Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 133-9-3 - Faculty: Ranks and Definitions3.1. The faculty at any state institution of higher education shall be those appointees of the institution's designee. The faculty are those so designated by the institution and may include, but are not limited to, such professional personnel as librarians, faculty equivalents, academic professionals, and those involved in off-campus academic activities.3.2. Faculty may fall into one of the following classifications: 3.2.1. Tenured: Those faculty members who have attained tenure status as determined by the institution. Normally, tenured appointments are full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) for the academic year. 3.2.1.1. Under special circumstances, if requested by the faculty member and approved, a full-time tenured appointment may be converted to a part-time tenured appointment for a specified time period, normally not to exceed one calendar year. At the conclusion of the approved time period or an approved extension thereof, the faculty member will return to a full-time tenured appointment or, if the faculty member chooses not to return to a full-time tenured appointment, the faculty member's employment will cease. This section does not apply to actions associated with phased retirement programs.3.2.2. Tenure-Track: Those faculty members who have been appointed on a full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) basis and have been designated as being in a tenure-track position.3.2.2.1. Under special circumstances, if requested by the faculty member and approved, a full-time tenure-track appointment may be converted to a part-time tenure-track appointment for a specified time period, normally not to exceed one calendar year. At the conclusion of the approved time period or extension thereof, the faculty member will return to a full-time tenure-track appointment or, if the faculty member chooses not to return to a full-time tenure-track appointment, the faculty member's employment will cease. Time spent in a part-time tenure-track appointment will not normally apply to the calculation of the years of service for the purposes of tenure nor will it result in any de facto award of tenure.3.2.3. Clinical-Track: Those faculty members who have been appointed and have been designated as being in a clinical-track position. Their appointment may be full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) or part-time.3.2.4. Librarian-Track: Those faculty members who have been appointed and have been designated as being in a librarian-track position. Their appointment may be full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) or part-time.3.2.5. Term: Those faculty members at universities and other four-year institutions and who have been appointed as instructional faculty for a specified term as defined by the institution. The appointment shall be full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) or part-time. While a full-time term faculty member is eligible to receive reappointment to additional terms, no single term may exceed three years. No number of term appointments shall create any presumption of a right to appointment as tenure-track or tenured faculty. Such full-time appointments will not exceed ten percent of the total number of full-time faculty at the institution.3.2.6. Non-tenure-Track: Those faculty members who have not been appointed in a tenure-track, clinical-track, librarian-track, term, or tenured status. Their appointment may be full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) or part-time. Non-tenure-track faculty may also include faculty equivalents or academic professionals, whose primary duties are non-instructional, but who may hold a secondary appointment that is instructional in character. No number of Non-tenure-track appointments shall create any presumption of a right to appointment as tenure-track or tenured faculty.3.3. Faculty appointed to tenured, tenure-track, or term positions at any institution shall be appointed in one of the following ranks: 3.3.2. Associate Professor;3.3.3. Assistant Professor; or3.4. Faculty appointed to clinical-track positions at any institution may be appointed to one of the following ranks: 3.4.1. Professor, with the designation of School of Medicine (SM), School of Dentistry (SD), or School of Nursing (SN);3.4.2. Associate Professor, with the designation of School of Medicine (SM), School of Dentistry (SD), or School of Nursing (SN);3.4.3. Assistant Professor, with the designation of School of Medicine (SM), School of Dentistry (SD), or School of Nursing (SN); or3.4.4. Instructor, with the designation of School of Medicine (SM), School of Dentistry (SD), or School of Nursing (SN)3.5. Faculty appointed to librarian-track positions at any institution may be appointed to one of the following ranks: 3.5.1. Librarian or Professor/Librarian;3.5.2. Associate Librarian or Associate Professor/Librarian;3.5.3. Assistant Librarian or Assistant Professor/Librarian; or3.5.4. Staff Librarian or Instructor/Librarian3.6. Clinical-track, librarian-track, and term faculty hold appointments that are not subject to consideration for tenure, regardless of the number, nature, or time accumulated in such appointments. Clinical-track, librarian-track, and term faculty appointments are only for the periods and for the purposes specified, with no other interest or right obtained by the person appointed by virtue of such appointment.3.7. Additional ranks are permitted at West Virginia University and West Virginia State College through the use of the title prefix designation "extension;" such additional ranks are excluded from and in addition to those ranks covered by the provisions of the West Virginia Code.3.8. Other appropriate titles which more accurately indicate the nature of the position may be used.3.9. Persons assigned full-time or part-time to administrative or staff duties at any institution may be appointed to, or may retain, one of the foregoing faculty ranks in addition to any administrative or staff title, following consultation with appropriate academic units. Such persons will be informed in writing at the time of the appointment whether the faculty rank is as a tenured, tenure-track, clinical-track, librarian-track, term, or non-tenure-track member of the faculty. Administrative or staff personnel who are not appointed to a faculty position are not faculty and therefore are not entitled to the protections provided by this policy. 3.10. Clinical-track, librarian-track, term, and Non-tenure-track faculty at all institutions hold non-tenurable appointments which may be part-time or full-time and are not subject to consideration for tenure, regardless of the number, nature, or time accumulated in such appointments. These appointments are for a specified period of time as set forth in the notice of appointment. Since the faculty member thus appointed is not on the tenure track, the notice provisions set out in Section 10.5 below do not apply.3.11. Non-tenure-track appointments shall have one of the following titles: 3.11.1. Any of the faculty ranks, but designated visiting, research, clinical, extension, or adjunct, as applicable to describe the connection or function;3.11.2. Lecturer or senior lecturer;3.11.3. Assistant, designated as graduate, research, clinical, or adjunct, as applicable to describe the connection or function.3.12. Non-tenure-track full-time (1.00 FTE or the equivalent, as determined by the institution) faculty appointments may be used only if one or more of the following conditions prevail: 3.12.1. The position is funded by a grant, contract, or other source that is not a part of the regular and on-going source of operational funding.3.12.2. The appointment is for the temporary replacement of an individual on sabbatical or other leave of absence. Such appointments are outside tenure-track status, are subject to annual renewal, and normally may not exceed three years.3.12.3. The appointment is for the purpose of filling an essential teaching post immediately, pending a permanent appointment through a regular search and screening process. Such appointments are outside tenure-track status, are subject to annual renewal, and normally may not exceed three years.3.12.4. The position is temporary to meet transient instructional needs, to maintain sufficient instructional flexibility in order to respond to changing demand for courses taught, or to meet other institutional needs. The appointee is to be so notified at the time of the appointment. Such appointments are outside tenure-track status, are subject to annual renewal, and normally may not exceed six years.3.12.5. The appointee is granted a primary appointment as an administrator or to perform other non-instructional duties, with a secondary appointment that is instructional in character. Any faculty rank or teaching would be considered temporary, renewable on an annual basis. The appointee must be notified in writing of the status of any faculty rank.3.12.6. Appointment or reappointment to a Non-tenure-track full-time faculty position shall create no right or expectation of continued appointment beyond the one-year period of appointment or reappointment.3.13. The institution shall make all tenured, tenure-track, clinical-track, librarian-track, term, and Non-tenure-track appointments after consultation with appropriate faculty and other collegiate units.3.14. Every faculty contract at any institution shall be for one fiscal year, or part thereof, in accordance with and in compliance with the annual budget of the institution, or supplementary actions thereto, as provided by law.3.15. Every such contract shall be in writing, and a copy of the document shall be furnished to the person appointed. Such document shall contain the terms and conditions of the appointment, as delineated in Section 17 of this policy.