PROV-024: Academic Faculty Members Appointed to Administrative Positions
Academic Division.
Provides: (1) the terms and conditions governing the appointment or reappointment of a current or newly recruited academic faculty member to a full- or part-time administrative position; and (2) clarity as to which policies govern a faculty member’s administrative appointment or responsibilities and which govern their academic appointment.
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Academic Department:
Department offering academic, for-credit programs of study, usually leading to a degree. For the purposes of this policy, academic department also refers to the department, school, or unit in which the faculty member holds an academic appointment.
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Administrative Position:
Senior-level positions that require “the performance of work directly related to the management of the educational and general activities of the institution, department, or subdivision thereof.”1 These positions are within three reporting levels of the president (such as vice presidents, deans, and positions reporting to a dean, such as department chairs and associate deans) and usually require at least 50% effort dedicated to the administrative position. Administrative positions as defined in this policy are discretionary appointments; all administrative service is at the will of the appointing authority.
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1Consolidated Salary Authorization for Faculty Positions in Institutions of Higher Education, Commonwealth of Virginia, 2001–02..
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Administrative Salary Supplement:
A supplement that may be added to a faculty member’s base salary for performing work that lies outside of their regular responsibilities, such as that associated with service in an administrative position.
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Administrative Supervisor:
Supervisor (dean, vice president, or president) to whom the faculty member reports in their administrative capacity.
This policy applies to current or newly recruited members of the tenured, tenure-track, or academic general faculty who are appointed to administrative positions. This policy does not apply to legacy Administrative or Professional faculty members, whose positions are governed by policy HRM-003: Employment of Administrative or Professional General Faculty Members.
To ensure the flexible and effective administration of the University, all administrative positions governed under this policy are discretionary appointments and all persons appointed serve at the pleasure of the administrative supervisor.
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Appointment:
Members of the academic faculty are appointed to administrative positions for a limited term and retain their status as a faculty member in an academic department. No administrative position term may exceed five years or the remainder of a faculty member’s academic appointment term, whichever is less.Administrative academic leadership positions at the level of dean, vice provost, or vice president (under the purview of the provost) must be filled via a competitive search involving faculty input, even if the position is limited to internal candidates. The hiring official will ask the Chair of the Faculty Senate to identify and recommend a faculty member to join other faculty members and key stakeholders on the search committee. When the hiring official believes that the business needs of the University justify an exemption from the search requirement, they must first consult with the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships and the Chair of the Faculty Senate. A search is not necessary, nor is consultation required, when appointing a faculty member to an interim position lasting one year or less.
A faculty member serving in an administrative role may be reappointed to that role after an administrative review.
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Reassignment:
An academic faculty member serving in an administrative position may be reassigned at the discretion of the administrative supervisor. Reassignment can involve change in administrative title or supervisory responsibilities or reassignment to another department. The faculty member’s administrative salary supplement, if one was awarded, shall remain in effect until the end of the appointment term and the administrative unit of the administrative supervisor shall continue to fund the administrative salary supplement to the extent specified in the current administrative appointment letter. -
Suspension or Removal:
The administrative supervisor may choose to suspend or end the faculty member’s administrative appointment at any time. In the event of such suspension or removal of the administrative appointment, the administrative supervisor shall provide the faculty member with written notice of the reasons for such suspension or removal and provide the faculty member with an opportunity to respond in writing or to request a meeting within 10 working days of receiving written notice.The administrative supervisor shall carefully consider any response provided by the faculty member and inform the faculty member of the supervisor’s decision within 10 working days. If the faculty member disagrees with the decision of the administrative supervisor, within 10 working days of receiving the supervisor’s decision the faculty member can request a meeting with the provost or, in cases where the provost is the administrative supervisor, the president; and shall have an opportunity in that meeting to explain or document the reasons for the disagreement. In keeping with the intent to ensure the flexible and effective administration of the University for persons occupying senior administrative positions that are subject to this policy, the final decision regarding suspension or removal from the administrative position for cause shall be made by the provost or president, as applicable, within 30 days of meeting with the faculty member and may not be appealed further. Unless stated otherwise in the appointment letter,
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Suspension or removal for Adequate Cause will result in the faculty member’s administrative salary supplement, if one was awarded, being terminated as of the date a final decision is made by the president or provost. Adequate Cause includes the faculty member’s failure to achieve the goals or meet the performance expectations as specified by the unit and/or the appointment letter, a serious breach of professional ethics, violation of University policy or applicable law, willful neglect of duty, or serious misconduct.
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If the suspension or removal of an administrative appointment is not based on Adequate Cause, and the faculty member continues in an academic appointment, they are entitled to continue receiving their administrative salary supplement for one year or the remainder of their term, whichever is less.
Reassignment or the suspension or removal of the administrative appointment shall not affect the terms of the faculty member’s academic appointment except as in accordance with the policy Disciplinary Suspension or Termination of Academic Faculty.
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When appointing or reappointing a current or newly recruited member of the academic faculty to a discretionary administrative position, the administrative supervisor will issue an appointment/reappointment letter that will specify, at a minimum:
- that the appointment is subject to this Policy on Academic Faculty Members Appointed to Administrative Positions and any amendments thereto;
- dates upon which the discretionary administrative appointment will begin and end;
- any administrative salary supplement being offered and any terms regarding possible future adjustments to the salary supplement (i.e., merit increases);
- specific goals or other responsibilities that the faculty member will fulfill during the administrative appointment, including the criteria that will be used to evaluate administrative performance;
- the percentage of time that the faculty member will be expected to devote to administrative responsibilities;
- the faculty member’s administrative supervisor;
- the terms that will apply to the faculty member’s return or transition to their academic department at the conclusion of the administrative appointment, particularly the termination of the administrative salary supplement (if one is awarded), access to necessary facilities (e.g., laboratories), etc., as well as any leave to be permitted after the administrative appointment;
- the time frame for possible reappointment, including clear notice that continued administrative service is at the discretion of the appointing official; and
- the date by which the faculty member will receive notice of renewal of nonrenewal of the administrative appointment.
To become effective, the appointment/reappointment letter must be accepted in writing by the faculty member.
A faculty member appointed to an administrative position without an academic appointment in a unit, in contravention of Section 1, prior to November 11, 2022, may continue to hold the administrative position under the terms of their appointment letter.