IV. Faculty Contracts

A. Types of Contracts. At the time of initial appointment, and, for continuing Faculty on or about March 15 of each year, each officer of instruction will be provided with a written contract of employment for the following academic session. The service year for Faculty is normally defined as the period from the first Faculty meeting before the opening of the fall semester through the Monday following commencement in the subsequent spring semester. However, in programs with required summer enrollment, faculty may be hired on 12-month contracts. This contract will specify rank and salary, the nature of the contract and any special terms and conditions of employment. Rhodes has three types of contracts with officers of instruction. They are:

1. Term Contract. This type of contract is made on an annual basis, or on an academic term basis, or on a contingent basis (for example, contingent upon a sufficient number of students enrolling for a proposed course). Beyond the limits set in the document, there is no assumption of further employment. All part-time and nontenure track officers of instruction receive term contracts. Officers of instruction on term contracts and Distinguished Service professors may serve for more than seven years without the granting of tenure.

2. Probationary Contract. This type of contract is made on an annual basis and is a tenure-track appointment in a particular department. An officer of instruction may not work more than seven years under such contracts unless by mutual agreement between the College and the Faculty member the normal progress towards a review for tenure is interrupted. Those full-time officers of instruction who do not have the Ph.D. or appropriate terminal degree may not work for more than two years under such contracts. (Exceptions can be made in rare cases, which the President must be prepared to defend before the Board of Trustees.) The College is under no obligation to renew probationary appointments nor does it guarantee that a tenurable position will be available at the time a probationary Faculty member is considered for tenure. (See Section X, Non-Reappointment.)

3. Contract With Tenure. Appointments with tenure are made in a particular department. Faculty holding tenure receive a contract each year which reflects changes in rank, salary, special terms, or in the provisions of “The Statement of Policies and Procedures in Regard to Faculty.” Tenure contracts can be abrogated in circumstances described in Section XII.

B. Faculty Salary. Rhodes does not follow a binding formula either in negotiating initial salaries or in granting increments.

Salary recommendations are formulated by the Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with department chairs and made to the President. Salary increments awarded by the President are reflected in each year’s contract letters. Salary adjustments may be made to recognize merit, as part of a general salary increase, to remove inequities, or to recognize promotion in rank. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall offer any Faculty member who requests it an explanation of the basis on which his or her salary increment, or lack of it, was determined.

Remuneration of part-time Faculty will generally be determined based on the number of four-credit courses or equivalents being taught and the academic qualifications of the faculty member. As full-time Faculty remuneration rises, the normal rate for teaching a four-credit course on a part-time basis may be adjusted.

Ordinarily, salary levels of tenured Faculty members will not be individually reduced, except for cases described elsewhere herein. However, in the event of financial exigency, general reduction of salaries or the reduction of some but not all salaries may be necessary.

C. Merit Salary Increments. Annual evaluation of each continuing Faculty member may lead to a salary increment that recognizes teaching, research and/or creative activities, and/or service. The evaluation system described in Section VIII recognizes five levels of performance. In general, consideration for a merit increase will require a minimum ranking of “excellent” in all these areas. (A discussion of these ratings is given in Section VIII.)

The relative weight assigned each area for purposes of merit salary adjustment is 40% for teaching, 35% for research and/or creative activities, and 25% for service.

D. Fringe Benefits. The College provides a retirement plan to which the College contributes. A Faculty member’s equity in this plan is fully vested in the Faculty member. Other benefits such as medical, life and disability insurance, and tuition benefits are established by the Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the President. (See the College Handbook for a description of current benefits.)

E. Salary Retrenchment. If there is a significant unfavorable deviation from the annual budget of the College in any given year, as determined by the President, the President may announce a state of retrenchment and initiate a new budgeting process to produce a balanced budget. The new budget will go through all the steps of the regular annual budget building process to allow adequate opportunity for input from all segments of the College community. Under such circumstances, a general reduction of salaries or the reduction of some but not all salaries may be necessary.