HR 010 - Faculty Contracts and Appointments

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines that address the nature and terms of employment for faculty members at CWI.

Guidelines

ADJUNCT FACULTY

Adjunct Faculty shall be appointed and serve pursuant to a Letter of Teaching Appointment (LTA) signed by the adjunct faculty member and the Provost. The terms of the LTA shall govern during the applicable term; however, employment of adjunct faculty is at-will, and, upon written notice, the adjunct faculty member may be terminated with or without cause. An LTA shall not automatically renew, and adjunct faculty shall have no expectation of continued employment under an LTA. Nothing herein shall be construed as conferring any contractual right or property interest in the employment of adjunct faculty.  Additional information regarding Adjunct Faculty appointments is found in INST 030 - Adjunct Faculty Compensation.

A CWI employee in a non-exempt primary position is not allowed to fill an adjunct faculty position unless approved by the Provost and Chief Human Resources Officer. An employee’s non-exempt status, when it is the primary position, requires all subsequent work completed by the employee for CWI to be designated as non-exempt and paid hourly per the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

A CWI employee in a non–teaching, exempt position can fill an adjunct faculty position under INST 160 -  Overloads – Exceptional Teaching Assignments.

FULL-TIME FACULTY CONTRACTS

Full-time Faculty shall be appointed and serve pursuant to an employment contract, signed in accordance with ADMIN 150 – Authorized Signature Policy. Employment contracts for faculty members shall be issued annually for the period of one (1) year. Full-time faculty contracts denote the dates of the obligated working days for that year, as outlined in HR 340 - Faculty Compensation Policy.  CWI may prorate compensation in the event the faculty member is hired for less than a standard contract term. Full-time faculty may teach under an LTA for any session/semester not covered by the full-time contract.

Further, full-time faculty members shall be either on non-renewable contract status or renewable contract status as addressed below.

NON-RENEWABLE CONTRACT STATUS

CWI reserves the right to non-renew the term of a faculty member’s non-renewable contract with or without cause. Faculty members who are on non-renewable contract status are not entitled to administrative review of a decision by CWI to non-renew their contract except to the extent provided in HR 130 – Complaint Process for CWI Employees Policy. Faculty members whose contracts are terminated prior to the expiration of the contract term may avail themselves of the due process procedures set forth in HR 140 – Employee Corrective Action.

Notices of non-renewal, when applicable, will be issued to faculty members on non-renewable contract status no later than May 15 of the current academic year. Employment contracts will be issued to all returning faculty no later than July 1 of the current academic year. Faculty members on non-renewable contract status to whom contracts have been issued must return their signed contracts to CWI within thirty (30) days of the contract issue date, preceding the expiration of the term of the current contract. The failure to do so will be interpreted as the decline of the offer of another contract.

RENEWABLE CONTRACT STATUS

Faculty members in good standing who have completed at least three (3) years of service shall be eligible for renewable contract status.

Eligible faculty members may be placed on renewable contract status upon execution of a contract for the year following approval of their renewable contact, and thereafter shall have the right to automatic renewal of their contract for the ensuing year unless there is a termination during the current contract term or a non-renewal in accordance with HR 140 – Employee Corrective Action.

Employment contracts will be issued to faculty members on renewable contract status no later than July 1 of the current academic year. The execution and return of the contract to CWI shall constitute notice of the faculty member’s acceptance of renewal. The failure to return a signed contract to CWI within thirty (30) days of the contract issue date will be interpreted as the declination of the right to renewal or of the offer of another contract. The renewal or termination of contracts for faculty members on renewable contract status is subject to the termination provisions set forth below.

Any contract automatically renewed under the terms of this policy shall be for the same length as that stated in the current contract, i.e. generally one year, and at a salary no lower than that specified therein.

Exceptions to the thirty (30) day contract acceptance deadline must be approved by the Provost.