Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters / 2003-2007 Contract / Appendix B - Faculty Academic Service Increment Program

From CGEU

A. Criteria

To the extent of funds available, academic service increments may be awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated recent and continuing excellence based on any one or more of the criteria of teaching, scholarship, and service (or other criteria set forth in the University Policy with Respect to Academic Appointments and Promotions applicable to faculty members being considered). In addition, academic service increments may be awarded to faculty members whose current compensation warrants special consideration on the basis of academic or professional contributions in comparison with compensation of colleagues of similar achievement in the department or discipline at large.

B. Eligibility

Consistent with the provisions of Article VIII of the Agreement between the University and the AAUP, faculty members who meet all the requirements listed below are eligible for consideration for academic service increments:

1. The faculty member has an appointment at Rutgers at the time of consideration for an academic service increment and during the year for which the award is made; and

2. The faculty member has completed at least one year of full-time service at the University at the time of consideration for an academic service increment or at least three years of part-time service; and

3. The faculty member will not be in his or her terminal year at Rutgers during the effective date of the award.

C. Allocation of Funds

Funds available for academic service increments will be allocated to the three geographic areas of the University (Camden, Newark and New Brunswick) based on the proportion of the total faculty in each of the three areas, except that 5% of the total funds available shall be allocated to the President's reserve for distribution as specified in F.9. below.

D. Size of Increment

An academic service increment under this program will be awarded in an amount equivalent to from one to ten steps on the salary range applicable to the faculty member. An adjustment may be implemented by an advance to a higher step on the faculty member's current salary range or an advance to a step on a higher salary range appropriate to the individual's academic rank.

E. Announcement of Application of the Criteria

To ensure equitable treatment for their members, departments must formulate a statement of their own specific criteria and the application of them within the framework of the general criteria set forth in section A. above. The tenured faculty of the department shall formulate and promulgate to the department such a statement prior to the commencement of the process for consideration for award of academic service increments specified below.

F. Consideration for Award of an Academic Service Increment

1. Consideration for awards of academic service increments shall be conducted in accordance with the following schedule:

a. for awards effective retroactive to July 1, 2004, consideration will begin during the fall 2004 academic term;

b. for awards with effective implementation dates of July 1, 2005 and January 1, 2006, consideration will begin during the fall 2005 academic term;

c. for awards with effective implementation dates of July 1, 2006 and January 1, 2007, consideration will begin during the fall 2006 academic term.

2. Eligible faculty members who do not wish to be considered for an academic service increment shall so notify the department chairperson in writing by the date set for that purpose by the departmental chairperson. The department chairperson shall announce that date 20 working days in advance.

3. Departments with four or more tenured members shall elect a Peer Evaluation Committee of at least three members, composed of tenured members of the department. In departments with fewer than four tenured members, all the tenured members shall constitute the Peer Evaluation Committee. In departments without tenured members, there shall be no Peer Evaluation Committee. Nominations for the committee may be made by any tenured member of the department. Elections to the committee shall be by secret ballot of all full-time members of the department holding the rank of Assistant Professor or above who are not in their terminal year. The department chairperson shall convene, be a non-voting member of, and participate in the deliberations of the Committee.

4. The Peer Evaluation Committee shall meet to evaluate all members of the department who are not members of the Committee, who are eligible for consideration for an academic service increment, and who have not notified the chairperson that they do not wish to be considered for an academic service increment. The Committee shall determine, from among those faculty members considered, those who it will recommend for an academic service increment, in accordance with the criteria set forth in A. above. The Committee shall prepare a summary statement of its evaluation for each member of the department it recommends, shall indicate which one or more of those criteria is the basis for its recommendation, and shall rank the individuals recommended.

5. Subsequent to completing the evaluation process set forth in 4. above, the Peer Evaluation Committee, at its option, may make recommendations to the department chairperson, within the guidelines set forth in section D. above, concerning the size of the academic service increment for those individuals whom the Committee has recommended for receipt of such an increment. If the committee chooses to make such recommendations, the chairperson shall provide to the Committee, in confidence, the salary for each individual recommended by the Committee for an academic service increment.

6. After the deliberations of the Peer Evaluation Committee are complete, the chairperson may either (a) endorse the Committee's recommendations and ranking, incorporating the names of the members of the Committee whom the chairperson judges meet the criteria for an academic service increment, or (b) prepare an independent ranked list of all of those faculty members in the department who, in the judgment of the chairperson, should receive an academic service increment. In addition, the chairperson shall review the salaries of members of the department and shall make recommendations, within the guidelines set forth in section D. above, as to the size of the academic service increment for individuals on his/her list. For each faculty member the chairperson recommends, he/she shall indicate which one or more of the criteria set forth in A. above is the basis for his/her recommendation. The chairperson will then forward his/her recommendations and those of the Peer Evaluation Committee to the dean with justification and appropriate documentation. The chairperson will also forward with these recommendations the statement of the department, as specified in E. above, although the statement shall not be binding on the dean in his/her deliberations.

7. Upon receipt of the nominees from each of the department chairpersons within the unit, the dean shall formulate a ranked list of nominees from among those proposed by the departments and including such department chairpersons and other faculty members not proposed by the departments who, in the judgment of the dean, are qualified, according to the criteria specified in A. above, for an academic service increment. The dean's list shall include the dean's recommendation as to the size of the academic service increment for each individual on the list. For each faculty member the dean recommends, he/she shall indicate which one or more of the criteria set forth in A. above is the basis for his/her recommendation. Should the dean wish to include on his/her list an individual who the chairperson has not recommended for an academic service increment or should the dean wish to increase the size of an academic service increment over the amount recommended by the chairperson, the dean shall first discuss the matter with the chairperson. The dean will forward his/her recommendations to the provost or, in the case of New Brunswick units, to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (EVPAA) with justification and appropriate documentation. The dean will, at the same time, forward to the provost or EVPAA the recommendations of the Peer Evaluation Committees and department chairs.

8. The provost or EVPAA shall review the recommendations from the several deans, directors, chairpersons, and departmental committees and, from among the eligible faculty members and to the extent of funds allocated to his/her campus, shall make a final determination as to which faculty embers on the campus shall receive academic service increments and as to the size of each increment. The Provost or EVPAA shall indicate which one or more of the criteria is the basis for his/her decision to grant the award.

9. The President will receive from each of the campus provosts and the EVPAA the list of the provost's/EVPAA’s actions and a list of remaining faculty members recommended by the dean, the department chair, and/or the departmental Peer Evaluation Committee for an academic service increment, plus a list of those eligible but not recommended at any level. The President may select from these lists a number of additional academic service increment recipients, who, in the President's judgment, best meet the criteria specified in A. above. The President may also supplement awards. Such additional Presidential awards shall be limited to 5% of the total funds available under this program.

10. In order to assist the deans, provosts and EVPAA in recommending or awarding, as the case may be, academic service increments to department chairs, or to faculty members whose assignments or activities occur outside the confines of the standard departmental or decanal unit or who, in the judgment of the dean, provosts or EVPAA, otherwise warrant academic service increments, deans, provosts and EVPAA may set aside a portion of program funds with which to make recommendations (or, in the case of the provosts and EVPAA, decisions) to award academic service increments so long as the percentage of program funds set aside does not exceed the following:

a. in the case of deans: 10% of the unit allocation.

b. in case of provosts and EVPAA: 5% of the campus allocation prescribed by Section C.

G. Implementation

The University will notify individual faculty members who have been recommended for consideration for an academic service increment of the action taken in regard to that recommendation. For each such faculty member, the University will inform the AAUP of the faculty member's department, campus, academic rank, and range and step before and after award of the academic service increment, if any; the level of the initial recommendation for award; the reason for the recommendation, specified in A. above, and whether the faculty member was a member of the department Peer Evaluation Committee and/or a department chairperson. Subsequent to the conclusion of the award process, the evaluation packets will be returned to the office of the dean. The dean will notify the department chairpersons of the results of the academic service increment process for their department, that the material is available for review by them, and the dean will indicate his/her availability to discuss the academic service increment process with the department chairperson. The chairperson shall inform the Peer Evaluation Committee of the substance of such a discussion. Individual members of the faculty may review their own packets in accordance with the usual procedures for review of personnel files and may discuss their packets and review their professional progress with their chairperson and/or dean.

H. Grievability

The academic judgment that forms the basis of the granting or failure to grant an academic service increment, including the size of the increment, and the decision to implement the award through a range or step change are not grievable. Allegations of a violation of the procedures set forth in this Faculty Academic Service Increment Program which results in the failure to grant an academic service increment shall be brought under Article IX, Category 2 of the Agreement between the AAUP and the University.

I. Information

1. The University will inform the AAUP as to the amount of funds allocated to the three geographic areas of the University pursuant to Section C. above.

2. At the conclusion of the process, the University will inform the AAUP as to each faculty member nominated at any level of the process the number of steps, if any, recommended at each level, and the number of steps, if any, awarded, along with identification of recommended faculty members and awardees, as the case may be, from amounts set aside as described in Section F. 10.