The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) establishes definitions for the faculty employment classifications of “Adjunct” and “Career Non-Tenure Track Faculty” (NTTF). While the two classifications are not new, the CBA sets definitions for distinguishing the two classifications and limits the conditions for adjunct faculty contracts.
An Adjunct appointment is “A non-tenure track paid temporary appointment that is intermittent or of limited duration.” Adjunct appointments are “not expected to last more than three years,” unless there are “legitimate pedagogical or legitimate programmatic reasons.”
Career NTTF include faculty hired into the following classifications: clinical professor or professor of practice; instructor; lecturer; librarian; research assistant; research associate; or research professor. Faculty holding these titles are in positions that can continue for longer than three years.
The CBA includes a process for an individual faculty member to appeal a current position classification. However the University and United Academics agreed during negotiations that there should be a special initiative during the first year of the contract to address the significant number of current adjunct faculty whose past and current employment may allow reclassification of their positions to Career NTTF.
A memorandum of understanding for the One-Time Reclasification of Adjunct Faculty is part of the contract and implementation is underway. The University’s Implementation Team is working with administrators in all units to identify adjunct faculty whose positions should be considered for reclassification and is beginning the reclassification process.
In November, Associate Vice Provost Barbara Altmann held a workshop for unit administrators on reclassification and meetings with unit administrators and faculty are taking place across campus. The schools and colleges are working on a tight deadline to complete this one-time process. In December, all units employing Adjunct faculty will receive a list of employees whose positions should be considered for reclassification. By the end of January, initial reviews to determine if a position is Adjunct or Career NTFF will be made in the schools, colleges and other units in consultation with the appropriate elected faculty advisory or executive committee and with deans. Most incumbent adjuncts will be informed of reclassification decisions no later than the end of January.
If an adjunct position is reclassified as “career,” the person currently holding the job can be appointed directly to the new career position if her or his performance has been satisfactory according to unit practices or written policies. If there is a question regarding satisfactory performance, the person in the position will be evaluated before the end of his or her contract. Current adjuncts positions can also be terminated if there is no ongoing need for the position, restructured with significant changes, or retained as adjunct if there are legitimate pedagogical or programmatic reasons to do so. If a position is reclassified, the reclassification will be retroactive to the beginning of the contract period.
For details regarding which positions are eligible for reclassification and the possible outcome as each eligible position is considered, please see the One-Time Reclasification of Adjunct Faculty Memorandum of Understanding. Also see Associate Vice Provost Altmann’s Memo regarding one-time reclassification of adjunct NTTF that was sent to all adjunct faculty on December 9th.
Finally, if the faculty member disagrees with the decision of the unit head regarding whether the faculty member’s position is ongoing, she or he may challenge the head’s decision through the grievance process defined in CBA Article 22.
