Term Contracts
Faculty
(Article XX)

A term contract or term appointment is an employment contract for a specified period of time. Term appointments are required to be in writing and must indicate compensation and the period of the appointment. Any special conditions related to the term appointment should be included in your letter of offer.
 
Length: For tenure-track faculty the initial term appointment will generally be for one or two years. The collective bargaining agreement stipulates that subsequent term appointments for tenure- track faculty must “under normal circumstances” be for multiple years. This is an issue in some departments where, for whatever reasons (management turnover or inattention, among others), administrators seek to renew term appointments for one year only. In such cases, the union notifies the administrator of the contract violation and the mistake is usually rectified without a grievance.

Limits: For those on tenure track, term appointments are limited to seven years of full-time service, unless your service is interrupted for an approved parental leave of absence, or you have primary responsibility for child rearing and you apply to have one year of service excluded for countable years. Other exceptions to the seven-year rule can be made by the Administration only with the consent of the Union. Tenure-track appointments that occur after October 1 shall have the tenure clock begin on the next July 1.

For non-tenured positions there are no limits on the number of years contracts can be renewed.
 
Annual Review: In each department, a committee of tenured faculty elected by faculty in that department will provide an annual written review for you and any other faculty members holding a term appointment. The appropriate unit administrator may add his/her comments, and shall meet with you to discuss the written review. The collective bargaining agreement stipulates that there must be at least two weeks notice of the annual review process, and the written review shall be given to you at least five days before your meeting with the unit administrator. Faculty shall be reviewed primarily on their performance in teaching and scholarship, with additional consideration given to non- instructional service to the department, college, university, and/or profession. The written annual review will be placed in your personnel file along with supporting or dissenting material. The annual reviews may not be used in the decision process on tenure. 
 

Notice of Non-Renewal: For those on a tenure track written notice of non-renewal must be provided three months before the expiration of an initial term appointment. For subsequent term appointments of two or more years, written notice of non-renewal must be provided at least 12 months prior to expiration of the appointment. Except for matters of procedure and notification, issues related to term appointments are not subject to the grievance procedure. 

For faculty on subsidy-conditioned appointments and for ranked faculty not on tenure-track appointments who are on a one-year term appointment, written notice of non renewal shall be provided at least three months prior to expiration of each appointment or reappointment or whenever the subsidy is discontinued, whichever is less. For ranked faculty not on tenure-track appointments who are on multi-year appointments, written notice of non renewal shall be provided at least six months prior to expiration of each appointment or reappointment.

Go back to the top of the page.

AAUP-AFT, Local 6075 - 5057 Woodward Avenue - Suite 3301 - Detroit, Michigan 48202-4050 - Phone: (313) 577-1750 / Fax: (313) 577-8159