Guide to COVID MOU for Tenure Track Faculty
The MOU was intended to address the impacts of Spring 2020 given the COVID pandemic. It was not necessarily meant to address longer-term COVID-related impacts on a faculty member’s productivity as it relates to tenure. Such longer-term impacts could be revisited as we begin discussions for negotiations on the new UHPA contract.
Please also note that other extenuating circumstances (such as settlement agreements) need to also be considered outside of this MOU.
Below are three different circumstances faculty could be in for Fall 2020 and the intersection with the COVID MOU; I faculty scheduled to go up for tenure in fall 2020; II faculty scheduled to undergo contract renewal in fall 2020; III faculty not scheduled for a personnel action in fall 2020. After exercising their option to postpone pursuant to the MOU, subsequent processes will be governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Faculty members scheduled to go up for Tenure AY 2020-2021
Scenario 1
In these cases, the faculty member had requested an extension of their probationary periods per Article XII,C, 2, b; they then requested to postpone tenure via MOU in 2020-2021. That puts them in year 7 with no further extensions under CBA.
| Year 1 | 2015-2016 | ||
| Year 2 | 2016-2017 | Contract Renewal #1 | |
| Year 3 | 2017-2018 | ||
| Year 4 | 2018-2019 | Contract Renewal #2 | |
| Year 5 | 2019-2020 | Extension request for one year, approved via Article XII, C, 2, b | Refer to the CBA |
| Year 6 | 2020-2021 | Tenure postponed per MOU | Review of faculty member’s work optional |
| Year 7 | 2021-2022 | Under the MOU, faculty members are given an additional year in their probationary period (this faculty received this in AY 2020-2021); Any subsequent extension requests do not appear to be allowable given CBA probationary limitation of seven years Article XII C2b | Tenure application |
Scenario 2
| Year 1 | 2016-2017 | ||
| Year 2 | 2017-2018 | Contract Renewal #1 | |
| Year 3 | 2018-2019 | ||
| Year 4 | 2019-2020 | Contract Renewal #2 | |
| Year 5 | 2020-2021 | Postponement of tenure requested per COVID MOU | Review of faculty member’s work optional |
| Year 6 | 2021-2022 | Tenure extension requested under Article XII, C, 2, b | Refer to the CBA |
| Year 7 | 2022-2023 | Under the MOU, faculty members are given an additional year in their probationary period (this faculty received this in AY 2020-2021); Any subsequent extension requests do not appear to be allowable given CBA probationary limitation of seven years Article XII C2b | Tenure application |
Scenario 3
Per the MOU, 8 year probationary period applies to those who will be in their 7th year in AY 2020-2021
| Year 1 | 2014-2015 | ||
| Year 2 | 2015-2016 | Contract Renewal #1 | |
| Year 3 | 2016-2017 | ||
| Year 4 | 2017-2018 | Contract Renewal #2 | |
| Year 5 | 2018-2019 | Did not apply for T&P, requested/received extension via CBA Article XII, C, 2, b from Dean | Refer to the CBA |
| Year 6 | 2019-2020 | Did not apply for T&P, requested/received extension via CBA Article XII, C, 2, b from Dean | Refer to the CBA |
| Year 7 | 2020-2021 | Tenure postponed per MOU | Review of faculty member’s work optional |
| Year 8 | 2021-2022 | MUST go up for Tenure |
Faculty members scheduled to go up for Contract Renewal Fall AY 2020-2021
Scenario 1
In this case, the faculty member’s probationary period is extended by one year because of the postponement. Therefore, they can request subsequent extensions, but they would be covered under Article XII, C, 2, b rather than the COVID MOU.
| Year 1 | 2019-2020 | ||
| Year 2 | 2020-2021 | Elected to postpone Contract Renewal per MOU | Review of work optional |
| Year 3 | 2021-2022 | Contract renewal #1 | |
| Year 4 | 2022-2023 | No action | |
| Year 5 | 2023-2024 | Contract renewal #2 | |
| Year 6 | 2024-2025 | Did not apply for T&P, requested/received extension via CBA Article XII, C, 2, b from Dean | Refer to the CBA |
| Year 7 | 2025-2026 | Apply for tenure; Any subsequent extension requests does not appear to be allowable given CBA probationary limitation of seven years Article XII C2b | Tenure application |
Faculty members that do not have any actions scheduled for Fall AY 2020-2021
Scenario 1
If the contract renewal is postponed, then it automatically gives the faculty member an additional year; if they want to extend again in Fall 2021, it will require additional written approval at the dean’s level.
If the faculty member is not up for contract renewal this year, then they can postpone the probationary period; however, if they are not renewed in the subsequent contract renewal, the extension is void. If the faculty member is not up for personnel action this fall, then they can extend their probationary period. However, they would remain on their original contract renewal schedule.
| Year 1 | 2018-2019 | ||
| Year 2 | 2019-2020 | Contract renewal | |
| Year 3 | 2020-2021 | Request for extension of probationary period by additional year per MOU | No action |
| Year 4 | 2021-2022 | Contract renewal, 4th year | |
| Year 5 | 2022-2023 | Postponement of tenure based upon Year 3 request given MOU | Review of faculty member’s work optional |
| Year 6 | 2023-2024 | Did not apply for T&P, requested/received extension via CBA Article XII, C, 2, b from Dean | Refer to the CBA |
| Year 7 | 2024-2025 | Apply for tenure |
Scenario 2
| Year 1 | 2018-2019 | ||
| Year 2 | 2019-2020 | Contract renewal | |
| Year 3 | 2020-2021 | Request to postpone probationary period via MOU | No Action |
| Year 4 | 2021-2022 | Contract Renewal | Non-renewed |
| Year 5 | 2022-2023 | Terminal Year of Employment |