West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 135 - Community And Technical College Education › Title 135 - LEGISLATIVE RULE WEST VIRGINIA COUNCIL FOR COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE EDUCATION › Series 135-09 - Academic Freedom, Professional Responsibility, Promotion And Tenure › Section 135-9-9 - Tenure

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
9.1. Tenure is
				designed to ensure academic freedom and to provide professional stability for
				the experienced faculty member. It is a means of protection against the
				capricious dismissal of an individual who has served faithfully and well in the
				academic community. Continuous self-evaluation, as well as regular evaluation
				by peer and administrative personnel, is essential to the viability of the
				tenure system. Tenure should never be permitted to mask irresponsibility,
				mediocrity, or deliberate refusal to meet academic requirements or professional
				duties and responsibilities. Tenure applies to those faculty members who
				qualify for it and is a means of making the profession attractive to persons of
				ability. There shall be demonstrated evidence that tenure is based upon a wide
				range of criteria such as excellence in teaching; publications and research;
				professional and scholarly activity and recognition; professional development;
				accessibility to students; adherence to professional standards of conduct;
				effective service to the institution, college and department; significant
				service to the community; experience in higher education and at the
				institution; possession of the earned doctorate, special competence, or the
				highest earned degree appropriate to the teaching field; continued professional
				growth; and service to the people of the State of West Virginia. Ultimate
				authority regarding the application of guidelines and criteria relating to
				tenure shall rest with the institution.
9.2. In making tenure decisions, careful
				consideration shall be given to the tenure profile of the institution,
				projected enrollment patterns, staffing needs of the institution, current and
				projected mission of each department/division, specific academic competence of
				the faculty member, and preservation of opportunities for infusion of new
				talent. The institution shall be mindful of the dangers of losing internal
				flexibility and institutional accountability to the citizens of the State as
				the result of an overly tenured faculty.
9.3. In order to be fully responsive to the
				changing needs of their students and clients, the goal in the appointment of
				faculty is to limit the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty to no more
				than twenty percent of full-time faculty employed by the respective community
				and technical college,
9.3.1. Full-time term
				faculty are eligible for reappointment, although no number of appointments
				shall create any presumption of the right to appointment as tenure-track or
				tenured faculty. A single appointment shall not exceed three years.
9.3.2. The employment standing of tenured and
				tenure-track faculty holding appointment at each of the commxmity and technical
				colleges at the time of the implementation of this policy shall not be
				affected.