Non Tenure Track Faculty (Lecturers)

NOTE: The FSU is currently negotiating over NTT issues for the 12-14 contract. For the latest update click here. 

First year of Employment
Those lecturers hired to teach 3 or 4 courses in either their first or second (Fall/Spring) semesters are thereby both benefitted and are in the bargaining unit.  Non-benefited lecturers teaching one or two courses per term, including all University College (UC, formerly Continuing Education) courses, in their first year of employment are not yet in the bargaining unit.

Probationary Period
All newly hired lecturers, whether benefitted or not, and no matter what percentage of time, are probationary for their first three years of employment. (This means teaching at least one course per year for three years, including all UC teaching). Those lecturers with probationary status have no guarantee of re-hire—they have not qualified for either the main or UC priority list (see below).

Review
Near the end of the probationary period—no later than the last term of their third year of employment—departments have the opportunity to review lecturers. A favorable review means that they qualify for prioritized hiring, both for regular courses and for UC courses, while an unfavorable review means that they will no longer be employed as faculty at UMB. If a department chooses not to review a lecturer by the end of their third year, then that individual automatically qualifies for post-probationary status.

It is expected that a lecturer who is up for review will be notified in a timely manner of pending review. Those under review should submit 1) a statement that presents their approach to teaching and that also includes anything else that they wish the review committee to consider and 2) syllabi and other relevant course materials, such as sample assignments or exams. It is expected that departments will have student course evaluations on file that will also be considered. Candidates may optionally submit anything else that they deem relevant, such as letters from students, outside supporting letters or scholarly work (although scholarship is not required for lecturer positions).

Prioritized Course Assignment
Post probationary lecturers qualify for prioritized course assignment. Each department must maintain a priority list of all post-probationary lecturers, ordered by hire date. Each term, courses are assigned via this priority ordering; courses may not be offered to probationary (or new) lecturers unless either no post-probationary lecturer is qualified to teach the course or none of the post-probationary lecturers who are qualified to teach the course want an additional section.

University College courses involve separate priority lists (Note that UC priority lists do not differentiate between tenure stream and non-tenure stream faculty in assigning courses).

Fall/Spring UC courses
The Fall/Spring pool for a given department consists of all those faculty who have taught a UC course in the department over the past two years. Faculty in the pool are prioritized by the total number of UC/Continuing Education courses they have taught. Courses are assigned via this seniority.

Summer/Winter
Seniority for Winter/Summer UC courses in a given department is determined by the total number of in-person Winter/Summer UC courses taught in the department as of July 3, 2010. Winter/Summer UC courses are assigned via this seniority list. Those newly teaching Winter/Summer UC courses (see below) in the department after this date are added to the bottom of this seniority list.

For all UC courses: New faculty members, whether tenure stream or lecturers, can be assigned UC sections only if all qualified members of the pool as well as all other department faculty have declined to teach those sections.

Qualifying for Benefits
Those lecturers hired to teach 3 or 4 courses in a given Fall/Spring term are immediately eligible for benefits. Otherwise, lecturers will be eligible for benefits according to the following process: after working 1 academic year from hire date, a lecturer must be half-time (2 Fall/Spring courses, including F/S UC courses)   a semester for three consecutive semesters.
Benefit eligibility begins at the start of the semester following the specified three-term period. Lecturers who have achieved benefit eligibility are categorized as “Lecturer I”, and are put on a salary scale (see below).

In order to maintain benefits, Lecturers must continue to teach at least 2 courses (including F/S UC sections) each F/S term. A benefited Lecturer who is assigned to a less than half-time appointment and subsequently loses benefits will become eligible for benefits again immediately upon resumption of a minimum two-course appointment.

Note: Summer and Winter intersession UC courses do NOT count for qualifying for benefits or for maintaining benefits. Also, it is not sufficient to teach three courses one semester and one the next: the GIC (the Commonwealth’s insurance commission) requires that benefited employees be employed at least half-time for the whole year.

Salaries and Ranks
The per course minimum for non-benefitted, probationary lecturers (including probationary UC teaching) is: $4,201

The per course minimum for non-benefitted, post-probationary lecturers (including probationary UC teaching) is: $4,578

(Note that when a benefited, lecturer teaches a Fall/Spring UC course it will be paid according to the Lecturer’s main unit rate).

The minimum yearly salary rate for Lecturer I’s is: $45,068 (pro-rated to percentage of time).

Lecturer I’s with at least six years of service after hire date (i.e. at the start of their seventh year of service) will be given the title Lecturer II and will be paid according to a new minimum annual salary rate of: $52,505 (pro-rated to percentage of time).

After 10 years of service from hire date (i.e. at the start of the eleventh year of service), a Lecturer II will automatically receive a $5,000 increase in their annual salary rate, pro-rated to percentage of time.

Note: ‘Hire date’ refers to date of hire for bargaining unit work even if the faculty member was not in bargaining unit at the time (NOTE: previous employment in a non-lecturer position does not count for purposes of lecturer promotions).

Senior Lecturer/Multi-Year Contracts
Lecturer II’s have the option of applying for promotion to Senior Lecturer in their 10th year of employment. (See Article 21(B).13 of the contract for details of the review process.) If they pass the review they will be given a two or three year contract depending on projected departmental needs. The contract guarantees at least two courses per semester for each of the two terms of each year of the contract, and allows for 3rd and 4th courses if available, as determined by the departmental priority list system.

Multi-year contracts are renewable (after they expire) by Department Personnel Committees, which may recommend either a two or three year contract depending on projected departmental needs.