Duties and Appointments of Continuing Status and Continuing-Eligible Academic Professional Employees

Each continuing status or continuing-eligible academic professional employee is appointed subject to the responsibilities detailed in the ABOR-PM 6-302, Conditions of Service for Academic Professionals. Duties and responsibilities of a continuing status or continuing-eligible academic professional employee will consist of those duties assigned by the President. All duties and responsibilities will be carried out under the direction of the President. Duties and responsibilities will be related to the expertise and competence of a continuing status or continuing-eligible academic professional employee.

Performance of assigned duties by continuing status and continuing-eligible academic professional employees will be subject to evaluation by an appropriate administrator, who will consult a peer group in conducting such evaluations. Performance will be considered in decisions relating to compensation, retention, advancement/promotion, or termination.

Continuing status and continuing-eligible academic professional employees will receive a Notice of Appointment or Reappointment, which is the University's official employment contract. Continuing status and continuing-eligible academic professional employees may be offered an appointment for an academic year or for a fiscal year or a portion thereof. No oral or written communication made prior to or after the execution of a Notice of Appointment that is inconsistent or in conflict with Board or University policy will become a part of the conditions of employment.
 

4A.1.01 Appointments of Continuing Status and Continuing-Eligible Academic Professional Employees

a. Length of Appointments

1. Continuing Status

Continuing status academic professional employees will have an expectation that the President will renew their appointment for successive appointment periods, except when such a recommendation is precluded by reason of retirement, resignation, release for budgetary reasons or reorganization, dismissal for just cause, or as a result of educational policy change.

2. Continuing-Eligible

Continuing-eligible academic professional employees are employed under a year-to-year "probationary" appointment, as defined in the Definitions section, and will have no expectation of employment beyond the end of the current appointment period, but will be reviewed for continuing status in accordance with procedures outlined in this chapter. Except for approved delays, a continuing-eligible academic professional employee's appointment will not be renewed more than five successive times, i.e., for a maximum of seven academic or fiscal years of service, regardless of rank or ranks held during the years of continuing-eligible service.

b. Computing Prior Service of Continuing Status and Continuing-Eligible Academic Professional Employees

Prior service within a position designated as a continuing-eligible academic professional employee may be considered in determining the type of appointment offered.

A person employed under a year-to-year appointment may be subsequently employed under a continuing-eligible appointment. In such event, the extent to which the person’s prior service under year-to-year appointments is considered in any review for continuing status will be determined by the Provost. The Provost’s decision will be final in all cases and is not subject to further administrative review.

c. Legal Effect of Appointments with Continuing Status

Neither the President nor the Board has the power to commit the State of Arizona to an obligation for which an appropriation has not been made. The use of the term "with continuing status" neither constitutes nor implies a legal obligation that the President or the Board is not empowered to undertake. In practice, renewals of appointments of continuing status academic professional employees have been approved and funds have been allocated annually for these appointments.

d . Effect of Retirement, Resignation, and Part-Time Employment on Continuing Status

Continuing status academic professional employees who retire or resign from the University relinquish their continuing status. Employees who already have been granted continuing status do not forfeit their status by reason of changing to part-time employment. Changes to part-time status for continuing status academic professional employees are permissible only when approved by the immediate administrative head, dean and Provost.

e. Effect of Part-Time Employment on Continuing-Eligible Status

Changes to part-time status for continuing-eligible academic professional employees are permissible only when approved by the immediate administrative head, dean, and Provost. Continuing-eligible status may be forfeited by a change or appointment to part-time employment.

f. Effect of Additional Appointments on Continuing Status or Continuing-Eligible Status and Other Rights

Continuing status and continuing-eligible academic professional employees with additional appointments will not lose their continuing status or continuing-eligible status as a result of receipt of such additional appointment. When a continuing status or continuing-eligible academic professional employee receives an additional appointment, there will be a clear written understanding concerning the individual's status, including when the additional appointment is to be renewed or terminated and how the schedule for any upcoming promotion reviews will be affected. A continuing-eligible academic professional employee who achieves continuing status or is promoted in rank during the term of an administrative appointment is subject to the normal review procedures outlined elsewhere in University policy.

g. Changes in Appointments and Rehires of Continuing Status or Continuing-Eligible Academic Professional Employees

Continuing-eligible academic professional employees may apply and be considered for other available appointed positions in the University before the year of their mandatory review. In the year of their mandatory review, they will not be considered for a change to a different appointment, except to that of non-continuing-eligible positions in the same discipline.

Individuals who were denied continuing status or whose appointment was not renewed for other than reorganization or budgetary reasons will not be considered for other available appointed positions at the University, except as a result of an appeal to the President, which includes a determination by the President that the individual has distinctive expertise that meets strategic needs of the University.

Individuals whose service was terminated for cause or who resigned in lieu of dismissal or investigation by any institution governed by the Board will not be considered for employment in any position at the University, nor will they be considered for affiliate, associate, volunteer, or emeritus status.

h. Distinguished Professorships

The University has established several distinguished professorships, including University Distinguished Professors, University Distinguished Outreach Faculty, and 1885 Distinguished Scholars. The eligibility requirements and procedures for these awards are listed on the Faculty Affairs website:

• https://facultyaffairs.arizona.edu/about-honors-awards

i.  Endowed Positions

An endowed position is a recognition bestowed on exceptionally distinguished and valued continuing status academic professional employees. To endow a position or appoint a continuing status academic professional employee to such a position, a college must have provisions for such procedures as appointing candidates, specifying the duties and privileges of the position, administering research or other related funding, determining the effects of changes in appointment such as retirement, and reviewing holders of the position. Such reviews may be required to renew a term appointment. Endowments may be established in coordination with the University of Arizona Foundation and following procedures outlined in University policy. Unless otherwise requested by donors, endowed positions should be created following the provisions for Named Professorships in 3.1.03d.

j. Emeritus Status

With the approval of the President, continuing status academic professional employees who retire from the University in good standing after serving 15 years or more may be given the title of emeritus. This status also may be granted to other retiring continuing status professional employees upon recommendation of their immediate administrative head and dean and the endorsement of the President. Those individuals who have been given the title of emeritus will be entitled to library services, e-mail, and access to parking privileges, as well as all other benefits which may be granted by the University to retirees. Departments will endeavor to meet reasonable scholarly and academic needs of individuals with emeritus status in a manner consistent with continuing contributions to the mission of the department and University, within limits governed by the availability of resources, and balanced against other needs and priorities. Each department will negotiate specific agreements for each individual case, for a specific period of time, and document these agreements in writing.

Emeritus status is granted and continued at the discretion of the President and may be withdrawn when circumstances warrant. Individuals with emeritus status who do research or conduct other University business will be held to the same standards of responsible conduct as any other researcher and will face the same sanctions as other researchers when they do not follow compliance guidelines.