The Florida Legislature in 1971 enacted a statute requiring that "each full-time faculty member at any institution under the supervision of the Board of Regents who is paid wholly from state funds shall teach a minimum of twelve (12) classroom contact hours per week," providing, however, that any faculty member who is assigned by the departmental chairman or other appropriate University administrator to certain other specific duties "shall teach a minimum number of classroom contact hours in proportion to twelve (12) classroom hours per week as each especially assigned aforementioned duties and responsibilities bear to twelve (12) classroom contact hours per week." (See Section 7.14 of this handbook.)
The concept of "teaching load" is difficult to define, with and without the twelve-hour law. Deans and department chairmen have considerable discretion in allocation of faculty responsibilities, which will vary widely. Service expected from a faculty member is multiple in character: teaching, departmental advising, departmental committee service, and service to University organizations and committees.