Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3349 - Northeast Ohio Medical University › Chapter 3349-3 - Faculty Rules › Section 3349-3-195 - University faculty bylaws - appendix B appointment, promotion, and tenure

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) Purpose
The faculty bylaws concerning appointment, promotion and tenure
				of tenure track faculty (the "bylaws") are set forth herein and are designed to
				cultivate a diverse body of faculty that demonstrates sustained excellence and
				distinction in scholarship, education, service and clinical care, if
				appropriate. To this end, the bylaws define the nature of tenure; the faculty
				who are eligible for appointment and consideration for promotion and/or tenure;
				the process for the comprehensive, fair and orderly consideration of
				appointments and the granting of tenure; criteria that are to be applied in
				making these decisions; and mechanisms for the assurance of due process and
				good faith resolution of conflicts arising out of the bylaws.
(B) Scope
The bylaws concerning appointment, promotion and tenure of
				tenure track faculty apply only to tenure track and tenured faculty.
(C) Definitions
(1) "Academic rank." The university has
			 established in rank order, the ranks of assistant professor, associate
			 professor and professor (sometimes referred to as full professor) for faculty
			 in the tenure track. The rank of instructor is reserved for persons completing
			 customary preparation in a given field, or persons without a terminal degree.
			 This rank is only available to faculty in the non-tenure track.
(2) "Candidate." A candidate is an applicant
			 for appointment, promotion and/or tenure.
(3) "College." The term "college" includes
			 all the colleges organized under the authority of the northeast Ohio medical
			 university ("NEOMED" or "the university").
(4) "Curriculum vitae (CV)." The curriculum
			 vitae is one of the documents submitted by the candidate for consideration by
			 independent external evaluators. The CV should include, but does not need to be
			 limited to, information on contributions to the educational program of the
			 university or college(s), research and scholarly accomplishments, service
			 related to the college(s), university or profession, and professional
			 standing.
(5) "Days." Days as used
			 in this document are business days of the university.
(6) "Dossier." A dossier is a comprehensive
			 set of documentation prepared and submitted by the candidate when seeking
			 promotion and/or tenure. This documentation is critical in assessing the
			 candidate's achievements and readiness for promotion and/or tenure. The
			 completed dossier must be signed by the candidate along with an attestation of
			 veracity and completeness.
(7)
									"Essential functions." Duties or principal functional
			 responsibilities of a particular faculty position that are regarded as being
			 crucial to that position. They also include mental and physical qualifications
			 that are required to perform the duties or principal functional
			 responsibilities delineated in the job description. A faculty member with an
			 impairment caused by a physical or mental disease or disability that
			 substantially limits a major life activity may request accommodations in the
			 performance of these duties and principal functional responsibilities in
			 accordance with the university's rule on disabilities and
			 accommodations.
(8) "Evaluation year."
			 The evaluation year is the final year of the probationary period.
(9)
									"Fitness for duty
			 assessment." A mental or physical health evaluation in which a qualified health
			 professional performs tests and provides feedback about an employee's mental or
			 physical qualifications that are required to perform the duties or principal
			 functional responsibilities delineated in the job description. A fitness for
			 duty assessment should provide an in-depth analysis of the employee's core
			 competencies to successfully perform the duties or principal functional
			 responsibilities delineated in the job description.
(10)
			 "Independent external evaluator." An independent external evaluator is an
			 individual who is at "arm's length" from and is not related to a candidate or
			 does not have a comparable close relationship; has no substantive financial
			 ties to the candidate; is not dependent in some way on the candidate's
			 services; does not have a close professional relationship with the candidate
			 (e.g. dissertation advisor); or has not collaborated so extensively with the
			 candidate that an objective review of the candidate's work either is not, or
			 appears not to be possible. An independent external evaluator is not employed
			 by and does not have a faculty appointment at the university, its affiliated
			 universities, hospitals and health departments, and is qualified to assess the
			 candidate's scholarly achievements and reputation.
(11) "Leave of
			 absence." A period of time for which a faculty member has been approved to be
			 absent from the workplace and is not completing his/her work-related duties. A
			 leave of absence will toll the probationary period.
(12) "Letter of
			 offer." The letter of offer is a document initiated by a given college dean
			 that sets forth certain terms and conditions of the candidate's appointment
			 and/or employment but does not constitute a contract. Any previous experience
			 to be counted toward a faculty member's probationary period may be negotiated
			 prior to appointment and will be delineated in this document. Any modifications
			 to the document must be in writing and signed by the dean of the respective
			 college that initiated the appointment, the faculty member's department chair
			 and the affected faculty member.
(13) "Notice of
			 non-reappointment." Notice of non-reappointment is a written notification by
			 the dean of the respective college to the affected faculty member that the
			 college intends to terminate a faculty member's appointment at a specified
			 time. Notice of non-reappointment will generally be given on or before March
			 fifteenth. For the first year of service, the last day of service will be June
			 thirtieth of the calendar year in which the notice is given. After one or more
			 years of service, the last day of service will be June thirtieth of the next
			 calendar year.
(14) "Probationary period." The probationary period is
			 the initial period of a tenure track appointment during which a faculty member
			 must demonstrate that he/she is capable of performing at the level of
			 excellence and distinction required to be awarded tenure. The probationary
			 period lasts from the date of the initial tenure track appointment to the date
			 of the award of tenure by the board of trustees or notice of
			 nonreappointment.
(15) "Promotion." Promotion is the shift of a faculty
			 member from one academic rank to a higher academic rank.
(16)
			 Recognition of faculty distinction
The following titles have been established to recognize
				outstanding, meritorious or exceptional tenured or tenure track faculty.
(a) "Distinguished"
(i) The title "distinguished" is a
			 non-salaried designation of distinction.
(ii) The title distinguished university
			 professor is the highest honor the university can confer. It is reserved for
			 faculty members who have made exceptional contributions and extraordinary
			 achievements in the areas of teaching, scholarship and research.
(iii) When the title "distinguished" is
			 conferred, it precedes the faculty member's academic rank.
(iv) Recommendations for the award of
			 distinguished status may originate with the department chair, dean, or the
			 president. If the recommendation originates with the chair, it must be reviewed
			 by the respective college dean and if approved forwarded to the
			 president.
(v) The president may
			 forward his/her own recommendation directly to the board of trustees for
			 approval.
(b) "Emeritus"
"Emeritus" is a title of distinction that is used to recognize
				university faculty and senior professional staff who have provided meritorious
				service to the university and who have terminated full-time service to the
				college or university. The university recognizes emeritus faculty and senior
				professional staff as a continuing valuable resource and as such encourages
				them to maintain an active ongoing relationship with the university. The
				conferral of this title is governed by a separate board of trustees rule and as
				such, is beyond the scope of university bylaws.
(17)
			 "Tenure." Tenure is a privilege and not a right. Tenure is the commitment of a
			 given college of the university to a faculty member for continuous and ongoing
			 faculty appointment. 
									Tenure provides
			 protection against involuntary suspension or termination except for financial exigency,
									 just cause when
			 a faculty member receives a negative post-tenure review or is so substantially
			 impaired by a physical or mental disease or disability such that the faculty
			 member is unable to fulfil the essential functions of the faculty member's
			 position. Tenure automatically ceases upon
			 the faculty member's voluntary or involuntary termination, retirement or
			 death.
(18) "Tenure track position." A tenure track position
			 is a full-time salaried faculty appointment that includes the eligibility to
			 apply for tenure. The appointment to a tenure track position is set forth in
			 the letter of offer.
(19) "Tolling."
			 Tolling is the suspension of the time period (granted in year-long increments)
			 that comprises a tenure track faculty member's probationary period, for which
			 there is no expectation of productivity. Tolling of the probationary period
			 must be requested by the faculty member and approved by the department chair
			 and the dean of the respective college. Any such suspension of time will not be
			 counted toward the probationary period.