Members of the Purchase College faculty are appointed by means of contractual letters prepared in the Office of Human Resources and signed by the president. The appointment letter must be signed and returned to Human Resources before the appointment is considered official.
Appointment letters for all faculty shall identify the academic rank and official State title; the type of appointment (temporary, term, or continuing); the duration of the appointment (if a term) or expected duration (if a temporary); the basic annual salary, if appropriate, or rate of compensation; and the effective date of appointment.
In addition, appointment letters for part-time faculty shall identify the benefits for which they are eligible (e.g., health, leave) and include the following information on required assignments, if applicable: teaching, advising and/or governance, and research and/or community service. (Article 30.3, 2016–2022 NYS/UUP Agreement)
Appointment Type
The appointment letter specifies one of three appointment types:
Temporary appointments may be terminated at any time. Temporary appointments ordinarily shall be given only when service is to be part-time, voluntary, or anticipated to be for a period of one year or less. A temporary appointment is also appropriate when a position has been vacated by an employee on approved leave. (Article XI, Title F, Policies of the Board of Trustees)
Full-time service: After three consecutive years of full-time service on the basis of a temporary appointment, a full-time employee whose employment is continued on the basis of a temporary appointment shall be given the reasons for such appointment. (Article 30.1, 2016–2022 NYS/UUP Agreement)
Part-time service:
After four consecutive semesters of part-time service on the basis of a temporary appointment, further employment shall be on the basis of a term appointment. (Article XI, Title D, §2(2)a, Policies of the Board of Trustees)
Term appointments are offered for a specified period of time that does not exceed three years in duration. Term appointments automatically expire at the end of that period unless terminated earlier because of resignation, retirement, or termination (Article XI, Title D, Policies of the Board of Trustees). An individual who has been granted a part-time term appointment but for whom classroom enrollment is inadequate shall have no entitlement to salary, benefits, or any other rights or privileges (Article XI, Title D, §2(2)a, Policies of the Board of Trustees).
Faculty members holding a term appointment that is not “self-terminating” will be scheduled for a review that may result in a contract renewal before the end of the term. Please refer to the Faculty Bylaws and timeline for the normal schedule of such reviews.
Written notice that a term appointment is not to be renewed upon expiration is to be given to the employee by the president or his designee. The contractual deadlines for notices of nonrenewal are stipulated in Article XI, Title D, §5 of the Policies of the Board of Trustees and Article 32 of the 2016–20122 NYS/UUP Agreement.
Continuing appointment [tenure] is an appointment to a position of academic rank that shall not be affected by changes in such rank and shall continue until resignation, retirement, or termination. Please refer to Article XI, Title B, in the Policies of the Board of Trustees and qualified academic rank titles for more information governing continuing appointment.
