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Faculty Appointments - Columbus State University

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Academic Affairs

Faculty Appointments

The faculty of Columbus State University comprises over 480 members—approximately 60% full-time and 40% part-time/adjunct—holding a variety of appointments. In compliance with Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) policies, three general types of appointment obtain at CSU: tenured or tenure-track (including endowed chairs), non-tenure-track, and emeritus/emerita.

A. Hiring Statement

  1. A university's employees are its most important asset, the crucial link ensuring that the institution's mission, ideals, and values are realized. Thus, Columbus State University strives to recruit and retain the best and brightest individuals, to draw its workforce from a wide range of backgrounds and communities, and to foster a culture that supports tolerance, diversity, and collegiality. Achieving such a workforce requires the commitment of everyone in the institution, and every employee has a role to play in supporting diversity within its culture.
  2. No person shall, in accordance with CSU’s Statement on Discriminaiton, be excluded from employment or participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity conducted at Columbus State University. CSU's process for hiring faculty adheres to the BOR's policy regarding equal opportunity employment.
  3. CSU complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA).
  4. The process for hiring and appointing faculty entails submitting a formal request for a position, placing advertisements in appropriate professional journals and websites, forming a search committee, screening applicants, conducting interviews, and making a contract offer. For more specific and detailed guidelines about the hiring process for full-time, tenure-track, part-time, and non-tenure-track positions, see below.
  5. The university renews contracts for non-tenured faculty on an annual basis. However, even in the absence of written notification from the university that an annual contract is to be renewed, a presumption of renewal obtains for all non-tenured faculty who have been awarded academic rank and who served full-time for the entire previous year. Conversely, the university must, in a timely manner, notify non-tenured faculty of its decision not to renew a contract. For more details on renewal and non-renewal of contracts, including specific timelines, see below.

B. Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty

The University System of Georgia identifies several faculty positions eligible for the award of tenure.

  1. Instructor
    Instructors are full-time faculty members whose positions constitute annual appointments. Except for the approved suspension of the probationary period due to a leave of absence, the maximum period of time faculty may serve at the rank of full-time instructor is seven years. The maximum time faculty may serve in combination of full-time instructional appointments (instructor or professorial ranks) without the award of tenure is ten years, provided, however, that a terminal contract for the eleventh year may be proffered if a recommendation for tenure is not approved by the president.

  2. Assistant Professor
    An appointment to the rank of assistant professor normally requires the prerequisite of a doctoral degree or its equivalent in creative or scholarly achievement. CSU provides pre-tenure reviews for assistant professors in the third year of their first appointment unless faculty have been awarded probationary credit towards tenure, in which case their pre-tenure review will occur at the end of the second year of employment. If their performance is satisfactory, CSU will offer them annual appointments until tenure is granted.

    Although review for promotion and tenure can take place at any point after a five-year period (unless probationary credit is awarded), review for an untenured assistant professor cannot occur later than the seventh year. This rule ensures that a candidate denied tenure will have one additional year in which to seek an alternative appointment. The only circumstances that can delay tenure review to a point beyond the seventh year involve leave(s) of absence. For example, a maternity leave can delay review by one year; however, a candidate may delay reviews no more than twice due to maternity leave.

    Candidates hired ABD must agree to a timeline for the completion of the degree, which must be approved first by the chair of the home department and subsequently by the dean, provost, and president.

     

  3. Associate Professor
    Promotion to the rank of associate professor may or may not include the award of tenure. Further, individuals may enter CSU on an initial appointment as an untenured associate professor. Such a faculty member must serve a minimum of three years before applying for tenure and must achieve tenure within seven years. Appointment or promotion to the rank of associate professor is based upon actual performance as well as demonstrated potential for further development.


    Individuals must demonstrate professional growth and contribution to their field. Associate professor is a high academic rank and should carry no presumption of future promotion. Promotion to associate professor without a terminal degree will only be considered in exceptional cases such as the candidate's having gained high distinction as a publishing scholar or creative artist.

  4. Professor
    As the highest academic rank, the title of professor implies recognition of the individual by peers and associates as an outstanding teacher and an accomplished, productive, and respected scholar or creative artist, both within and outside the university, since attaining the rank of associate professor. Candidates must also have demonstrated, through scholarly publications, applied research, and/or artistic work, the ability to communicate to professional peers the knowledge and insights gained from the exploration of their area of specialization. Further, successful candidates for promotion to professor will have made important contributions in teaching; research or creative activity; university, public or professional service; and/or administrative service to professional societies. Peer review is critical, but the mode of the scholarly or creative production will be determined by the nature of the candidate's discipline.

  5. Joint Appointments
    Joint Appointments within the professorial ranks are rare and usually involve collaborative appointments at other institutions. The initial appointment term must be specified in the joint staffing form. Such appointments can be renewed without limit to the length of service in this status.

  6. Endowed Chairs
    The university creates or modifies tenured and tenure-track faculty positions when donors provide a significant gift resulting in perpetual interest income (endowed income) for the specific purpose of establishing an endowed chair. The president, in consultation with the University Foundation, determines the income level and structure for applying the funds. These endowed chairs in turn attract faculty widely respected in their fields, provide funds for continued research, and help generate further giving from alumni and community supporters.

    An existing professorship may be turned into an endowed professorship, or a new endowed professorship may be created where no previous line existed. In either case, the endowed position may only result from the wishes of the donor, the Foundation, and the president in consultation with the deans and chair of each department.

C. Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

Part-Time Appointments

Academic units obtain part-time non-tenure-track lines as a result of academic need and with support from the administration. If, subsequently, part-time faculty gain tenure-track appointments, their prior part-time service will not be included in the time limits associated with the tenure-track position.

Full-Time Appointments

Academic units obtain full-time non-tenure-track lines as a result of academic need and with support from the administration. If, subsequently, full-time non-tenure-track faculty gain tenure-track appointments, their prior non-tenure-track service will not be included in the time limits associated with the tenure-track position.

Administrative Appointments

CSU frequently appoints faculty members to administrative positions within the university such as department chair, director, vice-president, dean, or other similar positions. Although faculty members appointed to administrative posts retain the tenure rights associated with their university ranks, administrative appointments themselves are untenured.

Titles

  1. Lecturer
    Lecturers are non-tenure-track full-time faculty members whose positions are annual appointments. Lecturers who have served at [a] USG institution for at least six years may be considered for promotion to senior lecturer or principal lecturer at the discretion of the institution if the relevant title has been adopted by the institution and the institution has clearly-stated promotion criteria. Promotion to senior lecturer and principal lecturer requires approval by the President BOR Policy Manual 8.3.8
  2. Senior Lecturer
    Senior Lecturers are non-tenure-track full-time faculty members whose positions are annual appointments and who have been awarded this title due to their preeminent professional standing or experience. Reappointment procedures for senior lecturers and principal lecturers follow the same reappointment procedures as those for lecturers. Senior lecturers and principal lecturers are not eligible for the award of tenure.
  3. Special Appointments
    CSU sometimes makes appointments with distinctive titles indicative of specialized functions. Such appointments include artist in residence, composer in residence, critic, or clinical faculty. These appointments typically carry the same conditions as lecturer but without voting rights at faculty meetings.
  4. Visiting Appointments
    CSU sometimes extends visiting appointments to faculty members from other institutions. The individual's status at the home institution determines the rank of the visiting appointment. The terms and conditions of these contracts are individually defined but typically must provide for the resumption of employment at the home institution upon termination of the appointment at CSU. The university also sometimes extends visiting appointments to individuals unaffiliated with other institutions.
  5. Assistant, Associate Professor, Professor—Non-tenure track
    Faculty possessing requisite degrees and/or professional standing and experience typical of tenure-track professors of similar rank fill these positions.

D. Emeritus/Emerita Status and Supplemental Appointments

Upon the recommendation of the president, the university sometimes confers the title of "emeritus" on retired tenured professors, associate professors, or assistant professors, Board-approved non-tenure-track faculty of equivalent rank, or Board-approved, retired administrative officers, who, at the time of retirement, had ten years or more of honorable and distinguished service in the University System.

Faculty wishing to recommend retired and tenured colleagues for emeritus status may do so by drafting a statement indicating the accomplishments of the retired faculty member and forwarding that document to the department chair, the dean, and the VPAA for review. The VPAA then submits a recommendation for the president's consideration.

This is an honorary appointment meant to recognize distinguished service to CSU and the scholarly community at large. It does not entitle the person to support such as clerical help, office space, or lab space. Sometimes the university may rehire an emeritus/emerita faculty member on a part-time, term appointment to teach a course, carry on research, or fill an administrative position. Without such a supplemental appointment, an emerita/emeritus faculty member is not an employee of the university and may not be entitled to hold federal grants and contracts. Rehired faculty members retain their emeritus/emerita status during supplemental appointments.

Faculty Hiring Process

Process for Hiring Full-Time Faculty

Requesting Faculty Positions:

The department chair discusses a position request with the dean, who evaluates the request and the available funding. The dean forwards the supported request to the Provost along with a written justification directly tying the position to the CSU Strategic Plan at the departmental, college, and university levels, and including the following information:  

  1. type of position (e.g. full-time temporary faculty, tenure-track assistant professor)
  2. whether the request is the result of a specific resignation, non-renewal, retirement or termination, an increase in enrollments, or a new program development data on student enrollments, Student Credit Hours (SCH) generated, and SCH generated by faculty in the department/discipline on average in the last five years (unless the request is a part of a new program development request)
  3. projected salary range and available budget to support the position or a plan for funding of the position
  4. any projected start-up costs, space issues, etc.
  5. a completed Employment Requisition form along with a copy of the advertisement and suggestions for advertising placement 

If the request is approved, the Provost's Office will notify the dean of approval and salary range. A budget review by the Business and Finance Office to confirm that funding is available will constitute part of the approval.

The Provost's Office will contribute funds up to a set amount to cover actual expenditures, including advertising, for a tenured/tenure-track faculty or library faculty search. Additional funds may be secured from endowed chair budgets to pay for larger ads in appropriate media (e.g., The Chronicle of Higher Education). 

Advertising the Position  

The Provost's Office confirms the position, the budgeted amount, the places to advertise, and posts the advertisements.

Formation, Composition, and Responsibilities of the Search Committee

The dean and department chair discuss the composition of the search committee to assure appropriate representation in terms of discipline and diversity. The department chair appoints a faculty member to chair the committee. The committee meets with the Human Resources director to discuss search procedures.

The department chair and dean determine the search-committee responsibilities appropriate to a particular search. Those responsibilities typically include the following:

  • Seeking applications and nominations of outstanding candidates
  • When seeking candidates, taking into consideration the university's affirmative action policy
  • Reviewing applications
  • Recommending individual applicants to be interviewed
  • Interviewing candidates
  • Recommending candidates for appointment (when possible, the committee should recommend more than one candidate for appointment, since the person chosen may decline the position)
  • Recommending the appropriate rank for the person chosen

Additional Screening Process

  1. The search committee schedules a meeting with the dean for every applicant brought to CSU for an on-campus interview. For every applicant for a tenure-track, tenured, or library faculty position, the committee also schedules a meeting with the provost.
  2. The dean contacts the Provost's Office with a request to offer the position to a particular candidate. Any salary offer outside the specified range must be approved by the provost prior to making the offer.
  3. The dean supplies the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Officer with the candidate's credentials to make sure the candidate meets SACS requirements.
  4. The dean contacts HR to request a background check.

Contract Offer

  1. The dean prepares a letter of offer and sends it to the Provost's Office for approval and signature.
  2. The Provost's Office reviews the content of the letter with respect to salary, rank, title, supplements, and tenure, and insures that all the appropriate forms to be completed and returned are included in the packet.
  3. The provost signs and sends the letter of offer to the candidate.
  4. The candidate returns the signed letter of offer to the Provost's Office.
  5. The dean or department office prepares an appointment package, including a completed appointment checklist, and submits it to the Provost's Office.
  6. The Provost's Office completes the process upon reception of all the necessary forms and documents.

Cases of Immediate Need

On occasion, such as when it is necessary to replace a faculty member quickly, the dean and department chair may decide to fill a position with a temporary faculty member and to proceed with the search without the assistance of a search committee. However, the faculty in the department seeking the temporary faculty member must be offered the opportunity to interview the candidates and to comment on their qualifications.

Initial Appointment at the Rank of Associate Professor or Professor

Candidates may be offered initial appointments above the rank of assistant professor provided they meet the requirements (other than years of service) for promotion to the desired rank and it is approved by the department, dean, provost and president.

Process for Hiring Part-Time Faculty

The department chair discusses a position request with the dean. The dean evaluates the request for a position and the available funding and curricular mandates. If the dean supports the request, a search for the part-time position may proceed. 

Advertising the Position

Any department may advertise for a part-time position if appropriate but must rely on its own internal budget to pay for the advertising unless the dean chooses to use the college's discretionary funds in support.

Responsibilities of the Search and Screening Committee

The charge of responsibilities of the Search and Screening Committee is determined by the department chair conducting the search. The committee may be responsible for the following, as is appropriate for that particular search:

  • Seeking applications and nominations of outstanding candidates
  • When seeking candidates, taking into consideration the university's affirmative action policy
  • Reviewing applications
  • Recommending individual applicants to be interviewed
  • Interviewing candidates
  • Recommending candidates for appointment (when possible, the committee should recommend more than one candidate for appointment, since the person chosen may decline the position)
  • Recommending the appropriate salary for the person chosen

Contract Offer

  1. The dean prepares a letter of offer and sends it to the Provost's Office for approval and signature.
  2. The Provost's Office reviews the content of the letter with respect to salary, rank, title, supplements, and tenure, and insures that all the appropriate forms to be completed and returned are included in the packet.
  3. The provost signs and sends the letter of offer to the candidate.
  4. The candidate returns the signed letter of offer to the Provost's Office.
  5. The dean or department office prepares an appointment package, including a completed appointment checklist, and submits it to the Provost's Office.
  6. The Provost's Office completes the process upon reception of all the necessary forms and documents.

Cases of Immediate Need:

Upon occasion, such as when it is necessary to replace a faculty member quickly, the dean and department chair may decide to fill a position with a temporary faculty member and to proceed with the search without the assistance of a search committee.

Timeline for appointment/renewal:

According to current Georgia Board of Regents policy, universities in the system are no longer required to notify non-tenured faculty who have been awarded academic rank and who are employed under written contract that an employment contract for the succeeding academic year will be offered to them. Rather, “faculty with the rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor, who are employed under written contract, and who served full-time for the entire previous year, have the presumption of renewal for the next academic year unless notified in writing, by the president of an institution or his/her authorized representative, of the intent not to renew.” 

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