4-17 Fixed-Term Faculty

• Attachments are included in the PDF file.
• Effective date of this revision: August 1, 2012
• Contact for more information:  Faculty Personnel Services

I. INTRODUCTION

Central Michigan University employs some faculty who are appointed for a specific and limited fixed-term period of time and for specific purposes. The University does not intend to commit a tenure-track appointment to these individuals for either academic or budgetary reasons. These faculty are designated as, and assigned to the employment classification of, Fixed-Term Faculty. (Fixed-Term faculty employed ¼ time or greater to perform classroom instruction on the Mt. Pleasant campus are governed by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement between CMU and the Union of Teaching Faculty (UTF) and are not governed by this policy unless they are specifically excluded from membership in that union.)

II. POLICY

It is the policy of Central Michigan University to employ Fixed-Term Faculty to provide limited-term services for which there is an immediate programmatic need or to support other academic services. The procedures that are described below shall help to describe the terms and conditions of employment for Fixed-Term Faculty. The Provost shall appoint Fixed-Term Faculty in a manner consistent with the affirmative action/equal opportunity policy of the University. The CMU Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity shall establish rules that govern the need for a search in making initial and subsequent appointments of Fixed-Term Faculty.

III. PROCEDURE

A. Basic Definition of Fixed-Term Faculty

1. Fixed-Term Faculty is an employment designation for those employees appointed to perform responsibilities typically associated with faculty status where those responsibilities do not satisfy the definition of Regular Faculty.

2. Fixed-Term Faculty are those persons hired for a limited and fixed-term to perform a variety of duties including, but not necessarily limited to, basic or applied research, and/or to administer such programs of research; supervision of student teachers; athletic coaching; counseling; librarianship; program administration; clinical functions; or classroom instruction or other forms of teaching.

3. Also designated as Fixed-Term Faculty are Visiting Faculty, Professors and Artists who join the University as part of an exchange relationship, as post-doctoral scholars, or as research collaborators with University colleagues.

4. Fixed-Term faculty may be supported by the University, by funds from their home institutions/organizations, or from externally funded grants or contracts.

B. Appointment

1. Initial Appointment of Full-Time Fixed-Term Faculty

a. The Dean of the appropriate college, after having received a recommendation from the appropriate department chair, and with the concurrence of the Executive Vice President/Provost, or her/his designee, shall make the initial appointment of full-time Fixed-Term Faculty, including all visiting faculty.

b. Appointment shall normally be for one or two (sequential) semesters, or for a twelve month period. 

c. An initial appointment of more than one year requires the prior approval of the Executive Vice President/Provost, or her/his designee.

2. Initial Appointment of Part-Time Fixed-Term Faculty

a. The Dean of the appropriate college shall make the initial appointment of part-time Fixed-Term Faculty upon a recommendation from the appropriate department chair.

b. Appointment shall not be for a period of more than one year;

3. Subsequent Appointment

a. Any recommendation for a subsequent term appointment, wherever initiated, must include written evidence of excellence with regard to all of the basic areas of responsibility of the current (or earlier) appointment.

b. A subsequent appointment of not more than one year may be made by the Dean.

c. Full-time Fixed-Term Faculty may receive a subsequent appointment of more than one year, but not to exceed three years, only upon the recommendation of the department, endorsement by the Dean, and the prior approval of the Executive Vice President/Provost, or her/his designee.

d. Part-time Fixed-Term Faculty may also receive a subsequent appointment from the Dean, of not more than one year at a time, and only upon recommendation from the appropriate department chair.

C. Appointment (Contract) Terms and Conditions

1. Fixed-Term Faculty are appointed under limited term contracts, which in no way promise or imply any subsequent commitment beyond the stated terms. Individuals may receive, but should not expect, additional limited term contracts following the expiration of their current term contracts.

2. All letters of appointment, offering an employment contract, shall contain the words,

“This employment offer, if accepted, and any other contracts as yet uncompleted constitute the University’s only employment agreements with you (the Fixed-Term/visiting faculty member) and in no way do they promise or imply any future offers or ongoing commitments beyond the term(s) stated herein.”

3. Appointments for more than a term of one year shall also contain the words,

“Continuation of this contract beyond the first year is contingent upon University need as determined by the Dean and a departmental written review indicating that your overall performance has met expectations for excellence, a positive recommendation by the Dean/supervisor, and approval of the Executive Vice President/Provost/appointing authority, or her/his designee.”

D. Designation of Rank and/or Title

1. The rank/title of Fixed-Term Faculty members will coincide with the duties they are hired to perform. Titles may include, among others if needed, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Clinical Instructor, Instructor (for those exempt from the UTF), Counselor, Librarian, Student Teacher Supervisor, Visiting (Professor), Athletic Coach, Program Administrator, Artist-In-Residence, or Endowed Chair. Under special circumstances, and where credentials warrant, the title of Distinguished Professor, Research Professor, or Research Scientist may be used.

E. Responsibilities

1. Except as noted below, Fixed-Term Faculty are appointed to perform duties indicated in Section A above. The Dean and/or the department chair shall assign individual responsibilities. Where hired to perform teaching, teaching-related duties such as student advising may also be assigned as a responsibility of Fixed- Term Faculty. The requirement to undertake scholarly and creative activities in their discipline, or to maintain relevant and current professional experience, may be an expectation of one’s appointment or subsequent appointment, but where this is the case, that expectation will be specifically articulated as a term/condition of the appointment. Fixed-Term Faculty shall not be involved in department, college, or University service activities as a condition of their employment.

2. The Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, in consultation with the head coach of the sport if appropriate, shall determine the responsibilities of Fixed-Term Faculty in Intercollegiate Athletics; the Dean of Students, in consultation with the Director of the Counseling Center, shall determine the responsibilities of Fixed- Term Faculty in the Counseling Center; and the Dean of Libraries shall determine the responsibilities of Fixed-Term Faculty in the Libraries.

3. The appropriate Dean, in consultation with the department, shall determine the responsibilities of individuals designated as Visiting Professor or Artist, research scientist, post-doctoral scholar, or other title.

F. Promotion in Rank

1. Once appointed, Fixed-Term Faculty are not eligible for promotion in rank. There is no promotion process in place for Fixed-Term Faculty nor do they qualify for promotion.

2. If subsequently appointed, such appointment may be at a higher academic rank than one's previous appointment (where academic rank has been used), if approved by the Provost, upon the recommendations of both the department and the Dean.

3. A subsequent appointment at a higher academic rank shall not necessarily result in a higher salary.

G. Compensation (Salary and Benefits)

1. Fixed-Term Faculty, including visiting faculty where applicable, shall be compensated in an amount solely determined by the University taking into account academic credentials and relevant experience and performance within their discipline. Certain visiting faculty may not be compensated, if they are not providing services to the University; or, when circumstances of their appointment include compensation from their home institution.

2. Fixed-Term Faculty employed on a limited term contract of more than one year, and who may receive a subsequent appointment, are eligible for an increase in salary. The University shall be solely responsible for determining the amount of any such increase. Deans shall be responsible for making recommendations to the Provost about annual, or other, adjustments to salary.

3. Fixed-Term Faculty, hired for teaching purposes alone, but excluded from the Union of Teaching Faculty, are normally compensated at a per-credit-hour rate based on the individual's educational attainment, the number of years of relevant work experience and an evaluation of her/his achievements. The per-credit- hour rates should bear some relationship to the prevailing salary levels for such faculty at other institutions and to the historical salary levels that have existed at CMU.

4. Fixed-Term Faculty with a full-time assignment, for at least one academic year, may be compensated at a base salary rate upon the recommendation of the department and the Dean.

5. Certain benefits are available to Fixed-Term Faculty appointed half-time or more. A summary of the benefits available will be included with each Fixed-Term Faculty member's letter of appointment. If the available benefits are unknown at the time of appointment, such summary will be provided as soon thereafter as the information is available. The Benefits Office will provide additional information and enrollment forms.

Twelve (12) month benefit eligible Fixed-Term Faculty are afforded paid vacation. If appointed as a post- doctoral scholar, however, or if appointed under a grant, there shall be no payment for unused vacation at the end of the term of employment

6. Full-time Fixed-Term Faculty may become eligible for retiree status. Age and total full-time service must meet University requirements.

H. Procedural Rights

1. Fixed-Term and visiting faculty shall be accorded the same rights to academic freedom as are accorded to members of the Regular Faculty.

2. Each department/unit shall adopt appropriate procedures covering Fixed-Term faculty. The Dean and the Provost or other appropriate appointing authority must approve these procedures, which at a minimum shall cover the criteria and standards for determining an initial appointment and for documenting the professional achievements necessary for any subsequent appointment.

3. The University's "Procedures for Handling Questions of Professional Concern Involving One or More Members of the Teaching Faculty" shall be available only to Fixed-Term Faculty receiving a salary from CMU. These procedures may not be used to bring a complaint regarding failure to receive an initial or subsequent term contract.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

This policy will apply to all Fixed-Term, including visiting, Faculty appointments effective on or after August 1, 2012, except as noted immediately below.

Where the dean is in agreement, those individuals who have had Fixed-Term Faculty appointments at CMU, and who were compensated at a base salary rate for that contract, may continue to be compensated at a base salary rate for subsequent appointments, as long as the appointment remains at least half-time for an academic year.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy and or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines relative to this subject.