To be eligible for appointment to the faculty, a person will be professionally qualified and be sympathetic to the aims and purposes of Gustavus Adolphus College as set forth in the Mission Statement of the College.
Professional education is reflected by academic degrees, and by apprenticeship and professional standing as indicated by professional registration, certification or licensure. The appropriate academic degree normally will be the earned doctorate except in the following cases:
Arts (Dance, Studio Arts, Theatre) and creative writing: the M.F.A.
Economics and Management: Earned doctorate in an appropriate field; a relevant master's degree plus appropriate professional certification and substantial experience in accounting, management, international management, or finance may be considered in lieu of the doctorate as fulfillment of the requirement.
Library: the master's degree in library science.
Nursing: the master's degree in nursing.
Appointment to the faculty will be stated or confirmed in writing by the Provost and a copy of the appointment document will be supplied the faculty member. Normally, appointments begin on September 1. Any subsequent extensions or modifications of any appointment, and any special understandings, will be stated or confirmed in writing and a copy furnished to the faculty member. An appointment to the faculty is not confirmed until a contract is issued and signed by both parties.
All probationary faculty members will be subject to periodic evaluation of their performance.
Recommendation for retention will be submitted to the Provost by the department concerned through its Chair. Departments in cooperation with the Provost will formalize and make available to all their members the procedure for reaching recommendations regarding retention of untenured persons. The decision to retain or not to retain will be made by the Provost. In addition to merit as a faculty member, enrollment and program needs of the College are proper considerations in deciding whether or not to renew any non-tenured appointment.
The academic department normally initiates the recommendation for promotion. Nominations for promotion may also be made by the candidate on his/her own behalf or by faculty colleagues within or outside the department or by the Provost. Promotion will be granted upon recommendation of the Personnel Committee, recommendation of the Provost, and approval by the President and report to the Board of Trustees. Promotion will commence in the following academic year.
Librarians must have the ability to plan, organize and manage in a given area of service. If applicable, the ability to initiate policy and supervise personnel as well as other administrative skills should merit consideration.
The following criteria will be considered in reviewing nominations for promotion to the designated rank.
Promotion to the rank of assistant professor will normally be made effective with the beginning of the first semester after the appropriate terminal degree is conferred. This may be done upon the recommendation of the department with the approval of the Provost without the promotion review process.
2.4.1.1 Criteria
The Personnel Committee will assume that all successful candidates for tenure are automatically nominated for promotion to Associate Professor. Those candidates may but need not add material to their files for the committee's deliberations regarding promotion.
2.4.2.1 Criteria
A candidate for promotion to associate professor normally will hold tenure and will obtain an overall superior rating on the criteria for assistant professor and, in addition, the following criteria:
2.4.3.1 Criteria
In addition to the criteria set forth for assistant professors and for associate professors, the following apply:
Election to appointment with continuous tenure is by the Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the President who will have received a recommendation from the Provost subsequent to an established system of peer review. The recommendation for appointment with continuous tenure is normally initiated by the academic department. Appointments with continuous tenure are not made at the rank of instructor.
2.5.1 Criteria
The candidate for appointment with continuous tenure must demonstrate competence in subject matter field as reflected in the confidence of professional peers as well as students, colleagues, and administrators, must hold the appropriate terminal degree, and must demonstrate experience as reflected in the apprenticeship served in college teaching and related activities. Teaching at a level other than college and/or other professional experience may be recognized as legitimate bases for partially satisfying the apprenticeship requirement. The specific criteria for tenure are as follows:
2.6.1.1 Resignation
Following the acceptance of a contract by a non-tenured faculty member or the document containing the ongoing contract provisions for a tenured faculty member, it is expected that the faculty member will fulfill the contract except in cases of hardship or in a situation where the faculty member would otherwise be denied substantial professional advancement or other opportunity. Faculty members who wish to resign shall notify the Provost's Office in writing within ten days of receiving a contract for the next academic year.
2.6.1.2 Retirement
The College does not have a mandatory retirement age. Faculty members who wish to retire shall notify the Provost's Office in writing by March 1 in the academic year prior to retirement.
2.6.2.1 Non-renewal of Probationary and Special Appointment
Probationary or special appointments may be made for one year, or for other stated periods; a probationary or special appointment may be renewed, but no such appointment implies a presumption for renewal.
Written notice that a probationary appointment is not to be renewed will be given to the faculty member by the Provost in advance of the expiration of her or his appointment as follows:
2.6.2.2 Programmatic change/financial exigency
Where termination of an appointment is based upon a bona fide financial exigency as determined by the administration, or discontinuance of a program or department of the College, faculty members affected by such an action will be able to have the issues reviewed according to procedures established by the Faculty Senate. The Senate's review of these issues will be completed within 60 days and forwarded to the Board for its ultimate decision.
In case of discontinuance of a program or department, the faculty member concerned will be given notice as soon as possible, and never less than twelve (12) months' notice, or in lieu thereof he or she will receive a severance salary for twelve (12) months. Before terminating an appointment because of the discontinuance of a program or department, the College will make every effort to place the affected faculty member in another suitable situation within the College. If an appointment is terminated before the end of the period of appointment because of financial exigency, or because of the discontinuance of a program or department, the released faculty member's position will not be filled by a replacement within a period of two years, unless the released faculty member has been offered reappointment and a reasonable time within which to accept or decline such reappointment.
2.6.2.3 Medical Causes
Termination of an appointment for medical reasons before the end of the period of appointment will be based on clear and convincing medical evidence that the faculty member cannot continue to fulfill the terms and conditions of the appointment. The decision to terminate will be reached after appropriate consultation and after the faculty member concerned, or someone representing the faculty member, has been informed of the basis of the proposed action and has been afforded an opportunity to present the faculty member's position and to respond to the evidence. If a faculty member so requests, the termination decision will be reviewed by the Faculty Senate. The final decision shall be made by the Board of Trustees which shall receive both the result of the Faculty Senate deliberations and the recommendation of the President.
2.6.2.4 Dismissal
Dismissal of a faculty member with a tenured appointment or a probationary or term appointment before the end of the specified term may be effected by the College only for adequate cause and will be in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Major Sanction Proceedings section of this manual.
