FACULTY REGULATIONS 

11.  Special Provisions and Procedures for Appointment, Reappointment, and Other Faculty Actions  

a. Limitation of Service in the Rank of Instructor  

An instructor is appointed annually for not more than five years in that rank.  An Instructor who is not recommended for promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor will not be reappointed for a sixth year.  

b. Terms of Service    

Appointments prior to the granting of tenure are usually made annually. However, an initial appointment of two years may be made when recommended by the teaching unit and approved through the usual appointment process.  Faculty on an initial two‑year contract must be notified by the teaching unit no later than December 15 of the second academic year whether it will recommend renewal for another year.  Contracts prior to the granting of tenure, and subsequent to the initial two‑year contract, will be for one year only and will be subject to the notice requirements specified in item "h" of this section.

 

An appointment to the full‑time faculty is a contractual obligation to the University which is effective throughout the academic year and runs from September l to August 31.  The obligations of full‑time service are defined in Section 13 of this Manual. This obligation calls for nine months of full‑time service to the University, which shall include, specifically, the faculty member's active presence while the University is in session from the start of orientation prior to the beginning of classes in the fall through commencement day in the spring.

 

The library faculty member’s contract year coincides with the twelve-month academic year.  The schedule for evaluating files and notifying library faculty members of personnel actions is the same as the schedule for the teaching faculty.  An initial contract of up to twenty-four months may be offered at the recommendation of the University Library Rank and Tenure Committee and/or the university librarian.  A library faculty member who is appointed within six months of the end of a contract year will not receive credit toward tenure for the partial year.   

 

Payment for service is ordinarily in nine monthly installments from September through May,

although a faculty member may choose to apportion salary payments through the twelve‑month

period, September through August.  For library faculty, payment for service is in twelve monthly installments.

 

c.  Reappointment

 

Reappointments are contingent upon the satisfaction of the general criteria for the evaluation of faculty members contained in Section 10, the specific criteria set by the individual teaching unit library and the criteria for particular ranks outlined in Section 9 of this Manual.

 

All non‑tenured, tenure‑track faculty members being recommended for reappointment will be

evaluated with respect to the above criteria for appointment.  Such an evaluation will also be made for a faculty member with one year of prior service from another institution who is applying for reappointment after an initial two‑year contract.  The findings and recommendations resulting will be communicated to the faculty member concerned and forwarded with the Faculty Personnel Action Form as part of the reappointment process.  An evaluation as set out in this paragraph may also be carried out in the first year of a second or third two-year contract at the request of the faculty member or teaching unit head, if desirable for any reason relating to the faculty member’s progress toward tenure.  Normally, the Faculty Personnel Action Form will be processed according to the procedures outlined in section 7.

 

Tenured faculty will be evaluated at least every three years by the teaching unit library rank and tenure committee, and apprized of the results.   

d. Promotion in Rank  

A person who is recommended for promotion in rank must meet the criteria in effect for initial appointment to that rank.  Promotion in rank cannot be considered an automatic procedure or simply the result of loyal service to the University for a number of years.  Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor or Associate Librarian, and particularly to the rank of Professor or Librarian, will involve much more than the mechanical application of specified criteria and will be reserved for those persons who have demonstrated that they have made an outstanding contribution to the University.

 

On satisfying the University's criteria for advancement, an Instructor may be recommended for promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor consistent with the provisions of Section 9a. of this Manual.  Other members of the full‑time faculty must serve the requisite number of years in rank, as specified in Section 9 of this Manual, including at least two years at American University, before being eligible for promotion to the next succeeding rank.

 

e.  Designation of Special Titles other than Regular Faculty Ranks

 

There are circumstances under which a faculty member may receive a special title.  For example, an endowment fund may allow for the naming of a chair or a professorship in a school or college for an indefinite period or for a fixed term.  A faculty member who is to receive such a designation must have the recommendation of the unit's rank and tenure committee, school/college dean university librarian, and Committee on Faculty Relations before action is taken by the provost and president.

 

f.  Documentary Support for Faculty Personnel Actions:  Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty

 

An individual faculty member is responsible for updating his/her own File for Action, and all the appropriate documents s/he has supplied will accompany the Faculty Personnel Action Form as it is sent through the personnel process.

 

g.  Right of a Current or Prospective Faculty Member to be Informed of Personnel Action Recommendations

 

Every faculty member will be informed promptly and in writing of exactly what recommendation has been made for him/her by the Rank and Tenure Committee of the teaching unit library, the administrative head, of the teaching unit, and the dean university librarian, as well as by the Committee on Faculty Relations, the dean of academic affairs, and the provost.

 

Department chairs, administrative heads, and deans may report to a candidate the progress of the recommendation through the various stages and may indicate when final action may be expected.  An offer of employment is not final until a contract is forwarded from the dean of academic affairs. In cases of the offer of tenure, final action by the Board of Trustees is required.

 

h.  Schedule of Notice for Appointment or Termination

 

The precise terms and conditions of all appointments shall be stated in writing to the appointee.  This Faculty Manual shall be made available to all faculty personnel and must be incorporated by reference in the letter of appointment.

 

It is the intention of the University that each full‑time member of the teaching and library faculty (except those in a visiting status and those with temporary or emergency appointments) will be advised by letter, or by a duly executed Faculty Personnel Action form, as early as possible in each academic year whether s/he will be reappointed, and in cases of reappointment, the terms and conditions thereof.

 

Initial notification by a teaching unit the library of a recommended termination will follow this schedule:

 

•                  no later than January 31 of the first academic year of service if the appointment expires at the end of that academic year;

 

•                  no later than December 15 of the academic year in which the appointment expires after one year of full‑time teaching at the University;

 

•                  at least twelve months before the expiration of an appointment after two or more years of full‑time teaching or library service at the University.

 

In cases of terminations for cause (e.g., incompetence, misconduct, or when based on a conviction of a felony), the preceding dates do not apply.

 

A faculty member who has entered the final year of pre‑tenure service without being earlier notified of a decision on the granting of tenure will be entitled to at least a terminal year's contract for the ensuing year, in the event that tenure is not awarded.

 

Final notification of termination will be given in writing to the faculty member reasonably soon after the decision to terminate is made.

 

Reappointment of members of the full‑time faculty to a succeeding academic year, and reappointment of members of the full‑time faculty who are serving other term appointments may be accomplished only by notice from the dean of academic affairs.  Notwithstanding the notification schedule above, no person shall be deemed to have been reappointed or to have been awarded tenure because notice is not given or received by the time or by the manner described above.  If notice is not received in accordance with the schedule above, it is the faculty member's responsibility to inquire of the dean of academic affairs, through the teaching unit chair university librarian, who will respond with a status report.

 

i.  Candidates who are not US citizens or permanent residents

 

For faculty appointees who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, the head of the teaching unit university librarian should contact the University Counsel for information about visas and work authorization for the potential faculty member.  The Office of University Counsel provides information on visa matters for foreign nationals and advises the University in matters regarding immigration laws and regulations.  Candidates who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are responsible for obtaining appropriate visa authorizations before the commencement of work.

 

j.  Faculty Action Procedures for Adjunct Faculty

 

Adjunct Faculty may be appointed for a period of up to three years. The appointment may be renewed at the end of the appointment period if it is recommended by the appropriate college or school and is in the best interest of the University and its instructional programs.  Adjunct Faculty can receive compensation only for those sessions during which they have specific contractual duties.  Adjunct faculty appointments and reappointments are recommended by the department and school or college University Library, subject to approval by the dean of academic affairs, and are made according to procedures established by the dean of academic affairs.  An adjunct faculty appointment expires at the end of the appointment period unless it is renewed according to the procedures established by the dean of academic affairs.  Employment beyond the contract period cannot be expected by an adjunct faculty member even if the current appointment has not expired.

 

1. Lecturers, Professorial Lecturers, Adjunct Associate Professors Librarians and Adjunct Professors Librarians are appointed with the approval of the appropriate committee of the University Library, or council of the employing teaching unit, the dean of the college or school concerned university librarian, and the dean of academic affairs.

 

2. Distinguished Adjunct Professors Librarians are appointed with the approval of the appropriate committee of the University Library, or council of the employing teaching unit, the dean of the college or school concerned universtiy librarian, the Committee on Faculty Relations, and the dean of academic affairs.

 

3. In all cases, the recommendation for the reappointment or promotion of an adjunct faculty member must be accompanied by student teaching evaluations (where available) and other documentation of effective teaching ability.

 

l.  Resignations

 

A faculty member who resigns from the University while under contract must do so in writing to teaching unit heads or to the dean of the college or school university librarian, preferably 60 days but not fewer than 30 days before the last day of employment.  Formal acceptance of a letter of resignation on behalf of the University must come from the dean of academic affairs.  This ensures that all contractual obligations to the University have been, or will be, met.  The dean of the college or school or the teaching unit head, The university librarian must acknowledge receipt of the resignation to the faculty member, with an indication that the letter is being forwarded to the dean of academic affairs for action.  The dean of academic affairs will notify the faculty member by letter as to the status of his/her resignation.

 

In all cases, a letter of resignation should be forwarded to the college or school dean's university librarian’s office.  The college or school dean's university librarian’s office should then forward the resignation letter to the dean of academic affairs and to the Office of Human Resources.