Faculty Handbook
Section II:
University Organization
& Governance
Section III:
Faculty Governance
Section IV:
Teaching, Research & Service
Section V:
Appointment, Promotion
& Tenure
Section VI:
Salary, Leaves & Benefits
Section VII:
Other University Policies
Section IX:
Organizations, Special Events
& Recreation
Office of the Provost
Section V: Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure
- The Faculty
- Faculty Appointments
- Appointments
- Promotion, Tenure, Due Process, and Grievance Regulations
- Post-Tenure Review
Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure
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This section contains the basic policies, procedures, and documents relating to faculty appointment, promotion, and tenure. The faculty is urged to consult colleagues or administrative officers to help clarify individual and specific questions on these policies and practices.
The Faculty
The General Faculty shall consist of all full-time and part-time members of the teaching, research, or administrative staff who hold an academic title, including those on special faculty appointment. Academic titles are professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer, and professional librarian. Adjunct members, clinical members, and part-time members of the faculty do not receive benefits normally associated with full-time employment, nor does such service count toward the attainment of a tenured position. Teaching fellows and teaching and research assistants and associates are not formal members of the University faculty. "The Constitution of the Faculty" (PDF) sets forth those categories of personnel who are granted membership in the General Faculty.
Faculty Appointments
Faculty ranks are professor, associate professor, and assistant professor. Ranked faculty and professional librarians either hold permanent tenure appointments or serve full-time probationary term appointments on the tenure track. Successful completion of continuous probationary term appointments leads to eligibility to be considered for tenure or for promotion with tenure. Individuals who are selected to fill tenure-track vacancies, but who begin their assignment with the University at any time other than the beginning of the regular academic year, will normally be given "visiting" appointments. Upon approval of the dean, these appointments will be changed to the appropriate tenure-track rank coincident with the first full academic year of service in order to ensure that reviews for tenure or for promotion with tenure are conducted within the time frame set forth in UNCG's "Regulations on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Due Process." Further details on each of the above ranks may be found in Section 3 of the "Regulations on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Due Process."
Persons with other titles such as instructor, lecturer, visiting faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, writer- or artist-in-residence, and teaching, laboratory, or research assistants and associates hold term appointments (non-tenure track) that do not culminate in eligibility for tenure review.
Adjunct and clinical appointments with the appropriate title are made for persons invited to participate in instructional or research programs on a fixed term basis. The adjunct or clinical faculty member's regular and principal employment may be an organization outside The University of North Carolina system or may be from another department, school, or an administrative office within the University. For additional information about adjunct appointments, refer to the "Guidelines for Adjunct Faculty Appointments." Guidelines for clinical appointments are available through the deans' offices in the College and in the schools.
Inter-Campus Recruitment
The recruitment of full-time, permanent EPA employees from another UNC campus or entity must be done in accordance with the "Regulation On Recruitment of Employees From Other Campuses Within The University Of North Carolina." Prior to making a formal written offer of appointment to an intended employee, the hiring campus shall give notice of intent to the campus at which the appointee is currently employed.
The recruiting campus may, simultaneously with notifying the campus at which the appointee is currently employed, tender an offer to the candidate. The campus at which the employee is currently employed may, within five days of the notice, request the terms of the offer. If a request for terms is not made within the five-day period, then after that time, the recruiting campus may finalize a contract.
In the event that the campus at which the appointee is currently employed requests the terms of the offer, the recruiting campus shall send the information and may not finalize a contract until 5 (five) days after receipt of the terms of the offer by the currently employing campus. In response to the offer, the campus at which the appointee is currently employed may make an equivalent counter offer to that of the recruiting campus. Neither campus shall engage in negotiations that might result in a "bidding war" between UNC campuses.
No offer of appointment shall be made within 90 days of the commencement of the academic semester in which service is to begin unless mutually agreed upon by authorized campus officials.
Joint Appointments
Normally, faculty members are appointed to one department in the College of Arts and Sciences, one of the professional schools, or the Library. In the case of a joint appointment to more than one unit, each unit shall determine the conditions of the appointment with the approval of the appropriate heads/chairs, deans, and the Provost. Refer to the the "Guidelines on Joint Faculty Appointments" for more details.
Excellence, Titled, and Visiting Distinguished Professorships
Professorships are awarded to persons who are regarded as exceptional in their fields. Excellence and Titled professor appointments carry tenure at the rank of professor. Titled professorships include endowed professorships in three categories: named professors, distinguished professors, and chaired professors. Visiting distinguished professor appointments are for a stated definite term (normally a year or less) and do not culminate in eligibility for tenure consideration. For additional information, refer to the general guidelines for each of these appointments.
Graduate Faculty
Faculty members who teach courses for graduate credit, serve on thesis and dissertation committees, or act as official advisors to graduate students must be recommended by their department heads and deans for such service and be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School and the Graduate Studies Committee. If requested by a school or department, the Dean of the Graduate School may permit a person who is not a member of the graduate faculty to participate in a graduate program.
Members of the graduate faculty are designated as member, associate member, or adjunct member. Membership and associate membership are restricted to faculty members who hold tenured or tenure-track appointments. For further details, refer to the "Policy on Appointment to the Graduate Faculty."
Emeritus Faculty
Upon retirement from full-time tenured appointments, faculty members are eligible for appointment to emeritus status at the faculty rank held and in the department served at the time of retirement. Recommendation for the emeritus appointment originates in the department and proceeds through administrative channels to the Chancellor, who makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees for action.
Emeritus status is partially honorary, providing for continued access to certain University services and privileges. Members of the emeritus faculty remain voting members of the General Faculty. Among the other benefits they enjoy are library privileges, listing in the University catalogs and the Faculty/Staff/Student Directory, parking privileges, identification cards providing access to academic and recreational areas of the campus, faculty rates for University productions and events, and receipt of announcements and other materials from various offices throughout the University.
Appointments
Search Procedures
The recruitment of new faculty members is a shared responsibility of the faculty in the academic unit involved. Faculty search committees serve as advisory groups to the department heads and deans in recruiting new faculty members. Where it is intended to appoint someone at the rank of professor or associate professor, the department head will recommend to the dean persons to serve on the search committee. The dean will in turn forward these recommendations (with or without change) to the Provost. Upon approval of the Provost, the dean will appoint the committee and provide a copy of the letter of appointment to the Provost. In the case of lower ranks, the dean will appoint the search committee after receiving the department head's recommendations. It is not necessary to secure the Provost's approval of committee members for searches at the level of assistant professor or below. Search committees consist primarily of faculty members of the department in which the appointment is to be made. However, in a search for someone at the two higher ranks, there shall be at least one representative from another school or department. In searches to fill positions at the lower ranks, an outside member is optional.
The University is committed to Affirmative Action and does not discriminate against applicants or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or handicap. The University is also committed to taking affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities, disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam Era. The University makes reasonable accommodation to the physical and mental disabilities of employees and qualified applicants. The Affirmative Action Officer is responsible for coordinating compliance and investigating complaints. Search committees are required to review the affirmative action goals of the department, the College or school, and the University, and they are required to make special efforts to identify and actively recruit minority and women candidates.
Approval for a campus visit by a candidate for appointment as assistant professor must be given by the dean upon recommendation of the department head. Normally, two candidates for each position will be selected for a visit.
Visits by candidates for the two higher ranks must be approved by the Provost upon recommendation of the department head and dean. Normally, two candidates for a position are invited, but the number may vary. In addition to other interviews, invited candidates will be interviewed by the Provost, the Associate Provost for Research, the Dean of the Graduate School, and (whenever possible) the Chancellor. For additional information on search procedures, refer to the "Responsibilities of Faculty Search Committees."
Search files will be maintained in individual departments for a period of three years and then destroyed unless there has been a legal suit filed involving a given position. If a legal suit is filed, the search files must be retained for a full year following the close of the suit or a total of three years, whichever is longer. Duplicate files or records should not be maintained in other offices.
Searches and Affirmative Action reports are required for all full-time permanent positions and for all full-time term appointments longer than six months. (An appointment for exactly six months does not require a search and Affirmative Action reports.) Special exceptions to this policy may be granted by the University Affirmative Action Officer in the following cases:
- for appointments of no more than one year when unplanned conditions arise and immediate job coverage is necessary, and
- for appointments of current University employees to positions as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator on contracts and grants, whenever the naming of individuals to work on the sponsored project is a condition of the award. (These Affirmative Action procedures do not apply to "released time" from a current position; therefore, this exception process pertains only to an expected appointment to a wholly different position.)
To request a special exception, the head of the recruiting unit should provide a letter to the University Affirmative Action Officer citing the circumstances. This letter should be signed or in some way supported by the Provost.
Searches may cover a variety of areas; some searches may be limited to the internal pool, while others may be national. The Vice Provost and/or the University Affirmative Action Officer may provide advice on the appropriate scope of search for different kinds of searches.
Anti-Nepotism
(University Policy Concerning Employment of Related Persons)
By order of the Board of Governors, related persons shall not serve concurrently within the institution in any case where one such related person would occupy a position having responsibility for the direct supervision of the other related person or participate in the evaluation of the other related person. The relationships included within these prohibitions include the following: parent and child, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchild, aunt and/or uncle and niece and/or nephew, first cousins, stepparent and stepchild, stepbrothers and stepsisters, husband and wife, parents-in-law and children-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, guardian and ward, and persons engaged in amorous relationships. For additional information, refer to the complete policy concerning "Employment of Related Persons" (PDF) (Policy 300.4.2 of The UNC Policy Manual).
Employability, Proof of
The I-9 requirement by the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) requires that the University verify the employability of all employees within three workdays of employment.
Fraudulent Disclosure and Willful Nondisclosure of Information on Application
N.C. General Statute 126-30 adopted in 1987 prohibits the fraudulent disclosure or willful nondisclosure of information on applications for State employment. With respect to EPA employment, the University is required to verify credentials and other information significantly related to job qualifications of all new employees within ninety days of the effective date of the appointment. The policy adopted by the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina is administered by the dean of each School or the College of Arts and Sciences. (In some cases, the dean has delegated this responsibility to the department head.) For additional information, refer to the "Fraudulent Job Application Regulations for University Employees Exempt from the State Personnel Act" (PDF) (Policy 300.2.3 [R] of The UNC Policy Manual).
Personnel Files
Each faculty member has an official personnel file on campus. It is retained in the Office of the Provost. The offices of the vice chancellors, deans, department heads, or directors may also retain files or information pertaining to their employees. According to state statute (G.S. 126), a personnel file consists of any information gathered by any unit or employee of the University that relates to an individual's application, selection or nonselection, promotions, demotions, transfers, leave, salary, suspension, performance evaluation forms, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment wherever located and in whatever form. Copies of all such materials must be submitted to and retained by the Provost, in accordance with The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's "Personnel Records and Reports Policy."
Faculty members are required to submit annual personnel reports. (Forms are available in each unit.) From time to time, deans or department heads may request further information concerning professional activities such as committee service, teaching activity, publication, and presentations. In order to respond accurately and fully to these requests, each faculty member should keep a personal record of this information.
Provost's File
This file contains the following information legally defined as of public record and by law open to the public for inspection:
- Name
- Age
- Date of original employment
- Current position title
- Current salary
- Date and amount of most recent salary change
- Date of most recent promotion, demotion, transfer, suspension, separation, or other change in position classification
- Agency and location to which the employee is currently assigned.
All other information in this file is confidential and may be examined only by the following: the employee, the employee's supervisor, the agency/unit director, the department chair, the dean, the vice chancellor, the Provost and the Chancellor, members of the General Assembly, a person authorized by a court order, or an official of a state or federal government agency (or any political subdivision thereof) when inspection is deemed necessary by the Provost.
When information is requested from this file, a written record is made of who asked for the information, the information supplied, the date, and the purpose of the request. This record becomes a permanent part of the personnel file. Upon request, a record of disclosure is made available to the employee to whom it pertains.
An employee, former employee, or applicant for employment may examine his or her own personnel file in its entirety, except for letters of reference solicited prior to employment and information concerning a medical disability (mental or physical) that a prudent physician would not divulge to a patient. When such a request is received, the Provost's Office shall obtain personnel files that may be retained in other offices and will review each such file to ensure that the personnel file retained in the Provost's Office is a complete and accurate representation of all personnel documents pertaining to that individual.
An individual examining the record may be charged a fee for any copies made. Permission to see a personnel record must be requested in writing five working days in advance. Upon receipt of a written request, the Provost's Office will immediately contact the individual and schedule a time for the examination.
Vice Chancellors'/Deans'/Department Heads'/Directors' and Others' File
Information kept in such a file relates primarily to the employee's current employment activities. Although such files are separate from those in the Office of the Provost, their contents may, in part, duplicate each other. Procedures for gaining access to such personnel files vary; employees should consult the appropriate office concerning access.
Retirement
Consistent with Section 606 of The Code of Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, each member of the faculty may retire in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 135 of the North Carolina General Statutes.
Phased Retirement
The University of North Carolina Phased Retirement Program is designed to provide an opportunity for eligible full-time tenured faculty members, including tenured professional librarians, to make an orderly transition to retirement through half-time (or equivalent) service for a limited period. Faculty must be at least age 50 and have at least five years of full-time service at UNCG and be eligible to receive retirement benefits through either TSERS or the ORP in North Carolina as of the August 1 that follows application for the program. For more information, refer to the complete policy concerning the Phased Retirement Program.
Resignation
A faculty member shall give prompt written notice of resignation, with its effective date, to the department head. Upon receiving such notification, the department head shall promptly inform the dean, the Provost, and the Chancellor of the resignation. The dean or Provost will write to the individual to accept the resignation and specify any conditions appertaining.
The actual work period for nine-month faculty is considered to be from the official opening of school in the fall through commencement each year. A nine-month faculty member who resigns before the first day of classes is considered to have resigned prior to the beginning of the current term. The University expects that a term contract will be honored by the faculty member, who may resign at the end of an appointment term whenever practicable.
Promotion, Tenure, Due Process, and Grievance Regulations
Faculty members are subject to a number of formal regulations and procedures governing matters of recruitment, appointment, promotion, and tenure. It is important to understand these, as they are designed in large part to protect faculty rights. The existing governance structure affords opportunities to influence their continuing use and interpretation. By this means, the regulations are kept relevant to current needs; thus, faculty members are encouraged to be active participants in the governance process.
The determination of faculty status is primarily a department head responsibility, in consultation with the faculty. Final judgments are recommended by the administration to the Chancellor or Board of Trustees (depending on the action and jurisdiction). Scholars in a given field are the most competent to judge the scholarly qualifications of colleagues in the same field. Therefore, senior faculty members in the department play a significant advisory role. External evaluations from prominent national scholars in the field are also considered.
As specific procedures and criteria may vary somewhat from one academic unit to another, faculty members who apply for promotion or tenure, who are subject to mandatory review, or who wish to file a grievance are urged to seek information and advice beforehand from their deans or department heads, the Provost, and colleagues.
Basic Documents
Promotion, tenure, and grievance procedures are governed primarily by two documents: (1) The Code of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, Chapter 6: Academic Freedom and Tenure (PDF) and (2) "Regulations on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Due Process of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro." The Code of the Board of Governors is, in effect, the constitution for The University of North Carolina as a whole and applies to all its institutions. It was enacted by the Board of Governors, which alone can change it.
The "Regulations" were adopted by the faculty, Chancellor, and the Board of Trustees of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and were subsequently approved by the President; therefore, changes must be approved by all these groups. These "Regulations" legally derive from The Code of the Board of Governors and must agree with it. In some instances, they are copied verbatim from The Code. The "Regulations," however, provide greater detail and are of more immediate interest to the University faculty. Faculty members are urged to be familiar with both documents and, in case of questions, to seek clarification from their department heads or deans.
Further Documents
The General Faculty has from time to time adopted further advisory criteria and guidelines for the implementation of the tenure regulations. Of particular importance are the "University Promotions and Tenure Guidelines," adopted in 1997, and the "University-Wide Evaluation Guidelines for Promotions and Tenure," adopted in 1998. In addition to these documents, each academic unit, including some departments, has its own set of promotions and tenure guidelines.
Recommendation Form For Promotion and/or Tenure
Whenever a faculty member is considered for promotion or tenure, the "Recommendation for Promotion and Tenure" form (PDF) is used.
Grievance Proceedings
The Code of the Board of Governors and the campus tenure regulations specify four types of grievance proceedings. The Committee on Due Process hears cases involving three of the four types. These are covered in the following sections of the University "Regulations on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Due Process:"
Section 5: Cases arising from the non-reappointment of faculty members on probationary term appointments (further covered in the Board of Governors' policy, Appeals of Nonreappointment Decisions under Section 604 of The Code (PDF), 101.3.1;
Section 6: Cases of termination for reasons of financial exigency or program curtailment; and
Section 7: Cases of discharge or the imposition of serious sanctions.
Review by the Committee on Due Process of nonreappointment of faculty on probationary term appointments is limited to determining whether the decision not to reappoint was based on an impermissible ground (exercise of First Amendment rights, discrimination, or personal malice) or whether it was the result of procedural error.
On March 9, 1990, the Board of Governors issued an interpretation of The Code provisions prohibiting personal malice in reappointment decisions. That interpretation states, "As used in The Code, 'personal malice' means dislike, animosity, ill-will, or hatred based on personal characteristics, traits, or circumstances of an individual that are not relevant to valid University decision making. Having separately dealt with matters of race, sex, religion, and national origin, this particular Code provision simply goes on to state that other personal factors similarly may be outside the scope of proper consideration. Thus, to identify but a few possibilities, personnel decisions based on negative reactions to an employee's anatomical features, marital status, or social acquaintances are intrinsically suspect. While the terms 'ill-will', 'dislike', 'hatred,' and 'malevolence' may connote different degrees of antipathy, such distinctions make no difference in applying the fundamental rationale of the Board's prohibition. Any degree of negative feeling toward a candidate based on irrelevant personal factors, regardless of the intensity of that feeling, is an improper basis for decision making." In addition to the above factors, discussion or consideration of personal or professional misconduct is also considered an improper basis for decision making unless the candidate was previously found guilty of that misconduct by an appropriate hearing body (e.g., the Committee on Due Process) or by a court. (Personal or professional misconduct may include, but is not limited to, criminal offenses, actions that are covered by various University conduct policies such as sexual harassment, undue favoritism, ethics in research, and drug and alcohol abuse, or other actions that may be deemed as inappropriate.)
The Faculty Grievance Committee hears all other types of grievances. This committee helps to settle complaints from individuals or groups relating to such faculty employment conditions as salaries, departmental conflicts, or teaching loads. To bring a grievance, a faculty member need only approach a member of the committee. The initial approach can be informal, although a written statement of the complaint will have to be prepared. The initial committee procedure will be to attempt to negotiate settlements. The process is informal at this stage. In the event that mediation does not succeed, a formal grievance hearing may be held based on the merits of a petition. Formal hearings are held in accordance with Section 607 of The Code of the Board of Governors, as outlined in The Policies and Procedures of the Faculty Grievance Committee.
Post Tenure Review
In May 1997, the Board of Governors adopted the recommendations in the report of The University of North Carolina Committee to Study Post-tenure Review. In the report, post-tenure review is defined as "a comprehensive, formal, periodic evaluation of cumulative faculty performance, the prime purpose of which is to ensure faculty development and to promote faculty vitality." The report asserts that review of the performance of tenured faculty in the University shall be "to support and encourage excellence among tenured faculty by: (1) recognizing and rewarding exemplary faculty performance, (2) providing for a clear plan and timetable for improvement of performance of faculty found deficient, and (3) for those whose performance remains deficient, providing for the imposition of appropriate sanctions, which may, in most serious cases, include a recommendation for discharge."
In September 1998, the University adopted the "Policy on Post-Tenure Review." Building on annual reviews, post-tenure reviews are cumulative evaluations of faculty performance in the areas of teaching, research and creative activity, service, and directed professional activity (optional). Post-tenure reviews are required of all tenured faculty members. Cumulative reviews take place no less frequently than every five years and must provide for the evaluation of all aspects of faculty performance during this period relative to the mission of the unit and institution. Reviews of faculty within a unit are the responsibility of the unit head, although the reviews must involve peers. Each unit may use (or modify as needed) the UNCG Report Form (PDF) for annual faculty reviews.