12.02.99.R0.01 Convert Non-Tenure Track Appointment to Tenure-Track Appointment
Effective January, 2000

Non-tenure track appointments are of vital benefit and offer significant advantages to academic programs within the university. In mid nineties, the number of non-tenure track positions and multi-year contracts has increased within some academic departments. In most cases, non-tenure track positions are utilized in areas where short-term employment is desirable, where the expected and assigned responsibilities of faculty do not match normal standards for tenure or where there is uncertainty regarding the future productivity of programs. However, in rare but important circumstances, academic programs are benefited by conversion of non-tenure track appointments to tenure-track appointments. If program needs and productivity require the conversion from non-tenure track to a tenure-track appointment, the following procedures must be followed:

Documentation is required to show:
· that the current appointment resulted from a national search and the pool from which the current appointment was chosen was equivalent to a tenure-track pool. If this condition is not met, a national search should be conducted.

· that the conversion of a non-tenure track position to tenure-track is justified in terms of program needs and productivity.

· that faculty member's annual teaching, research, scholarship or creative activity, and service evaluations have clearly met criteria for probationary renewal if the faculty were to be on tenure-track.

· that the majority of tenure-track and tenured faculty in the department support the conversion. All opinions including any dissenting opinions should be forwarded to the dean.

Provide the following additional documentation:
· Updated vita
· Copies of annual evaluations
· Letter from the department head recommending conversion
· Any other materials that the faculty member wishes to include to support the conversion application

Timeline:
· Recommendation from the dean, with documentation, is forwarded to the PVPAA by October 1st.
· If approved, the conversion becomes effective at the beginning of the following academic year.

References: A&M-Commerce Procedures: A12.01, A12.02, A12.10, A12.11, A12.20, A33.03; Procedure A12.01.01

***************

CONTACT FOR INTERPRETATION: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs