Definition of Faculty

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As a handbook created to explain policy and procedures for faculty members, this document requires a clear definition of the term “faculty.” The term faculty is customarily used in academic and public culture to refer to educational personnel whose primary task is teaching. This definition is also used at Elon University. However, as with many other institutions, Elon, in addition to its teaching faculty, grants faculty rank to other academic affairs personnel. To this extent three mutually exclusive categories exist for individuals who may be granted faculty rank, plus a fourth category, “faculty,” that includes the other three. The four categories below explain which people are included in the various policies and procedures described in this handbook.

In this handbook, the terms “faculty,” “all faculty,” and “the faculty in general” will be used to refer to all employees with faculty rank. When a more specific subgroup is being referred to, either the title of the section or the first reference to the group within the section will indicate the appropriate subgroup. Occasionally the descriptor “faculty who teach classes” may be used to refer only to those employees with faculty rank who have actual classroom responsibilities.

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The most generic use of the term “faculty” refers to those Elon University employees with faculty rank. “Faculty Rank” refers to an appointment that is given by the Board of Trustees. All persons with faculty rank attend the monthly faculty meetings. Those holding the rank of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, or above (as well as those teaching more than 18 semester hours in an academic year) may vote on matters that come before that body. Elon University grants faculty rank to all its employees teaching full-time and its part-time instructors teaching 18 or more semester hours in an academic year. But because Elon University also grants faculty rank to personnel who may be employed primarily in administrative or support staff positions (and may or may not actually teach courses), the use of the generic “faculty” is not specific enough to delineate accurate inclusion or exclusion for a number of policies.

Elon employees with faculty rank will belong to one of the three categories listed below as their primary status in addition to their inclusion in the more general “faculty” category, even though people belonging to one category may sometimes perform duties associated with the other two categories.

The University assigns faculty to the categories below according to the nature of their appointments including such criteria as professional expectations and the evaluation procedures used to assess their growth and competency.

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Teaching faculty are those members of the University holding faculty rank whose fundamental responsibilities are the instruction of students, professional activities, and, where appropriate for their type of faculty appointment, scholarly or artistic forms of expression that are the basis of a university community. Teaching faculty members are subject to professional and institutional expectations outlined in this Faculty Handbook.

Teaching faculty status is limited to those whose performance assessment is linked to the completion of an annual Unit I (Annual Report for Teaching Faculty), which describes teaching, scholarship (appropriate to faculty appointment), and professional/University service activities during the preceding year. Teaching faculty also participate in an annual review process which includes the Department Chair and Dean of the school or college. Furthermore, such faculty members are normally subject to formal review by the Promotions and Tenure Committee at various points during their careers at the University. The University typically employs faculty through an annual Letter of Agreement which specifies nine months of service during an August-May period.

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Administrators with faculty rank are members of the University holding faculty rank whose positions include oversight for the University as a whole as well as management of its broader educational goals and programs. The category of administrators with faculty rank includes those members who are at the position of Vice President or above, Deans and Associate Deans of schools and the College of Arts and Sciences, members of the Academic Affairs Advisory Council who hold faculty rank, and the Athletic Director.

Administrators with faculty rank are typically employed through annual contracts, which specify a June-May period of service. Their duties are specified formally in official position descriptions maintained by the University, but may also include other responsibilities as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees. They are subject to annual performance evaluations which include formal input from faculty and staff as well as judgments rendered by their pertinent supervisor, the Provost/Executive Vice President, and the President.

The President of the University conducts an annual evaluation of the Provost/Executive Vice President. The Board of Trustees conducts an annual evaluation of the President.

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Support staff with faculty rank describes members of the University holding faculty rank of Assistant Professor or above who have supervisory responsibility for specific programs that provide educational opportunities for students, implement academic procedures, or otherwise support the educational mission of the University.

Support staff with faculty rank are typically employed through annual contracts specifying a June-May period of service. Their duties are specified in formal position descriptions maintained by the University. They are subject to annual performance evaluations which include formal input from those they supervise as well as judgments rendered by their pertinent supervisors, Vice President, and the Provost/Executive Vice President.