Section 4 - Faculty Personnel Policies and Procedures

VI. Appointments

Appointments to the St. Olaf faculty may be made to individual departments, to special academic units, or to more than one academic unit. Full-time appointments may be tenured, tenure-track, or term; part-time appointments may be tenured, tenure-track, term, or terminal. Tenure-track appointments are tenurable continuing positions, subject to Section 4.VIII ("Reappointments"). Term and terminal appointments are not tenurable. Term appointments may be for one, two, or three years. The terms and conditions of every appointment shall be in writing and shall be in the possession of both St. Olaf College and the faculty member before the appointment is official.

1. Full-Time Faculty Appointments
   
   Normally, appointments to departments shall be made in accordance with the following general guidelines. The particular process applied to a given appointment may vary from these guidelines at the discretion of the President and the Dean of the College.
   
   1. The department chair, in cooperation with the Dean of the College, shall seek candidates from a wide and diverse pool and shall secure information about available candidates in order to evaluate their professional competence and effectiveness, publications, and other evidence of scholarly achievement, working habits, and their attitudes about and understanding of the relationship of religion to learning.
      
   2. The chair of the department concerned shall discuss the candidates with all tenured and tenure-track members of the department as well as with those full-time members of that department presently on campus who have completed at least two years of service at the College.
      
   3. Credentials of the candidates selected by the department chair for consideration shall be reviewed by the Associate Dean of the Faculty and the Dean of the College.
      
   4. The candidates selected for consideration by the department chair, the Associate Dean, and the Dean of the College shall normally come to the College at the expense of the College to be interviewed by the department chair, the Associate Dean, the Dean of the College, and the President. If a candidate visits the campus, the department chair shall attempt to arrange for the candidate to meet other members of the campus community.
      
   5. A department chair who desires to recommend a candidate for appointment shall discuss this recommendation with the Associate Dean and shall present this recommendation, together with the recommendations of the members of the department concerned, to the Dean of the College. The Associate Dean shall advise the Dean of the College concerning the appointment, and the Dean of the College shall subsequently make a recommendation to the President, who decides whether or not to make an offer of appointment. The President or the Dean of the College shall write a letter to the candidate, if chosen, stating rank, salary, and duties, and requesting the candidate, if he or she wishes to accept the appointment, to submit a letter of acceptance.
      
   6. Term appointments are for one, two, or three years; these appointments are renewable up to six years. In special cases, full-time term appointments at the instructor rank may be renewed beyond six years without tenure. Such appointments should be regarded as exceptional, and considered carefully by St. Olaf College and the individual. [See Section 4.IX ("Tenure") for conditions under which these appointments may count towards a subsequent tenure review.]
      
   7. Time served under a full-time term appointment shall count toward eligibility for a sabbatical leave if the individual is given at some later time an appointment which makes that person eligible for a sabbatical leave.
      
   8. The terms and conditions of every appointment shall be stated in writing and be in the possession of both St. Olaf College and the faculty member before the appointment is official.
      
   9. The following statement of qualification for the various ranks shall serve as a guide to department chairs, Associate Deans, the Dean of the College, and the President in making new appointments to the fauclty.
      
      1. Instructor: M.A. degree or equivalent academic competence. Experience is preferred. (It is highly desirable that candidates have had previous educational experience, either in actual teaching situations or in pre-service experience acquainting them with the best educational procedures.) Upon notification of the completion of the requirements for the Ph.D. or equalivant by the faculty members's graduate school, promotion to assistant professor will be automatic.
         
      2. Assistant Professor: Ph.D. or equivalent academic competence. Some teaching experience is desired prior to appointment.
         
      3. Associate Professor: Ph.D. or equivalent academic competence. Three years of full-time college teaching as instructor or above, plus three additional years of full-time college teaching, research, administration, or equivalent experience beyond the Ph.D. degree.
         
      4. Professor: Ph.D. or equivalent academic competence. Five years of full-time college teaching as instructor or above, plus five additional years of full-time college teaching, research, administration, or equivalent experience beyond the Ph.D. degree.
         
   10. Change From Full- to Part-Time
       
       A faculty member with a full-time appointment may, if he or she so requests, and on the recommendation of the appropriate department chair, Associate Dean, and the Dean of the College, be granted a part-time appointment either for a designated period of time, or permanently. In making such a recommendation, consideration should be given to the needs of the College as well as those of the individual. The needs of the College become especially important when individuals seek to extend designated periods of time that were earlier negotiated, since such requests can conflict with the legitimate expectations of students for continuity, of untenured members for tenurable positions, and of department chairs for staff planning. During the term of this appointment, the faculty member comes under the provisions of a part-time appointment. The change to part-time carries with it a commensurate reduction in compensation, and faculty will continue to participate in non-teaching duties in the same proportion as their percentage of FTE. If the part-time appointment is for a specified term, the individual returns to full-time status at the end of the term.
       
       A faculty member with full-time tenure who changes to a permanent part-time appointment will retain tenure at whatever fraction of FTE is agreed to by the faculty member, the department chair, the Associate Dean, and the Dean of the College. They may subsequently request a return to full-time tenured status; such requests will be considered by the department chair, the Associate Dean, and the Dean of the College, but the College is not obligated to grant such a request.
       
2. Part-Time Faculty Appointments
   
   Appointments to the St. Olaf faculty on a less than full-time basis shall be designated as "part-time." Part-time appointments may be tenured, tenure-track, term, or terminal, the status to be determined by the President on recommendation of the appropriate department chairs, Associate Deans, and the Dean of the College, and so stated in the letter of appointment.
   
   1. Tenured or Tenure-Track Part-Time Appointments
      
      1. Tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments are intended for persons who teach at least half-time but less than full-time. Additional employment outside the College will be subject to the provisions of the Faculty Manual.
         
      2. Guidelines for tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments include:
         
         1. Fractional FTEs of not less than one-half time per year with teaching normally done during both regular terms.
            
         2. Credentials the same as those required for full-time appointments with similar curricular responsibilities.
            
         3. A commitment to long-term professional growth and achievement.
            
      3. The rights and responsibilities of faculty with tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments are the same as for faculty with tenured or tenure-track full-time appointments (as specified in the relevant sections of the Faculty Manual ) with the following provisos and conditions:
         
         1. Faculty with tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments are expected to participate in the non-teaching duties of the faculty (e.g., advising, committee work) in the same proportion as their percentage of FTE.
            
         2. Faculty with tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments who teach half-time shall, therefore, receive half the salary they would receive were they teaching full-time, and so on for other fractional FTEs.
            
         3. Faculty with tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments are eligible to apply for funds to travel to professional meetings.
            
         4. Faculty with tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments shall have franchise.
            
         5. Faculty with tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments are eligible for promotion and tenure under the same conditions applicable to faculty with full-time appointments. [See Section IX ("Tenure").] Tenure for faculty with tenured part-time appointments, however, commits the College only to assurance of continuous employment at one-half the FTE. The responsibilities entailed by the award of tenure are fully incumbent on faculty with part-time appointments, who share with all other tenured faculty a special responsibility for the total ongoing life and program of the institution.
            
         6. Tenured faculty on part-time appointments are eligible for sabbatical leave on the same basis as faculty on full-time appointments, for example, after six years of at least half-time service to the College, the sabbatical is one year at half current salary or one-half year at full current salary (current salary to be based on the average percentage FTE during the years counted toward leave).
            
      4. Although a part-time appointment does not imply a future full-time appointment, faculty who have had tenured or tenure-track part-time appointments may, on the recommendation of the appropriate department chairs, Associate Deans, and the Dean of the College, be given a corresponding full-time appointment by the President. If they are untenured at the time of the change in appointment, they come under all the provisions of tenure-track full-time appointments, except that the years served in tenure-track part-time appointments are counted toward the tenure probationary period only in proportion to the instructor's actual FTE (e.g., a year of teaching half-time on a tenure-track part-time appointment counts as one-half year toward the probationary period). If they have tenure on a part-time status, they also come under all the provisions of tenured full-time status, except that they have assurance of continuous employment on a part-time basis; assurance of continuous employment on a full-time basis can be acquired only through a tenured full-time appointment.
         
      5. If it becomes necessary to terminate appointments for reasons specified in the Faculty Manual , the fact that a person holds a tenured or tenure-track part-time appointment shall not be a consideration in deciding for or against such termination.
         
      6. Although the College has no explicit provision for appointing two persons on a "shared tenure" basis, similar arrangements may be possible if each member of a team is granted a part-time appointment as described in this section.
         
   2. Part-Time Term Appointments
      
      1. Part-time term appointments may be for terms of one, two, or three years. Part-time term appointments are intended ordinarily for persons appointed to fill a bona fide fractional teaching need, for example, when a department or a program has a fractional equivalent to fill, or a specialist is needed for a limited number of courses.
         
      2. Faculty with part-time term appointments shall be regarded as members of the faculty community in every way consistent with the conditions of the appointment. They shall be treated by all as professional colleagues. They shall be extended courtesies attendant on that status, be provided office space and clerical support, mailboxes, be given a just salary that accurately reflects their teaching duties and experience, be eligible for professional travel funds and for faculty development awards, and be encouraged and expected to pursue programs for long-term professional growth and achievement, and be given periodic peer reviews.
         
      3. Faculty with part-time term appointments are not eligible for tenure.
         
      4. Departments may extend franchise to part-time term faculty for department meetings.
         
      5. Faculty with part-time term appointments shall not be eligible for sabbatical leaves. However, they are eligible for special leaves without pay during the term of their appointment. They may apply for retirement and group health benefits if they meet eligibility requirements.
         
      6. Time served under a part-time term appointment shall count toward sabbatical leave if the individual is given at some later time an appointment which makes that person eligible for a sabbatical leave.
         
      7. Faculty with part-time term appointments who have taught satisfactorily for a number of years shall ordinarily be offered the opportunity to teach appropriate courses for which they are qualified before appointments are offered to new faculty to teach those courses as part of a part-time term appointment.
         
   3. Part-Time Terminal Appointments
      
      1. Part-time terminal appointments shall be made for fractional teaching loads for a period of at most one year.
         
      2. Faculty with part-time terminal appointments shall have no obligation for service to the College apart from their assigned duties and other responsibilities attendant upon those duties, such as office hours. They may be expected, if so instructed by their department chair, to attend department meetings. They may, if they choose, be appointed to serve on ad hoc committees and serve in other non-curricular roles.
         
      3. Part-time terminal faculty shall not have franchise, though they shall have the privilege of attending and speaking at faculty meetings. Departments may extend franchise to part-time terminal faculty for department meetings.
3. Special Appointments
   
   1. Special departmental appointments may be made, on a case-by-case basis, for persons whose abilities, while not necessarily reflecting the normative academic qualifications usually sought by the college, offer distinctive experience, expertise, or achievement that would enhance the college's educational aims. These appointments will carry the title of [Faculty Member] in Residence, full title to be determined by the appointing department in consultation with the Dean of the College.
      
   2. These Special Appointments are term appointments. They may be part-time or full-time. They may be for terms of one, two, or three years.
      
   3. Faculty on Special Appointments are not eligible for tenure.
      
   4. Departments wishing to make a Special Appointment will present their request to the Dean of the College. The department request to the Dean of the College must contain a full justification for the Special Appointment, and a plan for regular evaluation of the appointment. The Dean of the College shall review the request, and consult with the Tenure and Promotion Committee on the matter. The Tenure and Promotion Committee will review the matter and make a recommendation as to the individual terms of the letter of appointment for the special appointee, excluding compensation. The Dean of the College will then recommend to the President whether to make the appointment. If the President approves the appointment, the letter of appointment will be sent by the Dean of the College. The letter of appointment will identify it as a Special Appointment, with reference to Faculty Manual provisions for Special Appointments in Section 4.VI.C.
      
   5. Special Appointments will be eligible for renewal at the discretion of the Dean of the College, upon the recommendation of the department, up to the equivalent of six years of full-time service: 36 courses or course equivalents, taught either part-time or full-time, consecutively or non-consecutively. At the time of renewal, the terms of the faculty member's appointment will be reviewed, and may be revised. Should the Dean of the College or the Department wish to revise substantively the terms of appointment, the Dean of the College shall first ask the Tenure and Promotion Committee to review and comment on the proposed new terms.
      
   6. During the academic year when the faculty member completes the equivalent of six years of full-time service, the performance of the faculty member shall be reviewed by the Tenure and Promotion Committee. The Tenure and Promotion Committee will use as its criteria of review the terms and expectations detailed in the letter or letters of appointment. The Tenure and Promotion Committee will then recommend to the Dean of the College if the appointment should be continued beyond the equivalent of six years of full-time service. The Dean of the College will then recommend to the President whether to continue the appointment and the President shall make the final determination.
      
   7. All faculty members continuing on Special Appointments beyond the equivalent of six years of full-time service may apply for professional development leaves. The appointment letter shall expressly state the terms of any leave for which the faculty member shall be eligible.
      
   8. INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS: (For academic year 2002-03) Department chairs will be given a deadline of one academic year within which to present the Dean of the College and the Committee on Tenure and Promotion with a formal request and rationale for reassigning said faculty member to a Special Appointment. Following this transition period, all Special Appointments shall be made at the time of initial employment by the college.
      
4. Joint Appointments
   
   A member of the St. Olaf faculty may hold a joint appointment in more than one academic unit of the College.
   
   1. In all cases of joint appointment, responsibility for appointment, reappointment, salary, tenure, and promotion recommendations shall be shared by the units involved in the joint appointment. In the case of appointments, the heads of the appropriate academic units, in consultation with the Associate Deans of the relevant Faculties, shall be responsible for negotiating agreement on the nature of the joint appointment, the qualifications of the candidates, and the procedure for recruitment and interview.
      
   2. In any case where the heads of academic units involved in a joint appointment fail to agree, they shall send their differing recommendations to the Associate Deans of the relevant Faculties.
      
      1. If the disagreement concerns a recommendation for appointment or reappointment, no appointment or reappointment shall be made unless the President, after consultation with heads of the appropriate units, appropriate Associate Deans, and the Dean of the College, decides to appoint or reappoint.
         
      2. If the disagreement concerns salary, the President shall decide after consultation with the Dean of the College.
         
      3. If the disagreement concerns a recommendation for tenure or promotion, the differing recommendations shall be forwarded by the Dean of the College to the appropriate faculty committee.
         
   3. Assignment to teach courses in other departments or programs does not confer joint appointment status.
      
   4. Tenured and tenure-track faculty members holding joint appointment shall be included among those faculty who are consulted on personnel decisions in each of the academic units to which they are appointed.
      
5. Released Time
   
   Faculty, whether on full-time or part-time appointments, may, on the recommendation of the appropriate department chairs and Associate Deans, be granted a portion of released time from their teaching responsibilities in order to carry out administrative, professional, or other college-related tasks for a designated period of time. Except for a reduction in teaching load, all of the conditions of their appointment would remain the same; the period that a faculty member is on released time shall count as time in service toward tenure, sabbaticals, and salary increments. Salary and fringe benefits shall not be affected by released time. In most cases, a faculty member with released time is expected to participate in advising and committee and departmental work as usual.