Chapter II. Faculty Personnel Matters

2.1 Definition of the Faculty: Types of Appointments

2.1.1 Tenured Appointment

The appointment issued successively each year to persons elected without term to the faculty of the University by the Board of Visitors. Faculty on tenured appointments normally hold the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

2.1.2 Probationary Appointment

An appointment for a fixed term in which service is applied to consideration for tenure. These appointments are issued for terms of up to three years. The University can, but is not required to, renew such appointments of additional terms up to a total of seven years of service. A faculty member in the final term of a probationary appointment cannot subsequently be given another probationary appointment but can subsequently be considered for another type of fixed term appointment. Faculty on probationary appointments may hold the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor.

2.1.3 Other Types of Fixed-Term Appointment

An appointment for full-time employment for a fixed term, in which service is not applied to consideration for tenure. The University can, but is not required to, renew such appointments for additional terms. The total duration of these appointments is normally five years, but may be longer if dictated by circumstances and the needs of the University. In all cases, the formal qualifications of faculty on this type of fixed-term appointment must be commensurate with their rank and title. A faculty member holding this type of appointment can subsequently be considered for a probationary or tenured appointment; however, prior service on a fixed-term appointment is not applied to consideration for tenure unless this is specified in the letter of appointment to probationary status. Faculty on fixed term appointments may hold one of the following titles: Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. These titles may be modified by the terms Research or Visiting or Clinical or Field. A visiting appointment denotes someone whose appointment is temporary, usually for one academic year. A clinical appointment denotes someone whose major responsibility is to supervise students in clinical instruction, whether within the University or in another setting. A field appointment denotes someone whose major responsibility is to supervise student field work, which may be geographically removed from the University, and who does not normally undertake class responsibilities.

2.1.3.1 Externally Funded Fixed-Term Appointment

An appointment for full-time employment for a fixed term, supported primarily or exclusively by external funds from grants and/or contracts. The University can, but is not required to, renew such appointments for additional terms. A faculty member holding this type of appointment can subsequently be considered for a probationary appointment or a tenured appointment; however, prior service on a fixed-term externally funded appointment is not applied to consideration for tenure unless this is specified in the letter of appointment to probationary status. Faculty on externally funded fixed-term appointments may hold one of the following titles: Research Instructor, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, or Research Professor.

2.1.4 Part-Time Appointment

A part-time faculty member is appointed to teach a particular course or courses, or to perform some other specific academic responsibility on a part-time basis for one or more terms. Faculty on part- time appointments normally hold one of the following titles: Adjunct Instructor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor or Adjunct Professor. The title Adjunct may be followed by the modifier Field or Clinical or Research as appropriate.

The University can, but is not required to, renew such appointments for additional terms. There is no limit on the number of terms an individual may be employed on such appointments.

Some part-time faculty are appointed to a multi-year contract relationship with the University to serve in areas where their expertise warrants it. These long-term part-time faculty participate fully in the duties afforded them by the local unit, and their responsibilities in the local unit differ only in the percentage of a regular workload assigned by their contract. Faculty on such appointments may, according to their credentials, hold the title of Contract Assistant Professor, Contract or Senior Contract Associate Professor, or Contract or Senior Contract Professor. The title Contract or Senior Contract may be followed by the modifier Field or Clinical or Research as appropriate.

2.1.5 Definition of Primary Affiliation

Although tenure resides in the University as a whole (see Section 2.7.3), probationary and tenured faculty, with the exception of university professors, are appointed directly and specifically to one or more local academic units. The status established by such an appointment is called in this document "primary affiliation."

Primary affiliation is determined in accordance with procedures described in Sections 2.7 and 2.8. An appointment to primary affiliation requires the concurrence of the faculty of the local unit to which the appointment is to be made and may not be transferred from one local academic unit to another except with the concurrence of the faculty of the unit to which a transfer is proposed. Primary affiliation in one unit does not, however, preclude assignment to part-time or full-time service in other units in which a faculty member does not hold an appointment to primary affiliation.

2.1.6 Faculty with Governance Responsibilities

Faculty possess governance responsibilities in local academic units in which they hold primary affiliation and in the larger units of which their local academic units are a part. Local and collegiate units may also choose to extend voting rights to other faculty who are employed in those units. For purposes of participation in governance beyond the local and collegiate levels, the faculty is defined as those persons holding tenured or probationary appointments.