To provide standard definitions for employee categories and classifications within Volunteer State Community College.
The following definitions shall apply to employee categories as indicated below:
- Academic Personnel (Exempt) - All Volunteer State Community College faculty members who hold academic rank, and who are directly engaged in instruction, departmental research or public service. Academic personnel may be employed either on a nine, ten, eleven or twelve-month service basis (academic year), compensated over a twelve-month period, hereinafter described as academic personnel, or on a twelve- month service basis (fiscal year), compensated over a twelve-month period, hereinafter referred to as twelve-month academic personnel.
- Tenured – Full-time faculty who have been award tenure by the Tennessee Board of Regents pursuant to the provisions of this policy. They are eligible for promotion consideration.
- Tenure – track – Full-time faculty who are employed in a probationary period of employment preliminary to consideration for tenure. They are eligible for promotion consideration.
- Term – Full-time faculty employed in non-tenurable appointments. They are eligible for promotion consideration. A faculty member should not remain in a term appointment for more than six years. A term appointment may be converted to a tenure – track appointment with up to three years credit given toward the probationary period of employment required for tenure consideration.
- Temporary – Full-time faculty employed in non-tenurable appointments for a specific time appropriate to that purpose. They are not eligible for promotion consideration. Temporary appointments should not exceed three academic years. Temporary appointments may not be converted to term, tenure-track or tenure appointments.
- Executive (Exempt) - All Volunteer State Community College personnel other than personnel primarily employed in instruction, research or public service who primarily have executive, responsibilities, and whose positions require recognized professional achievement acquired by formal training or equivalent experience. This classification includes all non- academic personnel who are exempt from the provisions of the Federal Wage and Hour Law.
- Professional/Administrative Non-Faculty (Exempt) – All Volunteer State Community College personnel other than personnel primarily employed in instruction, research or public service who primarily have professional/administrative responsibilities, and whose positions require recognized professional achievement acquired by formal training or equivalent experience. This classification includes non-academic personnel who are exempt from the provisions of the Federal Wage and Hour Law.
- Adjunct Faculty – All Volunteer State Community College faculty whose appointments are based on demand each semester.
- Classified, Support, Technical, Maintenance and Operations Personnel (Non-Exempt) - All Volunteer State Community College personnel other than executive, professional, academic, administrative or student workers.
- Student Workers - All Volunteer State Community College personnel whose primary purpose for being at Volunteer State Community College is to be enrolled in an academic program of Volunteer State Community College. Student employees are temporary employees.
- Graduate Assistant/Graduate Instructors – Appointment subject to Tennessee Board of Regents Policy 5:02:05:00 where the specific terms may be academic year semesters, fiscal year or based on a percentage. They may be part-time or full-time temporary appointments.
Each employee is also assigned one of the following designations:
- Regular Full-Time Employees - All Volunteer State Community College personnel, executive, administrative and professional, academic, clerical, support, technical, maintenance and operations who are employed on a continuing basis, expected to exceed one (1) year and who have a regular work week of 37.5 hours or who are scheduled to carry a full teaching load or its equivalent. Regular full-time employees include full-time MODFY (modified fiscal year) employees. Regular full-time employees are eligible for benefits.
- Regular Part-Time Employees - All Volunteer State Community College personnel, executive, administrative and professional, academic personnel, and clerical and support, technical, maintenance and operations who are employed on a continuing basis, expected to exceed one (1) year and who have a regular work week of less than 37.5 hours or who are scheduled to carry less than a full teaching load or its equivalent. Regular part-time employees include part-time MODFY (modified fiscal year) employees. Regular part-time employees are eligible for prorated benefits.
- Temporary Employees (non-faculty) - All Volunteer State Community College personnel whose initial period of appointment or expected service is less than one (1) year. This definition should not be confused with employees who are designated as probationary employees, who may be regular full-time or part-time employees, and who are entitled to all leave benefits of such employees. If temporary assignments are recurring, then Volunteer State Community College must make a decision to create and fund a regular position.
“Temporary employee’s non-faculty” are ineligible for employment benefits (retirement, state insurance, annual leave, sick leave and holiday pay or longevity credit).
Break in Service: An employee who has worked as a temporary for the maximum time of one calendar year must be completely separated and off the payroll for fourteen calendar days before becoming eligible for re-employment in a temporary position.
After one year of employment as a temporary employee, the College should consider adding a position with benefits if the assignment is needed on a regular basis. The process for filing the position will follow Tennessee Board of Regents Guideline P-010, Personnel Transactions and Recommended Forms.
Temporary employees contracted through a temporary staffing agency are not Tennessee Board of Regent employees. - MODFY (modified fiscal year) Employees - All regular, full and part-time whose service period is at least nine months but less than twelve months. The actual length and work schedule can vary at the discretion of the president.
Volunteer State Community College shall develop other appropriate guidelines for employing persons within Volunteer State Community College consistent with the definitions included within this policy. Appropriate employee designations and percent of employment shall be determined through campus review of the length of the assignment and the continued need for services
TBR Source: 5:01:01:00: TBR Meetings, August 15, 1975; June 25, 1976; December 2, 1977; June 30, 1978; June 29, 1979; June 26, 1981; September 18, 1981; September 24, 1982; June 24, 1983; September 30, 1983; June 28, 1985; June 26, 1987; December 4, 1987 ; June 30, 2006. Note: The provisions of this policy adopted at the August 15, 1975 meeting, became effective on January 1, 1976, and changes in eligibility to earn leave or in the amount of leave earned for period of service were prospective only. 5:02:07:00: April 2, 2004 TBR Board Meeting. P-010: July 2, 1976 and August 19, 1976 TBR staff memoranda; Revised September 16, 1980 TBR staff memorandum; July 1, 1984; August 16, 1984 TTC Sub Council meeting; July 1, 1985; February 16, 1988 Presidents Meeting; May 15, 1990 Presidents Meeting, September 21, 1990 Presidents Meeting; November 13, 1990 Presidents Meeting; November 11, 1991 Presidents Meeting; November 12, 1996 Presidents Meeting; August 5, 1997 Presidents Meeting; February 16, 2000 Presidents Meeting; May 21, 2001Presidents Meeting; February 13, 2002 Presidents Meeting; November 5, 2003 Presidents Meeting ; November 8, 2006 Presidents Meeting; February 13, 2007 Presidents Meeting; August 19, 2008 Presidents Meeting
VSCC Source: November 11, 1987, President; November 4, 1998, President; January 8, 2009, President’s Cabinet
