The Contract Enforcement/Grievance (CEG) team has compiled answers to the questions they hear most often about major provisions in our contract. Click on any question below to view the answer. Contact CEG to ask other questions and discuss how to proceed on your issue (bjwalker@rutgersaaup.org for tenured and tenure-track faculty; dfillman@rutgersaaup.org or jilliant@rutgersaaup.org for NTTs and grad workers).
Click here to read the full contract language of Article 27.
When am I eligible for promotion to the next higher rank?
NTT faculty with six or more consecutive years of full-time service in the same rank are entitled to promotion consideration to the next higher rank upon request. Faculty interested in applying for promotion should submit a request to their chairperson or director.
Departments and units are permitted to grant promotion considerations to NTTs with less than six or more consecutive years of full-time service.
What is the minimum and maximum duration of an NTT appointment?
Appointment to a state-funded NTT faculty position is for a term of one to seven years. Appointment to a grant-funded NTT faculty position is for a term of six months to five years.
After serving in a full-time NTT title for at least six years, state-funded NTTs are entitled to appointments of not less than three years. Additionally, state-funded NTT faculty are entitled to appointment terms equal to or greater than the immediately preceding term of appointment. For example, if a faculty member currently holds a four-year appointment, subsequent appointments must be four years or more in length.
Do I receive appointments of longer duration if I’m promoted to the rank of Associate or above?
Upon promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, state-funded NTT faculty are entitled to a term equal to the one held immediately prior to the promotion. In no case will the appointment following promotion be less than three years for Associate Professors and Full Professors and less than four years for Distinguished Professors.
What is an NTT Lecturer title?
NTT Lecturer titles are designated when an appointment to a faculty position is expected to be temporary or of limited duration. These appointments may take place to fill the positions of faculty members on sabbaticals or leaves of absence. Appointments to the Lecturer title cannot exceed three consecutive years.
What information is required to be in my appointment letter?
Letters of appointment/reappointment will include at least the following: 1) annual salary; 2) title/rank; 3) effective dates and term of appointment; 4) notification date for reappointment; 5) notice that the position is covered under the Recognition Clause of the collective negotiations agreement between the AAUP-AFT and the University; 6) the faculty member’s responsibilities, which may be amended with written notice to the faculty member; and 7) evaluation criteria for reappointment and promotion.
When will I be notified if I’m not reappointed?
NTT faculty holding appointments of one year or more must be given notice of non-reappointment as follows:
- Four months prior to the end of the first year of academic service;
- Seven months prior to the end of the second year of academic service;
- Not later than twelve months prior to the end of the appointment in all other cases.
If notice is not provided by the aforementioned deadlines, the contract will automatically be extended for a six-month period.
When can I expect to receive notification about promotion?
Final decisions on all NTT promotions rest with the chancellor. However it is the responsibility of the dean to notify candidates of the final decision. Although there are no notification deadlines for promotion decisions, if you receive notification after the effective date of promotion, the promotion will be retroactive to the effective date.
What recourse is available if I’m denied reappointment or promotion?
The Article 11 grievance procedure is potentially available to NTT faculty to challenge negative personnel actions—i.e., denial of reappointment and/or promotion. If you received notification of denial of reappointment and/or promotion, please contact a staff member of the union’s Contract Enforcement/Grievance team to discuss.