II105 - USM

Home / Regents / Bylaws / SectionII / II105

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, 2007
Effective 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 departmental 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.

Email this Page to a Colleague

Printer Friendly Version