| VI.
Policies Governing Faculty Rank, Tenure and Evaluations
a.
Appointments
to the Faculty
Types
of Appointments
Faculty Ranks
Faculty Reappointments
The faculty of the University of St. Thomas is selected from
the national and international community of scholars by a rigorous
search process using the highest intellectual and professional
standards, considering at the same time the needs of the entire campus
community and the particular department specifying the description
of each position
The University of St. Thomas will not discriminate against or
harass any employee or applicant for employment because of race,
color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, affectional
preference, disability, age, marital status, or status with regard to
public assistance. With respect to religion and creed, as permitted by
law, the university reserves the right to exercise discretion in
employment decisions to employ persons who share and are committed to
the values and mission of the university
Academic freedom is a core value of any institution of higher
education. The University of St. Thomas is committed to protecting
the academic freedom of the faculty in meeting its professional
responsibilities
and in contributing to the mission of the university. In implementing
this commitment the university is guided by the 1940 AAUP Statement of
Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the subsequent 1970
Interpretive Comments.
Freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression are safeguarded by
the university. The rights and obligations of academic freedom take
diverse forms for the students, the faculty, and the administration;
in general, however, they derive from the nature of the academic life,
and they are consistent with the objectives of the university as a
community which pursues the highest scholarly standards, promotes
intellectual and spiritual growth, maintains respect for individuals
as persons, and lives in the tradition of Christian belief
Specific principles of academic freedom supported at the
university include: freedom to teach and to learn according to one’s
obligation, vision, and training; freedom to publish the results of
one’s study or research; and freedom to speak and write on public
issues as a citizen. Correlative
obligations include: respectful allowance for the exercise of these
freedoms by others; proper acknowledgment of contributions made by
others to one’s work; preservation of the confidentiality necessary
in personal, academic, and administrative deliberations; avoidance of
using the university to advance personal opinion or commercial
interest; and protection, in the course of one’s conduct,
utterances, and work, of the basic aims of the university and of its
good name.
Members of the faculty are appointed initially for a period of one
year by the President of the university upon the recommendation
of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Prior to making a
recommendation to the President, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs is advised by the appropriate College/School dean(s) and
department chairs (s)/program director(s)
A copy of these Policies and Procedures Governing Faculty Rank,
Tenure, and Evaluations shall be presented to each prospective
full-time member of the faculty prior to his/her acceptance of the
appointment. Acceptance of the appointment shall indicate the
appointee’s willingness to be bound by these Policies and
Procedures.
Every appointment of a faculty member shall be made by a formal
contract signed by her/him and by the President of the university or
his representative, and shall state the rank, salary, length of
contract,
and other conditions of appointment. Faculty contracts constitute
binding agreements.
The dates of the annual appointment will be stated in the
letter of appointment. Salary payments are issued across a period of
twelve months.
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A.
Types of Appointments.
1.
Full-time Faculty.
a.
Tenured Faculty.
Tenured faculty are individuals who are offered successive
annual contracts by the university in recognition of their
contribution to the mission of the university through their teaching,
professional engagement, and service.
b.
Tenure-track Faculty.
Tenure-track faculty are individuals who have been selected as
a result of a national search and are under consideration for a
tenured position. They may hold this probationary status for a maximum
of six years. Faculty on a tenure track appointment are not guaranteed
that appointment for six years. The performance of tenure track
faculty is evaluated annually, and if the performance is not at the
level expected of St. Thomas faculty, the individual may receive notice
of termination by the dates specified in C.2. of this section. Tenure begins with the
annual contract following the academic year in which tenure was
granted by the President. An individual who is denied tenure will
receive a terminal contract for the following academic year.
c.
Limited-term Faculty.
Faculty on a limited-term status are appointed annually with a
one-year contract which may be renewed a maximum of four times.
Under no circumstances does a limited-term contract convey the
expectation or possession of a tenure-track or tenured appointment.
d.
Visiting Faculty.
Visiting faculty status is assigned to full-time members of the
faculty whose appointments are understood to be strictly for one
year, and are non-renewable.
e.
Distinguished-Service Faculty.
From time to time the University of St. Thomas will have the
opportunity to appoint to its faculty individuals of significant
achievement, but not possessing the usual academic credentials, in
the arts and sciences, or the professions for which the university
prepares undergraduate and graduate students.
f.
Endowed Chair.
At the University of St. Thomas, Endowed Chairs are established
to enhance the mission of the university and at the same time honor
both the university and the recipients. Chairholders bring prestige
and recognition in areas of teaching, research, and public service.
Recipients emphasize different aspects of their professional
roles according to the intent of the donor and the needs of the
university. Some may serve as models of accomplished teaching;
others conduct distinguished research in their disciplines; others
may represent the university externally through leadership and
lecturing
broadly in their respective fields; still others may work on specified
internal departmental or university-wide projects.
While individual Chairs will have special goals and
responsibilities, all of them are designed to promote the good of
the university by exemplary and energetic service.
2.
Adjunct Faculty.
Adjunct faculty members are individuals appointed to part-time
teaching positions, and who teach fewer than three courses per
semester. Positions filled by adjunct faculty are determined by each
school, program, or department.
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B.
Faculty Ranks.
1.
Full-time Faculty.
Faculty members appointed on a full-time basis are assigned one
of the following four ranks: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant
Professor, or Instructor.
The following criteria have been developed to serve as
guidelines for the Academic Council and the administrators of the
university in making decisions concerning the rank of members of the
faculty.
a.
Professor
Graduate
Training.
The Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate from an accredited institution.
Years of
Service.
Six years of Associate Professor or its academic equivalent.
The number of years should normally be years in rank in a
tenured appointment at the University of St. Thomas. Other
arrangements must be negotiated at the time of the initial
appointment.
Professional
Development.
See A.1. in the Promotion Section
b.
Associate Professor.
Graduate Training.
The Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate from an accredited
institution.
Exceptions to the required doctorate for the rank of Associate
Professor must be agreed upon at the time of initial appointment by
the department faculty, department chair/program director, dean, and
Vice President for Academic Affairs. Specific performance achievements
equivalent to the earning of the doctorate will be established at
the time of initial appointment for faculty who will seek promotion to
Associate Professor without it. These performance achievements
must be agreed upon by the department faculty, department
chair/program director, dean, and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Years of Service.
Six years as Assistant Professor or its academic equivalent.
The number of years should normally be years in rank in a
tenure-track appointment at the University of St. Thomas. Other
arrangements must be negotiated at the time of the initial
appointment.
Professional
Development.
See Promotion Section A.2.
c.
Assistant Professor.
Graduate Training.
The Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate from an accredited institution.
An individual initially appointed to the rank of Instructor
will automatically receive the rank of Assistant Professor upon
certification of completing a doctoral degree.
It is the candidate's responsibility to submit this
certification
to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Exceptions to the required doctorate for the rank of Assistant
Professor must be agreed upon at the time of initial appointment by
the department faculty, department chair/program director, dean, and
Vice President for Academic Affairs. Specific performance achievements
equivalent to the earning of the doctorate will be established at
the time of initial appointment for faculty who will seek promotion to
Assistant and/or Associate Professor without it. These performance
achievements must be agreed upon by the department faculty,
department chair/program director, dean, and Vice President for
Academic Affairs. Such agreements must be made at the time of the
initial appointment to the University of St. Thomas faculty.
d.
Instructor.
Graduate Training.
The M.A. or its equivalent, or substantial progress towards a
graduate degree.
e.
Visiting Positions.
The ranks of Visiting Instructor, Visiting Assistant Professor,
Visiting Associate Professor and Visiting Professor are assigned
to visiting faculty.
f.
Distinguished-Service Faculty.
Individuals appointed to this rank will have made significant
contributions in the arts, sciences, or their profession. The
appointment will be on an annual basis, with the option for
reappointment,
not to exceed five years. The annual renewal will be determined by an
evaluation of the teaching quality and the contributions to the
department/program and university.
Nominations of candidates for this rank must have the support
of the department/program. The appropriate dean will be asked to
recommend the candidate to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and
the President. Criteria for appointment will be the need of the
department/program, the availability of resources, and the record of
the individual.
g.
Endowed Chair.
i. Criteria for
Selection of an Endowed Chair
Criteria for the
selection of the recipient must insure that
a.
The honor and prestige associated with the Chair is clearly
reflected in the choice of the recipient.
b.
The University of St. Thomas honors the conditions under which
the endowment was established.
c.
The values and mission of the University of St. Thomas are
promoted.
d.
The intended purpose of the Chair is respected and maintained
by the Chairholder.
ii.
Qualifications of Candidates
Qualifications of
candidates for an Endowed Chair are as follows:
a.
The candidate must hold the rank of professor or currently have
the qualifications for promotion to professor, or have a
distinguished professional career that results in an immediate
appointment as professor or could lead to a subsequent appointment
as professor.
b.
The candidate must have favorable recommendations for the position
from authorities in her/his field outside the University of St.
Thomas as well as from peers and others within the University of St.
Thomas.
c.
The candidate must present evidence of national/international
excellence in her/his field during the three years immediately
preceding the appointment.
iii.
Procedures for Appointment
a.
The dean of the College/School receiving the Chair will ask the
chair/director of the department/division/program receiving the Chair
to appoint a search committee from the tenured and tenure-track
faculty members of the department/division/program. In the case of
an Endowed Chair based in an undergraduate division, the search
committee
should include approximately proportional representation from all
departments within that division; department chairs will be asked to
nominate committee member(s) from their own departments. The chair of
the committee will be the dean of the College/School receiving the
Chair, and he/she will have full voting rights on the committee.
b.
The committee will review the intent of the donor’s gift and
will seek and screen candidates from within and external to St.
Thomas. It will provide opportunities for groups and individuals
reflecting the interests of the university as a whole to meet with
candidates, and will make recommendations to the Vice President
for Academic Affairs.
c.
The President, following established procedures, will normally
make the appointment for a term of three years with the understanding
that appointments are renewable for additional three-year terms
upon the recommendations of the Dean of the College/School and of
the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
iv. Perquisites
of the Endowed Chair
The holder of the Chair will be
entitled to the following:
a.
Identification with the name of the Chair in all university
releases or publications in which the professor’s name appears.
b.
A reduced teaching load but be expected to teach at least two
courses per year. Additional teaching expectations will be dependent
upon the other responsibilities agreed upon by the Chairholder and
the dean of the College/School (among which will be participation
in and enrichment of the intellectual life and academic programs
of the university and the department/program in which the Chair is
held).
c.
Assistance in her/his scholarly activity or other activities
that are conditions to the Chair.
d.
Consideration for a tenured appointment. The consideration of
immediate tenure, a tenure-track position, or a limited-term position
will be negotiated at the time of the appointment, only after
consultation with the department/division/program faculty. In the
case where immediate tenure is being considered, the Academic Council
will also be consulted.
e.
A budget determined by the dean of the College/School. Normally
it is expected that the funds donated for the Chair or funds
generated by the Chair in terms of research grants, speaker’s fees,
and the like, will provide all the funds needed to cover costs
associated with the Chair.
f.
Participation in all faculty deliberative bodies as a regular
and full-time member of the faculty. As defined by the Faculty
Handbook, “regular members” shall mean those who are under
contract to the school in one of the four academic levels. The holder
of a division-based Endowed Chair will be considered to hold a primary
appointment in a single department within that division. This
affiliation will be determined by the search committee at the time
of the candidate’s appointment, and will remain constant for any
single holder of the Chair. However, this affiliation may change
whenever a new person is appointed to the Chair.
v. Endowed Chair
as a Member of a Department/Pr0gram
Normally, a professorial Chair will be considered a net
addition to the number of faculty in the department/program.
However, by agreement of the department/program (i.e.,
chair/director and faculty) and the university, the Chairholder
may be appointed to an existing faculty line vacancy if one is
available at the time of the appointment, and student course
enrollments
and program needs cannot justify a net addition to department/program
faculty lines. In cases of reduced enrollments or other circumstances
which normally result in a reduction of faculty positions, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs will consult with departmental/program
faculty and dean of the College/School about placing the Chairholder
into an authorized line and no longer counting that person as a
net addition to the department/division/program.
vi.
Salary, Duties, and Evaluation of an Endowed Chair
After consultation with the department/division/program to
which the Chair will be appointed, the dean of the College/School
shall be required to:
a.
Recommend to the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the
time of appointment of the Chair the specific salary, budget, and
conditions to which the Chairholder is expected to adhere.
b.
Recommend to the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the
time of appointment of the Chair, the duties of the Chairholder.
c.
Provide an evaluation to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs each year on the activities of the Chairholder. The
Chairholder will follow the established procedures for annual and
periodic faculty review.
d.
Recommend to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by March 1
of the second year of the appointment whether the present Chairholder
should be renewed or whether a search committee should be established.
2.
Adjunct Faculty.
Faculty members appointed on a part-time basis are designated
as either a Senior Member of the Adjunct Faculty or a Member of the
Adjunct Faculty.
a.
Senior Member of the Adjunct Faculty.
Graduate Training.
The Ph.D./doctorate or Masters and/or significant professional
experience.
Years of Service.
Ten years of teaching experience at the University of St.
Thomas or a minimum of twenty courses taught at the University of St.
Thomas.
Professional Capacity.
See A.4. of the Promotion Section
b.
Member of the Adjunct Faculty.
Graduate Training.
The Ph.D./doctorate or Masters and/or significant professional
experience.
Years of Service.
Previous college teaching experience preferred but not required
Professional Capacity.
Expectation of effective teaching.
3.
Emeritus/a Faculty.
Although not a contractual appointment, the title of emeritus
or emerita is conferred upon
an individual retiring from the faculty who, in the judgment of the
department tenure and promotion committee, appropriate dean/director,
Vice President for Academic Affairs and President, has served
effectively for a minimum of ten years the mission and goals of the
University of St. Thomas. The criteria for evaluating faculty for emeritus
or emerita status are
those used throughout the career of the individual at St. Thomas for
promotion and tenure: exceptional teaching, active engagement of the
profession, and service to the university and the external community.
The President confers the title.
Individuals upon whom the title emeritus
or emerita is conferred
retain their faculty status and the academic rank held at the time of
retirement. Other privileges available to emeriti
or emeritae include the
following:
a.
Access to university offices and to appropriate departmental
clerical/secretarial services, when available.
b.
Access to library resources given all faculty.
c.
Participation in university-wide events – faculty
convocations, commencement, cultural events within and external to St.
Thomas.
d.
Faculty dining privileges.
e.
Listing in all St. Thomas publications in same way as active
faculty.
f.
Receipt of university publications.
g.
University I.D. card.
h.
Use of recreational facilities.
i.
On-campus access to e-mail and Internet facilities.
4.
Staff/Clinical/Laboratory Instructor.
Graduate Training.
Master's degree required
Years of Service.
Three
Professional Capacity.
The title of
Staff/Clinical/Laboratory instructor is granted to full-time
professional staff who carry out responsibilities in an academic
department in support of the university’s degree programs. Current
examples of individuals who might be eligible for this designation are
those who coordinate the lab sections for science departments, teach
some of the labs and, on occasions, are invited by faculty to give a
lecture in a course. Persons designated as Staff/Clinical/Laboratory
instructors are not on a tenure track.
Recommendations for such appointments begin with the
department/program which forwards the names of appropriate candidates
to the dean, who conveys to the Vice President for Academic Affairs
the names of those whom she/he supports. The Vice President for
Academic Affairs informs the individual of the appointment.
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C.
Faculty Reappointments.
Full-time faculty are issued a contract for the following year
by March 1. That contract includes the cost-of-living increase and
any equity adjustments (See D.2.b. in this section). Signed contracts are returned
to the Office of the President by April 1. After the evaluation
process has been completed, an addendum to the contract will be sent
to the faculty member indicating any merit pay that is to be added
to the contract for the year. Merit pay will become part of the
bi-weekly salary received between October 1 and August 31.
1.
Tenured Faculty.
Tenured faculty members shall receive their preliminary annual
contracts by March 1 and shall sign them and return them to the
President by April 1.
2.
Tenure-track Faculty.
All renewals of tenure-track appointments shall be given by
March 1 and will be signed by the faculty member and returned to the
President by April 1. Notice of intention not to reappoint must be
given
•
by February 1 of the academic year covered by the contract for
a faculty member in his/her first year of service at St. Thomas;
•
by December 1 of the academic year covered by the contract for
a faculty member in his/her second year of service;
•
for a faculty member with more than two years’ service at St.
Thomas a full academic year’s notice shall be given.
Exceptions to these notification requirements can be made by
the university only if the faculty member is terminated for cause as
described in Termination of Faculty Contracts section. The procedures to be followed and the
rights of the faculty are the same as in a termination action.
3.
Limited-term Faculty.
Limited-term faculty members may receive a maximum of four
annual contracts following the contract of initial appointment. (The
number of years of employment at the university referred to in this
paragraph does include the year in a visiting position.) Contracts
shall be received by March 1 and shall be signed and returned to the
President by April 1. Notice of intention not to reappoint will be
given
•
by February 1 of the academic year covered by the contract for
a faculty member in his/her first year of service at St. Thomas;
•
by December 1 of the academic year covered by the contract for
a faculty member in his/her second year of service;
•
for a faculty member with more than two years’ service at St.
Thomas a full academic year’s notice shall be given.
Exceptions to these notification requirements can be made by
the university only if the faculty member is terminated for cause as
described in Termination of Faculty Contracts section. The procedures to be followed and the
rights of the faculty are the same as in a termination action.
Under no circumstances does a limited-term contract convey the
expectation or possession of a tenure-track or tenured
appointment. A limited-term faculty member may be hired on a
tenure-track line only as a result of a new national search in which
the advertisement for the position specifically defines the position
as tenure-track.
Limited-term faculty who are subsequently hired on a
tenure-track line may negotiate with the university the number of
years of prior experience credited toward tenure.
This number of years must be stated in the initial tenure-track
contract.
4.
Adjunct Faculty.
Contracts for adjunct faculty are issued by the appropriate
dean at the request of the chair/director. This contract may be
canceled if there is insufficient enrollment, or if the course is
needed to meet the contractual responsibilities of a full-time
faculty member.
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