Dear Colleagues,
The Faculty Annual Report (FAR) is due Friday, May 17, 2024—as a faculty member you are required to complete the FAR.
Digital Measures is now called Faculty Success by Watermark. This change is in name only; it does not affect the functionality, workflow, or URLs of the system.
The FAR informs multiple processes, including merit review processes (where applicable), and an annual and comprehensive review of tenured faculty. Some of the data you enter is also aggregated to satisfy reporting to the University System of Maryland.
You need to certify your annual submission for it to be considered complete. You do this by going to the “Certify Your Annual Submission—Mandatory” section of Faculty Success, located at the bottom of the main page. Read the statement and check the box. This signals you have completed your FAR.
You have the option to save a copy as a PDF and sign by using the “Fill & Sign” function, or you may print and then sign before sending a copy to your chair. Faculty and chairs sign off on all final FAR submissions. You should keep a copy for your records and future use; only you and your department have a copy. We encourage you to regularly update your information in Faculty Success throughout the year!
Directions: Log in to myUMBC and click Guide, and then choose Faculty Success by Watermark under Personal Links. Please use the “?” link located on the top right of the tool bar on the Faculty Success main page for information about navigating Faculty Success. More information is available for UMBC-specific questions and information regarding how to complete the FAR.
Due Dates
May 17: FAR is due. Faculty members submit a signed copy to their chairs.
June 7: IRADS will provide the department chairs feedback. Any corrections to individual FARs must be completed via Faculty Success.
June 21: Last day for faculty to resubmit a revised signed copy to their chair.
June 28: Chairs sign and submit all department copies to their appropriate dean.
About the Faculty Annual Report
All faculty members are required to complete an annual report. Specifically, all tenured or tenure-track faculty should submit a report, including those serving in an administrative or research unit and those who are on sabbatical, on leave without pay, or on fellowship leave. All full-time, non-instructional faculty—including research faculty, research associates or post-docs, visiting faculty, instructors, and lecturers—should also submit a report.
If you have any concerns, comments, or suggestions related to the Faculty Annual Report itself or to the reporting process, these should be directed to Ana Oskoz, vice provost for faculty affairs, aoskoz@umbc.edu.
New Features in Faculty Success
- Directions are at the top of each page to guide you in what to enter on those individual pages.
- The Intellectual Contributions and Creative Publications pages have been combined into the Intellectual and Creative Publications page in order to improve data collection and reduce redundant entries.
- The Student Publications and Student Grants and Awards pages have been removed because that information is collected in the Intellectual and Creative Publications and the Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research pages, respectively.
About the Faculty Expert Search Tool
The UMBC website features a tool for users to find UMBC faculty experts. This resource can help you to promote your research and find potential new collaborators. It can also help prospective graduate students, journalists, community partners, and UMBC staff identify faculty with expertise in particular subject areas.
The Faculty Expert tool draws on information from Faculty Success from the Biography, Teaching Interest(s), and Research Interest(s) sections on the Personal and Contract Information page. You decide what to share. Please see UMBC’s Faculty Expert Search tool step-by-step guide for details on how to add a brief bio statement, teaching interests, research interests, photo, and more. Many department websites draw on this same database for their faculty listings, so this can also help keep your information updated there.
If you have questions, need assistance, or would like to schedule an information session on how to update your profile—for yourself or your department—please contact Adriana Fraser at afraser@umbc.edu.
Sincerely,
Ana Oskoz, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs