Administration - Office of the Provost - Policies & Procedures

Faculty Policies and Procedures

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Employment of Faculty
1. Full-time Faculty. When the vice chancellor's permission to fill a vacant position is received, a department chair, in consultation with the division director and the senior faculty or a search committee, develops a vacancy notice. The procedures below are then followed:
  1. Copies of the vacancy notice and the Recruitment Form (Attachment E) of the affirmative action forms are sent by the department chair to the division director for review and appropriate revision, in consultation with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The vacancy notice is then sent to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for approval.
  2. The department chair posts the vacancy notice on campus and sends it to public and private colleges and universities. The position is advertised in higher education journals and other publications.
  3. In consultation with the senior faculty or search committee, the department chair evaluates applicants' credentials, selects applicants who meet the criteria set forth in the vacancy notice, and recommends these applicants to the division director. (Efforts should be made to involve senior faculty in the process when hiring occurs during the summer months, a time when faculty are not normally on campus.)
  4. The division director confers with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and directs the department chair to arrange for on-campus visits and interviews for the selected applicants. When feasible, candidates are interviewed by the department chair, the senior faculty, a search committee, the division director, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the chancellor or his designee. The department chair, in collaboration with the search committee, senior faculty, and division director, must assess the language proficiency of the candidates to ensure that no communication problems will impede the instructional process.
  5. The division director and the department chair recommend the applicant to be hired, the appropriate rank and appropriate salary to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who forwards his/her recommendation to the chancellor. Final authority for review and approval in the filling of all vacancies rests with the chancellor.
  6. Prior to the appointee's first day of work the following materials must be on file in the Office of Academic Affairs:
  - Notarized University application form
  - Affirmative Action forms
  - Official transcripts
  - Curriculum vitae (resume)
  - Acceptance of appointment letter
  - Signed contract
  The appropriate number of reference letters is added to the file as soon as they are received.
2. Part-time Faculty. The use of part-time faculty is based on demonstrated need and the inability of a department to provide required instruction through temporary or permanent full-time faculty. Employment with the university is on the basis indicated in the letter of appointment from the chancellor and shall include teaching, advising, maintaining office hours, and other duties as specified by the department chair or division director. The following procedures apply:
  1. The division director, in consultation with the department chair, requests part-time assistance from the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs after the course schedule for a given semester has been made final.
  2. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs identifies appropriate resources, if available, using funds from either a state position or external sources.
  3. Department chair or division director completes a Temporary Personnel Action Form (Attachment F).
    
    When a part-time faculty member continues from one semester to another, another Temporary Personnel Action Form is completed. This form can be obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs or the Personnel Office. Before a part-time employee begins work, the following information must be on file:
    - Notarized university application form
    - Official transcripts
    - Curriculum vitae
    - Acceptance letter of appointment
    - Signed contract
  4. Department chairs and/or division directors are responsible for orienting part-time faculty, supervising them, and ensuring their appropriate evaluation, including evaluation of the course(s) and of teaching effectiveness. Such evaluation is conducted each semester and the results are used to determine continued employment.
3. Summer School Employment. Regular university faculty members are encouraged to teach in the summer school program when their services are needed. Determination of the need for a regular faculty member's service is made by the appropriate department chair with the approval of the appropriate division director and the director of summer school. When regular university faculty are unavailable, the department chair employs part-time faculty and follows the procedures outlined above.
4. Access to Files and Confidentiality of Personnel Information. Faculty files are established upon hiring and are maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs, as well as in departmental and divisional offices. Faculty members have the right to review and have copies made of materials contained in their personnel files. The standard procedure for such review entails scheduling an appointment with the Office of Academic Affairs.
Winston-Salem State University is required to keep confidential all information concerning a faculty member except name, age, date of original employment, current and previous positions at the university, title, salary information, and position number. A faculty member's personnel file may be inspected by designated officials for the purpose of conducting official business.
Criteria for Faculty Appointments

The following minimum criteria apply to candidates being considered for initial, full-time appointment at the various faculty ranks:

Instructor. Appointment as an instructor is based on potential, but candidates must meet the following minimum requirements:
1. Master's degree in an appropriate field from an institution of higher education recognized by the General Administration of the University of North Carolina System.
2. Demonstrated promise as a teacher
3. Three (3) letters of recommendation

Assistant Professor. Appointment as an assistant professor is based on both potential and prior professional experience. The following minimum requirements apply:
1. Earned doctorate or enrollment in a doctoral program in an appropriate field from an institution of higher education recognized by the UNC General Administration. Exceptions may be made in areas where the master's is the terminal or prevalent professional degree, where the master's is considered appropriate for teaching at this level, and where the master's is accompanied by evidence of professionalism as demonstrated by a certificate of achievement such as the CPA, CMA, professional engineer's license, etc.
2. Demonstrated effectiveness as a teacher.
3. Demonstrated promise in research, grantsmanship, curriculum development, or creative activities.
4. Three (3) letters of recommendation.

Associate Professor. Appointment as an associate professor is based on actual professional experience as well as future potential. Minimum requirements are as follows:
1. Earned doctorate in an appropriate field from an institution of higher education recognized by the General Administration, except in cases where the master's is the terminal or prevalent professional degree.
2. Either a satisfactory record of college or university teaching or related professional experience and comparable qualifications.
3. A satisfactory record of continued involvement in research, grantsmanship, curriculum development, or creative activities.
4. Three (3) letters of recommendation.

Professor. Appointment as a professor requires that a candidate be recognized by colleagues, previous supervisors and students as a capable teacher, scholar and researcher. The following minimum requirements apply:
1. Earned doctorate in an appropriate field from an institution of higher education recognized by the UNC General Administration, except in cases where the master's is the terminal or prevalent professional degree.
2. Either a satisfactory record in college or university teaching or related professional experience and comparable qualifications.
3. Established and continuing record in research, grantsmanship, curriculum development, or creative activities.
4. Established record and continued involvement in professional organizations, with demonstrated leadership and scholarly contributions.
5. Five (5) letters of recommendation.