Introduction

In the spring semester of 2004, Faculty Council approved a new policy that permits the University to employ full-time lecturers on multiple-year contracts (see the Handbook for Faculty and Other Unclassified Staff, section 11.C2). The policy states that lecturer appointments can never lead to tenure. The appointment of lecturers will not be used to “offset” the number of tenured or tenure-track faculty. Furthermore, when a unit has been granted approval to appoint a lecturer on a multi-term contract, the following guidelines shall be followed:.

The Role of Unit Input in the Selection of Lecturers

The appointment of lecturers will not be used to offset or reduce the number of tenured or tenure-track faculty, but rather will provide the flexibility for the University and College to meet increasing instructional needs. Faculty must be appropriately involved in the employment of all lecturers. When a unit sets about deliberately to recruit a full-time lecturer to fill a specific curricular need, the active involvement of faculty at unit meetings or curricular meetings in the selection of full-time lecturers is expected. Minimally, faculty shall be consulted about the qualifications of persons appointed to the full-time lecturer track. In the unit‘s effort to hire the most outstanding candidates for lecturer appointments, the following shall be considered:

• the effectiveness of the candidate in a classroom
• the number of years of experience
• the possession of outstanding teaching skills
• the level of training/degree

Teaching Expectations

Full-time lecturers will be expected to teach four regularly scheduled classes per semester.

Nature of Instructional Effort and Creativity

Lecturers are untenured, non-tenure-track members of the faculty with limited-term appointments, whose primary role is instructional with no obligation to perform research or service. Consistent with the goal of ensuring the lecturers are participating members of units, lecturers should have instruction-related responsibilities beyond direct instruction, including participation on committees, curriculum development, course improvement initiatives, and advising. Because of their instructional duties, they are expected to possess outstanding teaching skills and to carry significantly heavier teaching loads than normally expected from tenured or tenure-track faculty.

Expectations for Annual Review

Each unit must develop policies to ensure each lecturer shall be evaluated annually by the unit administrator (chair or director), using criteria and methods appropriate to that unit for teaching on an annual basis. The administrator may utilize the advice, services, and counsel of a faculty committee for this purpose. Multiple sources of information must be used to evaluate teaching. The materials shall include students’ ratings of instruction and such additional sources of information as may be appropriate, including the development of peer evaluation strategies. The lecturer evaluation process must occur within a time frame to allow sufficient time for discussion with the lecturer concerning his/her performance and future expectations prior to the timelines established for merit salary decisions. The evaluation shall be provided in writing. If the evaluation reveals that a lecturer’s performance requires improvement in some areas, the written evaluation shall be specific in describing those areas and ways for improving performance in each such area.

Renewing a Multi-Term Contract

Lecturers in this track may be hired for a fixed period of no more than three years; the contract ends at the end of the contract term. These appointments are not automatically renewed at the end of the contract period. Units wishing to offer a subsequent three-year contractual appointment may only do so if, upon successful evaluation by the unit and the College Dean’s Office, it is determined that a lecturer has met all requirements and demonstrated potential for future term appointments. The Multi-term Lecturer Evaluation forms (Lecturer Report and Unit Review) are used to evaluate lecturers for renewal of their appointment. These forms and guidelines for their use can be found on the Office of Faculty Affairs website for Non-Tenure-Track Evaluations. This determination should minimally incorporate the results of annual performance reviews.

Voting Rights of Lecturers

The voting membership of the College Assembly includes full-time lecturer appointments with more than one year of service. Lecturer appointments on multi-term contracts are eligible to vote in the College Assembly upon completion of one year’s service (unless the lecturer previously served on a full-time annual basis). Units shall specifically address the voting rights to be provided to lecturers in their unit bylaws.