Method of Initial Appointment

Faculty appointment and rank will be determined by such factors as, but not limited to, highest earned degree and the number of 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 school and department chairs.  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 on an annual basis do not serve a probationary period.

Full-Time Faculty

When a vacancy or new position occurs, the dean, in consultation with appropriate department chairperson and department faculty, will prepare a recommendation of the department to the Provost as to whether the position should be filled.  The Provost will then make a determination with regard to filling the position. Taking into consideration the recommendation of the dean, department chairperson, and the Provost, the President will make the final decision.

When it is determined that the position should be filled:

1. A Search Committee will be established by the Provost, normally consisting of the appropriate school dean, the appropriate department chairperson, two department faculty members, another school faculty member, and chaired by the Provost.
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 prior to the interview visit whether the University pays travel expenses, should be given some choice as to date of interview and prior to the interview should receive as much information as possible concerning the interview process and other obligations.  The candidate should 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 will also include the statement, “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 should the University decide not to fill the position, and candidates should be notified of any unexpected delay in a final decision.
7. A vote by 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.
9. During these procedures, the Search Committee must keep a recruiting log.  When the position is filled, this log - along with correspondence, the credentials of applicants, and copies of the advertisement for the position - must be deposited in the Provost office and retained for 12 months.

Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct faculty are selected by the Provost in consultation with the dean of school and department chairperson to meet instructional needs which cannot be met by regular full-time faculty.  Appointments are made for one term at a time.

It is expected that, whenever possible, advertisements will be placed in local and regional newspapers, and other institutions in the area will be canvassed to seek qualified candidates.  The candidate must provide appropriate credentials, including official transcripts, to the Provost before being issued a contract.

Copies of contracts for adjunct faculty must be on file in the office of the Provost. If a course has only a few students, the salary is prorated, per the adjunct faculty contract.