FACULTY REGULATIONS

The sections under this heading constitute the basic regulations concerning conditions of faculty employment, as enacted by the Faculty Senate and approved by the provost, the president, and the Board of Trustees.  Faculty must also comply with the applicable policies contained in the Academic Regulations.

 8.  Faculty Rank:  General Conditions of Appointment

a.  Full-Time Faculty Ranks

Except as provided below, all appointments to faculty ranks are on the recommendation of a college, school, department or other appropriate administrative unit (with the concurrence of the appropriate dean), and constitute appointments to the faculty of the recommending school or college.  Appointments at any rank may be made jointly to two or more faculties of the University, with the same rank in each.  Appointment to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Public Affairs, and the Kogod School of Business requires appointment to a department.

Except as provided below, all appointments to the full-time faculty are tenure-track appointments, with the appointment to a seventh year of service conveying tenure or being designated as a terminal contract.

b.  University Library Faculty Members

Regular full-time library faculty ranks are: assistant librarian, associate librarian, and librarian.

The University Library is a central element in the educational structure of the University, and its activities support and promote the work of all teaching units.  Therefore, its full-time faculty members are evaluated with concern for excellence, are offered the protection of academic freedom, and enjoy privileges, such as tenure and the opportunity for leaves, that are established for other full-time faculty members. (See The University Library Faculty Manual [Section II Part V of The Manual of Information and Procedures]).

c.  Washington Semester Program Faculty

The Washington Semester Program enhances many departments throughout the University and contributes to the university's national and international reputation.  Its full-time faculty have the protection of academic freedom and are evaluated with concern for excellence.  Persons appointed to positions as full-time faculty in the Program incur the responsibilities and enjoy the benefits of University faculty, including the opportunity for leaves, with the exception of indefinite tenured appointments.  Washington Semester Program faculty are eligible for renewable contracts.  All appointments are based on temporary one-year contracts until the fifth year of service.  Full-time Washington Semester Program faculty who are in their fifth year of service may be considered for a multi-year contract of two- to five-year appointments without eligibility for or implication of indefinite tenure.  In the last year of a multi-year contract, a Washington Semester faculty member may request renewal, in which case the file for action will go through the reappointment process as set forth in Section 7 of the Manual.  A recommendation from the dean of the Washington Semester Program will accompany the file for action.

d.  Visiting Faculty

A person who is on leave from the full-time teaching faculty of an accredited college or

university or from a comparable educational, research, or policy institution may be appointed on an annual basis as Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, or Visiting Assistant Professor.  If a full-time faculty appointment to the University faculty is desired, the same qualifications and procedures shall apply as for initial appointments to full-time faculty ranks. Recommendations for reappointment of visiting faculty shall be made annually to the Committee on Faculty Relations.  A visiting appointment may not be renewed for more than two consecutive years.

Visiting Faculty are entitled to specific resources and access to specific facilities of the university as determined by the dean of the college or school to which they have been appointed or by the university librarian. While the conditions and perquisites of employment are not the same as tenure or tenure track faculty, all other rules, policies, and procedures that relate to the teaching faculty of the university apply.

The University Library may offer visiting appointments on the same basis to qualified library and information professionals.

e.  In-Residence Faculty

An "In-Residence" faculty appointment allows for flexibility where there is a desire to provide for the presence of a distinguished and prominent individual to American University.  The positions that are given "In-Residence" designation may be full- or part-time and include, but are not limited to, Writer, Artist, Diplomat, Poet, Scholar, Lecturer, Executive, Journalist, and Emeritus In-Residence.  Such an appointment is initiated at the teaching unit level with prior consultation with the dean and the dean of academic affairs on behalf of the provost.  The procedures for making the appointment will be those regularly followed for personnel appointment to full- and part-time positions.  The specific duties, privileges, and remuneration of In-Residence appointees will be negotiated on an individual basis.  In all cases of multi-year, In-Residence appointments, the holder of an In-Residence appointment will be evaluated annually on the specifications stipulated in the negotiated contract by the teaching unit, teaching unit administrator, dean, Committee on Faculty Relations, and the dean of academic affairs.  No holder of an In-Residence appointment may be reappointed without a positive evaluation on the specifications stipulated in the negotiated contract by the teaching unit, teaching unit administrator, dean, Committee on Faculty Relations, and dean of academic affairs.

Moreover, with the exception of faculty emeriti/emeritae, no person who has served in any other full-time position at American University may be appointed as In-Residence faculty.  Normally, the In-Residence appointments would be no more than five years in duration, but in exceptional circumstances, may be renewed beyond that time.

f.  Emeriti/ae Faculty

A Distinguished Professor, University Professor, Professor, Librarian, Associate Professor, Associate Librarian, Assistant Professor, or Assistant Librarian who has been a member of the full-time faculty of the University for eight years or more immediately prior to retirement will be given emeritus status as of the effective date of retirement.  Faculty emeriti/ae are entitled to reasonable use of the facilities of the University.  They retain their voting membership in the faculty and their names are included in published faculty listings.  They may serve on committees and perform such other occasional services as are in keeping with their desires and capabilities and with the needs of the University.  Faculty emeriti/ae who teach for the University after retirement shall be accorded the title of Emerita/Emeritus-in-Residence.

g.  Temporary Faculty

Under limited circumstances, such as to replace faculty on leave, to fill vacancies that occur too late for any appropriate search to be conducted for a tenure-track faculty appointment, to fill a vacancy resulting from an unsuccessful search to fill a tenure track appointment, or to staff an experimental program, persons may be appointed as a temporary faculty at the rank of assistant librarian, associate librarian or librarian, subject to the qualifications set out in Section 9 below.

Initial appointments are for one year, except in exceptional circumstances they may be for two years.  In rare instances, reappointments may be made for a total service in temporary ranks not to exceed five years.  If temporary faculty are subsequently appointed to tenure-track positions, they may waive all or part of their prior American University service credit.

h.  Adjunct Faculty

An Adjunct Faculty appointment allows an individual to contribute to the instructional program of a college or school on a part-time basis.  Adjunct Faculty appointments are made at the rank of Distinguished Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, Professorial Lecturer, or Lecturer.  Persons may serve as Adjunct Faculty without limit of time through successive reappointment.  These appointments carry no implications of or credit towards academic tenure. Adjunct Faculty are entitled to specific benefits and access to specific facilities of the University as determined by the dean of the college to which they have been appointed.  While the conditions of employment and perquisites of employment are not the same as tenure or tenure track faculty, all other rules, policies, and procedures that relate to the teaching faculty of the university apply.

i.  Research Faculty

A person engaged primarily in research or professional activities relevant to the work of the University may be given an appointment to the research staff.  See additional information and policies concerning research and research appointments in Research Policies Manual [Section IV of The Manual of Information and Procedures], the Principal Investigator's Handbook, and in Section 10c of this Manual).  Upon the recommendation of a teaching unit making such an appointment, and subject to the same review procedures as regular faculty appointments, a phrase such as "with the rank of Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, or Research Professor" may be appended to the title provided that research faculty member possesses the educational and research qualifications appropriate to the particular rank.  Persons appointed with such titles will have the nature and extent of their duties clearly expressed in a letter of appointment.  Such an appointment does not confer membership on the faculty. Research faculty appointments and reappointments are recommended by the department and school or college, subject to approval by the provost, and are made according to procedures established by the provost.  A research faculty appointment expires at the end of the appointment period unless it is renewed according to the procedures set out by the provost.  Employment beyond the contract period cannot be expected by a member of the research faculty.  These appointments carry no implications of or credit towards academic tenure. Appointments may be made on a part-time or full-time basis.  Persons having such an appointment will normally have their salary entirely funded by sources outside the University.  Exceptions will require the written approval of the provost upon recommendation of the Committee on Faculty Relations and the Committee on Research.  Research Faculty are entitled to specific resources and access to specific facilities of the University as determined by the dean of the college to which they have been appointed.  While the conditions and perquisites of employment are not the same as tenure or tenure track faculty, all other rules, policies, and procedures that relate to the teaching faculty of the university apply. 

j.  Faculty Fellows

Occasionally, faculty members or scholars from another institution may wish to have a short- term affiliation with the University for the purpose of doing research or participating in other scholarly, creative or professional activities.  These individuals receive no compensation from American University but may participate in campus activities that are of mutual benefit to the individual and the University.  The title of Faculty Fellow may be granted to such individuals with the understanding that they may receive the privileges determined by the dean of the school or college consistent with all university policies.  The appointment process follows that of adjunct appointments for the unit.

k.  Administrative Officers and Staff Members with Faculty Rank

The assignment to a University administrative or professional staff position and the conferring of faculty rank represent separate and distinct actions.  A member of the faculty appointed to an administrative or staff position must understand clearly the dual nature of the relationship with the University.  An individual holding both an administrative/staff position and faculty rank is subject to the rules and regulations for both appointments.  Administrative/staff actions will be governed by staff policies and faculty actions will be governed by faculty policies.

When a full-time member of the faculty is appointed to an administrative or staff position, it is expected that he/she will retain faculty status, and be entitled to consideration for promotion in rank or an appointment with tenure on the same basis as other full-time faculty members, provided he/she continues to participate in the affairs of the teaching unit, and he/she consents to teach without compensation one regularly scheduled course per twelve-month period. If these conditions are not met, an administrator may forfeit his/her faculty status and tenure in the teaching unit.

Faculty appointments may be made conterminously with an administrative appointment and therefore have no implication of tenure.  The same procedures for appointment are those outlined in section 7 of the Faculty Manual.

A recommendation involving the faculty rank of an administrative officer or a member of the staff (for example, appointment, reappointment, promotion in rank, and appointment with tenure), shall be processed in the same way as any recommendation relating to full-time faculty members. 

l.  Affiliate Faculty

An affiliate faculty appointment recognizes a formal arrangement between a faculty member and a department or teaching unit outside that of the faculty member’s primary appointment.  Ordinarily, only tenured faculty members are eligible for such an appointment.  Individual faculty members are encouraged to initiate informal discussions regarding a possible cross-unit affiliation with the heads of both the primary and proposed affiliation units.

An affiliate faculty appointment must be supported by a written affiliation agreement which describes the responsibilities and benefits of the affiliate agreement as well as its resource implications, if any.  The extent to which the faculty member will participate in the governance of the affiliate academic unit must be specified in the affiliation agreement.  An affiliate faculty appointment and the related affiliation agreement must be approved by the head of the faculty member’s primary teaching unit and dean as well as by the teaching unit head, rank and tenure committee and dean of the proposed affiliate unit.  Final approval of an affiliate faculty appointment will be made by the Dean of Academic Affairs.  Review criteria for affiliate faculty appointments will be the potential affiliate’s past and/or envisaged contributions to research, teaching and/or service in the unit where affiliation is sought.  It is not necessary that the proposed faculty affiliate have strong credentials or a track record relevant to the proposed affiliate unit so long as there is mutual agreement about the potential for future contributions to the unit’s mission.  The term of an affiliate appointment may vary from one to three years and may be renewed.  An affiliate faculty member will retain academic rank held in the faculty member’s primary discipline and may use a title such as “Associate Professor of History and Affiliate Associate Professor of Government.”

9.  Qualifications for Specific Ranks

In addition to fulfilling the general criteria for the evaluation of faculty members described in the following section, library faculty must meet specific requirements for each rank in order to be appointed to or promoted to that rank.  A statement of these qualifications follows.

a.      Assistant Librarian

Initial appointment to the rank of assistant librarian does not require prior professional experience, but does assume a record which indicates the likelihood of success in a university library environment.  Appointment to this rank is dependent upon the librarian’s ability, on an individual and collaborative basis, to apply the fundamentals of librarianship to academic library programs and problems.  An assistant librarian is expected to participate in appropriate continuing education and to contribute actively to the general development of the university.  After an assistant librarian has obtained one year of credit toward tenure he/she will be expected to demonstrate increasingly successful library service, and to engage in sufficient creative, scholarly, and/or professional activity to indicate the likelihood of continued professional growth.

b.  Associate Librarian

Promotion to the rank of associate librarian assumes at least four years of increasingly responsible professional library experience either in assuming more responsible positions or in exercising individual initiative in enhancing and redefining one’s initial position while making significant contributions to collaborative endeavors.

One promoted to this rank will have mastered the skills and techniques of librarianship.  In addition, an associate librarian must make significant contributions to the University, library, and professional communities.  Evidence of a growing professional reputation in the extra-University community should be provided, such as being asked to deliver a paper, actively participating in a library or related professional association, chairing a Washington Research Library Consortium Committee, editing or compiling a catalog or list for use beyond the library or University, or publishing articles or books.

c.  Librarian

Promotion to the rank of librarian assumes at least eight years of increasingly responsible professional library experience, an appointment with tenure, and a record which has enhanced the reputation of American University Library within the professional community.  This rank is reserved for those who have made distinctive contributions, on an individual and collaborative basis, over a significant period of time to the University, to its library, and to the profession of librarianship.  The professional effectiveness of a librarian at this rank will have been consistently superior.  There must be a record of continuing achievement in all areas described in the criteria for assistant and associate ranks.

Promotion to this rank should also entail a superior record of service to the University community, a reputation within the profession, creative and scholarly work, and an in-depth knowledge of research and developments within the profession.

Occasionally it might also be appropriate to propose a promotion or reappointment action in which some of the requirements set forth above are not present.  Such a proposal must be justified on the basis of the exceptional merits of the case.

d.  Adjunct Library Faculty Ranks

Departments, schools, and colleges may appoint adjunct faculty to supplement the effort of the full-time faculty.  Adjunct library faculty ranks are:  Adjunct Associate Librarian, Adjunct Librarian, and Distinguished Adjunct Librarian.  The qualifications for appointment to adjunct faculty ranks must be germane to librarianship.

For Adjunct Associate Librarian, either the qualifications for the full-time rank of Associate Professor Section 9 of this Manual must be shown, or long-term, relevant experience in the candidate's professional field and highly satisfactory performance of library responsibilities.

For Adjunct Librarian, either the qualifications for the full-time rank of Librarian 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 performance of library responsibilities.

For Distinguished Adjunct Librarian, either the qualifications for the full-time rank of librarian in Section 9 of this Manual must be shown, or relevant full-time professional responsibility and exceptional achievement.  Distinguished service in the library field is also required.