Section II. Initial Appointments to Regular Positions
All regular appointments are authorized by the President. The initial appointment to a regular position under normal circumstances will be probationary: i.e., not tenured. Such appointments and any subsequent probationary reappointments shall be for a fixed duration, and carry with them no presumption that reappointment or tenure will be granted at the end of such term. Except when the probationary period has been lengthened for personal leaves (see IV.A.2), no faculty member on regular appointment will be continued for more than seven (7) years without tenure status unless arrangements are specifically agreed upon in writing by the Administration, the faculty member involved, and the Faculty Personnel Committee in advance of the sixth (6th) year of appointment. In the rare instance that an initial appointment is to be made with tenure, the Administration will consult with the appropriate department or program and the Faculty Personnel Committee regarding the faculty member’s academic qualifications. The President’s positive recommendation on tenure shall be submitted to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, and then to the full Board, for final approval at a regular meeting.
The initial appointment, under normal circumstances, shall be for two (2) years. Thereafter, the length of each subsequent reappointment shall normally be for two (2) years or as determined by the outcome of the review procedure provided under Section IV of this Plan of Employment. Up to four years of previous college teaching may be recognized by the College toward tenure qualification. The amount of such credit shall be established by the Administration at the time of the initial appointment to a position and that shall be so specified in the letter of appointment.
There may be special circumstances when an appointment letter will contain information intended to help codify the expectations of a position or include some other agreement that will affect the terms of the faculty member’s reappointment, tenure or promotion reviews. In the event that this information impacts the work of the Faculty Personnel Committee, they will be consulted when the appointment is made or as soon as possible thereafter.
In rare circumstances, a renewable appointment may be converted to a regular, tenure-track appointment by the Administration upon consultation with the appropriate department or program, the Educational Policies Committee and the Faculty Personnel Committee. As a general rule when a renewable position is converted to a regular, tenure-track position, the affected department conducts a national search to fill the regular, tenure-track position.
The Administration shall consult with members of the affected department(s) or program(s) and with the Educational Policies Committee before creating, reassigning, or eliminating a regular or renewable faculty position, and before converting a term appointment to a regular or renewable appointment. As a general rule, when a term position is converted to a regular, tenure-track position, the affected department conducts a national search to fill the regular, tenure-track position.
