1. NTTF Rights and Responsibilities
Highlights of Guidelines
(pre multi-year contracts)

2. Why?
1. Transparency and consistency: - NTTF Task Force survey identified problem - Our effort: gather in one document established practices, policies that are commonly accepted, identify governing sources 2. New policies/practices for UCCS: Incorporate best practices from UCCS, CU system

3. What? Guidelines or policy document? - Guidelines for now
- Policy when multi-year contract policy is established

4. STEPS NTTF Committee wrote working draft
Open Forum allowed wider faculty input
NTTF Committee refined draft
Coordinated through Associate Deans, Deans, Heads of Academic Units, AVCAA, Provost, Chancellor and Faculty Assembly
Final document published Fall 2012

5. Introduction
Ties UCCS Strategic Plan to importance of lecturers, instructors, and senior instructors.
Strategic Plan states that UCCS should “define the role and status of non-tenure track faculty”.

6. Definitions “Rostered” faculty Primary unit Limited appointment
Indeterminate appointment
At-will
Workload
Teaching load
Etc.

7. Roles - Lecturers
Lecturers: teach on a course-by-course basis (temporary vs. ongoing);
=> if temporarily 50% or more, must be offered benefits (all but retirement)
=> if 50% or more for a year, instructor position should be created, if possible.

8. Roles - Instructors Instructors: ≥ 50 % workload, “rostered” faculty.
Should be fully integrated into faculty governance
=> Department by-laws written to allow broad participation
=> By-laws must be posted on dept. website

9. Roles – Issues of Workload
Service and/or professional development are elements that distinguish instructors from lecturers.
Can range from 5% (attend dept. meetings) to 20% depending on dept needs, teaching workload, and instructor’s interests.
We encourage consideration of differentiated workloads.

10. Roles – Senior Instructors
Senior instructors: rank “permits higher recognition and salary than that of instructor”. (Regent Policy 5-L)
Can be reached through promotion or direct hiring into rank.
Unit will clearly state criteria for appointment, promotion and reappointment.

11. Rights – Faculty Governance
Instructors and senior instructors are members of system-wide Faculty Senate (per Faculty Constitution)
At UCCS, all rostered faculty are members of Faculty Assembly and are eligible for election to Faculty Representative Assembly.
NTTF Committee of FRA (so far, UCCS only in CU system)

12. Rights – Contracts
Lecturers: new letter of offer for each semester and if workload changes
Instructors and sr. instructors: College may choose multi-year renewable letter of offer
-- does not supersede at-will status (this can now change with legal multi-year contracts)
-- shows mutual commitment over longer term
Letter of Continuation or Non-Continuation: by 1 June (not needed if on multi-year contract)

13. Rights – Workloads Standard instructor workload (per semester):
-- Teaching: 12 credit hrs (4 x 3-credit courses)
-- Service or professional development (5%)
Factors affecting teaching load (# of courses):
-- labs, large classes, no multiple sections of same course, development of new course, etc.
Dept Chair ensures equitable workloads across dept, Dean does same for depts. across college.

14. Rights – Workloads Annual Workload Plan:
-- already used in Engineering and Nursing
-- document workload agreement for the following year, signed by both, updated in writing
Differentiated Workload:
-- might be appropriate to develop new course/ new curriculum, extensive professional development, etc.

15. Rights – Evaluation Lecturers: -- not eligible for merit review
-- performance should still be evaluated
-- units need written evaluation policy
Instructors/Senior Instructors:
-- must be evaluated annually
-- eligible for annual merit reviews/pay
-- service/professional development included
-- multiple forms of teaching evaluation

16. Rights – Promotion
Promotion to senior instructor is single promotion for NTTF:
-- should carry prestige and weight
-- all instructors should have the opportunity to compete
-- each unit must have written criteria
-- not up-or-out!
Model criteria:
-- 5 years of excellent performance
-- opportunity for early consideration

17. Rights – Promotion Promotion amount: -- standardized to $3000 in 2010
-- amount for new promotions will increase each year (like tenure & tenure track promotion amounts)

18. Rights – Professional Development
Professional development is imperative for outstanding quality of education:
-- realistic expectations in workload plan
-- must be supported by unit and college

19. Rights – Compensation and Benefits
Floor salaries must reflect market and salaries at peer institutions
Benefits assigned according to Benefits Eligibility Matrix
Colleges/administration must track cases of uncompensated merit and resolve these

20. Rights – Resources Dept. must provide all teaching faculty:
-- professional working environment
-- private space to meet students (FERPA)
-- access to office supplies, computer, copying

21. Rights – Non-Continuation/ Termination
Reasons for termination must be clear and justified, and should be limited to:
-- poor performance (documented)
-- major program changes
-- financial exigency

22. Rights – Non-Continuation/ Termination
Faculty at-will are not “dismissed for cause”
-- cannot contest termination as a dismissal
HOWEVER at-will faculty may contest non- renewal to Committee on Privilege and Tenure (P&T) and college grievance process
We expect multi-year contracts will change this (ability to contest dismissal)

23. Rights – Non-Continuation/ Termination
Procedural fairness:
-- outlines steps to give faculty member fair opportunity before non-continuation / termination

24. Rights – Grievance Process
Model Procedures for NTTF Grievances:
-- appendix to document
-- developed by Associate Deans and David Moon
-- each college should develop/publish process
Goals are consistency, fairness, and timeliness

25. Rights – Grievance Process
All instructors should be informed of ability to grieve
College procedure should be posted on website
College creates committee to review grievances and make recommendation to dean
Committee should contain peers of likely grievants and demonstrable independence from likely respondents
Grievance made in writing to the dean within 30 days of adverse action
Written findings to dean within 30 calendar days
Dean’s written decision within 45 days of original filing of grievance

26. Rights – Grievance Process
Defining adverse action:
-- action that violates departmental, college or university policies or established practices
-- action that adversely impacts pay, status, or performance rating and award
-- disciplinary action including suspension in pay, reduction in pay, demotion, or written reprimand
-- action that fails to observe procedural fairness in significant way

27. Rights – Grievance Process
Possible problems:
-- written only for instructors/senior instructors
=> what should lecturers be able to grieve?
-- decision of the dean is final
=> what if dean’s decision is source of grievance? (can still go to P&T)