Academic Policy 1405.16
Faculty Hiring Plans and Appointment Procedures
Approval by the Provost is required to fill vacant tenure-track or professorial-ranked non-tenure track faculty positions and to hire the chosen candidate. The hiring of part-time lecturers and appointed instructors does not require approval by the Provost but should conform to general institutional practices for faculty appointments in advertisement, selection, and information conveyed in letters of offer.
By April 1st of each year, each dean of a school, college, the library, or other units, as appropriate, will submit Academic Policy 1405.16A, Faculty Hiring Plan Form, to the Provost indicating the number of faculty positions (including tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty at professorial ranks) for which searches will be conducted during that academic year and filled for the following academic year. Once the hiring plans have been approved by the Provost, advertising of the approved positions may begin at the discretion of the deans.
Academic Policy 1405.16A, Faculty Hiring Plan Form, should take into account and note how faculty hires align with strategic priorities of the university and the college/school, projected enrollment and enrollment distributions, retirements, separations, or other changes in numbers and composition of unit faculties, and strategic plans and goals for strengthening or adding programs or areas of focus to gain or increase quality, productivity, external funding and national distinction.
If during the course of the academic year an unforeseen and urgent situation arises that could not reasonably been anticipated and requires an immediate deviation from the approved hiring plan, an updated hiring plan with appropriate justification may be submitted for review and consideration. Such requests will be considered only on an exceptional, case-by-case basis and must clearly document the nature of the emergency and the risks of delay.
Once individuals are identified to receive offers, approval of the letter of offer must be given by the Office of the Provost through Workday. Typically, the request to fill the position with the chosen candidate is submitted for approval in the form of a draft letter of offer accompanied by a resume or vitae in Workday. The letter should address start-up funding, typically for tenured or tenure track offers only, and state the sources, amounts, and restrictions on use. The procedure for new faculty start-up funds can be found in Academic Policy 1405.16F. Any special arrangements or provisions governing a faculty member's appointment or work assignment must be stated in the letter of offer. It should conform to the sample letters provided under Academic Policy 1405.16. Copies of letters of offer must be maintained in Workday and in the personnel file.
Offer letters issued to faculty before the conferral of the requisite degree must contain terms of offer contingent upon completion of a terminal degree. The letter should state terms of nontenure status as an instructor until the semester or academic year or fiscal year following achieving conferral of the terminal degree. Upon conferral, the letter should outline conditions of the new status as a tenure-track or non-tenure-track faculty member in professorial rank, specify the new salary, if different, new title, and work assignments, and should also indicate the date of the start of the tenure clock, if applicable.
Offers of positions at or above the rank of Associate and or with tenure must be made consistent with the applicable personnel policies as stated in the current Board of Trustees Policy 405.1, the campus APS 1405.11 Evaluative Criteria document, and the school or college and department personnel documents.
This means, at a minimum, for hires at or above the rank of Associate (with or without tenure), the draft letter of offer must be accompanied by a resume, the department recommendations, dean’s letter of recommendation, a dossier, and a nomination for a promotion and/or tenure form (s) (Academic Policy 1405.10C or Academic Policy 1405.10C-Ag only). For cases involving tenure, the Provost must receive these materials and approve the request to offer tenure before the request can be sent for review and approval by the Chancellor and President of the University System. An offer with tenure cannot be made to the candidate prior to receiving approval from the President of the University System.
Offers of positions with salaries that exceed line-item maximum must be approved by the Board of Trustees following guidelines set forth in Academic Policy 1435.60. Approval may be requested from the President of the University, through the Provost and Chancellor, to make the offer contingent upon approval of the Board, but the request must be submitted for inclusion on the next Board of Trustees agenda for approval before it is final.