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, 2007Effective 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
departmntal 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.