Reappointment/Non-Reappointment Guidelines

Faculty Reappointment Cycle General Information

Who is Included in the Faculty Reappointment Cycle?
Regular faculty who do not now have tenure or continuing contract should be included in a cycle unless they have been currently reappointed beyond June 30, 2023 (for fiscal year faculty) or August 31, 2023 (for academic year faculty). The evaluation and reappointment of non AFUM unit faculty, such as non-represented faculty (Union Code= blank) or part-time regular faculty (Union Code= 009), does not need to follow the AFUM time table.

How is the Reappointment cycle determined?

The AFUM agreement bases the reappointment cycle (notice of reappointment/non-reappointment) on the years of service in a probationary (tenure track or continuing contract eligible) appointment. The reappointment cycle for soft money faculty is based on the number of years of regular University service unless otherwise noted in the faculty member’s personnel file. All Lecturers with on-going (non-fixed length) appointments are included in the first year reappointment round. However, the AFUM Collective Bargaining Agreement no longer requires reappointment reviews and notice of reappointment to faculty holding the Lecturer rank who have earned Just Cause Protection (more than six years of service). Provisions for evaluating such faculty have not changed and are still in accordance with AFUM Article 10.

Appointment Date Reappointment Cycle

  • December 1, 2021-November 30, 2022 1st Year
  • December 1, 2020-November 30, 2021 2nd Year
  • November 30, 2020  or Earlier 3rd & Subsequent Year

All faculty with the rank of Lecturer, are included in the First Year Reappointment Cycle (who have not yet achieved “just cause protection”)

Is there a reappointment format for faculty to follow?

Tenure/continuing contract eligible faculty with more than 3 years of service in a probationary appointment are encouraged to use a specifically developed format that they will eventually use to apply for tenure/continuing contract. To access the form, please click on the following link: https://www.maine.edu/students/office-of-the-vice-chancellor-of-academic-affairs/tenure-promotion/

Does prior credit affect the Reappointment cycle?

No.

How long may a department recommend for a reappointment term?

Following the first year, based on performance, tenure track/continuing contract eligible faculty may be reappointed for a one year term. Second or third and subsequent year faculty may be reappointed for a one or two year term; however, the reappointment of a 2nd or 3rd and subsequent year faculty member, which is not for a terminal year, will guarantee employment for a year beyond the stated term.

First year faculty are normally reappointed for a term greater than one year.

Ongoing Lecturers may be reappointed for up to three years.

Soft money faculty may not be reappointed for a duration which extends beyond the time for which funding is currently available. The recommendation should clearly distinguish between the term of the reappointment and the duration of funding that is currently available for the position.

Tenure track faculty should not be reappointed beyond the year of mandatory tenure/continuing contract consideration. For example, a faculty member who is to be considered for tenure/continuing contract in 2023-2024 should not be reappointed beyond the end of that academic/fiscal year.

The recommendation concerning reappointment should be to reappoint for a specific term or to reappoint for a terminal year. The recommendation is for the coming year, beginning July 1 or September 1, 2023 although reappointment of 2nd or 3rd and subsequent year faculty, which is not for a terminal year, will also guarantee employment for the 2024-2025 year.

Administrative Guidelines

AFUM – Article 7, Appointment, Reappointment/Non-Reappointment and Contract Status

Sections C and D of Article 7 outline a peer recommendation process for reappointment/non-reappointment which is very similar to the process used in promotion and tenure decisions. The main points of the process are summarized here.

Consideration of faculty for reappointment is automatic; the unit member does not have to request consideration. It is the department’s responsibility to identify those faculty who need to be considered for reappointment in 2022-2023 and schedule the review to fall in the appropriate reappointment cycle. Non fixed length unit faculty whose current appointment ends on or before August 31, 2023 must be considered for reappointment during the coming year. Faculty holding joint appointments are reviewed by a single peer committee for the purpose of evaluation, reappointment, tenure and promotion. The composition of the peer committee for the unit member in a joint appointment shall reflect the proportion of responsibilities assigned to the unit member in each department, division, or other appropriate unit. For the purpose of evaluation, reappointment, promotion, and tenure there shall be a single recommendation from the peer committee. Please note that a cooperating (unsalaried) appointment is not a joint appointment.

Fixed Length Faculty

To ensure that AFUM faculty holding a multi-year, fixed-length term appointment who will continue their position into the next year are evaluated via the regular peer review process, they are included in the first year cycle. If their appointment is expected to end with the 2022-2023 academic year, no action is required beyond notifying the Dean or other administrative officers that the faculty member is not continuing their position at the present time. All AFUM unit faculty holding fixed-length appointments will receive a notice from Provost reminding them of the nature of their appointment by March 31 if it is ending. It is especially important that department chairs clearly communicate with fixed-length faculty about the nature of their position and potential reemployment opportunities. Approval of AFUM is required to extend fixed-length faculty beyond three years of service.

Who Must Be Considered

The following AFUM unit faculty should be considered for reappointment by the department peer committee:

Tenure-track or continuing contract eligible faculty (including faculty who are requesting early tenure/continuing contract consideration during the coming year)
“Soft-money” faculty
Lecturers with on-going appointments.

The following faculty should not be considered for reappointment:

  • Faculty with multiple-year appointments that extend beyond August 31, 2023
  • Faculty who were appointed for fixed-length terms and clearly informed of the nature of their appointments
  • Faculty who have indicated in writing their intent to resign at the end of the year, or
  • Faculty in terminal-year appointments resulting from non-reappointment or denial of tenure last year.

Peer Committee

The Chairperson (Dean or Director in units without Chairpersons) must instruct the Peer committee as to its responsibilities following the enclosed time table.

These instructions to the Peer Committee should include the following points:

  • in writing the names of faculty who must be considered,
  • the date by which the committee must make a recommendation,
  • the faculty member must have an opportunity to meet with and address the committee prior to preparation of the written recommendation,
  • the committee has access to the personnel file of the faculty member being considered,
  • the committee should evaluate the faculty member before considering reappointment. Refer to guidelines on faculty evaluation.

No administrator to whom a Peer Committee makes recommendations can be a voting member of that committee. The Chairperson should not chair the Peer Committee, nor act as its secretary. It is, however, important that the Chairperson convene the Committee and be present during the Committee’s deliberations.

All reports of the Peer Committee must be signed by all members participating in the report. The names of all Peer Committee members must be listed and a tally of the vote must be recorded.

The written Peer Committee recommendation is forwarded to the Chairperson and to the faculty member. The faculty member has an opportunity to respond, in writing, within one week of receipt of the Peer Committee recommendation by the Chairperson. (The Chairperson should make sure that the faculty member receives the Peer Committee recommendation and is aware of the right to respond to that recommendation in writing.)

Once the faculty member has had an opportunity to respond to the Peer Committee recommendation, materials may be added to the file being reviewed for reappointment consideration only in very limited circumstances. Please contact your Human Resources Partner if you have questions concerning additional file materials.

Chairperson

The Chairperson prepares his/her recommendation, distinct from that of the Peer Committee, at the end of the one-week response period or after receipt of written comment, if any. The Chairperson’s recommendation is forwarded to the Dean along with the recommendation of the Peer Committee and the faculty member’s written response, if any. A copy of the Chairperson’s recommendation should be sent to the faculty member at the time it is submitted to the Dean.

Dean

Upon receipt of the Chairperson’s recommendation, the Dean/Director will make a recommendation to the Provost, and the Provost to the President. The unit member should receive copies of these recommendations at the same time such recommendations are made. The unit member will be informed of the President’s decision concerning reappointment by letter on or before the contractual deadline.

Faculty Member

The unit member has no right to respond to administrative recommendations or to grieve until formally notified of a negative decision by the President. Therefore, if a unit member requests the opportunity to meet with an administrator during reappointment consideration, the administrator is not obligated to meet with the unit member.

If a faculty member grieves the President’s decision, the grievance will be filed with the first administrative officer (Chairperson, Dean/Associate Provost, Provost) making a negative recommendation. There is no provision in the contract for a faculty member to file a grievance against a Peer Committee.

Departmental Responsibility Relating to Personnel Materials for AFUM Unit Faculty

AFUM Collective Bargaining Agreement
Excerpt from Article 6 – Personnel File

Each campus shall maintain, for official University purposes, one (1) personnel file for each unit member. This file shall be kept under conditions that insure its integrity and safekeeping and shall contain copies of personnel forms, official correspondence to and/or from the unit member, written evaluations and other appropriate materials relating to the unit member’s employment.

Unit members shall be sent a copy of all material placed in the file at the same time it is placed in the file. Any material or correspondence addressed to a unit member which is to be placed in the file shall be marked cc: Personnel File. Any material or correspondence not addressed to a unit member which is to be placed in the file shall be sent to the unit member with a notation that such material has been placed in the file.

To meet these contractual requirements, copy notations for reappointment (or promotion/tenure, continuing contract, etc.) recommendations should follow one of the following formats:

cc: Personnel File
Professor (faculty member)

OR

cc: Department Chair (for personnel file)
Professor (faculty member)