Recommendations to Facilitate Implementation of Part-Time Faculty Appointments

Proposed by Recruitment and Retention Task Force

October, 2007

Specific Policy Changes:

• Approval of the proposed “University-Wide Part-Time Faculty Appointment Policies,”  to be included in faculty handbook policies available online through Human Resources and also in individual College faculty handbooks (forthcoming)
• Revision of JPC guidelines needed to define expectations for part-time faculty appointments. We recommend adding the phrase “full-time equivalent” to all references to years of service in the Joint Promotion Committee guidelines, with an additional sentence approved by Human Resources:  “Consistent with current practice, individualized promotion eligibility contracts may need to be negotiated in especially complex situations.”   
• Establishment of departmental definitions of part-time work, teaching, research, and service, along with adjustment in department by-laws related to merit pay
• Memorandum of Agreement (flexible:  could spell out connection between appointment and tenure clock stoppage, for example), regularly reviewed by department. 
• Position responsibility statement should also be agreed upon between faculty and department chair, with Dean and PVD approval, and be part of the faculty member’s official personnel file housed in Human Resources.
• Use the above as a mechanisms for ensuring that people on “part-time” appointments are not actually expected to work full time and for providing a clear definition of part-time work that will assist in reviews related to tenure and promotion.
• A university-wide appeals process is needed.  Recruitment and Retention Task Force will develop recommendations.  Faculty Senate may need to charge CGAAF with revising its by-laws to include consideration of this appeals process.
• Reviewers, internal, and external, need to be instructed about the part-time nature of the appointment.  Reviewers should have the university policy, the individual’s MOA and PRS at the time of review.

Facilitating Policy Change/Climate Change

• Sharing of best practices for departments is recommended, with respect to  facilitating career flexibility.  R and R Task Force will continue to develop related recommendations.
• R and R Task Force will also consider how to create resources of incentives for departments to create policies and climates that encourage work-life balance and provide options for part-time appointments as part of the process.
• For faculty requesting conversion to part-time in the coming academic year, before advancement policies have been redefined, we suggest developing a memorandum of understanding between faculty member and department, as well as position responsibility statement.  Faculty who arrange part-time appointments before JPC policies, etc., are in place, need to be aware that those policies are not yet in place.