The tenured and tenure-track members of the teaching faculty are those appointed to the ordinary ranks of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and professor.
The non-tenure track members of the teaching faculty are full-time visiting faculty and full-time officers of instruction in positions that include responsibility for teaching at least one course per year.
The remainder of Chapter II of the Statutes of the Faculty applies to the ordinary ranks of the faculty.
The Board of Trustees is the ultimate source, under the Charter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, of all appointments to the College.
Section B: Norms for Appointment, Tenure, and Promotion
A candidate for tenure and promotion must provide evidence of achievement in each of the following areas: teaching, scholarship, and service.
The primary responsibility of the College of the Holy Cross as an undergraduate liberal arts institution is to provide excellent teaching for its students; therefore, in decisions regarding tenure and promotion teaching excellence is a principal criterion. At the same time the College recognizes that its faculty is part of a wider academic community to which both the individual faculty member and the College have responsibilities involving the advancement of knowledge.
These are usually met through scholarship and participation in the affairs of learned societies. The College, too, is a cooperative society which functions well and effectively only when each member does his or her part. Therefore, achievement in scholarship and service is required for tenure and promotion.
In judging an individual for appointment, promotion, or tenure, consideration shall be given the evidence in the following areas: teaching, scholarship, and service.
1. Teaching
Effectiveness in communicating the content of the discipline and in stimulating attitudes of intellectual curiosity and disciplined inquiry.
Direction and evaluation of students, in and out of the classroom.
Development and implementation of new methods, approaches and courses.
2. Scholarship
Research and development in his or her discipline or across disciplines.
Presentation of research in scholarly lectures, in digital formats, and/or at meetings.
Presentation of the results of research through publication, exhibition, performance, digital media, or as publicly engaged scholarship.
3. Service
Effective contribution to the operation and development of his or her academic department.
Effective contribution to the College through committee work and other service.
Effective contribution to the academic community through work in professional societies.
Section C: Qualifications for Appointment to Ordinary Ranks of the Teaching Faculty
1. The rank of instructor requires, as a minimum, the possession of a master's degree, as well as plans for the proximate completion of the terminal academic degree or certification appropriate for the position. A prospective instructor must give promise of academic development as this is described in Chapter II.B.
2. The rank of assistant professor requires the possession of the terminal academic degree or certification appropriate for the position. A prospective assistant professor must show evidence of academic development as this is described in Chapter II.B.
3. The rank of associate professor requires the possession of the terminal academic degree or certification appropriate for the position. A prospective associate professor must have demonstrated academic achievement
as this is described in Chapter II.B.
4. The rank of professor requires the possession of the terminal academic degree or certification appropriate for the position. A prospective professor must have demonstrated continued academic achievement as this is
described in Chapter II.B. In their deliberations regarding promotion to Professor, departments and the Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall take into account exceptional accomplishment in one or more of the statutory areas of teaching, scholarship or service.
Section D: Duration of Faculty Appointments
Appointments to the faculty are of two kinds: term, made for a specified period of time; and tenure, made without limitation of time.
1. Initial appointment to the rank of instructor is ordinarily for a term of two years; the appointment may be renewed annually for a total incumbency not ordinarily exceeding four years. Promotion to the rank of assistant professor should be achieved no later than the end of one's third year as an instructor; reappointment as an instructor for a fourth year is, therefore, ordinarily final.
2. Initial appointment to the rank of assistant professor is ordinarily for a term of two years. Except for faculty members in the penultimate probationary year, this appointment may be renewed for terms of two years up to the end of the probationary period described in Chapter II.E.1. below. In the event of a decision not to renew the two-year contract, a one-year, terminal contract shall be issued. Promotion to the rank of associate professor should be
achieved no later than the end of one's penultimate probationary year. Appointment through the ultimate probationary year is, therefore, final.
3. Initial appointment to the rank of associate professor is ordinarily for a three-year period; reappointment to this rank beyond a fourth year at the College, or promotion to it, is made without limitation of time.
Section E: Principles Covering Tenure for Teaching Faculty
The College, as a member of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, adheres to the policy concerning probationary appointments that is embodied in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure with 1970 Interpretive Comments of the American Association of University Professors, as amended in the 1978 A.A.U.P. statement On Crediting Prior Service Elsewhere as Part of the Probationary Period and the 2003 A.A.U.P. statement Contingent Appointments and the Academic Profession.
1. For the purposes of the probationary period, a “countable” year shall include:
- Any year of full-time service that does not include an approved leave of any type, on the tenure track at the College of the Holy Cross, at the rank of instructor or higher.
- Any year of full-time service at another college or university or as a full-time visiting faculty member at the College of the Holy Cross, only in cases where the faculty member declares it to be countable.
- Any year of service on the tenure track at the College of the Holy Cross, at the rank of instructor or higher, that includes an approved leave of any type, only in the case when the faculty member declares it to be a countable year.
2. The duration of probationary appointments to the faculty shall not exceed seven countable years.
- Whenever faculty members receive tenure-track appointments after one or more years of full-time service at the rank of visiting instructor or higher at the College of the Holy Cross or other colleges or universities, they shall declare by 1 February of the first year of their tenure-track appointments at Holy Cross, how many previous years of service will be included in the probationary count, up to but not exceeding three years.
- If a tenure-track faculty member is on an approved leave during a probationary year, the faculty member will decide if that year will be included in the probationary count by 15 September following the expiration of the leave.
- Faculty members hired at the rank of assistant professor who claim prior service toward the probationary count must complete a minimum of four semesters of teaching, along with scholarship and service, at the College prior to their consideration for tenure.
3. In practice, the decision to promote, or reappoint, with tenure is made early in the penultimate probationary year, that is, early in the sixth countable year, so as to allow a full year of terminal service, should tenure not be granted. The terms of appointment to the several ranks, given above, and the procedures for achieving promotion and tenure, described below, are drawn up to be consistent with the basic principle of a seven-year maximum probationary period.
4. To achieve tenure a faculty member shall show clear evidence of continuing academic achievement as described in Chapter II.B. He or she shall also give evidence of a positive and responsible contribution to the department and to the College community.
Section F. Procedures for Initial Appointments to the Ordinary Ranks of the Faculty
1. Dossiers of applicants for appointments to the ordinary ranks of the faculty, whether to fill vacancies or newly approved positions, are ordinarily assembled by the Chair of the department concerned. In evaluating and ranking applicants the Chair ordinarily has the advice and assistance, particularly of the tenured members, of the department. Candidates to whom the department seriously considers making an offer are ordinarily brought to campus for interviews with the department and with the Deans of the Faculty.
2. Once a verbal agreement on the details of appointment has been reached by the candidate and the Chair, the Deans of the Faculty concludes a formal letter of agreement with the candidate.
3. Since initial appointments are term in nature, no formal faculty committee action is required.
Section G: Procedures for Reappointments and Promotion
1. The Office of the Provost and Dean of the College shall establish and maintain custody of a faculty file for each member of the ordinary ranks of the faculty listing personal, professional and educational achievements, and other pertinent information (“the faculty file”). The academic department in which the faculty member holds his or her appointment shall establish and maintain custody of a parallel file (“the departmental file”). As the Provost and Dean of the College shall remind faculty annually, it is the responsibility of each individual to keep the faculty file accurate and up-to-date. The faculty file is one of the principal documents in making decisions on reappointments and promotions. In addition, an individual may submit an annual review of progress and achievement.
2. At the beginning of the fall semester the Chair of each department shall review, with the tenured members of the department, the status and qualifications of each member due for contract renewal. For tenure track faculty, the initial probationary evaluation shall take place in the fall semester of the second year of the tenure track appointment. Subsequent probationary evaluations shall be completed every other year in the fall semester until the penultimate probationary year, at which time the faculty member will be evaluated for tenure. (See Chapter II.E for the length of the probationary period.)
3. By 1 October each department Chair shall submit to the Provost and Dean of the College a list of those departmental faculty being considered for tenure or promotion (i.e., either promotion or reappointment to the rank of associate professor or professor). The Provost and Dean of the College shall forward that information to the President and to the elected faculty members of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, a committee which reviews each candidate's qualifications and the several recommendations. A candidate being considered for tenure or promotion shall supplement the faculty file with a dossier of materials that he or she believes relates to the case.
4. PROBATIONARY EVALUATIONS: The Chair shall prepare a separate report on each probationary member being reviewed, including signed majority and minority opinions, recommending to the President, through the Provost and Dean of the College, whether or not the individual is to be reappointed. The originals of the reports on faculty on probationary appointments shall be in the hands of the Provost and Dean of the College no later than 15 November. An unsigned copy of these reports shall be communicated by the Chair to the faculty member under consideration. Whenever the action recommended by the department in a probationary evaluation involves the issuance of a terminal contract the Provost and Dean of the College shall add his or her recommendations and forward the report to the President for final decision. A summary statement of the decision shall be communicated to the individual in writing through the Provost and Dean of the College and Chair, no later than 1 March, except as noted in Chapter II.H.1.
5. TENURE EVALUATIONS - DEPARTMENT: The Chair shall prepare a written report on each probationary member being reviewed for tenure, including signed majority and minority opinions, recommending to the President, through the Provost and Dean of the College, whether or not the individual is to be reappointed with tenure or issued a terminal contract. In all cases the Chair shall solicit the written opinions of all tenure-track members of the department who have been members of the department for at least one year, as well as any tenured members of the department who are on leave and have elected not to participate in
the review.
During their deliberations the tenured members shall choose a tenured faculty member of the department as a representative to the Committee on Tenure and Promotion. This representative shall not be an elected member of the committee and shall serve solely as a resource person to the committee. In the case where a department has more than one candidate for tenure and/or promotion the department may choose a separate representative to the committee for each candidate.
The originals of these reports shall be in the hands of the Provost and Dean of the College no later than 1 November. An unsigned copy of these reports shall be communicated by the Chair to the faculty member under consideration. The Provost and Dean of the College shall deliver a signed copy of these reports to each elected faculty member of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion.
6. TENURE EVALUATIONS – COMMITTEE ON TENURE AND PROMOTION: Since faculty bear primary responsibility for assessing their peers in cases of tenure and promotion, all available evidence bearing on a case should be included in a candidate’s file before the Committee on Tenure and Promotion completes its deliberations. For each candidate under consideration for tenure, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall summarize its findings in a written report (Report to the Trustees), including signed majority and minority opinions, no later than 1 February.
The signed copy of the Report to the Trustees shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees and sent to the candidate's faculty file in the office of the Provost and Dean of the College and an unsigned copy to his or her departmental file. By 1 February each candidate shall receive from the Provost and Dean of the College an unsigned copy of the written report(s). The actual number of the committee’s votes in both the majority and minority shall be disclosed to the candidate and, under bonds of confidentiality, to the tenured members of the candidate's department.
Once all cases have been heard and a drafter assigned to each report, the members of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall elect from among their number a CTP resource person.
The President shall meet with the Committee on Tenure and Promotion after having reviewed the signed reports to clarify any questions before the Trustees meet to consider the cases.
The President shall present each report to the Board of Trustees for final ratification. The CTP resource person shall serve, alongside the Dean, as a resource for the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees during its deliberations. The President shall notify each candidate of the final result in writing, in a summary statement delivered to the candidate no later than 1 March, with copies to the Provost and Dean of the College and to the department Chair.
For all cases, copies of all materials which may have been added to the faculty file subsequent to the department’s review, including any response by the candidate him- or herself, any information submitted to the Executive Committee after the signing of the CTP reports, and evaluations solicited or unsolicited, shall be placed in the candidate’s file once the President has communicated the decision of the Board of Trustees to the candidate.
When circumstances require the Executive Committee to overturn a unanimous or majority CTP decision, the Executive Committee shall communicate in detail its reasoning to the members of the CTP in a timely manner. In cases in which a candidate is denied tenure and requests an explanation of the reasons for that decision, the Executive Committee shall, through the President, communicate in detail its reasoning to the candidate in a timely manner.
7. PROMOTION EVALUATIONS – DEPARTMENT: By 1 October, any faculty member who wishes to be considered for promotion to the rank of professor will notify the department through the department Chair. The Chair shall prepare a written report for each candidate under consideration for promotion, including signed majority and minority opinions, recommending whether the candidate should be promoted.
In all cases the Chair shall solicit the written opinions of all tenure-track members of the department who have been members of the department for at least one year, as well as any tenured members of the department who are on leave and have elected not to participate in the review.
During their deliberations the tenured members shall choose a tenured faculty member of the department as a representative to the Committee on Tenure and Promotion. This representative shall not be an elected member of the committee and shall serve solely as a resource person to the committee. In the case where a department has more than one candidate for tenure and/or promotion the department may choose a separate representative to the committee for each candidate.
The originals of these reports shall be in the hands of the Provost and Dean of the College no later than 1 February. An unsigned copy of these reports shall be communicated by the Chair to the faculty member under consideration. The Provost and Dean of the College shall deliver a signed copy of these reports to each elected faculty member of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion.
8. PROMOTION EVALUATIONS – COMMITTEE ON TENURE AND PROMOTION: Since faculty bear primary responsibility for assessing their peers in cases of tenure and promotion, all available evidence bearing on a case should be included in a candidate’s file before the Committee on Tenure and Promotion completes its deliberations. For each candidate with tenure under consideration for promotion, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall summarize its findings in a written report (Report to the Trustees), including signed majority and minority opinions, no later than 15 May.
The signed copy of the Report to the Trustees shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees and sent to the candidate's faculty file in the office of the Provost and Dean of the College and an unsigned copy to his or her departmental file. By 15 May each candidate shall receive from the Provost and Dean of the College an unsigned copy of the written report(s). The actual number of the committee’s votes in both the majority and minority shall be disclosed to the candidate and, under bonds of confidentiality, to the tenured members of the candidate's department.
Once all cases have been heard and a drafter assigned to each report, the members of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall elect from among their number a CTP resource person.
The President shall meet with the Committee on Tenure and Promotion after having reviewed the signed reports to clarify any questions before the Trustees meet to consider the cases.
The President shall present each report to the Board of Trustees for final ratification. The CTP resource person shall serve, alongside the Dean, as a resource for the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees during its deliberations. The President shall notify each candidate of the final result in writing, in a summary statement delivered to the candidate no later than 15 June, with copies to the Provost and Dean of the College and to the department Chair.
For all cases, copies of all materials which may have been added to the faculty file subsequent to the department’s review, including any response by the candidate him- or herself, any information submitted to the Executive Committee after the signing of the CTP reports, and evaluations solicited or unsolicited, shall be placed in the candidate’s file once the President has communicated the decision of the Board of Trustees to the candidate.
When circumstances require the Executive Committee to overturn a unanimous or majority CTP decision, the Executive Committee shall communicate in detail its reasoning to the members of the CTP in a timely manner. In cases in which a candidate is denied promotion and requests an explanation of the reasons for that decision, the Executive Committee shall, through the President, communicate in detail its reasoning to the candidate in a timely manner.
H. Grievance Procedures Regarding Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion
1. When a member of the teaching faculty has received notice that he or she has not been granted tenure, has not had the contract renewed, has been issued a terminal contract, or has not been promoted, and believes that he or she has not been accorded statutory due process as specified in Chapter II.F. and G. of The Statutes of the Faculty, or that considerations which violate academic freedom, as defined in Chapter VIII, have contributed to the decision, the individual may write to the Chair of the subcommittee on appeals of the Committee on Faculty Affairs requesting its assistance. In the letter the faculty member shall specify as precisely as possible the reasons for this request and shall include whatever documentation he or she may have.
2. Any member(s) of the subcommittee on appeals who may have been involved in the decision, either as the candidate or as a member of the candidate's department or of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, shall not sit with the subcommittee on appeals during the proceedings. Should this result in having fewer than three members of the committee available for the proceedings, then the tenured teaching faculty member(s) who last left the Committee on Faculty Affairs and who have not been involved in the decision shall take part in the committee's proceedings. For no case shall fewer than three teaching faculty members take part in the committee's proceedings.
3. The faculty member, accompanied if so desired by a member of the faculty who may serve as an advisor, shall have the right to appear before the subcommittee on appeals. In deciding
whether to proceed beyond this point, the subcommittee shall keep in mind that it is incumbent on the faculty member to present reasonable evidence that his or her rights have been violated. Once a year the subcommittee on appeals shall report to the Faculty Assembly on the number of requests it receives for assistance as well as the fact and nature of its decision. In each case in which the subcommittee decides not to proceed, the person who has brought the grievance shall be so notified.
4. If the subcommittee determines to proceed, it shall then convey in writing to the President a copy of the complainant's charges and evidence, as well as an explanation of the subcommittee's reasons for pursuing the matter further.
5. If the President is unable to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of the subcommittee within six weeks and the subcommittee believes that the individual has presented reasonable
evidence that his or her rights, as specified in Chapter II.F. and G. and/or in Chapter VIII, have been violated, the subcommittee shall then proceed to make a non-formal and confidential inquiry. For each case it shall have access to whatever documents the department Chair and the tenured members of the department had at their disposal, together with the signed departmental report(s).
In cases involving tenure and promotion, it shall have access to whatever documents the Committee on Tenure and Promotion and the Board of Trustees had at their disposal. In cases not involving tenure or promotion, it shall have access to the individual's faculty file in the office of the Provost and Dean of the College.
The subcommittee shall also, at its discretion, meet with the department Chair, the tenured members of the department as a group and with the Committee on Tenure and Promotion as a
group, and when the Committee on Tenure and Promotion was not involved in the case, with the Provost and Dean of the College together with the President. The subcommittee may also meet with any individual who desires to come before it. The purpose of these meetings is to enable the subcommittee to assure itself that the academic freedom of the individual had not been infringed upon. The subcommittee shall keep in mind that it is not to substitute its judgment for the judgment of any of the groups or individuals in question; it is merely to guarantee due process and academic freedom in adherence to The Statutes of the Faculty. Only the members of the subcommittee on appeals shall have access to confidential documents made available to them. No member of the subcommittee on appeals shall discuss either confidential documents or oral testimony outside the subcommittee meetings, except with other members of the subcommittee. No one who appears before the subcommittee shall reveal information gained during the proceedings.
6. Cases Involving Statutory Due Process
If the subcommittee concludes that a significant violation of statutory due process has taken place, it shall so inform the President, who shall have the case re-examined at the appropriate
level, calling attention to the violation of statutory due process as delineated in the given case by the subcommittee on appeals.
7. Cases Involving Academic Freedom
If the subcommittee concludes that the faculty member has made a reasonable case that considerations which violate his or her academic freedom have contributed to the negative decision, it shall first so inform the President, who shall take whatever action he deems appropriate. If the President is unable to rectify the situation to the satisfaction of the subcommittee, then the subcommittee shall conduct a formal hearing. The subcommittee
shall prescribe rules of procedure for the conduct of such hearings and shall inform the involved parties of such rules prior to the commencement of the hearing. The parties
involved shall have the right to be present at the hearing at all times when evidence is being presented to the subcommittee, and the right to have the subcommittee call witnesses on their
behalf. Apart from meetings of the subcommittee, no member of the subcommittee shall consult any non-member of the subcommittee as to any matter at issue or discuss the case
with any non-member. The hearing shall be private. No legal counsel shall be present and no official record shall be kept.
Upon completion of the hearing, the committee shall submit to the President and the complainant its written findings and recommendations, together with any statement of dissent. If the President is unable to rectify the situation to the satisfaction of the subcommittee or does not accept the recommendation, the subcommittee shall refer the matter to the Board of Trustees.
8. Nothing in the preceding should be construed as preventing any member of the faculty from approaching the Provost and Dean of the College, the President, or the Board of Trustees either before or after taking advantage of the good offices of the subcommittee on appeals.
9. If, at any point, the complainant should institute legal proceedings, the procedure is thereby aborted and the subcommittee on appeals shall cease to function in the case.
1. On 1 March of each year the President or the Provost and Dean of the College shall give notice in writing of intention to renew contracts which have not been made without limitation of time. Faculty members who are not to be reappointed at the expiration of their contracts shall receive notice according to the following schedule:
Faculty members in their first year of employment at the College: on or before 1 March
Faculty members in their second year of employment at the College: on or before 1 December
All others: on or before 1 September, one year in advance.
2. A faculty member who intends to terminate an appointment above the rank of instructor shall give written notice to the President and the Provost and Dean of the College on or before 1 April, and such termination shall be effective only at the end of the academic year.
3. Contracts of full-time members of the faculty are contracts for full-time employment within the College, unless otherwise specified. Teaching in another institution by a full-time member is not permitted except by written approval of the Dean of the Faculty in each instance.
4. Full-time members of the faculty shall not engage in other employment or private professional activities during the academic year except on a limited basis and only with the written approval of the Dean of the Faculty. Consulting work and other such activities of proper professional character may provide valuable experience and contribute to the enrichment of teaching and scholarship but the total amount of time which may be given to
such activities shall be limited for each individual in order that there is no interference in the proper discharge of full-time faculty duties. Faculty members serving clients in a consulting
or other private capacity are retained as individuals and the College takes no responsibility for such services.
The ordinary duties of a full-time faculty member of the College are specified in the Faculty Handbook.