Faculty-Nontenured in Tenure System
03-17-10
Recommendations for actions affecting the appointment, reappointment or promotion of faculty members under the tenure system must be in accord with the provisions of the tenure system.
At the level of the basic administrative unit, judgments on non-tenured faculty with respect to professional competence (including teaching ability), academic potential, and the needs of the department are made by the responsible administrator after consultation with the tenured faculty and/or other duly constituted group specified in the bylaws of that basic administrative unit. Recommendations for reappointment or promotion which do not involve the award of tenure are reviewed and must be approved successively by the dean, the provost and the president, who makes the final decision. Recommendations for reappointment or promotion which involve the award of tenure are reviewed and must be approved successively by the dean, the provost, and the president, who makes the final recommendation to the Board of Trustees for action.
Each basic administrative unit shall base its judgments on criteria and procedures that are clearly formulated, objective and relevant. These criteria and procedures shall be known to all members of the basic administrative unit. If appropriate, the responsible administrator may supplement information required for these judgments by consulting with representative non-tenured faculty, students and/or qualified individuals outside the basic administrative unit. Review procedures shall be described in its bylaws and shall include a means by which the faculty member is evaluated and informed annually of his/her progress. These bylaws shall provide for a designated group to make recommendations with respect to reappointment, tenure, or promotion. Procedures shall also exist by which the faculty member may confer with this sub-group before a decision is made in his/her case.
Decision not to reappoint a non-tenured faculty member does not necessarily imply that the faculty member has failed to meet the standards of the University with respect to academic competence and/or professional integrity. This decision may be contingent, wholly or in part, upon the availability of salary funds and/or departmental needs. The decision not to reappoint a non-tenured faculty member does not require action by the Board of Trustees. In the case of a non-tenured faculty member within the tenure system, notification is required as set forth in the section entitled Operating Principles of the Tenure System, above. Such decision is made at the level of the basic administrative unit. Upon written request of the faculty member, the administrator of the basic administrative unit making the decision shall transmit in writing the reasons for the decision.
If a non-tenured faculty member believes that the decision not to reappoint has been made in a manner which is at variance with the established evaluation procedures, he/she may, following efforts to reconcile the differences at the level of the basic administrative unit and the Dean of his/her college, initiate an appeal in accordance with the Faculty Grievance Procedure.
When reason arises to consider dismissal of a non-tenured faculty member before the expiration of his/her term of appointment, the procedures to be followed shall be identical with those established for the dismissal of a tenured faculty member.
Enacted: 4/17/70