12.0 Academic Administration Personnel Policies

Academic Administration Personnel Policies

1. Evaluation of Academic Administrators

   All academic administrators will be evaluated annually. For this policy, academic administrators are the associate deans, the assistant dean and the dean of academic affairs. Each evaluation will be conducted by the individual's immediate supervisor and will be based upon the particular responsibilities of the administrative assignment.

   In all cases, reports from individuals who are supervised by the administrator being evaluated will be included in the review.

2. Recall of Academic Administrators

   Many academic administrators hold faculty rank and, in most instances, tenure. It is understood that no academic administrator holds tenure as an administrator; only as a faculty member does an administrator hold tenure.

   Any administrator has the prerogative of initiating the replacement or recall of any subordinate administrator.

   Any administrator or faculty member may petition an appropriate superior administrator for the replacement or recall of any other superior administrator.

   An associate dean or a department head is in a unique administrative position in that he or she is selected by and is responsible to both a departmental faculty and other University administrators. Therefore, it is appropriate that the faculty should have access to a process for the recall of that chair/head.

   Faculty members may petition the dean of academic affairs for the replacement or recall of their associate dean or department head. The dean has the option of trying to resolve the problems stated in the petition by meeting with the associate dean or department head and the involved faculty members. If the problems cannot be resolved and if, in the judgment of the dean, the concerns expressed in the petition are serious enough to warrant investigation, the dean will initiate an inquiry. The associate dean, department head and all departmental faculty shall be informed of the petition and of the inquiry. After completion of the inquiry, the dean shall inform the division chair or the department head, the departmental faculty and the chancellor of the findings and recommendations.

   Final determination regarding the recall of any administrator rests with the chancellor. A recalled administrator may be reassigned duties for the remainder of his or her appointment term.

3. Retreat Rights of Administrators

   Any tenured faculty member who assumes an administrative position or a professional staff position has the right to return to the department of one's academic discipline whether or not a position is open. However, the service of that individual may be utilized outside the department through other assignments. In such a case that individual may be assigned other duties such as teaching, research, service and/or administrative responsibilities depending upon the needs of the University and the expertise of the faculty member, but his or her tenured status shall not be affected despite such assignments.

   An administrator who has the academic credentials for faculty rank but who has not been awarded tenure or who has not gone through the selection process for departmental faculty does not have the right to assume a faculty position in a department unless the individual is endorsed by the departmental faculty and by the appropriate academic administrators.

4. Absences of Department Heads, Associate Deans and Deans

   When it is necessary for an associate dean or department head to be absent, he or she should notify the dean of academic affairs of the circumstances concerning the absence and the arrangements that have been made for the operations of the department.

   The dean of academic affairs and the assistant dean are expected to notify the chancellor when it is necessary to be absent.

5. Administrative Leave

   The dean of academic affairs, the assistant dean and the members of the administrative council are eligible to apply for administrative leaves. Applications must be made to the chancellor prior to November 1 of the year preceding the beginning of the period for which the leave is requested.

   Administrative leave may be requested for any time in the year but ordinarily would be requested during the summer months, from mid-May to mid-August.

   Initial eligibility for requesting an administrative leave is established upon completion of not less than three full calendar years of service with the University in an eligible administrative position, beginning with the effective date of appointment to the eligible administrative position and extending to the opening day of the proposed leave period.

   The initial leave consists of not more than sixty consecutive days and is inclusive of regularly scheduled holidays and the annual vacation period for that year. The initial administrative leave, therefore, consists of not more than thirty calendar days of "leave" consecutively scheduled with thirty days of annual vacation time.

   Eligible administrators may elect to request subsequent administrative leaves according to these options:

   Option 1: For the third summer following the last leave taken, an administrative leave consisting of not more than sixty consecutive days inclusive of regularly scheduled holidays and the annual thirty-day vacation period for that year.

   Option 2: For the fourth summer following the last leave taken, an administrative leave consisting of not more than ninety consecutive days inclusive of regularly scheduled holidays and the annual thirty-day vacation period for that year.

   The administrative leave is not an automatic right; it must be applied for by the administrator. If the project the administrator wishes to pursue is approved, then he or she would be granted the administrative leave in accordance with the terms of the request. It is understood that the project must be something beneficial both to the person and to the University. Primarily the project would be for research or study in one's own academic or administrative field and may include travel if related to the research or study. Proposals to obtain an advanced degree would not be approved. A board of review will study the proposed projects and advise the chancellor. The chancellor has sole discretion in approving or disapproving all applications for administrative leave.

   The chancellor's decision to approve or disapprove the application will be guided by the recommendation of the board of review and by the chancellor's assessment of the ability of Missouri State University-West Plains to maintain its level of efficiency in the operation of functions for which the administrator is responsible.

   When a change in salary status occurs for the administrator during the period of approved leave, the administrator will receive the benefit of leave pay commencing at the new rate on the day of the increase the same as if the leave had not been granted. Changes in salary will not be affected by administrative leave.

   A requirement of the administrative leave is that the applicant commits himself to return to employment with Missouri State University-West Plains for a period of not less than one calendar year from the last day of the leave period. Following the administrative leave, the administrator will submit to the chancellor within thirty days a report of the activities of his or her leave.

6. Sabbatical Leave for Administrators

   An administrator covered by this leave policy and who is a member of the ranked faculty may choose not to apply for an administrative leave in favor of applying for a sabbatical leave. If he or she chooses to apply for a sabbatical leave, all policies and procedures established for sabbatical leaves shall apply, as described in section 7.2.1. A nine-month equivalent salary will be used for calculating salary during the leave period.