included in other apportionment categories, typically Research/Creative Activity or Outreach.) The following are examples of activities that may be included within an Extension apportionment.
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| Service | Activities that contribute to the governance and operation of the institution, or leadership and service roles in disciplinary or professional organizations. This does not include civic contributions such as election to public office, jury duty, or volunteerism unrelated to disciplinary or professional expertise. The following are examples of activities that may be included within a Service apportionment.
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| Outreach | Activities that extend faculty disciplinary expertise to the general public. These activities may be one-way communication that shares knowledge and resources for the benefit of broader public, without expectation of co-creation or sustained reciprocity; or they may have an expectation of reciprocity and mutual benefit. The following are examples of activities that may be included within an Outreach apportionment.
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| Clinical | Activities in health and medical settings involving teaching, clinical practice, and scholarship. Clinical work emphasizes professional instruction, patient care, and the application of medical expertise to improve health outcomes. The following are examples of activities that may be included within a Clinical apportionment.
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| Administration | This apportionment category is limited to those faculty who have an administrative appointment. Administrative activities encompass strategic leadership and day-to-day management of university units and programs. (Comparable activities for faculty without an administrative appointment should be included in other categories.) The following are examples of activities that may be included within an Administrative apportionment.
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[1] UNL includes creative activity in this category, which will be called “Research and Creative Activity” here to reflect that.