Effective Date: June, 22 2012
Last Reviewed: June, 22 2012
Stonehill College subscribes to the Association of American College’s statement on Tenure and the A.A.U.P. Statement of Principles Concerning Tenure as formulated in 1940 and as modified as follows: The Board of Trustees in May 1973 established a 65% quota for tenured faculty. (The complete A.A.U.P. statements to which the College subscribes are available in the Academic Affairs Office.) The document, "Criteria and Procedures for Tenure and Promotion," approved in 2006, sets out the criteria and procedures for tenure.
The probationary period for tenure-track faculty is that time under contract to Stonehill College before becoming tenured; it lasts usually six years. A faculty member may request from the Vice President for Academic Affairs a shortening of the probationary period if the faculty member has already taught full-time at the college level after having earned the doctorate or equivalent terminal degree in his or her field. Any shortening of the probationary period is determined during the first year of the appointment and is stated in writing. During the year in which a candidate is being evaluated for tenure, the candidate will have completed at least five years of full-time college teaching, including two years at the rank of assistant professor, and will have taught full-time for at least two years at Stonehill College. Faculty who have interrupted their full-time teaching because of a maternity leave, sabbatical, or a grant, etc., will discuss with the Dean of the Faculty how their leave will have an impact on the tenure timetable. Any agreement is stated in writing.
Candidates for tenure may request a one-year extension of the probationary period. This request, including the justification for it, is submitted in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs before May 1 in the year before the end of the probationary period. A faculty member is rarely granted more than one extension of the probationary period.
Tenure signifies that a person granted this status shall not be denied reappointment except for the following causes:
- Extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances of financial exigency on the part of the College, in compliance with A.A.U.P. standards to which the College subscribes.
- Grave causes such as proven professional incompetence, neglect of duty, physical or mental impairment that materially and substantially prevents such person from performing essential functions of his or her job, or scandalous conduct of a nature to bring public discredit on the College.
Tenure is granted by the Board of Trustees based on the recommendations of the Committee on Rank and Tenure, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the2 President. A candidate who is not granted tenure by the Board of Trustees is given a one-year terminal contract.
In 1973, The Board of Trustees capped the number of tenured faculty at 65% of the fulltime faculty. If the current number of tenured faculty is at 65% or greater, candidates who are approved for tenure by the Board of Trustees are declared “tenurable” until such time when they can be granted tenure within the 65% tenure cap. In such cases, “tenurable” faculty are granted three year contracts until such time they are tenured. “Tenurable” faculty enjoy all of the rights, privileges and benefits of tenured faculty including eligibility for sabbatical and promotion.