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

a.  Terms of Service

Appointments prior to the granting of tenure are usually made for two years. However, one-year appointments may be made when recommended by the teaching unit or University Library and approved through the usual appointment process.  A one-year initial appointment will normally be appropriate when the terminal degree has not been awarded prior to the start of the appointment or if one year of prior credit towards tenure is brought in on the initial contract.  Faculty on an initial two-year contract must be notified by the University Library 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 subject to the notice requirements specified in item "h" of this section.

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.   

For library faculty, payment for service is in twelve monthly installments.

b.  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 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 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 File for Action will be processed according to the procedures outlined in section 7.

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

c.  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 or associate librarian, and particularly to the rank of 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.

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.

d.  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, university librarian, and Committee on Faculty Relations before action is taken by the provost and president.

e.  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 he/she has supplied will accompany the File for Action as it is sent through the personnel process.

f.  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 by the rank and tenure committee of the library, the administrative head, and the university librarian, as well as by the Committee on Faculty Relations, the dean of academic affairs, and the provost.

Administrative heads and the university librarian 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.

g.  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 as early as possible in each academic year whether he/she will be reappointed, and in cases of reappointment, the terms and conditions thereof.

Initial notification by 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 university librarian, who will respond with a status report.

    h.  Candidates who are not US citizens or permanent residents

    Faculty appointees who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are responsible for obtaining appropriate visa authorizations before the commencement of work.  The university librarian should work closely with the appropriate University office in completing any required immigration paperwork.  The Office of International Student Services handles paperwork for J-1 and F-1 visas for foreign nationals.  Inquiries about H-1B work authorizations and immigration laws and regulations should be directly to the Office of the General Counsel.

     i.  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 University Library 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 University Library, subject to the 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 even if the current appointment has not expired.

    1. Adjunct Associate Librarians and Adjunct Librarians are appointed with the approval of the appropriate committee of the University Library, the university librarian, and the dean of academic affairs.

    2. Distinguished Adjunct Librarians are appointed with the approval of the appropriate committee of the University Library, the university librarian, the Committee on Faculty Relations, and the dean of academic affairs.

    j.  Resignations

    A faculty member who resigns from the University while under contract must do so in writing to the 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 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 the resignation.

    In all cases, a letter of resignation should be forwarded to the university librarian’s office.  The universitylibrarian’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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