INDEX Policies in Process Preliminaries Policies
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Contractual Agreements with FacultyFull Time Faculty The Letter of Agreement is the official contract issued to a faculty member at the time of appointment or reappointment. It is a statement of conditions and obligations mutually agreed to by the faculty member and Marywood University. It serves as a binding contract covering a specific period of time and as a vehicle to renew, adjust and/or alter the terms of the original contract regarding appointment, rank, tenure, salary, benefits, etc. Faculty contracts may be for nine months or for twelve months. Ordinarily, the academic year will begin no earlier than the last Monday in August and will end no later than nine months from that date. A copy of the Letter of Agreement is retained by the faculty member. Copies are also on file in Human Resources. Categories of Full Time Appointment Regular membership in a Faculty includes appointments with continuous tenure, appointments probationary for tenure, and contract appointments without tenure. Membership in the Faculty of a School or Department is held by persons with valid appointments to one of the four generally recognized Faculty ranks, namely, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor. In general, anyone who is going to be a long-term stakeholder in the University and who has the appropriate terminal academic degree should have either a tenure appointment or an appointment probationary for tenure. The University, however also requires the services of professionally competent individuals to meet teaching and service responsibilities in selected areas or positions in which assignments do not necessarily include research or creative work. To meet these responsibilities effectively and to be competitive in attracting and retaining needed professional personnel, the University has established and recognizes a third kind of Regular Faculty appointment: Regular Contracts Appointments without tenure. Contract Appointments with Tenure In general, anyone who is going to be a long-term stakeholder in the University and who has the appropriate terminal academic degree should have either a tenure appointment or an appointment probationary for tenure. The probationary period shall not exceed seven years of full-time teaching at Marywood, with application for tenure being made in the sixth year. Faculty members on leave during the probationary period must follow the policy on Leaves of Absence. Prior service at Marywood University or at another regionally accredited, four-year college or university may be credited toward the fulfillment of the probationary period. Tenure is a term designating guaranteed continuous appointment to full-time faculty members until retirement. It implies a mutual commitment on the part of the faculty member and the University and cannot be taken lightly. The commitment of a faculty member who requests tenure is as deep and binding on the faculty member as it is on the University. Just as the conferring of tenure by the University recognizes the competence of an individual faculty member, submission to the University of an application for tenure suggests a strong acceptance by that individual of the goals and objectives of the University. The request represents a commitment to work jointly with faculty, students, administrators, and members of the staff for the growth and welfare of the University. It is a commitment to devote one’s energies to continued personal development and continued high levels of achievement as a member of the Marywood academic community. It is a definite assertion of career goals; it is expected that faculty will not lightly withdraw from this relationship. Once tenure is granted, it will be discontinued only for grave reason, which may include moral turpitude, flagrant abuse of academic freedom, or lack of professional competency as demonstrated in instruction and/or research. In addition, the University may be required to discontinue tenure because of severe financial exigencies of the University or reorganization of the department and/or curriculum resulting in lack of need as described in Retrenchment of Faculty. Contract Appointments without Tenure On the recommendation of the cognizant Faculty and with the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and based on a written description of the teaching and related duties, a Faculty position involving full-time teaching in a clinical or professional skills program may be designated as a non-tenure track (“Contract”) position. Titles associated with contract positions shall be appropriately distinguishing, such as “Clinical Assistant Professor,” as determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.. The initial appointment may be for one or two years and may be renewed for successive terms under the same procedures as apply to Faculty with appointments probationary for tenure. After six years of continuous service, subsequent reappointments may be for periods of up to five years but without continuous tenure. Contract appointments may be made at the level of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor. A Faculty member with a Contract appointment is accorded parity of compensation, benefits and perquisites, and governance and voting rights, with other Faculty of comparable rank. A Faculty member with an appointment probationary for tenure may apply for a Contract appointment, if a vacancy exists, under normal procedures for recruitment and appointment. However, a Faculty member in probationary status is not eligible to apply for such a change of status if that Faculty member has been reviewed for tenure with the result that tenure was not recommended. A faculty member with a Contract appointment may apply for an appointment probationary for tenure, if a vacancy exists, under normal procedures for recruitment and appointment. In such a case, time served in the Contract position beyond the first year counts toward the maximum allowable period of probationary service. If time served in the contract position exceeds the maximum allowable period of probationary service, the Faculty member shall be considered to have completed five years of probationary service and shall be reviewed for tenure upon application for the change of status. In either case, in the event the outcome of the review is negative, the terms of the current Contract appointment shall be honored but the Faculty member shall not be eligible for subsequent reappointment to the Contract position. Pro Rata Faculty Pro-rata ranked faculty serve on nine-month or twelve-month contracts. Their contracts are processed and issued as are those of full-time faculty. The initial appointment of pro-rata faculty determines their rank; their letters of agreement are awarded for one year at a time with no implied obligation of continuous appointment. Part-time faculty are those faculty members who ordinarily teach from one to six credit hours per semester and are not usually otherwise employed in the affairs of the University. They receive a formal appointment on a semester basis, provided enrollment justifies it at registration time. Part time faculty are not eligible for tenure or rank. Letters of Agreement Letters of agreement for continuing faculty members are issued on or before May 10. Letters of agreement are distributed from the office of the President of the University. Appointment Procedures Members of the faculty are appointed by the President of the University. Prospective faculty members are interviewed and recommended by the chairperson and faculty of the department in which a vacancy exists. The formal offer of employment made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs to a prospective faculty member contains the conditions of continued employment and promotion as described during the interview process and as outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Offers to part-time faculty are made by department chairpersons and concluded by an agreement approved by the appropriate academic dean. Related Policies and Committees Policy - Faculty
Definition History of the Policy 07/01/89 - Reaffirmed with publication of Faculty Manual |
