The need for part-time instruction in any department may stem from any of four sources:
- Certain elements of the curriculum may be most effectively and efficiently delivered through the use of part-time instructors, who may bring particular expertise (for example, a sportswriter teaching sports journalism).
- In any given year, some T/TS or AS faculty members in a department may be on unpaid leave or sabbatical leave, and others may have been authorized to buy-out of teaching one or more courses. Whenever such absences occur, the issue of replacement teaching must be addressed, and the department involved may be assigned a "replacement" part-time budget for a given term or year.
- Faculty attrition due to resignations, retirement, or death may unexpectedly diminish a department's capacity to offer courses. This may warrant a full-time visitor or additional part-time instruction.
- Unexpected enrollment fluctuations may be accommodated through part-time instruction.
Budgetary responsibility for all categories of part-time instruction is delegated to the Associate Dean for Equity, Faculty Development and Community Engagement.
Part-time replacement budgets. Budgetary allocations to departments for replacement teaching associated with faculty leaves are determined as follows, unless a department's complement of T/TS faculty members is above the Dean's long-term planning goals for the department:
- Paid leave: no replacement teaching will be authorized.
- Leave at one-half pay: One-half of the "lost" courses will be replaced at standard part-time replacement rates.
- Leave without pay: All lost courses will be replaced at standard part-time replacement rates.
Regular part-time budgets. Early in the Spring Term, the Associate Dean for Equity, Faculty Development and Community Engagement will solicit ancillary budget requests from departments for the coming fiscal year. The department should estimate its expected teaching capacity in the coming year, and a comparison should be made between the expected teaching capacity and expected student demand.
Appointment
The appointment of part-time instructors can only proceed after the Dean's Office has approved budgetary authorization.
Individual appointment letters do not have to be approved by the Dean's Office unless the terms of the appointment are exceptional, based on departmental norms.
Evaluation of Part-Time Instructors
Part-time faculty members are a valuable resource of the University and have an important impact on undergraduate education. Especially when the relationship with a department is expected to be ongoing, part-time instructors should be encouraged to maintain a teaching portfolio, and departments should respond by providing collegial feedback for faculty development related to teaching. The teaching performance of all part-time faculty members should be evaluated on a regular basis.