APPENDIX D.
TENURE AND PROMOTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
OF
II. Faculty Appointments
A. General
Provisions
1. Categories of Appointments
There are three kinds of faculty appointments:
(a) Fixed‑Term Appointments [cf. Special Faculty Appointments, the
UNC Code, 604C and ECU Faculty Manual, Appendix C.]. Fixed-term appointees do not hold
professorial ranks, but are appointed with the following titles: teaching
instructor, teaching assistant professor, teaching associate professor,
teaching professor, research instructor, research assistant professor, research
associate professor, research professor, clinical instructor, clinical
assistant professor, clinical associate professor, clinical professor, visiting
instructor, visiting assistant professor, visiting associate professor,
visiting professor, artist in residence, writer in residence, adjunct
instructor, adjunct assistant professor, adjunct associate professor, and
adjunct professor. Fixed-term appointments are without permanent tenure and do
not entitle the faculty member to consideration for reappointment or conferral
of permanent tenure. No obligation
exists on the part of
(b) Probationary Appointments and Reappointments. Probationary appointments are made at the
professorial ranks of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or
professor. Probationary appointees are
entitled to reappointment reviews and, if reappointed throughout the
probationary period, are entitled to a tenure review. The timing of these reviews is explained
below.
(c) Appointments with Permanent Tenure.
Appointments with permanent tenure are continuous until retirement,
resignation, or removal according to the provisions of Section VI or VII of
this document. Appointments with
permanent tenure may be made at the professorial ranks of assistant professor,
associate professor, or professor.
2. Criteria
for Initial Appointment and Reappointment
All appointments, including fixed-term appointments,
and all reappointments of candidates to probationary term positions shall be based on
assessments of candidates' demonstrated professional competence, potential for
future contributions, and the institution's needs and resources.
3. Terms and Conditions for Appointment and Reappointment
The chancellor or the chancellor's designee[1]
shall set out in writing, with a copy to the faculty member, the terms and the
conditions of each appointment, including fixed-term appointments, and each
reappointment. The terms shall incorporate by reference appropriate sections of
the Faculty Manual and shall state
any conditions placed on the appointment or reappointment.[2] The responsibility for initiating the
inclusion of special terms and conditions in documents of appointment is with
the unit administrator. Prior to initial appointment the unit administrator
shall provide a copy of the unit’s criteria for evaluating faculty performance
to persons offered a faculty appointment in the unit. Criteria for evaluating
faculty performance shall be discussed by the unit administrator in a meeting
with each fixed-term and probationary-term faculty member at the beginning of
the first term of employment and at the beginning of each academic year
thereafter. A summary of this discussion shall be placed in the faculty
member’s personnel file. The responsibility for calling this meeting is with
the unit administrator.
Notice of reappointment or non-reappointment to
probationary-term persons shall be written.
The decision not to reappoint probationary term faculty shall not be
based upon (1) the faculty member's exercise of rights guaranteed by either the
First Amendment to the United States Constitution or Article I of the North
Carolina Constitution; (2) discrimination based upon the faculty member's race,
color, national origin, religion, veteran’s status, gender, age, sexual
orientation, political affiliation, or disability; or (3) personal malice. (
4. Continued
Availability of Special Funding
The appointment or reappointment of a faculty member
to a position funded in whole or in substantial part from sources other than
continuing state budget funds or permanent trust funds shall specify in writing
that continuance of the faculty member's services, whether for a specified term
or for permanent tenure, shall be contingent upon continuing availability of
such funds. This contingency shall not
be included in a faculty member's contract if the faculty member held permanent
tenure in the institution on July 1, 1975, and the contract was not then
contingent upon the continuing availability of sources other than continuing
state budget or permanent trust funds.
5. Notice
of Resignation
A fixed-term or probationary-term faculty member
should provide the unit administrator with 90 days advance notice, in writing,
of resignation from employment. A
permanently tenured faculty member should provide the unit administrator with
120 days advance notice in writing of resignation from employment. In no case
should a resignation occur in mid-semester.
B. Fixed‑Term
Appointments [cf. Special Faculty Appointments, The
UNC Code, 604C]
Fixed-term faculty appointments are without permanent
tenure and do not entitle the faculty member to consideration for conferral of
permanent tenure. No obligation exists
on the part of
1. Contract
and Notice
A contract for a fixed‑term appointment shall set
forth in writing the beginning and ending dates of the term. This specification of the length of the
appointment constitutes full and timely notice of non-reappointment when the
term expires. Whenever possible
multi-year contracts, of up to five years, with eligibility for renewal, will
be offered to fixed-term faculty members who have demonstrated their
effectiveness and contributions and/or who have outstanding credentials. The provisions of 604 A and 602(4) of The
Code of The University of North Carolina do not apply to these special faculty
appointments. No obligation exists on
the part of
2. Fixed‑Term Employment Evaluation Policy [cf. Special Faculty Appointments, The
UNC Code, 604C]
Any faculty member employed in a fixed term position shall
be evaluated annually in accordance with the provisions of the employment
contract. A fixed-term faculty member
should submit a portfolio to the Personnel Committee and the unit administrator
prior to the unit administrator and the Personnel Committee recommending
contract renewal. The portfolio should contain information that demonstrates
the effectiveness of the fixed-term faculty member in carrying out the duties
specified in the contract. The specific contents of the portfolio shall be
determined by the unit.
3. Initial recommendations for advancement in title for faculty
holding fixed term appointments is the responsibility
of the unit Personnel Committee (see Section IV, A.1.).
C. Probationary Appointments
Probationary appointments are made at the
professorial ranks of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and
professor. Persons appointed as instructors shall not be considered for
reappointment with permanent tenure until promoted to a higher rank. Persons
appointed as assistant professors, associate professors, and professors are
eligible for permanent tenure. In
accordance with the UNC Code, 604A1, the faculty member shall be notified not
later than twelve months before the end of the probationary period whether he
or she will be recommended for permanent tenure. A faculty member appointed to an
administrative position is eligible for permanent tenure only as a faculty
member in one of the professorial ranks.
There is no permanent tenure in an administrative position.
During the second year of continuous service at
1. Probationary
Terms
Although the chancellor may recommend that a faculty
member be granted permanent tenure at any time, the normal probationary term
for the professorial ranks, as established at the time of initial appointment,
shall be as follows:
(a) Instructor. The rank of instructor is reserved for
persons who lack the qualifications for appointment as assistant
professor. Faculty members appointed as
instructors are eligible for an initial three-year appointment and one
successive reappointment of two years.
Instructors promoted to the rank of assistant professor no later than
the beginning of the fourth year of employment are eligible for a final
two-year probationary appointment in the higher rank. The maximum probationary term is seven years.
(b) Assistant Professor. The maximum probationary term is seven years,
consisting of an initial three-year appointment and two successive two-year
appointments.
(c) Associate Professor. The maximum probationary term is five years,
consisting of an initial three-year appointment followed by a two-year
appointment.
(d) Professor. The probationary term is three years, consisting of one
three-year appointment.
All time served in a probationary appointment at East
Carolina University must be continuous, excluding any leaves of absence as
noted in Section II.C.3.
When a faculty member in probationary appointment
requests and is awarded promotion in rank before the end of the probationary
term, the original contractual probationary term shall not be altered.
In order to afford the maximum opportunity for
tenure, the probationary term for personnel hired at the professorial ranks,
whose contract date occurs earlier than the beginning of the Fall semester (or
July 1 for faculty in the Division of Health Sciences and Academic Library
Services), will be measured from the beginning of the subsequent Fall semester
(or July 1 for faculty in the Division of Health Sciences and Academic Library
Services).
2. Reduction
of the
Reduction of the normal probationary term may be
granted for previous full-time faculty employment at the time of initial
appointment as assistant professor, or associate professor. The granting of such reduction shall require
the agreement of the appointee, a simple majority of the unit Personnel
Committee, the unit administrator, the dean, and the appropriate vice
chancellor. The maximum reduction at
each professorial rank shall be as follows:
(a) For a candidate appointed at the rank of instructor, no reduction is
allowed.
(b) For a candidate appointed at the rank of assistant professor, a
maximum reduction of three years is allowed.
(c) For a candidate appointed at the rank of associate professor, a
maximum reduction of two years is allowed.
(d) For a candidate
appointed at the rank of professor, no reduction is allowed.
3. Extensions
of the Probationary Term
Leaves from all employment obligations which are
granted to probationary-term faculty may include extension of the length of the
probationary term. (Leaves of absence normally should be for not more than two
academic years or occur more often than once in three years). Extensions of the
probationary term should be requested by the faculty member and shall be
granted only in cases of severe personal exigency, such as illness, childbirth,
child care, or other compelling personal circumstances, and shall be limited to
a total of no more than two years. Probationary term faculty who have received
paid leave of at least 15 weeks under the ECU Serious Illness and Disability
Leave Policy shall receive an extension of the probationary term if
requested. Extensions of the
probationary term must be expressly stated in appointment or reappointment
documents or added by a written memorandum of amendment by the unit
administrator during the term of an appointment. The probationary term may be
extended in increments of one or more academic years: one year for leaves of
one or two semesters, two years for leaves of three or four semesters. All such
extensions must be approved in writing by the faculty member, the unit
Personnel Committee, the unit administrator, the dean, the appropriate vice
chancellor, and the chancellor or the chancellor's designee. A
probationary-term faculty member who assumes a full-time administrative
position for one or more semesters may be granted extensions of the length of
the probationary term in the same way.
4. Progress
Toward Tenure Letters
Each Spring semester, the unit Tenure Committee and
unit administrator will review the annual report of each probationary term
faculty member. On the basis of this review, the unit administrator, in
consultation with the unit Tenure Committee, will write a progress toward
tenure letter to each probationary term faculty member. In the event the unit Tenure Committee and
the unit administrator cannot agree on the contents of the letter, the next
higher administrator shall confer jointly with the unit Tenure Committee and
unit administrator, determine at his or her discretion the content of the
letter, and prepare the progress toward tenure letter. Copies of the progress toward tenure letter
will be placed in the faculty member's personnel file, and a copy will be sent
to the unit Tenure Committee and to the next higher administrative level. The
unit administrator and a representative of the unit Tenure Committee will
discuss the progress toward tenure letter with the faculty member. In the event that the faculty member
disagrees with the contents of the progress toward tenure letter, it is the
responsibility of the faculty member to make this disagreement known in writing
addressed to the unit administrator for inclusion in the personnel file and the
PAD. Copies of this letter will be placed in the faculty member's personnel
file, and a copy will be sent to the unit Tenure Committee and to the next
higher administrative level. (See
Section IV.D.3.)
5. Request
for Permanent Tenure Prior to the End of the Probationary Term
During the Spring semester of the academic year, a
faculty member who has not completed the probationary term (see Section
II.C.1-3) and who requests in writing that consideration be given to conferral
of permanent tenure will be considered for permanent tenure during the Fall
semester of the next academic year.[3]
D. Initial
Appointment with Permanent Tenure
A faculty member whose initial appointment is to a
professorial rank with permanent tenure shall be regarded as having permanent
tenure until retirement, resignation, or removal according to the provisions of
Sections VI or VII of this document.
Joint appointments
are made when faculty members are appointed with responsibilities in more than
one unit. The source of funds for joint
appointments may come solely from one unit, or it may come separately from two
or more units to which the faculty member has a joint appointment.
Faculty members who hold joint appointments in more
than one unit or center within East Carolina University shall be assigned to a
primary academic unit with a greater than half-time appointment in the primary
academic unit. The letter of appointment
will specify the terms of the appointment, will identify the primary academic
unit and will reference all units in which the faculty member holds joint
appointments. A single appointment
letter signed by all supervising administrators is preferable, but in instances
where a jointly appointed faculty member has disparate duties in the various
units, a separate joint appointment letter may be issued by the administrators
of the units in which the faculty member holds joint appointments, provided
that a copy of each joint appointment letter is forwarded to the unit
administrator(s) of the other supervising unit(s).
Each appointment letter issued by the primary and joint appointment
units will specify the faculty member’s responsibilities, performance
expectations, and compensation, if any, for that department and/or
program. Annual, written evaluations of
the faculty member will be prepared by the unit administrator of the faculty
member’s primary academic unit, in consultation with the administrator(s) of
the unit(s) to which the faculty member is jointly appointed. If the administrators of the units to which
the faculty member is jointly appointed disagree on the annual evaluation, the
next higher administrator to the primary academic unit will arbitrate the
disagreement and will write the final annual faculty evaluation, if agreement
cannot be reached among all joint appointment units.
For probationary faculty appointments and permanently
tenured faculty appointments, the policies and procedures of the primary
academic unit shall be used for reappointment, tenure, and promotion of the
faculty member, as appropriate to the appointment type. Annual progress toward tenure letters for
probationary faculty will be prepared by the unit administrator of the primary
academic unit, in consultation with the administrator(s) of the unit(s) to
which the faculty member is jointly appointed, and in consultation with the
Tenure Committee of the primary academic unit.
If there is disagreement on the progress toward tenure letter, the next
higher administrator of the primary academic unit will confer with the Tenure
Committee of the primary academic unit and with the administrators of the units
to which the faculty member is jointly appointed, determine at his or her
discretion the content of the letter, and prepare the progress toward tenure
letter.
For all faculty on joint
appointments, annual salary increase recommendations will be made on each
funding source of the appointment according to the guidelines of the units, the
General Administration, and those of the University. If there is one source of
funding, the administrators of the separate portions of the appointment will
consult and recommend together. If there is disagreement, it will be appealed
to the next higher administrator of the primary academic unit.
All
faculty members who hold joint appointments are governed by the ECU Faculty
Manual, and all provisions of each faculty appointment must be consistent
with relevant sections of the ECU Faculty Manual. (Faculty Senate
Resolution #02-05)
1References to the
chancellor's designee shall include and be limited to the vice chancellor for
academic affairs and the vice chancellor for health sciences.
2The chancellor, in
consultation with the office of the Faculty Senate, is responsible for the
publication of the Faculty Manual. The Senate office shall be responsible for
the maintenance of the Faculty Manual. The Faculty Manual shall contain the tenure
and personnel policies and regulations of
3A faculty member considering such action is
encouraged to seek consultation with the unit Personnel Committee and the unit
administrator. When a faculty member applies for and then withdraws a request for
early consideration for permanent tenure, a copy of all documents submitted to
support the request and a record of all decisions by the appropriate committee and any administrator(s) shall be
directly forwarded to the appropriate vice chancellor. Because a faculty member
will be considered for permanent tenure if he or she reaches the end of the
probationary term, denials of requests for permanent tenure made before the end
of the probationary term are not subject to appeal.