II105 - USM

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II 1.05 POLICY ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF FULL-TIME, NON-TENURE
TRACK INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY IN THE
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND

(Approved by the Board of Regents on October 11, 2002; Technical Amendment August 26, 2004;
Amendment to Section V.C.7. proposed for consideration by Committee of the Whole, April 13, 2007
Effective July 1, 2007)

I. PURPOSE

This policy is designed to govern practices at institutions of the University System of Maryland
(USM) related to search processes, appointments, contracts, and conditions of employment for
full-time non-tenure-track (FTNTT) instructional faculty to assure high quality of instruction by
individuals with appropriate credentials and experience and to provide a set of baseline policies
for FTNTT faculty in all USM institutions.

II. APPLICABILITY

This policy applies only to those faculty members of the USM institutions (i) who are employed
full-time, (ii) who are neither tenured nor eligible for tenure, and (iii) whose responsibilities
are primarily or exclusively in the instructional program.

III. DEFINITION OF "FULL-TIME"

The institutional president or designee shall assure that each department or unit that has
instructional faculty adopts a definition of "full-time." The workload expectation for FTNTT
instructional faculty shall be specified on an academic-year basis, not on a semester basis.

IV. RANKS

Current BOR policy (II-1.00) lists the following approved ranks that may be used for FTNTT
instructional faculty. Institutions shall confer on each FTNTT instructional faculty member one
of the following ranks, as appropriate and commensurate with credentials and professional
experience. (Institutions are not required to use all available ranks.)

Assistant Instructor
Lecturer
Senior Lecturer

The University of Maryland University College may also assign ranks in the Collegiate series
(See USM Policy II-1.00, Section II.C.6.a.-d.).

V. POLICY

A. Search

1. Credentials: Each institution shall develop written standards for the academic degrees
or professional certifications and professional experience required for appointment to
FTNTT instructional faculty ranks. These standards may vary depending on the level of
courses to be taught.

2. Search Procedures: The institutional president or designee shall assure that each
department or unit has in place written procedures for selecting faculty. These
procedures shall include verification of credentials. Search procedures shall reflect the
commitment of the institutions and the University System of Maryland to equal
opportunity and affirmative action.

B. Hiring

1. Contracts/Letters of Appointments: Each FTNTT faculty member shall be provided with a
written contract or letter of appointment prior to the beginning of the assignment.
The contract or letter shall state that the appointment is full-time and state the
academic rank, length of appointment, time of service (9 months, 9.5 months, one year),
salary, whether or not the appointment is renewable, nature of the assignment,
benefits (see below, Section C.7.), and performance-evaluation policies and procedures.

2. Information for Faculty: Upon signing the contract, the FTNTT faculty member shall have
access to the institution's Faculty Handbook, in a written or electronic version.

3. Term of Employment: Normally, initial contracts shall be for one academic year.
Subsequent contracts may be for longer terms, not to exceed three years (five years
in the case of UMUC Collegiate faculty). Notice of non-renewal shall be provided in
accordance with Board of Regents Policy II-1.00 University System Policy on Appointment,
Rank, and Tenure of Faculty (Section 1.C.12).

C. Working Conditions

1. Support for Teaching: The appointing department or unit shall provide each FTNTT
instructional faculty member with the support it determines to be necessary for the
execution of the appointee's duties. Provision should be made for new appointees to
attend departmental and institutional orientation sessions. Support shall also include
the following:

a. information on the department's policies, requirements, and goals for each course,
along with access to examples of past course syllabi (if available);

b. official schedule of classes, including academic calendar and time frames of class
meetings;

c. assistance in ordering textbook(s) for the course(s), ancillaries for the text(s), and
office supplies;

d. copying services for course materials;

e. an appropriate place for meeting with students during scheduled office hours, except if
instruction is completely technology-mediated;

f. an institutional email account along with computer access; and

g. telephone access.

2. Professional Development: Professional development opportunities for FTNTT instructional
faculty members should be supported to the extent possible. Examples include extending
invitations to departmental and institutional faculty development events, arranging
mentoring by senior faculty, and providing financial support for attending professional
conferences when funds permit.

3. Teaching Assignment: The appointing department or unit shall provide FTNTT faculty with
reasonable and adequate notice of projected teaching assignments prior to the start
of classes. Notice of 45 days is suggested.

4. Performance Evaluation: The institutional president or designee shall assure
that each department or unit has in place written procedures for evaluating faculty
performance on a regular schedule, as required by Board of Regent's Policy II-1.20.
Departments shall evaluate the teaching of FTNTT faculty members on the same basis
used to evaluate the teaching of tenure-track faculty members. Evaluations shall be
kept on record in a personnel file and shall be consulted when decisions about
promotion, salary, and any subsequent contract are made.

5. Faculty Participation: FTNTT faculty members shall be integrated into the scholarly,
intellectual, academic, and social life of the department or unit, and institution.
Institutional shared-governance procedures shall include FTNTT faculty.

6. Salaries: Every effort should be made to make salaries professionally appropriate and
competitive to the extent allowed by available fiscal resources.

7. Benefits: FTNTT instructional faculty contracts and letters of appointment shall
include a written statement of benefits available to the appointees. Appointees
shall be provided with access to relevant BOR policies governing the provision of
benefits to USM faculty and staff. At a minimum, each institution shall provide
each of the following benefits, or its equivalent, to FTNTT instructional faculty:

a. Health Benefits. FTNTT instructional faculty who are not on regular faculty
lines that provide a state subsidy for health benefits may enroll in the State health
benefits program consistent with COMAR 17.04.13.04(B)(2). The institution shall
reimburse a faculty member who enrolls in the State health benefits plan for the cost
of individual coverage, less the amount of the premiums that would be paid by a faculty
member on a regular faculty line to receive comparable health benefits in the
State health benefits program.

b. Retirement Benefits.
(i) Fall 2008 Semester. FTNTT instructional faculty with ten or more consecutive
years of full service before the Fall 2008 semester, who are not on regular
faculty lines that provide either an employer contribution to or service credit
for participation in a State-sponsored retirement or pension plan, shall be
entitled to a payment of 7.25% of annual salary in lieu of an employer contribution
to or service credit for a State-sponsored retirement or pension plan.

(ii) Fall 2009 Semester. FTNTT instructional faculty with six or more consecutive
years of service as of or after the Fall 2009 semester, who are not on regular
faculty lines that provide either an employer contribution to or service credit
for participation in a State-sponsored retirement or pension plan, shall be
entitled to a payment of 7.25% of annual salary in lieu of an employer contribution
to or service credit for a State-sponsored retirement or pension plan.

c. USM Benefits. FTNTT instructional faculty shall be eligible for the benefits listed
below, subject to the terms of the policy cited.

(i) Tuition remission for faculty member (See USM Policy VII-4.10);
(ii) Tuition remission for dependents (see USM Policy VII-4.20);
(iii) Family and medical leave (see USM Policy II-2.31);
(iv) Annual leave (see USM Policy II-2.40);
(v) Earned sick leave (see USM Policy II-2.30);
(vi) Collegial sick leave (see USM Policy II-2.30);
(vii) Personal leave (see USM Policy II-2.40);
(viii) Leave for jury service (see USM Policy II-2.50);
(ix) Leave without pay (see USM Policy II-2.20).

Full-time non-tenure-track faculty shall be ineligible for sabbatical leave or for
terminal leave, regardless of length of service.

d. Institutional Benefits. FTNTT instructional faculty shall be eligible for
institution-controlled benefits provided to full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty
and their spouses and dependent children.

e. Implementation Procedures. Each institution shall develop procedures for the payment
and other aspects of implementation of the above benefits, and each President shall
send a letter to the Chancellor affirming that this has occurred before the beginning
of the Fall, 2008 semester. .

f. Taxation of Benefits. The taxability of all benefits, and withholding on the amount
or value of, benefits provided under this policy shall be determined in accordance with
federal and state law.

g. Definition. For the purposes of this policy:

1. "Regular faculty status" means any position that is established as a line item
and appears in the personnel detail of an institution's budget.

2. "Consecutive Year of Full Service for "FTNTT instructional faculty"

(i) Means teaching a full instructional load, as defined by the institution,
for the fall and spring semesters of a given academic year.

(ii) A disruption in service due to certain family and serious health conditions
as defined by the Policy on Family and Medical Leave for Faculty (Policy II-2.31)
shall not be considered a break in the continuous nature of a faculty member's
years of full service.

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