Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
Policy
statement. The probationary period for faculty members who hold a full-time
tenure-track appointment at Kent state university is governed by policies on
reappointment and tenure developed by the faculty senate professional standards
committee and approved by the faculty senate and board of trustees. From time
to time, personal and/or family circumstances arise such that a probationary
faculty member may need to request that their probationary period be extended.
Granting such an extension of the probationary period has traditionally been
called "tolling" or "stopping the tenure clock."
(B)
Eligibility
(i.e., When tolling is permitted).
(1)
Faculty members shall be eligible to extend the
probationary period leading to a mandatory tenure review, upon request,
if:
(a)
The
faculty (whether male or female) is a caregiver of a newborn, newly adopted or
foster child, including a newborn, newly adopted or foster child of a domestic
partner.
(b)
The faculty member develops a serious illness or
disability or a member of his or her immediate family (as defined in the
university's sick leave policy) becomes seriously ill or disabled.
(2)
Faculty members may be eligible to extend the
probationary period leading to a mandatory tenure review, upon request, if the
faculty member has other personal and/or family circumstances of a compelling
nature that arise of or that occupy a substantial period of time during the
pre-tenure years.
(C)
Implementation:
The same professional standards and expectations shall apply to tenure
candidates who have had an extension of their probationary period, as would
apply to candidates who have not. Professional accomplishments realized during
the extended probationary period shall be considered part of a candidate's
record when he or she stands for tenure and/or promotion. However, a candidate
who has had his or her probationary period extended by one or two years under
this policy shall not be expected to meet higher or more rigorous standards
than the standards applied to individuals who have followed the normal
probationary period.
(1)
Faculty leave. Decisions about the extension of the
probationary period shall occur independent of a faculty member's leave status.
Faculty members may or may not have a full or partial leave during this period.
Separate university policies and procedures exist for securing a leave (e.g.
sick leave, leave of absence without pay, etc.) if one is
appropriate.
(2)
Length of tolling: An extension of the probationary
period shall be limited for one year for each qualifying event (or child), up
to a total of two years. An extension, if approved, shall be only for
increments of one year. The maximum extension of the probationary period will
be no more than two full years.
(3)
Requesting
tolling. Any request to extend the mandatory probationary period must be
reviewed and approved on or before March first of the spring semester prior to
the time that the candidate for tenure submits his or her tenure review
file.
(4)
Dissemination of the policy. A copy of this policy
shall be provided to all those standing for reappointment and all new faculty
by the unit administrator during the first week of the academic
year.
(5)
Reappointment: A faculty member who has taken a
tolling year shall not submit a reappointment file during the tolling year. The
following year, the candidate will submit a reappointment letter detailing
their accomplishments during the prior two years. Reviewers are reminded that
irrespective of the two-year time-frame (or in the case of two years of
tolling, the three-year time frame), the productivity of a faculty member who
has tolled is not expected to exceed what is expected of a probationary faculty
member in a single year.
(D)
Procedures. A
probationary faculty member may initiate a request for an extension of his/her
probationary period by the following procedures:
(1)
On the Kent
campus, the faculty member shall write a letter to the department chair or
school director requesting permission to extend the probationary period and
citing the reasons consistent with section (B) above why such action is
warranted. On the regional campuses, the faculty member shall write a letter to
the regional campus dean requesting permission to extend the probationary
period and citing the reasons consistent with section (B) above why such action
is warranted.
(2)
On the Kent campus, the department chair or school
director shall consult with the faculty advisory committee (FAC) or school
advisory committee (SAC). The FAC or SAC will make an advisory recommendation
to the unit administrator. The unit administrator will then make a
recommendation to the college dean. If the request is approved, he or she will
forward it to the dean's office for further review. On the regional campuses,
the campus dean shall consult with the faculty council. The faculty council
shall make an advisory recommendation to the campus dean. The campus dean will
then make a recommendation to the chief academic officer of the regional
campuses. If the request is approved, he or she will forward it to the chief
academic officer of the regional campus campuses for further
review.
(3)
The college dean shall consult with the college
advisory committee (CAC).
The chief academic officer of the
regional campuses shall consult with the regional campus faculty advisory
committee (RCFAC). The CAC or RCFAC will make an advisory recommendation to the
appropriate administrator. The administrator shall then make a recommendation
to the provost.
(4)
If the request is approved by the provost, the office
of faculty affairs shall notify the faculty member in writing of the new date
for the mandatory tenure review and that existing professional standards, as
required by Section (C) above, will govern the future tenure decision. A copy
of this letter shall be included in the candidate's tenure file. During any
year which is tolled, the faculty member does not submit a reappointment file.
When the faculty member is next reviewed for reappointment, all of the faculty
member's achievements, including those completed during the period subject to
tolling, shall be included in the faculty member's file.
(5)
External
reviewers for tenure and promotion evaluation. In the letter to he candidate's
external reviewers, the unit administrator shall explain that the candidate was
granted an additional year or two years under the university tolling policy.
The letter shall include the following statement: "The tolling policy provides
for additional years toward tenure for a variety of circumstances, but the
policy stipulates that the presence of an extended probationary period shall
not be interpreted to increase the expectations for productivity normally
placed upon a probationary faculty member."
(E)
Appeals.
(1)
If the request
is not approved by the unit administrator or regional campus dean, the reasons
for rejection will be set forth in writing and provided to the faculty member
in question. If a Kent campus faculty member's request is not approved, he or
she will have the right to appeal to the college dean in colleges with
departments or schools, or to the provost in colleges without departments and
schools and university libraries, as applicable. If a regional campus faculty
member's request is not approved, he or she will have the right to appeal to
the chief academic officer of the regional campuses. Such an appeal must be
initiated in writing within two weeks of the receipt of the negative decision
by the unit administrator or campus dean. The appeal should state clearly why
the faculty member disagrees with the decision. Appeals should be heard in a
timely manner.
(2)
If the faculty member's request is not approved by
either the college dean or the chief academic officer of the regional campuses,
the reasons for the rejection will be set forth in writing and provided to the
faculty member.
The faculty member will have the right
to appeal to the provost. Such an appeal must be initiated in writing within
two weeks of the receipt of the negative decision by the college dean or chief
academic officer of the regional campuses, whichever is appropriate. The appeal
should state clearly why the faculty member disagrees with the decision.
Appeals should be heard in a timely manner.
Replaces: 3342-6-13
