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Article #942

may I have your comments on the 'Instructors Bill of Rights'?

#942
From: Lise Menn
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 00:00
291 lines
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>Date: Thu, 02 Apr 98 21:06:45
>From: <peter.spear@colorado.edu>
>Subject: Agenda for April 7 meeting
>To: in%"chairs-directors@lists.colorado.edu"
>
>AGENDA for A&S Chairs and Directors meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 3:30-4:30
>
>5) "Instructors Bill of Rights"  As you probably know, the BFA has been
>working on a set of guidelines regarding appointments, salaries, benefits,
>job security, and other matters that affect Lecturers and Instructors at
>CU-Boulder.  I have worked with Cathy Comstock, Chair of the BFA committee,
>to come up with a version of the guidelines that might be applied
>appropriately to A&S.  We would like your input on this.  A draft of the
>proposals is attached below.  (4:05-4:30, and subsequent meetings if
necessary)
>
>
>A&S GUIDELINES FOR LECTURERS, INSTRUCTORS, AND SENIOR INSTRUCTORS
>
>(DRAFT, 3/29/98)
>
>
>The Boulder Faculty Assembly passed a Motion of Intent in 1993,
>unofficially titled "The Instructors' Bill of Rights."  As the title
>implies, it was designed to promote fair, equitable and consistent
>treatment of a group of people who teach a significant percentage of
>classes at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  
>
>The BFA Task Force on Instructors has in the past year revised the original
>motion, in order to encompass the needs of all non-tenure-stream faculty
>(with the exception of Research Assistants), in addition to Instructors.
>The Boulder Faculty Assembly, working with the Chancellor and the office of
>the Vice-chancellor of Academic Affairs, has asked that each College or
>School discuss the revised motion and provide policy statements appropriate
>to the conditions and needs of the unit to the VCAA in February 1998.  The
>following is the Arts & Sciences document establishing guidelines for the
>treatment of Lecturers, Instructors, and Senior Instructors in the college;
>it is prefaced by a short outline of its most noteworthy elements.  
>
>Highlights of the A&S document:
>
>� The central concern was to bring fair treatment to those
>non-tenure-stream faculty who teach on an ongoing, long-term basis in A&S.
>Thus, the most important change is that anyone who has been teaching in A&S
>at 50% or more for three years and wishes to be an Instructor will be given
>that status.  (Chairs or Directors who have strong reasons for wishing to
>offer the same advantages to a Lecturer who does not meet those minimum
>standards should contact the Dean's Office.)  
>
>� This advantage will apply even to Instructors teaching in different
>divisions or departments, through coordination by the Dean's Office.
>
>� Instructor status (as elucidated below) will carry with it a one- to
>four-year contract, a higher minimum salary than previously ($30,000) and a
>service element.  
>
>� Important procedural note:  In order to allow for consistency of benefits
>and salary, all hiring of non-tenure-stream teachers (with the exception of
>Research Assistants and Associates and Collegiate Professors) should be
>done in accord with the definitional categories of Lecturer, Instructor and
>Senior Instructor established here and in the BFA Task Force document.
>Failure to do so can mean a loss of benefits or inappropriate pay scale.  
>
>� Senior Instructor status will carry with it a higher minimum salary level
>of $33,000, one- to four-year appointments, and the chance to apply every
>seven years for a Professional Development Grant, offered as a means for
>researching and updating pedagogy or other course-related subjects.  Awards
>would be on a competitive basis, in accord with the quality of the
>application. 
>
>� Since anyone teaching 50% or more for three years or more can be made an
>Instructor, the amount paid per course to those teaching on a temporary,
>per-semester, per-course basis will remain the same as in the last five
>years (in most cases this is $4000), in order to concentrate limited
>funding on consistent and improved salary for Instructors and Senior
>Instructors.
>
>� While Lecturers by definition are assigned on a semester-to-semester,
>per-course basis, the A&S Dean's Office does urge that Lecturers be given
>as much advance notice of their teaching assignment as possible, within the
>constraints of flux in enrollment.
>
>� All non-tenure-track faculty have the same rights to due process,
>including issues of academic freedom, such as authority for grading policy
>and course content, that tenure-stream faculty have.  Faculty who feel
>these rights have been violated should begin negotiations at the department
>or program level.  If the matter remains unresolved, they should bring the
>issue to the Dean's Office, from where it will be sent to the Arts &
>Science Council's Grievance Committee.
>
>� It is important to recognize that status as a Lecturer or
>Instructor/Senior Instructor should not preclude the possibility of
>applying for a tenure-track position, regardless of origin of Ph.D., nor
>should it be viewed as entry-level preparation for such a position.
>
>� The BFA Task Force and A&S Dean's Office recommend that
>Instructors and Lecturers have a representative voice on all faculty
>governing bodies, although they will necessarily be excepted from matters
>appropriate only to tenure-stream faculty, such as personnel decisions.  A
>representative seat for Instructors or Lecturers in Arts and Sciences will
>require approval of the Arts and Sciences Council.
>
>� The BFA Task Force would like to express great appreciation to the Dean
>of Arts & Sciences, Peter Spear, for his eagerness to improve the condition
>of non-tenure-stream faculty, and the many hours of his time and thought
>this document demanded.  We are also indebted to VCAA DiStefano and AVC
>Todd Gleeson for the extensive information and consultation they gave to
>make this a viable document. And special gratitude goes to Chancellor
>Byyny, whose encouragement and support from the beginning has been crucial
>to making this a successful campuswide endeavor.
>
>
>
>*     *     *     *     *     *
>
>
>Each level is discussed in terms of 1) DEFINITION, 2) SALARY, 3) BENEFITS,
>4) EVALUATION, 5) PROMOTION. 
>
>I.  LECTURER
>
>1. DEFINITION: Lecturers are hired on a semester-to-semester basis.  They
>have no regular faculty rank.  Their appointment may range from less than
>50% to fulltime.  This category applies mainly to those teaching
>intermittently or for fewer than three years in A&S. Recognizing that
>flexibility due to flux in student demand is important, the BFA Task Force
>at the same time urges that departments show their consideration for anyone
>in this role by giving the earliest advance notice of a teaching assignment
>possible, and keeping the principle of continuity of employment in mind
>when assigning classes.
>
>In order to promote a sense of equitable, fair treatment, approval by a
>hiring committee, e.g., existing executive, budget or salary committee, is
>required. This committee could also be consulted for evaluation.
>
>2. SALARY:  Because A&S is seeking to establish a fair and equitable salary
>for ongoing Lecturers at UCB by moving any Lecturer who has been teaching
>for three years at 50% or more into the status of Instructor, with
>corresponding salary benefits, the pay per course for Lecturers will remain
>at its present amount, which is typically $4000 for a three-credit course.  
>
>The Dean's Office plans to reevaluate the appropriateness of that figure
>and its relation to external factors every three years.
>
>3. BENEFITS: University of Colorado at Boulder gives full, ongoing health
>benefits once a person teaches for a semester at 50% or more and continues
>teaching, even if his/her teaching load later drops below 50%.  (Note that
>the person must be hired as a Lecturer, not as an Honorarium Part-time
>position for this to apply.)  TIAA retirement benefits begin after teaching
>at 50% or more for a year; they accrue from that point on in proportion to
>the amount earned per semester.
>
>Full instructional support, such as supplies, a University ID, the staff
>support given to tenure-stream faculty, and office space if available, also
>should be provided.
>
>While individual groups granting teaching awards have the ultimate
>jurisdiction, The Dean's Office urges that Lecturers be eligible for
>teaching awards.  (For excellent teachers who may be constrained to this
>position for years due to limited availability of classes or their own
>inability or lack of desire to teach more, being nominated for awards and
>then denied the chance to compete can be a source of continual frustration.)
>
>4. EVALUATION:  Units may evaluate in a variety of ways, including Faculty
>Course Questionnaires, class visits, and/or the Faculty Report of
>Professional Activities.  Consistency and clarity of policy in this regard
>are important.  The A&S Dean's Office urges that a written statement of
>policy be provided from the beginning of employment.
>
>5. PROMOTION:  All Lecturers are eligible for promotion to Instructor after
>teaching a 50% load for at least three consecutive years.  Exceptions are
>possible for Lecturers who are constrained to fewer courses than the
>minimum or who have taught for fewer than three years, upon recommendation
>by the unit chair or director and approval by the Dean's Office.
>
>	
>II.  INSTRUCTOR
>
>1. DEFINITION:  The title of Instructor is a regular faculty rank.
>Instructors hold at least a Master's degree or the equivalent.  They have a
>contract for a one-to-four year appointment. The appointment can range from
>50% to fulltime.  All ongoing Lecturers who have taught in A&S for three
>years at 50% time or more are eligible for this rank.  (Exceptions for
>those who have taught fewer than three years and/or in appointments under
>50% are possible upon approval by the Dean's Office.)
>
>A Fulltime Instructor workload evaluation will normally be 75% teaching and
>25% service.  When a department and instructor agree, that proportion may
>also include a percentage based on research.  Other proportions are
>possible upon recommendation by the unit chair or director and approval by
>the Dean's Office.  A fulltime teaching load will be three classes a
semester.
>
>In order to promote a sense of equitable, fair treatment, approval by a
>hiring committee, e.g., existing executive, budget or salary committee, is
>required. This committee could also be consulted for evaluation.
>
>2. SALARY:  Beginning minimum salary will be $30,000 a year.  Higher
>beginning salary requires approval by the Dean's Office. 
>
>All Instructors are eligible for annual merit increases, subject to
>department evaluation. (This is existing Regents' policy)
>
>3. BENEFITS:  Instructors ordinarily will be given one-year contracts,
>renewable indefinitely at the unit's request. Multiple-year contracts up to
>four years are possible at the department's request, with approval by the
>Dean's Office.  
>
>It is strongly recommended that Instructors be eligible to participate in
>faculty department meetings with the standard exception of personnel
>matters for individuals of an equal or higher rank. The opportunity for
>involvement is an important means of shifting the unintentional culture of
>exclusion that non-tenure-stream faculty may experience, an exclusion which
>can affect the well-being of their students and their department as well,
>due to lack of information on the Instructor's part.  Since Instructors
>often teach classes which introduce potential majors to the department, it
>is of benefit to all concerned to maintain strong lines of communication
>and collegiality, especially in regard to pedagogical and professional
issues.
>
>Instructors are eligible for the opportunity to apply for travel money and
>research grants.  Eligibility for teaching awards is also highly
>recommended by the Dean's Office.
>
>Instructors should be given full instructional support, such as supplies,
>University ID, the same staff support that tenure-stream faculty have, and
>office space if available. 
>
>4. EVALUATION: Evaluation should follow the original workload evaluation
>assignment in regard to emphasis on teaching, service and/or research. The
>A&S norm will be 75% teaching and 25% service. When a department and
>instructor agree, that proportion may also include a percentage based on
>research.  Since basic funding is required in some disciplines for research
>needs such as access to laboratories and equipment, however, the decision
>as to whether the department is willing and able to provide that support
>should be agreed upon by both the department and the instructor before
>research is made a percentage of the work evaluation.
>
>Instructors must be given a sheet describing the terms of evaluation and
>expectations of the position by the department or program.  (Existing
>Regents' policy.)
>
>5. PROMOTION:  Instructors may be promoted to Senior Instructor after a
>probationary period and evaluation by the unit.  The probationary period
>ordinarily will be seven years in A&S (this may include three years spent
>as Lecturer), although exceptions are possible upon recommendation by the
>unit chair or director and approval by the Dean's Office. 
>
>
>III.  SENIOR INSTRUCTOR
>
>1. DEFINITION:  Senior Instructor normally calls for a terminal degree.
>The length of appointment can range from one to four years. Senior
>Instructors shall have the same rights as Instructors, with the following
>additions:
>
>2. SALARY:  The minimum Senior Instructor salary in A&S will be $33,000.
>
>3. BENEFITS: Health and retirement benefits are the same as described for
>Instructors.
>
>After teaching fulltime for seven years (including time spent as an
>Instructor or Lecturer), a Senior Instructor should be eligible to apply
>for a Professional Development Grant, offered as a means for researching
>and updating pedagogy or other course-related subjects.  Awards would be on
>a competitive basis, in accord with the quality of the application. 
>
>Given the likelihood that most Instructors and Senior Instructors will be
>teaching many of the same introductory lower-division courses repeatedly,
>the BFA Task Force has asked that, when feasible, departments consider
>assigning courses of special interest-classes which are upper-division or
>in their field of specialization, for instance-to Senior Instructors.  It
>is to everyone's benefit to help teachers avoid the enervation that can
>occur without contact with engaged and sophisticated students.  
>
>4. EVALUATION: Same as for Instructors (above).
>
>5. PROMOTION: Senior Instructors are at the top of this job class.  They
>are eligible for Emeritus status upon retiring.
>
>
>
Lise Menn
Professor and Chair
Linguistics Department - Box 295
University of Colorado
Boulder CO 80309-0295
303-492-1609; fax 303-492-4416

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From: Lise Menn <lmenn@clipr.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: may I have your comments on the 'Instructors Bill of Rights'?
Date: 1998/04/03
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