1. What is continuing appointment, and why is American University introducing this change?

2. When will the new system be implemented?

3. Who is eligible to apply for continuing appointment?

4. How will eligible faculty apply for continuing appointment under the new system?

5. Will the new system include any changes for term faculty before the sixth year of service?

6. After reaching eligibility, are term faculty required to apply for continuing appointment, or can they remain term? 

7. What is the difference between continuing appointment and tenure?

8. What is the difference between continuing appointment and at-will employment?

9. If a term or continuing appointment faculty member’s appointment ends due to budgetary/enrollment reasons, can they reapply when new positions are opened?

10. At what point of hiring do we give credit toward continuing appointment for work at another institution?

11. Can term faculty who are denied continuing appointment status appeal or grieve that decision?

1. What is continuing appointment, and why is American University introducing this change?
Continuing appointment is a new category of faculty at American University separate and distinct from the term, tenure-track, tenured, and Library continuing appointment categories. Unlike term faculty appointments, which require a reapplication and reappointment at the end of every contract term, continuing appointments do not specify termination dates and are not subject to a periodic reappointment process. Promotional processes will remain unchanged. Continuing appointment does not apply to WCL faculty.

The previous reappointment process for term faculty was widely understood to be burdensome and inefficient for our faculty, faculty affairs staff in our schools and colleges, and the Office of Human Resources. In Spring 2022, a joint Faculty Senate–Provost’s Office task force chaired by Professor Carolyn Parker produced a detailed report with recommendations for streamlining the process. On Aug. 31, 2022, Provost Peter Starr announced a new process that reduces the number of times faculty submit documents for renewal and creates the new category of continuing appointment faculty. The proposal was approved by the Faculty Senate on March 1, 2023, and by the Board of Trustees at their 2023 Spring Meeting on May 18-19, 2023.  

2. When will the new system be implemented?
The first applications for continuing appointment will be submitted in AY 2023–24 (Fall and Spring), with the first continuing appointments taking effect in AY 2024–25.  

Faculty reappointment files submitted in AY 2022-23 have been handled under the old procedures. 

3. Who is eligible to apply for continuing appointment?
Due to the large number of faculty with more than six years of service and the work associated with processing applications, implementation will be in two stages.  

Beginning in Fall 2023, term faculty with  
a) more than ten years of service at AU, or  
b) six or more years of service at AU with contracts up for renewal in 2024  

will be eligible to apply for continuing appointment. Applications may be submitted in the Fall of 2023 or Spring of 2024, with appointments effective for AY 24-25.  

Beginning in Fall 2024, once the guidelines are fully implemented, all term faculty in their sixth year of service at AU or later will be eligible to apply for continuing appointment, with appointments effective for AY 25-26.    

Faculty may accumulate the six years of service towards their eligibility by any combination of single- or multi-year contracts.  

4. How will eligible faculty apply for continuing appointment under the new system?
Guidance for assembling application packages, including dates for submission and processes for reviewing applications are currently being developed in consultation with deans. Criteria for assessing continuing appointment applications will resemble current criteria for multi-year term contracts: excellence in teaching, service, and currency in the field (including scholarship, as applicable) as well as budget availability, projected enrollments, and the needs of the teaching and academic units. Schools are currently considering adopting a campus-wide version of criteria (known as Omnibus term and continuing appointment faculty guidelines) or writing their own criteria. Faculty should watch for emails from your department/division chairs and/or deans’ offices about these guidelines or reach out to their respective deans’ offices with questions on their department guidelines, processes, and dates for submission. Check lists for preparing files for continuing appointment are available on the Dean of Faculty website.  Please note that teaching portfolios for AY 23-24 have been abridged for faculty seeking continuing appointment without promotion. See additional information on the Dean of Faculty website under Faculty Resources. 

Files for eligible faculty should be submitted by their respective deans to the Dean of Faculty by October 18, 2023 (for the Fall 2023 review cycle) and April 12, 2024 (for the Spring 2024 review cycle).  

The CFA will not be involved in these faculty actions unless there is a disagreement at previous levels of review. 

5. Will the new system include any changes for term faculty before the sixth year of service?
Yes. Term faculty appointments will follow a new standard progression: an initial single-year appointment followed by two single-year reappointments and one 3-year reappointment, culminating in application for continuing appointment in the sixth year of service. Each term reappointment, and each granting of continuing appointment, is dependent upon budget availability and satisfactory performance. Term research faculty paid through grants will not follow the standard progression. 

Deans will have discretion to recommend to the dean of faculty an initial appointment of two years.  

6. After reaching eligibility, are term faculty required to apply for continuing appointment, or can they remain term? 
Term reappointment will not be available for most faculty after the sixth year of service. Exceptions include:  

• term research faculty paid through grants; 

• term faculty whose application for continuing appointment is denied, who may be offered a final, single-semester or single-year term contract, at the discretion of the dean; and, 

• term faculty who request an extension to consideration for continuing appointment pursuant to Faculty Manual section 15.f, who may be granted one or two single-year extensions under limited circumstances. 

*Starting in AY24-25, term faculty will be required to apply for continuing appointment after their sixth year of service. See FAQ #4 for AY23-24 rules. 

7. What is the difference between continuing appointment and tenure?
Tenured appointments, which carry an expectation of lifelong employment, can be terminated under the Faculty Manual for misconduct (Section 23), financial exigency (Section 24), or program elimination (Section 25).  

Continuing appointments may be terminated under the Faculty Manual for unsatisfactory performance, misconduct (Section 23), budgetary limitations, enrollments, other needs of the teaching or academic unit, financial exigency (Section 24), or program elimination (Section 25). 

All tenured positions carry high expectations for scholarly productivity, and tenured faculty are eligible for sabbaticals to support such scholarship. Most continuing appointment faculty will hold ranks in the professorial lecturer promotion sequence, which do not carry scholarship expectations. 

8. What is the difference between continuing appointment and at-will employment?
At-will employment describes an arrangement in which both the employee and the employer are free to terminate employment at any time, for any or no reason, with or without prior warning or cause, provided the action does not violate local, state or federal anti-discrimination laws. Under continuing appointment, termination could occur under the Faculty Manual for misconduct (Section 23), budgetary limitations, enrollments, other needs of the teaching or academic unit, financial exigency (Section 24), or program elimination (Section 25). The university will provide a minimum of four months of notice to any faculty member whose continuing appointment is to be terminated on account of budgetary limitations or enrollments (Faculty Manual Section 15.g). 

9. If a term or continuing appointment faculty member’s appointment ends due to budgetary/enrollment reasons, can they reapply when new positions are opened?
Yes. And if the individual is rehired, their continuing-appointment status will be preserved (where applicable) or their previous service will be credited toward eligibility for continuing appointment. 

10. At what point of hiring do we give credit toward continuing appointment for work at another institution?
On recommendation of the dean, a newly hired term faculty member may bring up to 2 years of full-time teaching experience at another accredited, four-year, degree-granting college or university to be credited toward their eligibility for continuing appointment at American University. Some academic units may recognize years of professional experience as equivalent to teaching experience. 

11. Can term faculty who are denied continuing appointment status appeal or grieve that decision?
Denial of continuing appointment may be appealed on limited basis in accordance with Faculty Manual Section 21.

These FAQs are for informational purposes only and are subject to change at any time. FAQs do not change University policies, which may be updated from time to time.  The final policies related to continuing appointment faculty may vary from these FAQs.