PS# 3528
TITLE: Faculty Appeals Committee
AUTHOR: Vice President for Academic Affairs
EFFECTIVE: January, 1983
PURPOSE: To establish and delineate the functions of the Faculty Appeals Committee
REVIEWER: Vice President for Academic Affairs

 OPERATING DETAILS:

 1. The Faculty Appeals committee functions to review, upon request, cases involving contractual disagreements, and other grievances that may exist between faculty members and the university administration. Contractual agreements may include, but are not restricted to, cases of non-renewal of contracts, dismissal or termination of both tenured and non-tenured faculty, and cases involving the denial of tenure or promotion.

2. Membership on the Faculty Appeals Committee shall consist of eight faculty members with one representative from each of the academic divisions, elected by the faculty of the division. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will call the Committee together, present the grievance to the committee, and serve as temporary chairman until a chairman is elected from the membership of the committee. The chairman will serve until the end of the hearing on the grievance presented. A different chairman will be elected for each new grievance case presented to the Committee.

 3. Aggrieved faculty members may petition in writing for a hearing before the committee through the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The petition should state the nature of the grievance. Academic employees should follow the procedures outlined in the Personnel handbook for grievances other than termination appeals prior to requesting a meeting with the Faculty Appeals Committee.

 4. In cases of the non-renewal of contracts for non-tenured faculty or the dismissal prior to the expiration of a term contract (cf.PS#1303), the Committee may investigate, if it feels investigation is needed, and may attempt to help the parties reach an agreement by recommending appropriate action to the President. This recommendation may include granting the faculty member a formal hearing before the Academic Freedom Committee, if the Faculty Appeals Committee is of the opinion that the reasons for dismissal violate academic freedom or contractual relationships. Such a recommendation must detail specific instances of the denial of academic freedom or contractual irregularities.

 5. When requested to review cases of dismissal or termination of tenured faculty and cases of denial of tenure or promotion (cf.PS# 1303), the Committee may investigate, if it feels investigation is needed, and will recommend appropriate action to the President. In this capacity the Faculty Appeals committee shall serve as the University Tenure committee. In cases involving dismissal or termination of tenured faculty, the Committee's recommendations may include the imposition of some lesser penalty than outright dismissal. If the recommendations of the committee are not accepted by the President, or the petitioner, further hearings, if necessary will be conducted by the University Academic Freedom Committee.