Article 11 - Contracts and Promotions

Section 1. Initial Appointments

At the discretion of the University, a unit core faculty member will be hired into the bargaining unit as a temporary appointment faculty member, Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or full Professor. The Provost in his/her discretion retains the right to award years of service credit to any new core faculty member hired by the University based on their prior record of college or university teaching. Such decision can only be made by the Provost at the time of the initial appointment and is not grievable. If the Provost exercises such discretion, the initial appointment letter will indicate how much credit is being given, if any, for prior college or university teaching.

Section 2. Temporary Appointments

A temporary appointment means an appointment to the University for a specified term not to exceed one year. A faculty member on a temporary appointment will be informed at the time of her/his appointment of the duration of the appointment and the University will be under no obligation to provide any further notice of termination. The University may award subsequent temporary appointments, but will be under no obligation to do so. The contracts and promotion provisions of the remainder of this Article do not apply to Unit Core Faculty members on temporary appointments.

Section 3. Instructors

1. A Unit Core Faculty member who is hired as an Instructor will be hired on a two-year appointment.
2. During the Fall semester of an Instructor’s second year of an appointment, s/he will be formally evaluated for reappointment in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement. If the Instructor is not reappointed, s/he will be notified by December 15 of that second year that her/his second year will be the final year at the University. If s/he is reappointed, s/he will receive another two-year appointment commencing after the end of the current two-year appointment. As long as the core unit faculty member remains in the rank of Instructor, s/he will receive two-year appointments and will be reviewed for reappointment in the second year of each such appointment. However, after 10 years of service in the rank of Instructor, s/he will receive, if reappointed, three year appointments and will be reviewed for subsequent reappointments in the second year of each such appointment.
3. An Instructor may apply for reappointment with a promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor in the second year of any appointment as an Instructor. The Instructor will be evaluated for promotion in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement.
   1. If the promotion is approved, s/he will be awarded the rank of Assistant Professor to be effective in the subsequent academic year and will receive a three-year appointment.
   2. If the Instructor chooses not to apply for promotion to Assistant Professor, s/he will then only be evaluated for a two-year reappointment in accordance with Section 3(B) of this Article.
   3. If the promotion is denied, then the Instructor can next apply for promotion in the Fall semester of the second year of a subsequent two-year appointment.
   4. Applying for promotion to Assistant Professor is voluntary, and a decision not to apply will not have an adverse consequence for the faculty member in contract reappointment decisions.

Section 4. Assistant Professors

1. A Unit Core Faculty member who is hired as an Assistant Professor will be hired on a three-year appointment.
2. During the Spring semester of the Assistant Professor’s second year of any three-year appointment, s/he will be formally evaluated for reappointment in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement. If the Assistant Professor is not reappointed, s/he will be notified by June 1 of that second year that her/his third year will be the final year at the University. If s/he is reappointed, s/he will receive another three-year appointment commencing after the end of the current three-year appointment. As long as the Unit Core Faculty member remains in the rank of Assistant Professor, s/he will receive three-year appointments and will be reviewed for reappointment in the second year of each such appointment. However, after 12 years in the rank of Assistant Professor, s/he will receive, if reappointed, five year appointments and will be reviewed for reappointment in the fourth year of each such appointment.
3. An Assistant Professor may apply for reappointment with a promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in the second year of her/his second appointment as an Assistant Professor or at any time thereafter. The Assistant Professor will be evaluated for promotion in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement.
   1. If the promotion is approved, s/he will be awarded the rank of Associate Professor to be effective in the subsequent academic year and will receive a five-year appointment.
   2. If the Assistant Professor chooses not to apply for promotion to Associate Professor, s/he will then only be evaluated for a reappointment in accordance with Section 4(B) of this Article.
   3. If the promotion is denied, then the Assistant Professor can next re-apply for promotion two years after her/his prior application date.
   4. Applying for promotion to Associate Professor is voluntary, and a decision not to apply will not have an adverse consequence for the faculty member in contract reappointment decisions.

Section 5. Associate Professor

1. A Unit Core Faculty member who is hired as an Associate Professor will be hired on a five-year appointment.
2. During the Spring semester of the Associate Professor’s fourth year of any five-year appointment, s/he will be formally evaluated for reappointment in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement. If the Associate Professor is not reappointed, s/he will be notified by June 1 of that fourth year that her/his fifth year will be the final year at the University. If s/he is reappointed, s/he will receive another five-year appointment commencing after the end of the current five-year appointment. As long as the Unit Core Faculty member remains in the rank of Associate Professor, s/he will receive five-year appointments and will be reviewed for reappointment in the fourth year of each such appointment.
3. An Associate Professor may apply for a promotion to the rank of full Professor in the fifth year of his/her first appointment as an Associate Professor, provided s/he has been reappointed for a second appointment as Associate Professor, or s/he may apply at any time following that fifth year of his/her first appointment. The Associate Professor will be evaluated for promotion in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement.
   1. If the promotion is approved, s/he will be awarded the rank of full Professor to be effective in the subsequent academic year and will receive an eight-year appointment.
   2. If the Associate Professor chooses not to apply for promotion to full Professor, s/he will then only be evaluated for a five-year reappointment in accordance with Section 5(B) of this Article.
   3. If the promotion is denied, then the Associate Professor can next re-apply for promotion two years after her/his prior application date.
   4. Applying for promotion to full Professor is voluntary, and a decision not to apply will not have an adverse consequence for the faculty member in contract reappointment decisions.

Section 6. Professor

1. A Unit Core Faculty member who is hired as a Professor will be hired on an eight-year appointment.
2. During the Spring semester of the Professor’s seventh year of any eight-year appointment, s/he will be formally evaluated for reappointment in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement. If the Professor is not reappointed, s/he will be notified by June 1 of that seventh year that her/his eighth year will be the final year at the University. If s/he is reappointed, s/he will receive another eight-year appointment commencing after the end of the current eight-year appointment.
3. During the seventh year of any subsequent eight-year appointment for a Professor, s/he will be formally evaluated for reappointment in accordance with Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment and Promotion Procedures) of this Agreement. If the Professor is not reappointed, s/he will be notified by June 1 of that seventh year that her/his eighth year will be the final year at the University. If s/he is reappointed, s/he will receive another eight-year appointment commencing after the end of the current eight-year appointment. As long as the Unit Core Faculty member remains in the rank of Professor, s/he will receive eight-year appointments and will be reviewed for reappointment in the seventh year of each such appointment.

Section 7. Reasons for Non-Reappointment and Grievance Rights

1. Non-reappointments may occur due to the following considerations:
   1. Failure to meet performance expectations
   2. Disciplinary record
   3. Elimination, downsizing, or restructuring of a department, program, school or college
   4. Enrollment concerns
   5. General curriculum modifications or other institutional needs
   6. Serious financial considerations that in the judgment of the University warrant reduction in faculty
2. Grievability of Non-Reappointment Decisions
   1. Unit Core Faculty who are not reappointed due to performance considerations (which may include consideration of her/his disciplinary record) may grieve such decisions but such grievances will be limited to allegations of whether the University’s decision was made in an arbitrary or capricious manner. In addition, after a faculty member has completed six full years of bargaining unit service, the University must also demonstrate that the faculty member has been put on adequate notice that her or his performance was not satisfactory and that reasonable effort has been made by the University to guide the faculty members in improving the faculty member’s performance prior to any non-reappointment.
   2. Unit Core Faculty who are not reappointed due to elimination, downsizing or restructuring of a department, program, school or college; enrollment concerns; general curriculum modifications or other institutional needs; or financial considerations that in the judgment of the University warrant reduction in faculty may not grieve such decisions. However, when the University plans to not reappoint a Unit Core Faculty member due to such reasons, it will notify the faculty member and the Union of her/his non-reappointment no later than June 1 before the final year of the faculty member’s appointment. The University will provide relevant information as to the reasons for the planned non-reappointment, and will engage in effects bargaining over such decision.

Section 8. Performance Standards

As faculty in a learning community, professional responsibility is an important area of performance. Unit Core Faculty members at all ranks are expected to fulfill the responsibilities traditionally performed by faculty and be active members of this teaching and learning community. For example, Unit Core Faculty are expected to conduct themselves in a collegial and collaborative manner, regularly participate in University events and meetings, be accessible and responsive to students, and perform their duties in a timely manner.

1. Definitions. Unit Core Faculty members are expected to meet certain performance standards in the areas of teaching, service, and scholarship, as defined below.
   1. Teaching includes all instructional activity; classroom teaching; curriculum revision; student advising; supervision of individualized studies; and student academic support. Excellence in teaching is the primary performance criterion for all faculty members at all ranks.
   2. Service includes leadership roles, committee engagement, or curriculum and program development related to the unit faculty member’s department/division, College/School, or the University; mentoring of faculty; supporting student activities within the University; and professional service outside of the University in the academic community and the professional specialty.
   3. Scholarship includes publications, presentations, or creative activity such as creative performances and exhibitions, which reflect the three characteristics cited by Lee Shulman in his definition of scholarship: “. . . it should be public, susceptible to critical review and evaluation, and accessible for exchange and use by other members of one’s scholarly community. Scholarship must also reflect at least one of the following categories; the first four are Ernest Boyer’s four categories of scholarship as described in his book Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate (2016):
      1. The “scholarship of discovery;” for example, the creation of new theory and basic research.
      2. The “scholarship of integration;” for example, working with colleagues from a different field in a way that discovers new patterns, or designing a new program of study that draws from a variety of disciplines.
      3. The “scholarship of application;” for example, new knowledge generated by the application of theory to practice or from an innovative approach to applying theory.
      4. The “scholarship of teaching;” for example, pedagogical procedures that illuminate content in a new and more powerful way.
      5. The “scholarship of creativity,” meaning artistic products in visual, literary, and performance arts; for example, public performances and public exhibitions.

   Each Unit Core Faculty member must have a scholarship plan that is discussed with the faculty member’s supervisor or Dean. That plan should offer insight into how the Unit Core Faculty member is intellectually and publicly engaged in her/his discipline and scholarship category.

2. Performance Standards by Rank. Unit Core Faculty are expected to meet the performance standards described below. Unit Core Faculty who apply for promotion must demonstrate that they meet the performance expectations of the higher rank. Once a rank is attained, the faculty member is expected to maintain the required level of performance at that rank in order to be eligible for reappointment at that rank.
   1. Instructors demonstrate excellence in teaching and engagement in service. Instructors will normally hold a Master’s degree.
   2. Assistant Professors demonstrate excellence in teaching, engagement in and progress on their scholarship plan, and active participation in service. Assistant Professors will normally hold a terminal degree.
   3. Associate Professors demonstrate excellence in teaching, meritorious accomplishments in scholarship, and significant contributions to service. Associate Professors must hold a terminal degree.
   4. Professors demonstrate excellence in teaching, substantial and sustained accomplishments in scholarship, and service that demonstrates distinguished leadership at the University or to the profession. Professors must hold a terminal degree.

Section 9. Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedure

The procedures for the evaluation of Unit Core Faculty for reappointment and for promotion in rank are delineated in Article 12 (Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotions) of this Agreement.

Section 10. Contract Termination or Modification

In the event of extraordinary changes affecting the University, institutional financial exigency, or significant program reduction or program closure, the University reserves the right to revise or revoke existing Unit Core Faculty contracts. The University’s determinations about extraordinary changes, institutional financial exigency, significant program reduction, or program closure are not grievable.

In any such instances, the University is committed to making every effort to appropriately reassign affected Unit Core Faculty. In such cases, consideration will first be given to possibilities for contract revision or Unit Core Faculty reassignment. To discuss such options, the Provost will meet with the Unit Core Faculty member and with a Union representative and review all other options within the University. Contract revocation will be the last resort. In cases of contract revocation, the University will provide affected Unit Core Faculty who hold contracts of five years or longer at least one year of continued employment or payment in lieu thereof. The University will provide relevant information as to the reasons for the planned contract revision or revocation, and will engage in effects bargaining over such decision.

Section 11. Implementation for Current Unit Core Faculty

This Agreement will apply to all Unit Core Faculty as of the Effective Date, except that for purposes of (a) length of appointment, Unit Core Faculty will complete their appointment term in effect on the day before the Effective Date and will be considered for re-appointment for the appointment terms set forth in this Article 11 during the spring semester of the penultimate year of their pre-existing appointment term and (b) the timing of eligibility for promotion for assistant professors whose active employment in a bargaining unit position began prior to July 1, 2016 shall be subject to the policy in effect prior to this Agreement. Instructors will be considered for re-appointment during the fall semester of the final year of their pre-existing appointment term.