Faculty Council
Committee on Fixed Term Faculty
Annual Report
2008
Members:
Marc Alperin, David Gerber, Suzanne Gulledge (chair), Donna LeFebrve, Shielda Rodgers, Richard Weinberg, Anne Mitchell Whisnant . Ex Officio: Joe Ferrell, Joe Templeton.
Meetings in 2007-2008:
September 14, 2007; October 5, 2007; November 9, 2007; December 7, 2007; January 25, 2008;
February 22, 2008; March 28, 2008; April 4, 2008; April 25, 2008.
Committee Charge:
The Fixed Term Faculty Committee is appointed by the Chair of the Faculty to review, consider and advise the Faculty Council on matters related to fixed term faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Summary of Activities of the Committee 2007-08:
1. Reviewed previous resolutions passed by the Faculty Council related to Fixed Term Faculty;
2. Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred and Director of Institutional Research Lynn Williford met with the committee. Williford presented University data on Fixed Term faculty;
3. Identified general issues and areas of particular concern that relate to Fixed Term faculty considering issues addressed by former resolutions and additional concerns of faculty;
4. Drafted and refined our working definitions of faculty assignments/ ranks and titles that are under current consideration by this committee;
5. Sent representatives to meet with committee on Fixed Term Faculty in Medical School ;
6. Heard from representative of AAUP, Prof. Carl Ernst ;
7. Heard from Prof. Shielda Rodgers about Fixed Term Faculty in School of Nursing;
8. Considered reports about faculty policies in School of Government;
9. Met with Dean Holden Thorp from College of Arts and Sciences;
10. Met with Assoc. Provost Steve Allred with regard to implementation of the Faculty Council resolutions and to discuss the continued involvement and implementation of recommendations of concern that relate to Fixed Term faculty;
11. Began drafting list of activities and aims for the committee’s work in 2008-09.
Additional Information:
(1) Resolution of Faculty Council 2006-6 called on the Provost to: remind deans of terms of Resolution 2003-7, review how items of Resolution 2003-7 have been implemented, develop tickler system to track data relevant to fixed term and assist Fixed Term committee and Faculty Council to track patterns of employment of Fixed Term Faculty.
(2) Allred and Williford reported data on appointment and retention of fixed term faculty by school, by ethnicity and by gender. Composite data that includes units in Academic Affairs, Health Affairs and other units for 2007 shows 60.2% of total faculty of UNC-CH are Tenure Track and 39.8% are Fixed Term of our 3,000 person faculty
(3) Issues of concern included fair and equitable compensation; access to teaching awards; perennial 1-year appointments; the effect of a change in chair on commitments to fixed term faculty; the matter of equity; ‘second class citizenship’ for F.T. faculty; availability; criteria for promotion and retention; availability of mentoring for F.T. faculty; limits on number of, or lack of availability to courses F.T. faculty might teach in Summer School; committees and policies for review and appointment of fixed term faculty; job security, etc.
(4) Categories: (a)Faculty who are hired to teach with limited service or research expectations; (b) Faculty members hired as clinicians: to see patients or train practitioners; (c) faculty members hired as researchers; (d)faculty members hired to meet a need of the unit when a tenure line is unavailable or temporarily unfilled.
(5) Richard Weinberg and David Gerber contacted Fixed Term Committee of Medical School. Kathleen Rao and Rick Meeker chair that committee. Discussion proceeded about possibility of ongoing liaison with that committee.
(6) Recently revitalized UNC-CH chapter of AAUP was represented by Prof. Ernst who noted concerns about decline of state support for universities, financial exigencies, and disinvestment in tenure. AAUP gathers data on rising number of contingent faculty on university campuses. AAUP on the Carolina campus will offer membership with a sliding scale based on salary level.
(7) Heard from Prof. Shielda Rodgers about Fixed Term Faculty in School of Nursing. Noted was that the School has policies for appointment and promotion in fixed term ranks and that as faculty are listed the fixed term ranks are listed with tenure track. Of concern is whether reviews of fixed term faculty and committee recommendations are accountable to APT committee or to Dean.
(8) Considered reports about faculty policies in School of Government after report to Faculty Council by Assoc. Dean Frayda Bluestein. Noted was absence of identification of rank in faculty directory of the School and the extensive publication and research conducted by faculty along with service to the state that is provided by the School of Government.
(9) Met with Dean Holden Thorp from College of Arts and Sciences. Dean Thorp has convened a committee from within the College to address issues of concern to Fixed Term faculty. The charge to the committee is to seek input from College faculty and departments and to produce recommendations for common practices in the College. Committee members Lysle (chair), Taylor, Boxill, Guskiewicz, Coble and Amer are asked to report to the Dean by June 30, 2008.
(10) Met with Exec. Assoc. Provost Steve Allred about implementation of the Faculty Council resolutions that made requests of Provost’s office related to Fixed Term faculty. The Provost’s office subsequently communicated this message to Deans: “Faculty Council Resolution 2006-6 reminds all of us of the critically important role fixed-term faculty play in the life of UNC-Chapel Hill. That resolution also requests the Provost to remind deans and department chairs of the terms of Faculty Council Resolution 2003-7 relating to fixed-term faculty, and to that end I am pleased to send you a link to the 2003 Resolution. My office continues to work closely with the Faculty Council Committee on Fixed Term Faculty, and I ask that you review the 2003 Resolution and be prepared to discuss it at a future Deans' Council meeting.”
(11) Began drafting list of activities and aims for the committee’s work in 2008-09. Committee aims to continue to meet in coming academic year; seek additional input from faculty and units; track data relative to Fixed Term faculty, consider recommendations about connections of the committee to committees on Fixed Term faculty across the university and to extend and continue as charged by the chair of the Faculty.
