Article II - Terms of Appointment and Definition of Faculty Status

SECTION 1 - Terms of Appointment and Definition of Faculty Status

The terms and conditions of every appointment to the faculty will be stated in writing and be in the possession of both the institution and the faculty before the appointment begins. The initial appointment letter will clearly spell out the terms of the appointment, including faculty rank, credit toward promotion or rank for prior professional experience, and the conditions (if any) of ongoing appointments. For initial appointment, the personnel file must be complete prior to issuance of contracts. The file must minimally include a vita and transcripts from all college and universities attended.
All faculty members receive an appointment letter each year regardless of tenure status. Those with teaching or research appointments of any kind will be informed each year in writing of their reappointment, terms of reappointment, and matters relative to their eligibility for the acquisition of tenure if applicable.
Faculty letters of appointment will be no fewer than nine months and no longer than 12 months.
No later than May 1, faculty members with continuing employment will receive a written letter of appointment specifying the length and terms of appointment, the salary amount, and placement on the salary scale. An exception may be made for first-year faculty who have not completed at least half of their assigned teaching responsibilities by the time of initially scheduled performance reviews. In such instances, decisions regarding continuing employment and the issuance of a letter of appointment will be completed by June 1.
Full-time faculty members' annual teaching load responsibility and other duties, if applicable, will be denoted in the appointment letter. Typically, the teaching load is evenly distributed between semesters during the academic year.
Faculty members will be advised, at the time of initial appointment, of the substantive standards and procedures generally employed in decisions affecting reappointment, and as applicable, tenure. Any special standards adopted by the faculty member's division also will be brought to their attention. The faculty member will be advised of the time when decisions affecting reappointment or tenure are ordinarily made and will be given the opportunity to submit material that they believe will be helpful to an adequate consideration of their circumstances.
Other than special appointment faculty, each nontenured faculty member's specific responsibilities will be addressed in the annual Guidelines for Faculty Performance (Form 3) document, which is written in consultation with the division chair.
Full-time faculty members may be offered overload course assignments by the division chair, not to exceed six credits of overload in each semester. Exceptions are subject to approval of the division chair and provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. The provost shall resolve conflicts regarding overload assignments.
The faculty member and the provost, in consultation with the Office of Human Resources, may enter into an agreement for a partial leave of absence. Examples include retirements offramp agreements and partial medical leaves of absence.

SECTION 2 - Tenure-Track and Nontenure-Track Appointments

Tenured Appointments - Faculty members who have been granted tenure can be terminated only for adequate cause, as determined by the Faculty Liaison Committee in consultation with the Office of Human Resources, or under extraordinary circumstances, or because of financial exigencies. If the College determines, at is sole discretion, that a faculty member with tenure has violated College policies, procedures, and expectations or any applicable laws, rules, ordinances, or regulations, including but not limited to, the laws, rules, ordinances. or regulations prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, the faculty member may be immediately terminated without any severance pay.
1. Professor
  1. An individual who holds the appropriate terminal degree and the equivalent of 10 years of full-time faculty appointment in a college or university, of which the equivalent of five years must be at the rank of associate professor.
  2. A full professor's time must be spent in routine academic activity (e.g., teaching, service, and scholarship). Specific responsibilities of the individual faculty member are to be determined in consultation with the division chair.
  3. Professors are voting members of the faculty and eligible for election/appointment to faculty committees.
2. Associate Professor
  1. An individuals who holds the appropriate terminal degree but has less than the equivalent of 10 years of full-time faculty appointment in a college or university, of which the equivalent of five years must be at the rank of assistant professor.
  2. An associate professor's time must be spent in routine academic activity (e.g., teaching, service, and scholarship). Specific responsibilities of the individual faculty member are to be specified in the annual Guidelines for Faculty Performance (Form 3) document in consultation with the division chair and approved by the provost.
  3. Associate professors are voting members of the faculty and eligible for election/appointment to faculty committees.
Tenure-Track Probationary Appointments - The terms and status of a probationary appointment will be stated in the initial contract and are subject to renewal/appointment.
1. The probationary period before granting of tenure is normally six contract years of appointment for a faculty member who has held no other faculty appointment prior to their appointment to the Keuka College faculty. Tenure consideration and evaluation takes place in the sixth year. If tenure is granted, it is effective at the start of the eighth year.
2. For tenure-track probationary appointment, the total period of full-time faculty appointment prior to the acquisition of continuous tenure will not exceed seven years, including all previous full-time faculty appointment at the rank of instructor or higher in other institutions of higher learning; however, in the case of a member called from another institution, it may be required that they serve in a probationary status for a period not to exceed four years, even though thereby their total probationary period in the academic profession is extended beyond seven years.
Extensions of the Probationary Period - An extension of the tenure probationary period shall be provided to tenure-track faculty who apply for and are granted an approved leave of absence. The extension of the probationary period shall be for a minimum of one year. Time spent on a leave of absence will not count toward completing the probationary period.
1. A pre-tenured faculty member who becomes a parent by birth, emergency foster care placement, or adoption before the tenure documentation is due shall be granted the option of a one-year extension to the tenure probationary period upon providing written notice of each birth or adoption to the division chair and provost within six months of the birth, foster care placement, or adoption and (when applicable) before the tenure documentation is due. The provost and Office of Human Resources will coordinate the notification of this option to faculty members.
2. In extraordinary cases, tenure-track faculty may request an extension of the probationary period if there have been reasons beyond the faculty member's control that they have been deprived of reasonable opportunity to demonstrate their ability before the sixth year when the tenure decision is normally made (e.g., extenuating or unforeseen personal circumstances, conditions that fall under the Family Medical Leave Act, short- or long-term disability, and/or man-made or natural disaster) which significantly affects performance.
3. Requests for extensions of the probationary period must be submitted to the division chair as soon as possible after the extraordinary circumstances justifying such a request have occurred but, in any case, must be made prior to October 1 of the academic year in which their tenure review is scheduled. The request should include sufficient information to identify the circumstances to evaluate the request for an extension and how their performance has been adversely impacted by the circumstances. The faculty member is not required to disclose detailed private or personal information. The division chair forwards the request, along with their written recommendation to the provost. The provost shall review the request and the division chair recommendation and make a determination. The faculty member and division chair will be notified in writing of the extension decision and, in the case of a positive decision, the projected tenure review date. The Professional Standards Committee will also be informed of the new tenure review date.
4. Documentation associated with extensions of the probationary period for a pre-tenured faculty member as described within this section shall be maintained by the Office of Human Resources (due to this nature of this documentation often including protected health or other sensitive information) with a notation in the Office of the Provost that documentation is on file with Human Resources; access to it shall be governed by College policy on access to faculty personnel files.
Credit Toward Tenure - At the time of initial appointment to a tenure-track position, a faculty member may be accorded, upon agreement of the provost and the division chair, credit toward reduction of the standard six-year probationary period for appropriate professional experience. This credit must be noted in the original appointment letter, which will indicate when the faculty member is eligible for tenure consideration. Normally, a person may receive up to two years' credit toward tenure. Only in exceptional circumstances may more credit be granted. The Professional Standards Committee may play a consultative role upon the request of the faculty member, division chair, or provost. Faculty with credit toward tenure will be reviewed according to the standards identified for second- or third-year faculty, in keeping with the number of years granted by the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
1. Tenure-track faculty granted credit toward tenure may seek to reduce their initial credit toward tenure by one year by written notice to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. This notice should include a brief explanation of the circumstances leading to the request. Such notice must be made before September 1 of the academic year which their tenure is scheduled. The provost shall notify the Professional Standards Committee and the appropriate division chair of any reduction in credit years toward tenure.
Assistant Professor
1. An individual who holds the appropriate terminal degree but who does not have the equivalent of six years of full-time faculty appointment in a college or university, of which the equivalent of four years must be at the rank of assistant professor, or a master's degree and the equivalent of eight years of full-time faculty appointment in a college or university, of which the equivalent of five years must be at the rank of assistant professor.
2. An assistant professor's time must be spent in routine academic activity (e.g., teaching, service, and scholarship). Specific responsibilities of the individual faculty member are to be specified in the annual Guidelines for Faculty Performance (Form 3) document in consultation with the division chair and approved by the provost.
3. Assistant professors are voting members of the faculty and eligible for election/appointment to faculty standing committees.
4. An assistant professor seeking reappointment will be reviewed annually by the division chair, Professional Standards Committee, and the provost. The division chair or faculty member may request formal review by the Professional Standards Committee and provost at any time.
5. The review for promotion and tenure will occur in the January time frame of their sixth year. The review will conclude with either a commitment to tenure or a notice of nonrenewal; in the event of a negative decision, the College may, at its sole discretion, offer the faculty member a severance agreement. The promotion will become effective at the beginning of the seventh academic year, while tenure will become effective at the beginning of the eighth year.
6. Advancement from assistant to associate professor requires fulfilling the conditions listed in items 1 or 2 above; the basis for positive recommendation for reappointment and additional criteria for advancement are described in Part D of this handbook.
Nontenure Track Appointments
1. All nontenured faculty will annually complete the Guidelines for Faculty Performance (Form 3) document articulating the specific expectations and evaluation criteria for the position. All nontenured faculty have the right to performance review and evaluation as specified.
2. Termination: The College reserves the right to terminate nontenured faculty for unsatisfactory performance reviews; due to termination of the program or a change in program needs; for violation of any College policies, procedures and expectation; for violation of any applicable laws, rules, ordinances, or regulations; financial exigency; extraordinary circumstances; or for cause.
3. Instructor
  1. An individual may be appointed to the rank of instructor for a term of one year if they do not currently hold the appropriate terminal degree as determined by the division in accordance with standards appropriate to the discipline or a master's degree and the equivalent of three years of full-time faculty appointment in a college or university or equivalent part-time teaching or professional experience.
  2. An instructor's time must be spent in routine academic activity (e.g., teaching, service, and scholarship). Specific responsibilities of the individual faculty member are to be specified in the Guidelines for Faculty Performance (Form 3) document in consultation with the division chair and approved by the provost.
  3. Instructors are voting members of the faculty and eligible for election/appointment to faculty standing committees.
  4. Instructors seeking reappointment will be reviewed annually by the division chair and every other year by the division chair, Professional Standards Committee, and the provost. The division chair or faculty member may request formal review by the Professional Standards Committee and provost at any time.
  5. Instructors seeking advancement to assistant professor must meet the expectations at that rank and have the endorsement of the division chair and provost.
4. Visiting Faculty
  1. Visiting faculty appointments may be necessary when there is a need to fill a temporary vacancy due to a sabbatical; an unexpected or last-minute vacancy due to retirement, resignation, illness, or death; an interim position in the absence of a qualified candidate for a vacancy; or similar reasons. Visiting appointments may also be made when the College is initiating a new program, expanding an existing program, or in other circumstances in which there is the need to determine whether a position will be maintained on a permanent basis.
  2. Visiting faculty appointments are made for a fixed term and may be reappointed for a maximum of six years.
  3. Visiting faculty will have duties similar to a probationary tenure-track faculty including teaching, professional development/scholarly activity, and service as articulated in their initial appointment letter and per the Guidelines for Faculty Performance (Form 3) document. The initial appointment letter should clearly spell out the terms of the appointment including rank, duties, and length of appointment. Visiting faculty appointment contain no promise of continued appointment.
  4. Individuals holding this appointment have voice and vote at faculty meetings.
  5. If the position becomes tenure-track, the years of credit toward tenure will be determined through consultation between the provost, division chair, and the individual. A person whose position becomes a tenure-track position cannot, however, be granted tenure in less than three years.
  6. A visiting faculty member will be reviewed annually by the division chair and every other year by the division chair, Professional Standards Committee, and provost. A visiting faculty member or their division chair may also request formal review by the division chair, Professional Standards Committee, and the provost at any time. A visiting faculty member may be terminated due to reasons such as unsatisfactory performance reviews; violation of any College policies, procedures, and expectations, or any applicable laws, rules, ordinances, or regulations; financial exigency; extraordinary circumstances; termination of or change in the requirements of a program; or in cases of termination for cause.
5. Adjunct/Clinical Adjunct Faculty
  1. Adjunct faculty are hired by the semester, as needed, to teach on a per-course basis. Adjunct contracts issued prior to the beginning of a semester are conditional, pending actual need. There is no promise of continuing employment implied in these contracts.
  2. Adjunct faculty are not eligible for promotion or tenure.
  3. Adjunct faculty are not voting members of the faculty and are not eligible for election/appointment to faculty standing committees.
  4. The responsibilities of adjunct faculty are generally limited to classroom teaching, clinical instruction, and/or other similar responsibilities as stated in their contract and as defined in consultation with their division chair.
  5. Adjunct faculty are informally evaluated by the division chair and/or program director at the completion of each course for which they are hired.

SECTION 3 - Special Faculty Rank Appointments

Special faculty rank appointments include positions in which the faculty member holds a typical faculty rank position while assuming other additional roles for the College differentiated from the typical academic activities (e.g., teaching, service, and scholarship) germane to the ranked faculty. Special faculty appointment therefore require alternative specific expectations for performance and are reviewed under those specific expectations as articulated.

Librarian Faculty
1. Librarian faculty will be given faculty rank as appropriate to their qualifications and experience and may hold the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor. The policies regarding eligibility for promotion and tenure will be consistent with other faculty or staff who hold a similar rank or position.
2. All librarians who hold faculty rank will be expected to complete the written Guidelines for Librarian Performance (Form 7) document in consultation with the library director.
3. Librarians are voting members of the faculty and eligible for election/appointment to committees of the faculty.
Clinical Faculty
1. An individual who holds a practice degree in the discipline of their faculty appointment (e.g., occupational therapy, nursing, social work) as determined by the division and in accordance with the standards appropriate to the discipline. This faculty line is intended for an individual with exceptional practice knowledge and experience in their associated discipline who holds the appropriate terminal degree. A clinical faculty position may be tenure-track, as determined by the provost in consultation with the appropriate division chair.
2. Clinical faculty will be given faculty rank as appropriate to their qualifications and experience and may hold the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor.
3. A clinical faculty member's time must be spent in routine academic activity (e.g., teaching, service, and professional development, with ongoing practice engagement expected in lieu of scholarship expectations).
4. Clinical faculty are voting members of the faculty and eligible for election/appointment to committees of the faculty.
5. Clinical faculty who have been employed consecutively for five or more years will receive a full year's notice of non-reappointment except in the case of termination due to reasons such as unsatisfactory performance reviews; violation of any College policies, procedures, and expectations, or any applicable laws, rules, ordinances, or regulations; financial exigency; termination of or change in the requirements of a program; in cases of termination for cause; or in extraordinary circumstances.
Remote Faculty
1. Remote faculty positions may be hired as non-tenure track as adjunct, instructor, visiting faculty, or clinical faculty, or tenure-track as clinical faculty, assistant, associate, or full professor, depending on need as determined by the division chair and provost.
2. A remote faculty member's time must be spent in the routine academic activity (e.g., teaching, service, and professional development/scholarship) as outlined in the faculty member's designated role (e.g., instructor, visiting faculty, clinical faculty, and tenure-track faculty).
3. Expectations for promotion and tenure for remote faculty are presented in Part D of this handbook.
4. Remote faculty may be expected to attend campus activities such as commencement and other events as determined in consultation with the division chair.
Administrators with Faculty Rank
1. Administrators with faculty rank may include, for example, the president, provost, associate provost, and the assistant provost. Administrators with faculty rank will be considered administrators for purposes of employment; therefore, the conditions of employment for administrators will apply. Administrators may receive academic rank upon employment. The president shall approve the academic rank awarded after receiving and considering the recommendation of the Professional Standards Committee, which shall first consult with the search committee and the appropriate division chair. Rank awarded will be based upon earned degree(s), prior teaching, and professional experience, and be in a discipline directly related to the individual's qualifications. Reconsideration of rank may be made upon change of circumstance and qualifications. Administrators with faculty rank are voting members of the faculty. Administrators with faculty rank are not eligible for election/appointment to faculty standing committees in any role other than ex officio.
2. Faculty who accept full-time administrative appointment will maintain the same rank and classification held under faculty contract. Tenured faculty may retain tenure and associate professors may pursue promotion to professor at the discretion of the provost. Tenure-track faculty who accept administrative appointment may negotiate retreat rights back to the faculty at the discretion of the provost as described in item c below. Tenured and tenure-track faculty who accept full-time administrative positions may be eligible to assume a tenured or tenure-track faculty position upon cessation of their administrative appointment. This right must be determined and specified in writing prior to acceptance of an administrative position. Faculty members assuming administrative positions will continue to accrue all rights, privileges, and compensation status that they would be otherwise entitled to as a continuing faculty member. When reassuming a faculty role, the faculty member will retain their faculty rank. The resumption faculty status will not result in a reduction of tenure of tenure-track faculty in the degree or program area to which that individual is assigned. In all cases, individuals in ranked faculty positions must demonstrate currency in their discipline areas.
3. Faculty who assume part- or full-time administrative duties within their discipline or program area, such as serving as division chairs or program directors, maintain their faculty status.
Distinguished Scholars/Artists in Residence
1. To enhance the academic environment and quality of the College, the president may appoint an outstanding professional as a distinguished scholar or artist in residence. These appointments are for a semester or academic year. The duties of distinguished scholars or artists in residence will be specified in their letter of appointment.
2. Distinguished scholars and artists in residence are not voting members of the faculty and are not eligible for election/appointment to faculty committees.
Professor Emeritus
1. An individual who has been a member of the faculty for a minimum of 15 years and who is retiring, upon the recommendation of the division chair and/or the provost, Professional Standards Committee, and the president, with the final approval by the Board of Trustees, may be granted status of professor emeritus. This position shall be reserved for those members of the faculty with records of distinguished service to the College.
2. When the responsible administrator feels that an individual with less than 15 years of service deserves emeritus status, they may recommend that an exception be made. Persons holding emerita/emeritus titles are integral members of our College community, and as such are entitled to the following privileges: participation in academic convocations including commencement, faculty privileges at the library, attendance at all public lectures on campus, and continuation of email. They shall be entitled to receive notices of all major activities and events and to attend and speak at all meetings of the faculty but will have no power to vote at faculty meetings.

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PART C - FACULTY POLICIES: RESPONSIBILITIES, TERMS OF APPOINTMENT, STATUS, AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES