8-7 Duration of Faculty Appointments

	PPM 8-7, Duration of Faculty Appointments and Review of Instructors
	Responsible Office: Academic Affairs

1.0 PURPOSE

This policy discusses duration and review of faculty appointments.

2.0 REFERENCES

2.1 PPM 8-6, Faculty Appointments
2.2 PPM 8-10, Termination of Faculty Appointment
2.3 PPM 8-11, Evaluation of Faculty Members
2.4 PPM 8-23, Probationary Period for Tenure
2.5 PPM 9-9, Due Process/General Statement
2.6 PPM 9-16, Termination Due to Program Discontinuance/Modification or Financial Exigency
2.7 PPM 9-17, Termination of Non-Tenured Faculty and Appeal of Tenure Denial Decision

3.0 TENURE TRACK APPOINTMENTS

All tenure track appointments shall be so specified in the initial contract. The probationary period is described in PPM 8-23. During the probationary period, tenure track faculty members will be subject to the review policy as described in PPM 8-11, the termination policy described in PPM 8-10 and 9-17, and enjoy the protections outlined in PPM 9-9. A tenure track position may have special conditions imposed by the department and college, with the advice and approval of the provost, for valid but exceptional reasons.

Faculty appointed to a tenure track position from an instructor position shall receive a new contract stating change of status which clearly indicates whether any years of service on non-tenure track are to be considered towards tenure and/or promotion. Instructors who later apply for and are hired into a tenure track position may have a maximum of two years in full-time, contract positions at the University applied toward the probationary period for tenure or increase in rank, based on agreement by the candidate for appointment, the academic department, the dean, and at the discretion of the department and college ranking tenure evaluation committees (see PPM 8-6).

4.0 INSTRUCTOR APPOINTMENTS

4.1 Hiring of Instructor Appointments

To fill an instructor appointment, a department should construct an appropriate job description and appropriate credentials and then follow the procedures of PPM 8-6. Contracts for such positions should be written so that candidates understand and agree that there is no de facto tenure associated with the position and that there is no expectation of further employment beyond the termination date of their contract. Notwithstanding anything herein, the standards for evaluations, promotion, and appointment should align with the scope and conditions of employment outlined in the instructor’s contract letter and agreed upon consistent with PPM 8-6.

4.2 Duration of Instructor Appointments

In all appointments not specifically described as tenure track, faculty appointments will be non-tenure track. Initial instructor appointments will be for one year and subsequent appointments will be for a maximum of three years, with review as described below. Reappointment after the expiration of a contract is at the university's sole discretion. In situations where a programmatic need cannot be met through normal tenure track hiring procedures, a department may be allowed, upon recommendation of the dean and approval of the provost, to reappoint a contract faculty to a two or three-year contract. However, no employee or agent of the University may create an expectation or entitlement to continued employment beyond the contract year, except as set forth in a writing authorized under University policy. In extraordinary cases and upon recommendation of the dean and approval by the provost, a senior instructor who has at least fifteen years of experience as a full time instructor at the University may be approved for a contract with a longer term, with a maximum appointment of five years.

4.3 Review of Instructor Performance

Instructors will undergo a performance evaluation annually performed by the department chair. The dean and provost shall review the need for the renewal of the agreement. Prior to reappointment, instructors will be formally reviewed by a faculty committee created and chaired by the chair of the academic unit or department. This committee will make a recommendation to the dean regarding reappointment.

4.4 Senior Instructor Review

Following a total of six years of full-time employment at the University at the instructor level, and positive reviews from the two most recent formal committee reviews (typically the first and fourth year reviews), a faculty member may apply for promotion to the position of senior instructor. The position of senior instructor shall only be available through promotion from instructor and not as an initial appointment. Promotion to senior instructor gives a faculty member an opportunity for greater recognition and compensation (pending funding availability) and may require greater responsibility, as determined by the department chair and the dean, in accordance with the needs of the program.

Promotion to senior instructor will be based on a candidate meeting the requirements of one of the channels shown below, with the most careful consideration given to a candidate’s teaching performance:

Channel	Teaching	Administration and/or Professional Service and/or Scholarship
A	Good	Good
B	Excellent	Satisfactory

Evaluation criteria for each category shall be specified at the college level. The standards for evaluation should align with the scope and conditions of employment outlined in the candidate’s contract letter and agreed on by the appointee, department chair, and dean of the college.

The position of senior instructor is not a tenure track position and does not come with a promise or expectation of tenure. Faculty promoted to the position of senior instructor do not thereby receive
academic rank. (See PPM 8-6.) Performance evaluations and contract renewals for senior instructors shall be as outlined in sections 4.2 and 4.3 above.

Revision History

Creation Date: 11-12-80

Amended: 05-09-19, 5-22-24