The academic year refers to the time during which the teaching faculty fulfill their contractual obligations to the University. Unless otherwise specified in writing, faculty fulfill their contractual obligations during the academic year, i.e., from one week before the first day of fall semester classes through two weeks after the last day of spring semester classes. The academic year is normally 34 working weeks (9 months), starting in mid-August and ending in mid-May.
Unless otherwise specified in writing, faculty contractual duties refer to those duties specified in Section 3.1 “Criteria”, and include teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and institutional/public service. Faculty may teach or perform other specified duties for the University between academic years. Such activities are in addition to the academic-year contractual duties, and may be included as part of faculty evaluation processes (see Section 3 “Evaluation”) at the discretion of the individual faculty member.
Faculty are not required to perform academic-year contractual duties between academic years. However, faculty shall have full access to available University resources between academic years to pursue activities related to evaluation processes specified in Section 3 “Evaluation”. Use of these resources is subject to Kentucky Revised Statutes.
Ordinarily an initial appointment will be for two years for all ranks. If a person is appointed to the faculty during an academic year, the term of the contract will end at the end of the following academic year.
2.3.1. Instructor
An Instructor who is reappointed shall receive a one-year contract, which may be renewed. No person shall hold the rank of Instructor for more than seven years. If an Instructor does not qualify for promotion before the end of the sixth year in rank, including any University-recognized credit for prior service, the contract for the seventh year shall be a terminal contract (see Section 2.5 “Probationary Contracts”). Non-tenure-track, renewable faculty holding the rank of Instructor before the 1994 adoption of this Handbook may be reappointed at this rank beyond the seven-year limit.
2.3.2. Assistant Professor
Reappointments of an Assistant Professor will be for two-year terms, provided, however, that the total time in probationary appointments, including University-recognized credit for prior service, does not exceed seven years. If an Assistant Professor does not receive tenure before the end of the sixth year of probationary appointments, including university-recognized credit for prior service, the contract for the seventh year shall be a one-year terminal contract (see Section 2.5 “Probationary Contracts”).
The term of employment for part-time (non-tenure-track or non-tenured) faculty shall not exceed one academic year.
Faculty who have probationary contracts do not have tenure. Reappointment to a probationary contract is conditioned upon successful performance and recommendation for reappointment as specified at Sections 3 “Evaluation”; 4 “Reappointment”; 5 “Promotion”; 6 “Tenure”, and 7 “Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure for Librarians”. A person may not hold a probationary appointment for more than seven years, including university-recognized credit for prior service. If a person does not receive tenure before the end of the sixth year of probationary contracts, including University-recognized credit for prior service, the contract for the seventh year shall be a one-year terminal contract.
Faculty with tenure have a continuing contract (see Section 6 “Tenure”).
A faculty member will be appointed to a position in a stated department(s)/school or program(s) (see Section 2.12 “Joint Appointments”).
2.8.1. Definitions
2.8.1.1. Benefits
“Benefits,” as discussed in this section, refer to insurance, health, and welfare perquisites that the University makes available to its employees.
2.8.1.2. Employee
“Employee” is a person, other than an independent contractor, who performs services for the University in exchange for compensation in the form of a salary paid by the University. Persons performing services under grants may or may not be University employees, depending upon the terms of the grant and the persons’ contractual relationships with the University.
2.8.2. Range of Benefits
A range of benefits is available to all University employees. Faculty may obtain information concerning available
benefits through the Department of Human Resources. In some instances, faculty benefits are different from those of other employees, e.g. some staff employees hired before 2020 are in the KERS retirement plan.2.8.3. Faculty Development Programs: Sabbaticals, Summer Fellowships, Project Grants
Information on Faculty Development Programs (sabbaticals, summer fellowships, project grants) is available through the Office of the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (see Section 11 “Faculty Development Programs”).
All appointments are subject to approval by the Board of Regents.
The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs annually issues updated faculty hiring guidelines. These guidelines, along with periodic training sessions, serve to standardize procedures for faculty hiring. The provisions of this Handbook govern all appointments of faculty, including appointments of administrators with academic rank. (See, e.g., Section 1 “Definitions of Faculty Status”, Section 2 “Contracts”, and Section 16.12 “Appropriate Terminal Degrees for Faculty”.)
The decision to award academic rank, tenure, or credit for prior service will be negotiated at the time of the initial appointment between the candidate and the department chair/school director in consultation with the department’s/school’s Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) Committee. All recommendations for academic rank, tenure, or credit for prior service must receive approval of both the appropriate dean and the provost, and must be transmitted in writing to all of the affected parties: candidate, department chair/school director, RPT Committee, appropriate dean, and the provost. Credit for prior service in a full-time, tenure-track appointment in the rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor at an accredited, four-year institution of higher learning may be counted toward the normal six-year probationary period. The awarding of prior service does not alter the schedule of non-renewal: regardless of the amount of prior service awarded toward tenure, untenured faculty members are subject to the time schedule stated in Section 3.2.1. However, if circumstances warrant, the candidate may request in writing a renegotiation of credit for prior service. This request must be made within the first two years of the candidate’s initial appointment and would require the recommendation of the RPT Committee, chair/director and dean, and the approval of the provost.
In the case of appointment of an administrator with academic rank, the decision to award academic rank and/or tenure will be negotiated prior to the time of the initial appointment between the candidate and the applicable hiring manager subsequent to the recommendation of the department’s/school’s Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) Committee. All recommendations for academic rank and/or tenure must receive approval of both the appropriate dean and the provost and must be transmitted in writing to all of the affected parties: candidate, department chair/school director, RPT Committee, appropriate dean, and the provost.
In colleges where there is no department or school, the dean will function as department chair in these processes.
A department, school, or program faculty may nominate a retiring or retired faculty member for appointment to emeritus status. In order to be nominated, the retiring or retired person must hold academic rank. Normally, a person will have served the University for a long period in order to be appointed. Such a nomination will be given to the dean by the chair or director, forwarded to the provost, and then to the president. The chair or director, dean, and the provost may make their own recommendations about the appointment of the faculty member when forwarding the nomination. Emeritus status may be conferred only by the Board of Regents, and then only upon recommendation by the president (see Section 1.7.1 “Emeritus Faculty”).
Revised: Fac. Senate, 1.16.2020/BoR, 3.18.2020 (clarified the process and removed requirement of tenure)
All proposed joint faculty appointments will be clearly articulated as such in writing by the cooperating
departments/schools with the written terms of the appointments stated as specifically as possible prior to the appointments. In addition to the usual contractual terms, joint-appointment terms should include:
For purposes of administrative support and accountability, the appointee will be housed in and counted on the roll of one department/school, which will be known as the academic unit of primary appointment. Each department/school will conduct a separate performance evaluation and will provide for a separate reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) review.
Joint appointments do not preclude the appointee’s participation on reappointment, promotion and tenure (RPT) committees for any of the departments/schools of appointment in which the appointed holds
appropriate rank.
The department chairs/school directors, in accordance with departmental/school and other University policies, will conscientiously contribute to performance reviews of the appointee and the recommendations resulting from the reviews with regard to retention, salary increases, promotion, and tenure.
It will be the responsibilities of the dean(s) in whose academic college(s) an appointment is to be made to monitor carefully the department/school procedures in the articulation, advertisement, recruitment, and appointment of all joint-appointment positions and in work assignments, evaluations, and professional recommendations of all joint appointees.
In colleges where there is no department or school, the dean will function as department chair in these processes.
