The following faculty appointments may be made at Volunteer State Community College: temporary, term, tenure-track, and tenure appointments.
I. Types of Appointments
- Temporary Appointments are non-tenurable appointments for a specific purpose for a time appropriate to that purpose or for an unspecified period.
Temporary appointments may be terminated according to the terms of the contract of employment or appointment. Temporary appointments should ordinarily only be used to replace regular faculty on leave of absence, to employ faculty pursuant to grants, or for projects funded in whole or in part by non-appropriated funds. In addition, temporary appointments may be used for faculty employed on the basis of state appropriated funds in departments, divisions, or other academic units where a permanent and continued need for the position has not been established, provided that such appointments normally should not exceed three academic years. Faculty in temporary appointments are appointed in rank but are not eligible for promotion in rank. Temporary appointments may not be converted to term, tenure-track, or tenure appointments.
Appointments of faculty members supported more than 50% by grant funds, or other soft money sources, may be approved by the President of the College for periods in excess of three academic years.
Temporary instructional faculty at instructor rank may be appointed to a three-year contract. Such a contract may be renewed after any satisfactory performance review.
All extensions of temporary appointments for periods in excess of three academic years require the approval of the Chancellor. - Term Appointments are non-tenurable appointments in a traditional rank (e.g., instructor, assistant professor) for a fixed period of no more than one year that may be renewed with no presumed maximum number of reappointments.
Faculty should be placed on term appointments only when one or more of the following employment conditions is present: (1) as a means for addressing staffing needs when a projected need is more than temporary but less than long term; (2) to staff programs projected to phase out in a fixed period; or (3) when the size of a staffing cohort is projected to extend beyond the normal period for a temporary appointment but is not of sufficient length to warrant a tenure-track or tenured appointment.
Since it is not intended that term appointments be used to meet long-term staffing needs, a faculty member should not remain in a term appointment for more than six (6) years. If it is determined that a position is warranted beyond the maximum six- year period, a new tenure-track position shall be sought to replace it. The holder of the term appointment may apply and be considered for the tenure-track appointment, and the institution may award up to three years credit for prior service. Other term appointment holders may also apply for the new position and receive service credit. The amount of credit awarded is left to the discretion of the President and is determined based upon the recommendation of the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA).
Exceptions to the six-year maximum may be granted annually if it is: (1) requested by the affected faculty member and his/her supervisor; (2) recommended by the appropriate dean and VPAA; and (3) approved by the President of the College. Faculty in term appointments are eligible for promotion. - Tenure-track Appointments are appointments for full-time faculty with academic rank and may be for the academic or fiscal year. Tenure-track appointments are for faculty who are employed in a probationary period of employment preliminary to consideration for tenure. Tenure-track appointments shall not include any right to permanent or continuous employment; shall not create any manner of legal right, interest, or expectancy of renewal or any other type of appointment; and shall be subject to annual renewal by the College.
- Tenure Appointments are appointments of full-time faculty who have been awarded tenure by the Board pursuant to the provisions of TBR Policy 5.02.03.70 (Academic Tenure for Community Colleges) and VSCC Policy II:01:00 (Academic Tenure). Tenure appointments include the assurance of continued employment for the academic or fiscal year for an indefinite period, subject to expiration, relinquishment, or termination of tenure as provided in TBR policy. Such appointments do not include assurance of continued employment at any specified salary or position or employment during summer sessions or inter-sessions.
II. Conversion of Appointments
- A temporary appointment may not be converted to a tenure-track appointment.
- Consistent with VSCC Policy II:01:00 (Academic Tenure), a tenure-track appointment may not be converted to a term appointment as a means for continuing employment of tenure-track faculty when a negative tenure decision has been made.
- The conversion of a term appointment to a tenure-track appointment is permitted in appropriate cases. If the incumbent faculty member is hired to fill the position after it is converted to tenure track, the College President may award up to three years credit for prior service at the College consistent with the provisions of TBR Policy 5.02.03.70 (Academic Tenure for Community Colleges) and VSCC Policy II:01:00 (Academic Tenure).
III. Conversion Process
Annually during the fall term, the VPAA will provide to the Deans a list of term faculty who will have held their term appointment for six (6) years or more by the start of the following academic year, using August 31 as the anniversary date for determining length of service. The Deans will review the positions to determine whether there is a continuing, long-term need for that faculty position. That review will include, but not be limited to, analyses of current enrollment in the academic discipline, enrollment growth trends in the academic discipline, the stability of enrollment numbers in the discipline, projection of long-term need for faculty in the discipline, input from the incumbent faculty member, and the ratio of tenure/tenure-track appointments in comparison to term and adjunct appointments within the discipline.
If it is determined that any term appointment merits conversion from term to tenure track, the Dean will also recommend whether the position will be filled through a competitive search or if the incumbent faculty member will be directly appointed to fill the position. It will be the ordinary case that the position will be posted and filled through a competitive process. In some circumstances, and in consultation with the Human Resources Department, it may be determined that the incumbent faculty member will be permitted to be directly appointed to fill the position without a competitive search. This decision shall be an exception to the general requirement for a competitive search and will be requested as part of the Dean’s initial recommendation above. The factors that will be considered in reaching that determination will include, but not be limited to:
- The history of the position, including how it came to be created as a term position and how long the incumbent has held the term position
- Whether or not the incumbent faculty member has established a record of exceptional overall performance, including but not limited to student evaluations of teaching, service to the college, supervisor evaluations, overall professionalism, collaboration, and collegiality
- Whether or not there are any other faculty members in the discipline or department holding term contracts at the assigned location with similar rank and length of service
The Dean will send their recommendations regarding the conversion of each position reviewed and the method of appointment for each position recommended for conversion along with the supporting rationale for each to the VPAA. The VPAA will review the recommendations from the Dean and consult with the Office of Human Resources prior to submitting the VPAA’s recommendations to the President for approval, documenting the supporting rationale for each recommendation. Following the President’s decision, the affected faculty and the Office of Human Resources will be notified.
Upon receiving notice of the decision affecting their position, a faculty member may appeal the decision, opposing conversion of the position or, if converted, the method of appointment to the position. That request with supporting documentation must be filed in writing with the President by the provided deadline. The President will consult with the Dean and VPAA and will then issue a final decision and notify the affected faculty member and the Office of Human Resources.
If a term position is to be converted to tenure track and posted for a competitive search, the search will be conducted through the standard college hiring process. The incumbent faculty member will be given notice of the termination of the term contract effective at the end of the contract period or with a 30-day notice under the terms of the term contract. The incumbent faculty member and all other term faculty are permitted to apply for the new tenure track position as well as other external candidates.
If an exception to a competitive search is approved, a search waiver form must be completed and approved by the Department Head, VPAA, Human Resources, and the President. If a faculty member is approved to convert status through this process, they will be required to undergo a criminal background check with a satisfactory result, as defined by established College standards, prior to assuming the converted position. The faculty member will retain the rank and salary in existence at the time the position is converted and may receive credit toward tenure based upon service at the College per TBR Policy 5.02.03.70 (Academic Tenure for Community Colleges) and VSCC Policy II:01:00 (Academic Tenure). Any approved credit towards tenure will be documented on the Personnel Action Form (PAF).
If any term position that has existed for six (6) years or longer is not to be converted to tenure track, it may be continued as a term position by exception for one year and will be reviewed for conversion, elimination, or another one-year exception on an annual basis thereafter.
TBR Source: April 2, 2004 TBR Board Meeting; Board Meeting June 20, 2014; Revised September 19 & 20, 2019 Board Meeting
VSCC Source: June 1, 2004, President; June 27, 2007, President; September 11, 2008, President (reviewed); January 12, 2015, President’s Cabinet; April 2, 2018, President’s Cabinet; September 10, 2018, President’s Cabinet; October 21, 2019, President’s Cabinet; July 26, 2021, President’s Cabinet
