General Faculty Renewal and Promotion

I. This memorandum discusses Academic, Administrative, and Professional General Faculty members of the various departments or administrative units of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

A. Definition

1. Academic–those positions that normally involve a range of responsibilities that does not encompass the full scope expected from traditional tenure track academic positions (e.g., major responsibilities for teaching only).
   
   
2. Administrative and Professional-- those positions that provide support services to faculty, students, and staff in order to maintain the institution’s primary missions of instruction, research, and public service (e.g., libraries, continuing education, student personnel services, institutional research, legal services, public relations, development, and the offices of deans and vice presidents.)

B. General Faculty positions are “with term,” i.e., a definite time period is specified in the letter of appointment from the University to the individual.   

1. Appointments to all General Faculty positions are term appointments.  No aspects of tenure are involved.  Reappointments are not considered to be automatic.  Performance of one’s duties is the major factor in any reappointment decision.  However, with the first reappointment following the sixth year of service (as a General Faculty member), members of the General Faculty serve with the expectation of continued employment as long as (a) the University continues to need services of a type and scope requiring their level of professional skills, and (b) their job performance is judged to continue at a high level of productivity and effectiveness, and (c), in the case of faculty whose salaries are funded extramurally, extramural support continues to be awarded.
   
   
2.  General Faculty who serve with the expectation of continued employment may, in accordance with the provisions of this policy, nevertheless be reassigned to another position, terminated for cause, or terminated in the event of financial stringency or abolition of position. 

II. Reappointment of General Faculty Members

A. Monitoring the progress of recently appointed academic, administrative, and professional General Faculty members is the responsibility of the department chair or unit head. In addition to the annual merit/salary reviews, a more thorough evaluation is made prior to the end of the first term of appointment, normally in the third year, to ascertain that the faculty member is performing in a highly satisfactory manner the assigned duties. If the evaluation is positive, the faculty member normally can expect to be reappointed for another term of one to three years. Notice of non-reappointment, or the intention not to recommend appointment should be given in writing in accordance with the following standards of notice. 

1.  Persons who have been employed in a General Faculty position at the University for one year or less whose positions are not funded extramurally are entitled to three months of employment following notice that they will not be reappointed.
   
   
2.  Persons who have been employed in a General Faculty position at the University for more than a year but up to two years whose positions are not funded extramurally are entitled to six months of employment following notice that they will not be reappointed.
   
   
3.  Persons who have been employed in a General Faculty position at the University for more than two years whose positions are not funded extramurally are entitled to twelve months of employment following notice that they will not be reappointed.
   
   
4.  Regarding 1-3 above, it is the person's period of actual employment at the time that notice of non‑renewal is given that determines the period of subsequent employment to which the   employee is entitled and not the term of the person's appointment.
   
   
5.  The standard appointment/reappointment sequence for General Faculty will be a three-year contract, renewable for an additional three years, and subsequently renewable every three years.  General Faculty members will normally be reviewed during the third and sixth years and at any time subsequently should the supervisor deem review necessary.  These reviews will be in addition to the Annual Review that every faculty member in Arts & Sciences receives.
   
   
6.  For appointments dependent upon extramural funding, the period of renewal should not exceed the period for which the availability of funds is known (normally one year), and notification of the end of the appointment should be contained in the annual renewal letter

III. Review and Renewal in the Third Year of Service

A.  The initial appointment for General Faculty normally is for a period of three academic or calendar years, renewable for three-year periods thereafter. Department chairs and unit heads will normally consider academic and administrative General Faculty for renewal of term in the third year of actual service. At the conclusion of the third-year review process, the department may recommend a renewal of appointment, normally for three years, or termination at the end of the fourth year of service.  Although General Faculty members funded extramurally may be reappointed on an annual basis, they, too, should undergo a more detailed, comprehensive review in the third and sixth years of employment.

B.   The rights of the General Faculty member during the third-year review include the right to submit appropriate materials, the right to adequate consideration, and the right to action not discriminatory on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation. The faculty member should be notified that renewal of appointment is under consideration and should be given adequate opportunity to submit materials for consideration. A detailed written job description specifying duties and percentage of effort for various aspects of the job should be presented to the candidate when the initial appointment is made, and updated as job responsibilities change. The original and updated description should be presented to an ad hoc renewal committee designated by the department chair or unit head.

1. For Academic General Faculty members, the renewal process should resemble the Arts & Sciences third-year (tenure-track) review process, with two exceptions: (a) the balance of teaching, research, and administrative service should reflect the job description for the candidate under consideration; (b) the standard for third-year review is excellence, or promise of excellence, in each area of job responsibility. Materials submitted to the Dean will be those required in the third-year (tenure-track) review.
   
   
2. For Administrative/Professional General Faculty,  the renewal process should normally incorporate comprehensive evaluation of the faculty member’s professional, administrative, and/or managerial performance from the perspective of constituents served, professional colleagues within the unit and within and outside the university, the supervisor and other senior management, and, if relevant, employees reporting directly to the candidate.  The ad hoc committee designated by the department chair or unit head will normally include the faculty member’s supervisor. The committee should normally solicit at least one letter from each of the following designated groups: constituents served, professional colleagues within the unit, supervisor, and, if relevant, employees reporting directly to the candidate.  Unless the position requires significant interaction with group/s outside the university, external letters will not be required.   The standard for renewal is excellence in each major area of job responsibility, those areas to be determined by the initial and updated job descriptions.  Materials submitted to the Dean should consist of the original and (if any) revised job description/s, the committee’s summary of results of evaluation by all constituents polled, all documents submitted as a part of the process.        

C.  Departmental recommendations will be considered by the Dean of Arts & Sciences, who will make the final decision, except in cases where promotion is being considered.  In cases of promotion, the Provost will make the final determination and recommendation to the Board of Visitors.

IV.  Review and Renewal in the Sixth Year

A. The rights of the General Faculty member during the sixth-year review include the right to submit appropriate materials, the right to adequate consideration, and the right to action not discriminatory on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation.  The faculty member should be notified that renewal of appointment is under consideration and should be given adequate opportunity to submit materials for consideration. A detailed written job description specifying duties and percentage of effort for various aspects of the job should normally be presented to the candidate when the initial appointment is made, and updated as job responsibilities change. The original and updated description should be presented to an ad hoc renewal committee designated by the department chair or unit head.

B.  Academic General Faculty Sixth-Year Review

1. The renewal process should resemble the Arts & Sciences tenure-track sixth-year review process, with one exception: the balance of teaching, research, and administrative service should reflect the job description for the candidate under consideration.  The standard for sixth-year review is excellence in each area of job responsibility. Materials submitted to the Dean will be those required in the sixth-year (tenure-track) review.
   
   
2. Only tenured faculty members should vote on the renewal case.
   
   
3. The Dean of Arts & Sciences, advised by the Dean’s Promotion and Tenure committee, will make a recommendation to the Provost, who will make the final decision.

C. Administrative/Professional General Faculty Sixth-Year Review

1. The review process should normally incorporate a comprehensive evaluation of the faculty member’s professional, administrative, and/or managerial performance from the perspective of constituents served, professional colleagues within the unit and within and outside the university, the supervisor and other senior management, and if relevant, employees reporting directly to the candidate.  The ad hoc committee designated by the department chair or unit head will normally include the faculty member’s supervisor. The committee should normally solicit no fewer than eight evaluations with representation from each of the designated groups. The standard for renewal is excellence in each area of job responsibility, those areas to be determined by the initial and updated job descriptions.
   
   
2. Departments or units should submit to the Dean of Arts & Sciences:
   
   
   1. A written analysis made within the department or unit, normally by an ad hoc committee, assessing the quality of the candidate's work and the promise of future performance.  Such an analysis should be organized with a section devoted to each of the principal duties of the candidate.  If a rigorous assessment cannot be made wholly within the unit, additional independent evaluations should be sought from outside the unit or the University.
      
      
   2. Copies of all documents submitted as part of the process, including the candidate’s c.v.
      
      
   3. Chair’s or Unit Head’s cover letter, that includes:
      
      
      1. the Chair’s or Unit Head’s assessment of candidate’s reputation in his/her field, department, and professional community; and
         
         
      2. a brief statement of the internal procedures of the committee in making its renewal recommendation, and a statement of the departmental or unit vote or the Chair’s or Unit Head’s interpretation of the collective will of the department.  The Chair or Unit Head should take into account departmental or unit needs and goals.
         
         
3. The Dean of Arts & Sciences, advised by a review committee, will make a recommendation to the Provost, who will make the final decision.

V. Reappointment with Promotion

A.  Only Academic General Faculty members are eligible for promotion through the General Faculty professorial ranks. 

1. Promotion will not automatically be considered as part of any review, nor is consideration for promotion at any given time the right of the General Faculty member.  Promotion is not based on length of service, but on the achievement of a level of contribution commensurate with the expectation for a given rank.  Considerations for promotion will be worked out on a case by case basis by the Chair or Unit Head and the Dean of Arts & Sciences
   
   
2. Promotion will not normally be considered earlier than the sixth year.
   
   
3. Reviews that include recommendations (negative or positive) for promotion will be in every case undergo final review by the Provost.

Karen L. Ryan, Interim Dean
College & Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

July 27, 2006
December 13, 2004
July 6, 2000 by Melvyn P. Leffler, Dean