1.Employment Procedures For Tenure-Line Faculty
A. Initial Appointment, Contract and Terms of Service
Four ranks are used for faculty with tenure-line (tenured, pre-tenure, or probationary) status:
Instructor – The Instructor is a tenure-line, non-tenured faculty member who does not yet hold a terminal degree appropriate to the position.
Assistant Professor – The Assistant Professor is a tenure-line, non-tenured faculty member who holds a terminal degree appropriate to the position.
Associate Professor – The Associate Professor is a tenure-line faculty member who has at least five years with faculty rank and holds a terminal degree appropriate to the position.
Professor – The Professor is an experienced tenure-line faculty member with outstanding performance in teaching, service, and professional development holding a terminal degree appropriate to the position.
1. A faculty member hired with tenure enters with the same rights and responsibilities as other tenured members of the Faculty. The granting of tenure upon hire by the Board of Trustees upon recommendation by the President and VPAA/Dean of the Faculty should be done in consultation with the department chair and the Faculty Personnel Committee.
2. An untenured faculty member hired with tenure-line status serves a series of probationary appointments until the sixth year of service at which time there will be an evaluation for tenure. Credit for prior service will be determined by the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty in consultation with the department chair at the time of the initial appointment under the following limitations:
a. Service at another institution:
i. Must have been at an accredited college or university;
ii. Must have been for service at the rank of assistant professor or higher, or equivalent to tenure-line status as judged by the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty; and
iii. May be counted up to a maximum of three years, regardless of the total.
b. Service at Central College: a faculty member with non-tenure-line status at Central College, and with time spent in that position at the rank of instructor, visiting assistant professor, visiting associate professor or visiting professor may request that up to three years of this service count toward the probationary period. This decision is made by the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty in consultation with the department chair.
3. The initial appointment letter for non-tenured faculty members with tenure-line status will state the date of the probationary period, the date by which a tenure decision must be made, and the date on which the probationary period ends. The initial letter shall also state the rank, the salary and benefits, a general description of responsibilities, the department and/or academic program of the appointment, and other items of information as may be needed to clarify the faculty member's role and tasks. A faculty member with tenure-line status teaches courses, engages in professional growth and development, and participates in institutional service and leadership.
4. Written notice that a probationary appointment will not be renewed will be given by 1 March during the first year of service and 15 December during the second year of service, with the exception of Instructor (see FB.1.B.5). After the second year of service, written notice of non-renewal of a probationary appointment will be given at least 12 months before the expiration of the appointment.
5. For faculty holding a tenure-line position, the maximum probationary period prior to acquisition of tenure shall be seven years of full-time service with tenure-line status.
6. A faculty member may terminate an appointment effective at the end of any academic year, provided that notice is given in writing to the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty.
7. An approved leave of absence prior to achievement of tenure will not be counted as part of the probationary period unless the letter granting the leave explicitly states otherwise. No more than two years of approved leave may be granted prior to tenure review.
8. No regular faculty member should accept outside employment that interferes with thorough and efficient performance of responsibilities of the faculty appointment. To teach concurrently at another institution or to accept such employment outside of Central College, the faculty member must secure permission from the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty, in consultation with the faculty member’s department chair.
9. No faculty member with tenure-line status may be reassigned to visiting status or Lecturer status.
B. Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure
Central College subscribes to the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as endorsed by the AAUP and Association of American Colleges & Universities. The President and VPAA/Dean of the Faculty present recommendations to the Board of Trustees for tenure and promotion, informed by recommendations of the Faculty Personnel Committee. The Board of Trustees grants tenure and promotion. Granting tenure at Central College assures the tenured individual of a permanent appointment on the faculty, barring financial exigency or adequate cause for termination.
1. Tenured faculty members will be reviewed periodically by their department chair (or designate) and the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty (or designate).
2. Tenured faculty members requesting promotion to the rank of Professor will be evaluated by their department chair, promotion committee and the Faculty Personnel Committee, which then gives its recommendation to the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty.
3. During the second year, untenured, tenure-line faculty will be formally reviewed by the department chair and the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty (or designate). In the fourth year (or equivalent) and the sixth year (or equivalent) of service, untenured, tenure-line faculty will be evaluated by the Faculty Personnel Committee. The sixth year (or equivalent) evaluation will serve as the tenure evaluation.
4. If a non-tenured tenure-line faculty member has been considered for tenure in the sixth year (or equivalent) by the Faculty Personnel Committee and is not recommended for tenure, further applications for tenure cannot be made.
5. Faculty at the rank of Instructor will be promoted to Assistant Professor in the academic year following the completion of the terminal degree appropriate to the position. Completion of the degree must occur prior to the end of the second year of service in order to continue in the third year.
C. Appeal Procedures Concerning Evaluation
1. Any faculty member may appeal the outcome of a promotion, tenure, or fourth year (or equivalent) evaluation. The appeal can be based only on process violation(s), and is initiated by the faculty member by submitting a request in writing to the chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee no later than forty-five calendar days after receiving formal notification of the evaluation outcome. The letter should outline the alleged process violation and request the convening of the Faculty Welfare Committee to consider the procedural bases for the appeal. The Faculty Welfare Committee will inform the President and VPAA/Dean of the Faculty that an appeal has been filed.
2. The function of the Faculty Welfare Committee shall be to evaluate the appeal to assess if procedures were followed consistent with institutional policies. If the Faculty Welfare Committee concludes that the evaluation procedure was consistent with institutional policies, they shall recommend to the President that the original evaluation stand.
3. If the Faculty Welfare Committee concludes that the evaluation procedure was inconsistent with institutional policies, the Faculty Welfare Committee, based on the findings, shall recommend to the President that the evaluation be conducted again by the Faculty Personnel Committee. The President will review the findings and if the recommendation is supported, the case will be re-evaluated by the Faculty Personnel Committee.
4. If the President finds acts of discrimination on the part of the Faculty Personnel Committee, the President will meet with the Faculty Welfare Committee and may ask Faculty Steering Committee to appoint an Ad hoc Faculty Personnel Committee to re-evaluate the faculty member. If the President does not agree that there were procedural violations, the President will meet with the Faculty Welfare Committee to provide a clearly-defined rationale for the decision.
5. The private minutes of Faculty Welfare Committee’s meetings related to the appeal and its recommendation will be sent to the appealing faculty member, the affected department chair(s), the chair of the Faculty Personnel Committee, the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty, and the President, no later than one week following the Faculty Welfare Committee's final meeting regarding the appeal.
D. Appeal Procedures Concerning Review
1. Any faculty member may appeal the outcome of a second year (or equivalent) Formal Department and Administrative Review. The appeal can be based only on process violation(s) and is initiated by the faculty member by submitting a request in writing to the chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee no later than forty-five calendar days after receiving formal notification of the review. The letter should outline the alleged process violation and request the convening of the Faculty Welfare Committee to consider the procedural bases for the appeal. The Faculty Welfare Committee will inform the President and VPAA/Dean of the Faculty that an appeal has been filed.
2. The function of the Faculty Welfare Committee shall be to evaluate the appeal to assess if procedures were followed consistent with institutional policies. The Faculty Welfare Committee will render its recommendation no later than one week after all material is reviewed and evaluated.
3. If the Faculty Welfare Committee concludes that the review procedure was consistent with institutional policies, they shall recommend to the President that the original review stand. If the Faculty Welfare Committee concludes that the review procedure was inconsistent with institutional policies, the Faculty Welfare Committee, based on the findings, shall recommend to the President that a review be conducted by the Faculty Personnel Committee. The President will review the recommendation and if the recommendation is supported, the case will be reviewed by the Faculty Personnel Committee.
4. If the President finds acts of discrimination on the part of the faculty member’s department chair, the President will meet with the Faculty Welfare Committee and may ask Faculty Steering Committee to appoint a senior faculty member to re-review the faculty member. If the President does not agree that there were procedural violations, the President will meet with the Faculty Welfare Committee to provide a clearly-defined rationale for the decision.
5. The private minutes of Faculty Welfare Committee's meetings related to the appeal and its recommendation will be sent to the appealing faculty member, the affected department chair(s), the chair of the Faculty Personnel Committee, the President, and the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty no later than one week following the Faculty Welfare Committee's final meeting regarding the appeal.