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Faculty
Regulations
13. Special Provisions and Procedures
with Respect to Appointments, Reappointment, and Other Faculty
Actions
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| a. Limitation of Service in the Rank
of Instructor |
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| An instructor is appointed
annually for not more than five years in that rank, with the
exception of instructors primarily teaching college writing
and foreign language, as set forth in Section 9a. of the University
Faculty Manual. An instructor who is not recommended for promotion
to the rank of assistant professor will not be reappointed for
a sixth year. |
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| b. Terms of Service |
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Appointments prior
to the granting of tenure are usually made for two years. However one-year appointments may be made when
recommended by the Committee on Appointments and by the Committee
on Rank and Tenure and such recommendation is supported by the
dean of the Washington College of Law.
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. |
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| 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 1 to August 31. The obligations of full‑time
service are defined in Section 15 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 Washington College
of Law is in session, from the start of orientation prior to
the beginning of classes in the fall through Commencement Day
in the Spring. |
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| Payment for service
is ordinarily made 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. |
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| c. Reappointment |
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| Reappointments are
contingent upon the satisfaction of the general criteria for
the evaluation of faculty members and upon the specific criteria
for particular ranks outlined in Section 12 of this Manual.
Only activities and achievements since the original appointment
shall be considered in connection with a reappointment decision. |
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| All non-tenured, tenure-track
faculty members being considered for reappointment will be evaluated
with respect to the above criteria for appointment. The findings
and recommendations resulting will be communicated to the faculty
member concerned and forwarded with the Full‑Time Faculty
Contract/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 the teaching
unit head, if desirable for any reason relating to the faculty
member's progress toward tenure. Normally, the Full‑Time
Faculty Contract/Personnel Action Form will be processed according
to the procedures outlined in section 9. |
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| Tenured faculty will
be evaluated at least every three years by the teaching unit
rank and tenure committee, and apprised of the results. |
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| d. Promotion in Rank |
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| A person who is recommended
for promotion in rank must meet the criteria in effect for the
initial appointment to that rank. Promotion to the rank of Associate
Professor, and particularly to the rank of Professor, will involve
much more than the mechanical application of specified criteria
and is reserved for those persons who have demonstrated that
they have made an outstanding contribution to the law school
and to the University. |
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| Except in extraordinary
circumstances, members of the full‑time faculty must serve
the requisite number of years in rank as specified in Section
12 of this Manual, including at least two years at American
University, before being eligible for promotion to the next
succeeding rank. |
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| e. Designation of Special Titles other
than Regular Faculty Ranks |
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| There are circumstances
under which a faculty member may receive a special title. |
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| 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 a fixed term. A faculty member who is to receive such a designation
must have the recommendation of the Washington College of Law’s
Committee on Rank and
Tenure and the dean of the Washington College of Law before
action is taken by the provost and president. |
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| f. Documentary Support for Faculty Personnel
Actions: Rights and Responsibilities
of Faculty |
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| 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. |
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| g. Right of a Current or Prospective Faculty
Member to be Informed of Personnel Action Recommendations |
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| Every faculty member
will be informed promptly and in writing exactly what recommendation
has been made for him/her by the Committee on Rank and Tenure
and the dean of the Washington College of Law and/or the provost
or the dean of academic affairs acting on behalf of the provost. |
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| The dean of the Washington
College of Law 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 academics affairs. In cases of the offer of tenure, final action
by the Board of Trustees is required. |
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| h. Schedule of Notice for Appointment or
Termination |
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| 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. |
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| It is the intention
of the University that each full‑time member of the teaching
faculty (except those in a visiting status and those with temporary
or emergency appointments) shall be advised by letter, or by
a duly executed Faculty Personnel Action Form, as early as possible
for each academic year whether s/he will be reappointed and,
in cases of reappointment, the terms and conditions thereof. |
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| Initial notification
by the Washington College of Law of a recommendation of non-reappointment
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 at the University. |
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| In cases of termination
for cause (e.g., incompetence, misconduct, or when based on
a conviction of a felony), the preceding dates do not apply. |
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| A faculty member who
has entered the final year of pre‑tenure service without
being notified earlier 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. |
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| Except
for cases of termination for cause, a faculty member who has
not been informed by the appropriate date specified in the above
schedule that he/she is not to be recommended for reappointment
may assume that he/she will be reappointed for the following
academic year. |
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| Final notification
of termination will be given in writing to the faculty member
reasonably soon after
the decision to terminate is made. |
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| 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 (except the year of terminal
appointment). 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 in the manner described above.
The University will undertake its best efforts to
reach a decision in accordance with the schedule specified above. |
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| 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 Dean of the Law School, who will respond with a status report
within two weeks. If the faculty member does not receive a final
decision concerning reappointment at least two weeks prior to
the first day of classes of
the Fall term, the faculty member shall be deemed to
have received a favorable decision concerning reappointment
from the dean of academic affairs. A faculty member who does not receive notification
of a recommendation of non-reappointment in accordance with
the schedule above will be entitled to at least a terminal year’s
contract for the ensuing year in the event that reappointment
for a succeeding academic year does not occur. |
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| i. Candidates who are not US citizens or permanent
residents |
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| For
faculty appointees who are not US Citizens or permanent residents
the dean of the Washington College of Law 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 US citizens or permanent
residents are responsible for obtaining appropriate visa authorizations
before the commencement of work. |
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| j. Resignations |
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| 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. 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, 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 as to the status of his/her resignation. |
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| In
all cases, a letter of resignation should be forwarded to the
college or school dean’s office.
The college or school dean’s office should then forward
the resignation letter to the dean of academic affairs and to
the Office of Human Resources. |
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| k. Adjunct Faculty Ranks |
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| Departments, schools,
and colleges may appoint adjunct faculty to supplement the effort
of the full‑time faculty. Adjunct faculty ranks are: Lecturer,
Professorial Lecturer, Adjunct Associate
Professor, Adjunct Professor, and Distinguished Adjunct
Professor. The qualifications for appointment to adjunct faculty
ranks must be germane to the course or courses to which the
individual is assigned. |
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| For Lecturer, qualifications
include academic or professional experience that is comparable
to the requirements for the full‑time rank of Instructor
stated in Section 9 of this Manual. |
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| For Professorial Lecturer,
or for any lecturer assigned to teach a graduate course, the
criteria for the full‑time rank of Assistant Professor
in Section 9 of this Manual apply, except that, in the
absence of a doctorate, relevant full‑time professional
responsibility and achievement must be shown. |
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For Adjunct Associate
Professor, either the qualifications for the full-time rank
of Associate Professor in section 9 of this Manual
must be shown, or long-term, relevant experience in the
candidate's professional field and highly satisfactory teaching
performance.
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For Adjunct Professor,
either the qualifications for the full‑time rank of
Professor in Section 9 of this Manual must be shown,
or relevant full‑time professional responsibility
and achievement, a high standing in the candidate's professional
field, and highly satisfactory teaching performance.
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For Distinguished Adjunct
Professor, either the qualifications for the full‑time
rank of Professor in Section 9 of this Manual must
be shown, or relevant full‑time professional responsibility
and exceptional achievement. Distinguished service in the
candidate's professional field or outstanding teaching performance
is also required.
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