Section 4.9: Faculty Planning & Evaluation

4.9.4 Notice of Non-Renewal

Notice that a tenure-track faculty member’s appointment will not be renewed for the next year will be made in writing by the president after consideration of the recommendations for or against reappointment by the department chair, the dean, and the provost. Faculty members on tenure track appointments who complete their sixth year of the probationary period will either be recommended for tenure by the president, or they will be given notice of non-renewal of the appointment. The notice of non-renewal during their sixth year of the probationary should be given no later than May 15 of the sixth academic year or within thirty (30) days of exhaustion of any appeals. Upon receipt of notice of nonrenewal, the faculty member will be eligible for a one-year non-renewable appointment.

Tenure-track faculty are also subject to non-renewal of their appointments during the probationary period with appropriate notice by the provost. The non-renewal or non-reappointment of any faculty member on a tenure track appointment does not necessarily carry an implication of unsatisfactory work or conduct. A faculty member whose tenure track appointment is not renewed will be given an oral statement of the reason(s) and an opportunity for discussion with the provost.

Tenure track faculty whose annual appointments will not be renewed will be given written notice of non-renewal of their appointment contracts in conformance with the following schedule:

• No later than April 1 of the first academic year of service if the appointment expires at the end of that year; or, if the appointment expires during an academic year, at least two months in advance of the expiration date.
  
  
• No later than February 1 of the second academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of that year; or, if the appointment expires during the academic year, at least five months in advance of the expiration date.
  
  
• No later than May 15 of the preceding year if the appointment will not be renewed for the fourth or subsequent years of service; or, if the appointment expires during the academic year, at least twelve months in advance of the expiration date.

Notice of non-renewal becomes effective on delivery of the written notice to the faculty member, or on the date the notice is mailed to the faculty member's home address of record, whichever first occurs. Dates for notice of non-renewal are determined by the year of the probationary period. Failure to give timely notice of non-renewal of a contract will not result in a tenured appointment, but the faculty member will be eligible for an additional one-year, nonrenewable appointment. The decision on non-renewal is not appealable unless the faculty member alleges that the non-renewal of appointment of a tenure track faculty member constitutes a violation of academic freedom. Allegations that non-renewal of a tenure-track faculty member constituted a violation of academic freedom may be appealed under the general appeals procedures described in Appendix B.1.

Failure to apply for tenure in the academic year that precedes the end of the probationary period will result in non-renewal of the candidate's contract for the following year. Unlike unsuccessful applications for tenure, the candidate will not be accorded an automatic one-year contract if he or she fails to apply for tenure at the specified time.

Faculty members on tenure track appointments will not be terminated during the one-year term of their appointment except for reasons that would be sufficient for the termination of tenured faculty. The procedures for the termination or suspension without pay of a tenured faculty member, described in Section 4.10.2, must be followed to dismiss for Adequate Cause a tenure-track faculty member prior to the expiration of the one-year term of the appointment. Tenure-track-faculty notified by the provost that they will be terminated or suspended without pay for Adequate Cause prior to the expiration of their one-year-term appointment and/or without advanced minimum notice have the right to appeal the decision in accordance with Appendix B.3.