Tenure, 17.0

Reappointment, Tenure, and Job Security: Faculty and Classroom Assistants

Retrieved from Collective Bargaining Agreement

17.1 The use of the word "evaluation" in this Section shall refer to an evaluation of the individual's total performance and contribution to the College. For classroom faculty, evaluation shall always include classroom observations as one method of evaluating the individual's performance. For faculty and classroom assistants evaluations shall always include peer and student classroom evaluations or equivalent peer observations where classroom observations are not applicable as one method of evaluating the individual's performance. A written summary of criteria used for evaluation of faculty and classroom assistants will be developed and distributed at the time of initial appointment.

17.2 It shall be the responsibility of the Department Chair or Director to arrange for all new faculty members and classroom assistants to be evaluated and a report of the evaluations made to the Department before the end of the third month of service. The Department Chair or Director shall arrange that observation assignments be balanced among all tenured members of the Department, and that no faculty member shall be observed by the same person more than once in one (1) semester. Only one observer may be present at any one time. Notice of at least one (1) week shall be given to the person being observed. Evaluations in newly-created Departments shall be done by a Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committee as provided for at Section 24.3.5.

17.2.1 A faculty member who is assigned and conducts a classroom observation of an evening and/or weekend course shall be compensated at one-half (1/2) his/her hourly teaching rate. No more than two (2) observations per semester shall be required of any faculty member during evening and/or weekend hours without the consent of the faculty member.

An observation shall be deemed to require two (2) hours work. To be paid, the faculty member must spend a minimum of fifty (50) minutes in the classroom engaged in the observation.

17.3 Full-time non-tenured faculty and classroom assistants shall be observed at least twice per semester in their first year of service and at least once per semester thereafter, and at least twice per semester if in the second semester the vote was approved with reservations. During the first eighteen (18) months qualified members of the Department (excluding the candidate) shall vote for one of the following options to recommend:

(a) Reappointment with unqualified approval (requires two-third (2/3) majority vote);

(b) Reappointment with reservations (requires simple majority vote);

During the second eighteen (18) months each qualified voter in the Department shall have only one (1) of the following two (2) options to recommend:

(a) reappointment; or

(b) non-reappointment.

A simple majority vote shall be sufficient to constitute a recommendation of appointment or non-reappointment.

17.3.1 A third observation will be required if two (2) peer observations are conflicting (done in the same semester) or peer observations and student evaluations are conflicting (done the following semester). The third observation will be done by either a faculty member or Chair.

17.4 All Department votes and supporting material regarding reappointment shall be forwarded by the Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committee with the appropriate Dean's recommendation to the College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee. The College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee shall review only those votes for reappointment with reservations or for non-reappointment for the third, fourth and fifth semesters.

17.5 Approval with reservations and recommendations for non-reappointment shall be accompanied by a written statement by the Department Tenure and Promotion Committee to the College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee with a copy to the candidate, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and to the President of the College.

17.6 If the Department votes for non-reappointment during the Fall semester, the candidate shall be notified on or before December 1st; if the Department votes for non-reappointment at the end of the Spring semester, the candidate shall be notified on or before May 1st. All reappointed non-tenured and non-certified faculty members and classroom assistants shall be reevaluated every semester before May 1st (or December 1st) and the resulting recommendations reported to the College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee.

17.6.1 If the Dean or Vice President recommends non-reappointment, the employee shall be notified on or before December 15th for the Fall semester and on or before May 15th for the Spring semester.

If the Presidents decision is non-reappointment, the employee shall be notified on or before December 15th for the Fall semester and on or before May 15th for the Spring semester.

17.7 Anyone who has satisfied the requirements for tenure (unless these requirements are waived by the President), has completed three (3) consecutive years of full-time service and is reappointed on a full-time basis for a fourth year, receives tenure.

17.8 Anyone who has completed three (3) consecutive years of service and has been denied tenure cannot be employed on a part-time basis unless (s)he is already certified. Time spent in non-tenure bearing positions shall not accrue towards tenure.

17.9 It shall be the responsibility of the School Dean to ascertain and assure that the Department and Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committees perform the responsibilities assigned above within the time limits. The Faculty Services Office shall prepare a list of those in their first, second, and third years of employment and shall forward that list to both the Chair of the College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee and to the Chair of the applicable Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committees.

17.10 Before granting credit for prior service towards tenure, the President of the College shall have available for his review an evaluation by the Department, the School Dean, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee of the individual's prior service in an accredited institution and/or his/her industrial experience. The foregoing also applies to staff members and classroom assistants transferring to faculty status.

17.11 If tenure is not recommended by the College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee and the President chooses to recommend tenure, (s)he shall meet with College-wide Tenure and Promotion Committee and Vice President of Academic Affairs and state his/her reason(s).

17.12 Beginning the Fall 2007 semester, for the purposes of reappointment, tenure and certificates of continuous employment, the candidates records to be presented at the department meeting will be made available by the Tenure and Promotion Committee to interested department members at least two weeks (14 calendar days) prior to the vote. Any objections to the records must be made to the department Tenure and Promotion Committee prior to the meeting. The parties to the contract agree to the process for the conduct of such meetings. The department vote will not be subject to the grievance and arbitration procedures. The only grievance that may be filed is one alleging that the process as defined below has not been followed.

The T&P committee will prepare its report on the candidate to distribute to the department two weeks (fourteen (14) calendar days) before the vote. Any objections to the report must be made prior to the date of the vote. The objection must be resolved before the date of the vote. No objections may be filed at the meeting.

Department Meeting Process

1. An announcement must be distributed two weeks prior to a department meeting stating the purpose of the meeting. If there is a vote scheduled, the candidate must be invited.

2. Discussion takes place as follows:

a. T&P Committee reads evaluations and candidate information in the presence of candidate (if in attendance). Faculty may question candidate at this time.

b. Candidate may comment or clarify any questions that may arise.

c. Candidate leaves the meeting room.

d. Discussion takes place.

e. Candidate returns and answers any additional questions.

3. Voting

a. Prepared ballot should be distributed to eligible voters (the candidate may not vote)

b. A secret ballot is conducted.

c. The ballots are counted in the presence of the candidate.

d. Result of the vote is announced and recorded.

e. The T&P chair shall retain the original ballots for a period not to exceed one semester.

17.17.0 Student Evaluation of Faculty with Tenure or Certificate of Continuous Employment

17.17.1 Under the auspices of Faculty Services, each tenured and CCE'd faculty member shall have student evaluations taken once every two (2) years. These evaluations shall be for the faculty members' use only except where the rating is 4.5 or less in any class in which case they shall be reviewed by the Department Chair. In the event of an evaluation rating of 4.5 or below, the faculty member shall be evaluated in that class in the subsequent semester. In the event the second evaluation results in a rating of 4.5 or below, the evaluation shall be reviewed by the Dean as well as the Department Chair. In the event an evaluation is rated 4.0 or below in any class, the Dean and the Department Chair shall review the evaluation in the first instance. The evaluation shall be used for developmental purposes.

17.17.2 A joint committee representing the UCE and the college shall convene and issue a plan for establishing post-tenure review recommendations. The report will be presented to the labor management committee by the end of the spring 2007 semester.