Method of Initial Appointment

Faculty appointment and rank will be determined by factors such as the highest earned degree and years of teaching experience.  Appointment to a particular rank shall be made by the President upon recommendation of the Provost with the advice of the Dean of the College.  All Limestone faculty hired at the rank of instructor or higher are considered tenure track unless otherwise noted in the letter of appointment and are probationary during their first three years of appointment.  Non-tenure track, full-time faculty hired annually and do not serve a probationary period.

Full-Time Faculty

When a vacancy or new position occurs, the Dean, in consultation with the appropriate program faculty, will recommend whether the position should be filled to the Provost. The Provost will then decide on filling the position. Taking into consideration the recommendation of the Dean and the Provost, the President will make the final decision.

When it is determined that the position should be filled:

1. The Provost will establish a Search Committee, normally consisting of the appropriate Dean, two program faculty members, another College faculty member, and chaired by the Dean.
2. The Search Committee will compose an advertisement acceptable to the Provost.  The advertisement will be appropriately placed and include the notation, “Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.”
3. Applicants invited for interviews should be told before the interview visit whether the University pays travel expenses, given some choice as to the interview date, and receive as much information as possible concerning the interview process and other obligations before the interview. The candidate should also receive appropriate material about the University, including a link to the academic catalog.
4. The chair of the Search Committee will arrange the candidate’s visit to include meeting as many members of the Limestone faculty and staff as possible.  The advertisement also states, “The selected candidate must be willing to consent to and pass, with satisfactory results, an investigative consumer report.”
5. The chair of the Search Committee should tell the candidate during the interview approximately when a decision will be made concerning the appointment.
6. Applicants should be notified immediately if the University decides not to fill the position, and candidates should be notified of any unexpected delay in a final decision.
7. A vote by a simple majority of the Search Committee will constitute a recommendation to the Provost that the candidate be hired. The Provost will forward the Search Committee’s recommendation along with his/her own recommendation to the President.
8. At the close of the search, all applicants will receive written notification of the status of their application.  

Adjunct Faculty

The Provost selects adjunct faculty in consultation with the Dean to meet instructional needs that cannot be met by regular full-time faculty. Appointments are made for one term at a time.

Advertisements are expected to be placed in local and regional newspapers, and other institutions in the area will be canvassed to seek qualified candidates. The candidate must provide the Provost with appropriate credentials, including official transcripts, before being issued a contract.

If a course has only a few students, the salary is prorated, per the adjunct faculty contract.

Adjunct faculty are ineligible to serve on committees (standing, administrative, ad hoc) or in any other administrative capacity (such as course coordinator, program coordinator, student advisement, etc.). The only responsibility of adjuncts is to teach courses on a course-by-course basis.