Penn State College of Arts and Architecture | Academic Fixed-Term Appointments

Guidelines for Academic Fixed-Term Appointments

Purpose of Guidelines
The purpose of these guidelines is to review requirements
and to recommend "best practices" for academic units to use
in the appointment, evaluation, and recognition of Fixed-Term
I faculty and Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty (two to five years).
These best practices address the academic unit's need for
flexibility in academic staffing, its interest in ensuring
academic quality, and the goal of providing consistency, equity,
and recognition for faculty members not in tenure-track positions.

Academic Fixed-Term Appointments
Fixed-Term I Appointment. A Fixed-Term I appointment
designates those appointments that are full-time for at least
six calendar months, but which have a specified ending date.
Such appointments are regular, as defined in HR05. The position
does not appear as a line item of the departmental budget
salary schedule and is not assigned a budget position number
on a payroll record. Requests for Fixed-Term I positions must
be approved by the Dean. The Fixed-Term I position is funded
on a temporary basis, although the original source may be
either permanent (such as allocation fund) or temporary (such
as salary savings from an unfilled position). Such appointments
are discontinued at the stated ending date, but may be renewed.

Fixed-Term I appointments are made for both academic and nonacademic
personnel (other than technical service). If such an appointment
is academic, a Memorandum of Personal Service form, outlining
the terms of the appointment, is completed and given to the
incumbent. If such appointment is nonacademic, a Confirmation
of Fixed-Term I Staff Appointment form is completed and given
to the incumbent (see page 4.8 of the General Forms Usage
Guide).

Fixed-Term Multi-Year Appointment. Fixed-Term Multi-Year appointment
designates those appointments that are full-time for a minimum
of thirty-six weeks, but have a specified ending date. Such
appointments are regular. The position appears as a line item
on the departmental budget salary schedule and is assigned
a budget position number on the payroll record. Requests for
Fixed-Term Multi-Year positions must be approved by the Dean
and funding must be committed on a permanent basis from the
Non-Standing Fixed-Term Multi-Year Academic budget category
before appointments can be made. Such appointments are discontinued
at the stated ending date, but may be renewed.

Fixed-Term Multi-Year appointments are made for academic personnel. A
Memorandum of Personal Service form outlining the terms of
the appointment is completed and given to the incumbent.

Fixed-Term Multi-Year appointments may exceed one year in duration, up
to a maximum of three years for a single appointment. These
appointments are renewable.

Best Practices
Appointments. Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty
are generally hired for specific responsibilities, such as
teaching, with no expectation for research, scholarly publication,
or creative work. If these faculty are to be assigned responsibilities
other than teaching, they should be on tenure-track. (1) Because
faculty on Fixed-Term Multi-Year appointments are not expected
to perform the same duties as regular faculty, their teaching
loads or other specific assignments may vary from those of
tenure-track faculty. Units may use unit funds to make appointments
of Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty, but these
appointments must be approved by the Dean.

(1) The responsibilities of Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year
appointments will not be affected until the end of the current
contract period.

Letters of Offer and Appointment. The letter of offer must establish
the parameters for teaching and/or other unit-specific support
responsibilities and expectations, as well as identify the
resources and other support available to the faculty member.
In addition, the letter of offer must include information
on expectations and methods for evaluating the faculty member's
work. This letter, which comes from the unit head, is to be
considered a letter of offer only; the letter of appointment
with the contract itself originates from the Office of the
Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture. (See attached
examples of letters of offer.)

Responsibilities. The policy of the College is to treat all faculty, both tenure-track and fixed-term, in a fair and professional manner. Responsibilities
are assigned in consultation with the unit head and will be
commensurate with the specific teaching needs of the unit.
Thus, the teaching loads for fixed-term faculty are generally
heavier than the teaching loads for tenure-track faculty.

Academic Ranks

1. Instructor. An instructor should possess at least a master's
degree or equivalent, or be an active candidate for an advanced
degree, in an academic field related to his/her teaching specialization.

2. Senior Instructor. A senior instructor should possess at least
a master's degree or its equivalent in an academic field related
to his/her teaching specialization and must have demonstrated
ability as a teacher and adviser and shown evidence of professional
growth, scholarship, and mastery of subject matter.

3. Research Assistant. The research assistant should possess
a master's degree or equivalent, or be an active candidate
for an advanced degree, in an academic field related to his/her
research.

4. Senior Research Assistant. A senior research assistant should
possess a master's degree or its equivalent in an academic
field related to his/her research and must have demonstrated
ability as a researcher and shown evidence of professional
growth and scholarship in his/her discipline.

Three professorial titles may be given to visiting faculty:

1. Visiting Assistant Professor. The assistant professor should
possess a doctoral degree, the terminal degree in the field,
or their equivalent in organized research, creative accomplishment,
or professional practice and must have demonstrated ability
as a teacher, scholar, or professional artist and shown definite
evidence of growth in the field.

2. Visiting Associate Professor. The associate professor (or
senior research associate) should possess the same qualifications
as the assistant professor, but must also give evidence of
substantial accomplishment in scholarly, artistic, or professional
achievement.

3. Visiting Professor. In addition to the characteristics of
the members of the lower ranks, the professor should give
evidence of a marked capacity for creative work and of leadership
in his or her field of specialization. This rank should be
reserved for persons with an established national reputation
in teaching and in scholarly, artistic, or professional achievement.

Infrastructure and Developmental Support. As with tenure-track
faculty, Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty must
be provided with the training, equipment, services, and facilities
necessary to fulfill their responsibilities in a dignified
and professional manner. In addition, depending on the judgment
of the head and the budgetary constraints of the unit, academic
units may provide support for professional development that
is directly related to the primary responsibilities of the
Fixed-Term I or Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty. Fixed-Term
Multi-Year Faculty are eligible to apply for College Faculty
Research Grants.

Performance Review. The department head must evaluate annually the
contractual responsibilities of all Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term
Multi-Year faculty as part of the unit's merit review process.
In the evaluation of teaching, departments must supplement
SRTE's with at least one additional form of assessment of
teaching quality. This assessment may include interviews with
selected students from the faculty member's classes or observation
of classroom or studio teaching by the unit head or faculty.

Promotion. The unit head is responsible for recommending to the Dean
promotion in title for fixed-term faculty, and academic units
are expected to develop criteria and review processes on which
to base such promotions. Fixed-term faculty themselves have
the right to request consideration for promotion, though salary
increments in connection with their promotion are not automatic.
All recommendations for promotion of fixed-term faculty are
subject to the approval of the dean.

Notice. No later than two months before the expiration of the current appointment, unit heads must provide faculty on Fixed-Term
I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year appointments a letter of intent
indicating whether or not the appointment will be renewed.
These are the minimum requirements for notification of continuation
or termination of fixed-term appointments. In cases of non-renewal
of the appointment, notice should be given at the earliest
possible time, ideally three to six months, to allow the faculty
member as much time as possible to seek new employment.

Governance. Although each unit will decide the role of Fixed-Term I faculty in the unit's governance, Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty may
be included in departmental decision-making processes, including
committees, except those dealing with promotion and tenure.
The extent of the faculty member's participation in the unit's
goverance must be specified in the letter of offer.

Communication.
Academic units will include Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year
faculty on mailing lists, listservs, and the like. Unit heads,
or their delegates, must formally communicate unit, college,
and university policies, especially those regarding teaching
and legal responsibilities, to all Fixed-Term and Fixed-Term
Multi-Year faculty at least annually, or as updated information
is received. Formal orientation sessions, policy handbooks,
and unit Web pages are among the recommended ways for disseminating
this information.

Community. Fixed-Term I and Fixed-Term Multi-Year faculty are our colleagues. They make major contributions to the mission of the academic
units and to our students, especially to undergraduate students.
We cannot succeed without their good work. Every effort should
be made to involve them in the academic, intellectual, and
social lives of the unit.

See University Web site: http://www.ohr.psu.edu/policies/htm (Click on "Human Resources Policies.")

ADDENDA

Salary Payments to Academic Full-time, Standing, and Fixed-Term Multi-year Employees

New full-time employees classified "Academic" and appointed on
a continuing basis (including Fixed-Term Multi-Year until
the end of their contract) effective with the Fall Semester,
will receive their first year's salary in eleven monthly payments,
2/12 in August and 1/12 from September through June. Spring
Semester appointments will receive the balance of their first
year's salary in six equal monthly payments from January through
June. The above arrangements are in effect during the first
fiscal year only. Thereafter the annual salary is paid in
twelve equal monthly payments.

New full-time, 48-week employees classified "Academic" or "Academic
Administrator" (including Fixed-Term Multi-Year until the
end of their contract) whose appointments are effective on
a specific date rather than with a specific academic period,
will have their first annual salary equated to the services
to be rendered until the end of the first fiscal year. The
payments each month will be 1/12 of their annual salary except
the initial month, if the appointment begins other than on
the first of the month. Payments for the initial partial month
will be computed at the weekly rate times the number of weeks
of service rendered. If odd days are involved, the daily rate
of 1/7 of the weekly rate applies.

Note: Weekly rates are determined by dividing the annual salary
by the number of weeks of the appointment. Daily rates are
determined by dividing the weekly rate by 7 and rounding up
to the nearest penny.

New full-time, 36-week employees classified "Academic" (including
Fixed-Term Multi-Year until the end of their contract) whose
appointments are effective on a specific date rather than
with a specific academic period, will have their first annual
salary equated to the weeks of services to be rendered until
the end of the first fiscal year. These appointees will be
paid in equal monthly payments from the initial month of employment
until the end of the current fiscal year. Thereafter their
annual salary will be paid in twelve equal monthly payments.

Salary Payments to Fixed-Term I

Academic Employees Fixed-term academic employees (other than
Fixed-Term Multi-Year) will be paid monthly on the last working
day of each month. Fixed-term academic employees who are not
appointed on an academic period basis but for a specific period
of time beginning on a specific date and ending on a specific
date, will be paid monthly over the period of the appointment.
When computing the fractional payments to appointees, the
odd amount (including cents) will be paid in the initial month's
pay. All subsequent payments will be in equal amounts.

Payments to new appointees on an academic period basis will be as follows:

Fixed-Term I Appointments (Must be full-time and appointed for six
months or more.)
Fall Semester
1/5 of salary each month (5 payments), August through December.

Spring Semester
1/5 of salary each month (5 payments), January through May.

Sample Letters of Offers for Fixed-term Faculty

Dear XXX:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the School/Department
of _________________ in the College of Arts and Architecture
at Penn State University.

The official contract will be issued by the University, but
this is my understanding of what we have agreed to via telephone
today.

Annual salary $X/ nine month academic year

Start Date: 8/17/XX

Ending Date: 5/6/XX

Rank of Assistant Professor

Non-tenure, one-year appointment

Use of a Macintosh computer for your shared office

$X for relocation expenses

No formal student advising assignment.

If your recollection of our agreement differs from the above,
please contact me immediately.

I look forward to having you on board.

Dear XXX:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the School/Department
of _________________ in the College of Arts and Architecture
at Penn State University.

The official contract will be issued by the University, but
this is my understanding of what we have agreed to via telephone
on Fri.

Annual salary $X / nine month academic year

Start Date: 8/17/XX

Ending Date: 5/6/XX

Rank: Associate Professor

Your contract will be a Non-tenure, two-year (fixed term, renewable)
appointment to teach lighting and stage management and supervise
students performing practicum assignments in those two areas.

You will receive the Standard University Benefits package.

Per our agreement, the School of Theatre will make every attempt
to accommodate your ongoing free lance work, understanding
that during the academic year 2000-2001, you already have
commitments that will take you away from campus for a one-week
residency during fall semester and for two one-week residencies
during spring semester.

You will have exclusive use of a Macintosh computer or PC (your
choice) for your office.

You will receive $X for relocation expenses.

You will receive $X from the School of Theatre toward LDI convention
each year.

You will receive $X from the School of Theatre toward USITT
convention each year.

(The College of Arts and Architecture may provide additional
financial assistance for participation in these conventions.
You must apply separately to Associate Dean Ed Williams.)

If your recollection of our agreement differs from the above,
please contact me immediately. I look forward to having
you on board.

Date

Dr. xxx xxxx
address
city, state
zip

Dear xxx:

It is my pleasure to recommend to Dean Durst of the College
of Arts and Architecture that you be appointed to the faculty
of the School of xxx at the rank of [assistant professor]
beginning with the academic year [2001-02]. Your duties
as part of this appointment will include the teaching of
courses as assigned by the Director of the School. During
academic year [2001-02], your responsibilities will include
the teaching of xxx and xxx during the fall and spring semesters
and with additional duties yet to be assigned. Your remuneration
of $xx,xxx will be paid in monthly installments.

Service on the faculty at Penn State includes teaching as assigned
by the director of the school or program coordinator, and
occasionally the performance of assigned administrative
duties. These duties of the faculty, as outlined in the
pertinent University documents, help to form the basis on
which your performance will be evaluated. We also require
that you submit students' course evaluations, the SRTEs,
according to our procedures. May I encourage you to examine
the PSU Faculty Handbook at: http://www.psu.edu/provost/FacultyHandbook/

The federal immigration law makes employment at Penn State University
subject to compliance with certain eligibility, certification,
and identification requirements. Please contact Ms. xxx
in my office (814/xxx-xxxx) as soon as possible to complete
the required I-9 form. Please sign this letter below and
return the letter to my office by [July 1, 2001]. Retain
the copy for your file. It is important that you contact
Ms. xxx soon to complete the forms required for your employment.

Should you have any questions concerning the matters addressed
above, I hope that you will contact me promptly. On behalf
of the faculty and students I wish to convey my genuine
delight in welcoming you to our Penn State community. I
look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sincerely,

Director

I am in agreement with the contents of this letter.

Date:

Dr. xxx
Social Security Number:

c: Barbara Korner