Positions in State service are divided into classified, unclassified, and exempt. All Higher Education faculty appointments are unclassified.
Teaching faculty ranks currently used are Research Assistant, Research Associate, Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. The adjectives adjunct, visiting, or associate may be joined to academic ranks in designating members of the community whose services the institution may wish to utilize.
Teaching Faculty are also designated in the following ways:
These are regular 1.0 FTE who normally have duties in teaching, research, institutional service, outreach. They may be on "hard" or "soft" dollars. They hold academic rank.
These faculty have all duties (as above) but scaled to less than 1.00 FTE. They hold academic rank if the position is part of the instructional faculty.
[Note: Part-time regular faculty may elect to accept offers of a variety of different teaching assignments -- e.g., on campus residential instruction, weekend University courses, individualized studies courses -- w FTE employed by Eastern for part-time regular faculty is calculated on a term-by-term basis as equal to the total compensation received as a proportion of the resource faculty member's base salary.]
These are full-time faculty with specific project duties--not normally involving campus committees, etc.
These are faculty that have a specific limited assignment, such as teaching a course (on- or off-campus) but have no committee, advising, etc., duties. They hold academic rank if part of the instructional faculty.
[Note: Part-time resource faculty may elect to accept offers of a variety of different teaching assignments -- e.g., on campus residential instruction, weekend University courses, individualized studies courses -- with compensation being offered that is appropriate to the type of the instructional assignment. The proportion of FTE employed by Eastern for part-time resource faculty is calculated on a term-by-term basis as equal to the total compensation received as a proportion of the resource faculty member's base salary.]
These faculty have courtesy appointments due to their close relationship to Eastern. They do not receive pay from Eastern and are, in general, not directly under Eastern's supervision. They hold academic rank.
Their pay goes through Eastern but they are not directly under Eastern supervision. They hold academic rank.
Emeritus rank at the individual's actual attained rank may be accorded retiring faculty members with the following usual qualifications:
Appointments authorized in the Oregon State System of Higher Education are of two kinds: (1) fixed-term appointments, and (2) tenure-related appointments. All appointments are made subject to the provisions of the Board of Higher Education Administrative Rules, and Eastern Oregon University policies and rules, including but not restricted to those relating to tenure, termination of employment and intellectual property.
Such appointments specify the beginning and ending date of the employment period in the Notice of Appointment. Beyond the ending date of this period, there is no commitment for continued employment and timely notice is not required. Fixed-term appointments for one year or less may be renewed subject to such factors as merit evaluation, program needs and availability of funds. Those individuals on fixed-term appointments are not eligible for indefinite tenure but may be considered for tenure-related positions when vacancies occur.
Such appointments specify the beginning and ending date of the employment period in the Notice of Appointment and may be made in either administrative or management areas. Contract recommendations will be made by Deans of the Schools in instructional areas and by unit administrators in other employment areas.
Renewability of a contract shall be specified in the Notice of Appointment.
[Note: Eastern seeks, to the extent that institutional needs allow, to rely upon tenure-related appointments for full-time instructional positions. Where institutional needs determine that a fixed-term appointment should be full-t same faculty member. This limitation is set, in part, by the need to assure that tenure is established using the criteria and the procedures of the University and not de facto; consequently, the limitation does not apply to positions for which, under AAUP recommended principles, issues of de facto tenure would not arise: e.g., positions involving administrative, coaching, and remedial teaching assignments.]
Eastern will protect the academic freedom and recognize the institutional commitment of its teaching faculty. New faculty on tenure-track shall serve a probational period of up to five years. During their probationary period, their performance will be carefully evaluated; and, by the end of the fifth year, those who are determined qualified for tenure shall be granted indefinite tenure. Those faculty not determined qualified for tenure shall be given notice of termination effective the end of the sixth year.
The awarding of tenure is a significant institutional commitment to a faculty member and will be done only after careful consideration. Those faculty on tenure-track retained after the expiration of a probationary period may be terminated only for adequate cause, financial exigency, or program or department reduction or elimination. In the event of financial exigency or program or department reduction, except in extraordinary circumstances where a serious distortion of the academic program would otherwise result, tenured faculty will not be terminated before untenured faculty in the same program.
Annual tenure appointments, known more loosely as 'tenure track' appointments, will normally be made in major instructional areas and will be specified in the Notice of Appointment. Annual tenure appointments are for faculty members in a probational status in accordance with existing Administrative Rules. Reappointment on annual tenure is subject to yearly assessment of the individual's performance and the needs of the institution; non-reappointment requires specified timely notice. Consideration for indefinite tenure normally is based on not less than five years of satisfactory probationary service at Eastern.
Such appointments shall confirm institutional commitments for employment to be continued indefinitely subject, however, to the provisions of the Administrative Rules covering program reduction, financial exigency and unsatisfactory service.
Appointment of a full-time, regular faculty member, who is on an annual tenure appointment for a sixth consecutive year shall be accompanied by the awarding of tenure or by notice of termination at the end of the sixth year except as provided by the Administrative Rules.
Faculty members may be appointed on an academic year basis, a 12-month basis, or on some other basis arranged in individual cases. Those members on an academic year basis are subject to service from approximately the middle of September in one year through the middle of June of the next calendar year, or such equivalent period of service within the fiscal year as best serves the particular assignment involved.
Summer Session appointments are for varying lengths of time and are considered to be additional appointments.
Appointment of an individual on a 12-month basis makes one liable for duty through the fiscal year.
All regular faculty members receive formal notifications each year of the conditions and terms of employment for the ensuing year. Such notification is issued by the Provost's Office. Such formal notification is given also to part-time faculty members.
Timely notice, as it affects tenure-related appointments is set by the OAR's. The requirements for timely notice for those on a tenure-related appointment (annual or indefinite) currently are:
For faculty on fixed-term contracts, the terms of the contract itself provide notice of when the contract will end, and the preceding timely notice provisions for tenure-related appointments do not apply.
[Responsible for Accuracy: John S. Miller, Provost - Last Verified: 7/27/00]