Appointment
of Faculty
Section A. Notice of any vacancies in the Minnesota State Universities shall be made known to the faculty by means of posting on bulletin boards designated for such purposes, shall be included in the university /President ’s newsletter and shall be sent to the IFO simultaneously with any other publication of the vacancies. Notification to faculty who are not successful applicants shall be sent prior to the announcement of the name of the successful applicant.
When new faculty positions are created or faculty vacancies exist, such positions shall be advertised in accordance with the above paragraph. Prior to making an appointment , the President /designee shall involve the department in evaluating academic credentials of the candidates and in making recommendations to the President/designees concerning the candidates for the vacancies. When a faculty vacancy exists because of resignation, retirement , death or transfer, the President/designee shall consult with the affected department or program.
Section B. Appointment Date . All full-time faculty members whose appointments are effective after the beginning of the academic year shall, for the purpose of reappointment, promotion, or completion of probationary period, be considered as having begun service at the beginning of that academic year. This provision shall apply to all current and future probationary and tenured faculty members and shall not apply in the calculation of seniority.
Section C. Information . Prior to being offered a probationary or fixed-term faculty position, a person shall be provided a copy of the MnSCU /IFO Agreement , as well as information concerning rank and step placement. Adjunct and community faculty members shall be provided a copy of the Agreement after being hired. Information concerning insurance benefits and effective dates shall also be provided.
Section D. Initial Assignment to Rank . Qualifications for initial assignment to faculty rank are to be as follows:
Professor : Earned doctorate or other appropriate degree, plus ten (10) years of collegiate-level teaching or related experience.
Associate Professor : Earned doctorate or other appropriate degree, plus seven (7) years of collegiate-level teaching or related experience.
Assistant Professor : Earned doctorate or other appropriate degree.
Instructor : Appropriate preparation.
Normally, no faculty member may be assigned to a rank more than one (1) level below that for which he/she is qualified. In each instance, the President shall establish what constitutes appropriate experience and appropriate degrees for the purpose of assignment to rank.
Section E. Appointment . Appointments shall be one of the following seven (7) types:
Subd. 1. Fixed-Term
Appointments
.
a. Definition
. A fixed-term appointment
is an appointment for a limited period of time
and is to be used only when the position to be filled is clearly of a temporary
nature or when a permanent position needs to be filled for a temporary
period. Positions extending beyond four
(4) years shall not be considered a temporary.
b. Length
. Normally, a fixed-term appointment
shall not exceed twelve (12) months in
duration. The President
shall provide a written explanation to the
local Faculty
Association
when a fixed term appointment exceeds twelve
months. The President may offer
appointments up to a maximum of four (4) years when such an action is deemed to
be in the best interests of the university
. Fixed-term employment terminates
at the end of the appointment period and carries no implication for future
employment.
1. After
meeting and conferring the President
may appoint a faculty member
to serve in
fixed-term capacity for more than four consecutive years as a replacement for faculty members on leave or temporarily reassigned from teaching duties, or for other reasons that are in the best interest of the university . This exception includes assignments to teach similar courses for different positions in the department/unit.
2. Where
positions are financed from external sources and the financing extends beyond
an initial three- (3) year period, persons holding such positions will have
employment for the subsequent year unless notified by March 15 of the year of
employment if the position is being terminated due to budget reductions. If a person holding such a position is
terminated based on a performance evaluation, notification shall be given no
later than the last day of the academic year
, and
the following year shall be the terminal year of the appointment
.
3. Visiting Professor . Nothing in this Section shall preclude the Administration from designating a faculty member on a fixed-term appointment as a Visiting Professor.
Subd. 2. Non-Tenure Track Appointments .
a. Definition . A non-tenure track appointment is a continuing appointment initially offered prior to July 1, 1989 which does not possess the right of tenure.
b. No additional non-tenure track appointments shall be made.
c. A faculty member
holding a non-tenure track appointment
will have employment unless notice of
non-renewal is given by August 1 preceding their final academic year
either in accordance with Article 25,
Section E or as a result of a position being terminated due to budget
reductions or internal reallocations. A
non-renewal resulting from budget reductions or internal reallocations shall
not be subject to the grievance procedure.
d. Service in an existing non-tenure track appointment shall not lead to tenure in that appointment.
Subd. 3. Adjunct Appointments .
a. The administration
and the IFO
recognize that circumstances may dictate that
faculty tasks cannot be accomplished within the
workload
of permanent faculty, including overload
. When the President
/designee
determines that such conditions exist he/she
may authorize adjunct appointments in accordance with the following principles:
1. To meet temporary staffing needs due to enrollment increases for which normal full funding is not provided.
2. To meet temporary staffing needs when faculty are reassigned to other duties or who are on sabbatical or on other leaves of absence.
3. To teach courses requiring special expertise and/or to meet special programmatic needs of departments where such expertise and needs cannot otherwise be provided by the faculty within the department.
b. Duration . The appointment terminates at the end of the stated period and carries no implication of future employment.
c. Qualifications . An adjunct will have a master’s degree, specialized licensure or other special preparation or experience.
d. Assignment/Workload . An adjunct faculty member shall not teach more than ten (10) credits in any one (1) academic year .
e . Hiring Procedure . The President /designee shall consult with the department concerning the need for hiring adjuncts. The department shall be responsible for evaluating the academic credentials of the candidates and making recommendations to the President.
Subd. 4. Community Faculty Appointments . See Article 10, Section J.
Subd. 5. Athletic Appointments . See Article 10, Section G.
Subd. 6. Probationary Appointments .
a. Definition . A probationary appointment is for a stated term and is designed to lead to tenure. During such term the appointee is being evaluated in accordance with Article 22 for purposes of determining whether an appointment with tenure shall be offered in accordance with Article 25 not later than the end of the stated term. Probationary appointments may be for one (1) year or other stated periods and may be terminated prior to the end of the stated term subject to the conditions in Articles 24 and 25.
b. Length . The total period of probationary service prior to the acquisition of tenure shall not be less than one (1) year in the university and shall not exceed five (5) years of full-time equivalent service. For those persons who, because of prior part-time service, reach four (4) FTE years of service during the academic year , the probationary period shall end at completion of that academic year.
c. Computation . The probationary period shall include all tenured, probationary, non-tenure track, except as provided in Subd. 6.b., and fixed-term employment served within the previous twelve (12) years in the faculty member ’s university together with such previous higher education service in other institutions up to a maximum of four (4) years if approved in writing by the President at the time of initial employment. If the service which will be counted is from a higher education institution outside the Minnesota state universities , the prospective faculty member will be advised of his/her right to have a probationary period of five (5) years in length, and that accepting a shortened probationary period at the time of hire is a waiver of that right. Faculty members accepting shortened probationary periods shall sign a waiver of the right to the full five (5) years. Where a shortened probationary period is accepted, notice of such acceptance shall be conveyed to the department and to the Association . The computed probationary period shall include a probationary appointment immediately prior to the granting of tenure. For individuals who were previously tenured in any university in the System and whose rehiring rights have expired after layoff, appointment to a position after retraining shall include a probationary period not to exceed two (2) years. Notice of termination of appointments will be given in accordance with the relevant provisions of Articles 23 and 25. However, fixed-term employment financed by monies received from an outside jurisdiction or agency which may terminate such funding in a manner beyond the control of the Employer shall not be counted in computation of the probationary period, except as otherwise approved in writing by the President.
Subd. 7. Tenured Appointments
.
a. Definition . An appointment with tenure is an appointment granted by the Employer upon successful completion of the probationary period specified in Subd. 6.c. of this Section. Appointment