E21.0 Policy on Assignment and Transfer of Tenure-Track Faculty

Individual tenure-track faculty may be assigned within or across colleges or transferred to a department or unit outside their college or unit. The faculty of a department or unit may be transferred to another college or unit.

In each of these cases the following principles shall apply:

1. Any assignment or transfer shall be based on the best educational interests of students.

2. Faculty shall have adequate time and resources to prepare for any new courses or responsibilities.

3. Fair treatment of the faculty in terms of tenure review, promotion consideration, and annual merit review, shall not be jeopardized.

Furthermore, the following processes shall apply:

4. Consultation with faculty so assigned or transferred, and with the departments or units from which and to which an assignment or transfer is to occur, is always required to ensure that the best educational interests of students are met and that faculty shall have adequate time and resources to prepare for new courses or responsibilities.

5. The relevant department heads and/or deans, in consultation with the faculty member, shall specify in writing what modifications may be necessary to ensure fair treatment for tenure, promotion, or merit review in those instances where assignment or transfer will affect the process of tenure, promotion, or merit review.

6. Any assignment or transfer must concur with the university's Policy on Tenure, with particular attention to Section 2.a. (2) of the Policy (E5.0).

The following procedures apply for each form of assignment or transfer:

Assignments within a college or across colleges must include consultation with the affected faculty member and the departments from which and to which the assignment is to occur. First-time assignments will normally require consultation no less than one semester prior to the anticipated assignment. For recurring assignments particular attention must be given to Section 2.a. (2) of the Policy on Tenure (E5.0).

Transfers of individual faculty require consultation with the person being transferred and the departments or units from which and to which the person is being transferred. Each department should provide a recommendation to the deans. This process should begin no less than two semesters and conclude no less than one semester before the transfer is to occur although this period of time may be shortened by mutual consent.

Consistent with the Policy on Discontinuance or Transfer of Academic Programs (E20.0), the deans of the relevant colleges shall submit a formal proposal with a rationale to the curriculum committees of each of the colleges involved no less than one full semester before the proposed transfer is to occur; implementation of such transfers shall occur only between semesters. That proposal must provide procedures to ensure that principles (i), (ii), and (iii) are followed. The curriculum committees shall consult with the appropriate faculty of their colleges and report their recommendation to the faculty and deans of the respective colleges. The deans' final recommendations to the provost will be reported to their respective faculties. The final decision will be made by the provost.

Faculty who believe this policy has been unfairly or improperly implemented are referred to the policy on Faculty Grievance (E24.0).

Responsible Party:
Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Inquiries may be directed to:

Faculty Senate
fsenate@rit.edu

Office of the Provost
academicaffairs@rit.edu

Effective Date:
Approved January 16, 1997

Policy History:
Edited September 2010
Edited for calendar conversion May 16, 2013