A. Appointment, Salary, Rank, and Tenure of Faculty

1. The qualities to be weighed in determining promotions and salary increases are identical to the criteria for granting academic tenure as set forth in Title I (Academic Tenure), below. 
2. The Department Chairs and the Endowed Named Chairs of the College serve subject to periodical recommendations of the President and approval of the Board. 
3. No member of the faculty of Washington College shall be subject to discrimination of any kind because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, age, marital status, or national origin. 
4.  Special terms of an appointment to the faculty of the College are indicated in the correspondence with a prospective appointee. Persons considered for full-time faculty appointments are interviewed by the Advisory Committee on Appointments. 
5. The annualized nine-month salary assigned to members of the faculty is typically paid over 12 months. Faculty hired after the start of the academic year or under a contract of less than one year will be paid per their contract terms. Employees are paid on a bi-weekly basis. For full-time teaching members, the salary shall be based on the two-semester academic year. In case of removal by the Visitors and Governors or for cause, the Visitors and Governors shall not be liable for salary beyond the month in which the removal occurs. 
6. Salaries are established annually and are based on professional rank, scholarship, teaching, and service. Appointments are generally effective as of the beginning of the academic year in August. 

B. Appointment, Salary, Rank, and Promotion of Faculty Librarians 

Professional librarians are members of the faculty and are governed under the By-Laws of the College dealing with faculty responsibilities and obligations with the exception that professional librarians are not eligible for tenure and those responsibilities and privileges specifically associated with tenure. 

The qualities to be weighed in determining promotions and salary increases for faculty librarians conform to the criteria for granting academic tenure to teaching faculty as set forth in Title I (Academic Tenure), below. 

No member of the library faculty of Washington College shall be subject to discrimination of any kind because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, age, marital status, or national origin. 

Library faculty are twelve-month employees who apply their professional expertise to the curation and dissemination of physical and digital information resources to further the college’s goals of teaching, research, and service. This may involve working with faculty to design and deliver information literacy training appropriate to their courses; providing reference and access services; educating students on research skills and methods; liaising with faculty on the selection and evaluation of content to assure that the library’s collections reflect past and present scholarship; describing, organizing and managing information resources, whether institutionally owned or licensed, and their enabling technologies. Unique archival and special collections require additional training and expertise to guarantee their preservation and continued access. Year-round work schedules enable library faculty to conduct major projects, e.g. system migration, weeding and collection development, or creation of instructional guides or websites during semester or summer breaks. 

Salaries are established annually and are based on professional rank, scholarship, librarianship, and service. 

Depending on their qualifications and the needs of the College, librarians are eligible to teach in an academic department or program such as the First-Year Seminar program. They are also eligible to apply for all faculty development funds and, at intervals of no less than seven years, for paid leaves of up to one semester at full pay or one year at half pay for specific professional development projects. 

Professional Librarians are entitled to six full weeks of vacation each year. 

Appointment of librarians will follow the same procedures established for the appointment of all faculty members. All librarians appointed at Washington College must have a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or a Master’s degree in Library Science from an American Library 

Association-accredited institution. Appointment to any rank (Assistant Librarian, Associate Librarian, Librarian) must meet the criteria appropriate to that rank. Librarians are appointed as a member of one of the three academic divisions of the College. 

Librarians joining Washington College who have two to three years of previous full-time academic librarianship experience at other comparable institutions will normally be credited with that service minus one year. Librarians with more than three years of academic library experience will normally receive three years credit toward the application for promotion. The librarian must have held a Master’s Degree in Library Science or Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution for the entire time for which they are credited and must have worked in an academic institution within the specialization of librarianship to which they are appointed at Washington College. 

Librarians possess specific competencies grounded in the principles and practices of academic librarianship. Implicit in such a foundation is the expectation that the librarian will become fully engaged in the teaching, service and scholarly activities that further the ideals of a liberal arts education. First and foremost, librarians should be evaluated on their competency in teaching/ librarianship; and secondarily on scholarly and service activities. 

The American Library Association outlines the expectations of librarians as follows: 

• Contributions to the educational mission of the institution: for example, teaching (not necessarily in a classroom); organization of workshops, institutes or similar meetings; public appearances in the interest of librarianship or information transfer. 
• Contributions to the advancement of the profession: for example, active participation in professional and learned societies as a member 
• Activities related to inquiry and research: for example, scholarly publication, presentation of papers, reviews of books and other literature, grants, consulting, service as a member of a team of experts, or other means of disseminating professional expertise." 

See: A Guideline for the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure of Academic Librarians, American Library Association, September 6, 2006.

Librarians at Washington College undergo continuous review and reappointment. They are reviewed annually for their first six years and every three years thereafter. Librarians are eligible to apply for a promotion beginning in the sixth year of employment, unless they have credit for prior service. 

In addition to approving the reappointment of the librarian, these reviews are intended to ensure continued high quality librarianship and to help individuals make progress toward the criteria for promotion to Associate Librarian and Librarian. 

For the first, second, third, and fifth-year review, librarians prepare for the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology a dossier outlining their work and accomplishments for the year. The Dean of the Library and Academic Technology then writes an assessment of the librarian’s performance in librarianship, scholarship, and service and shares that written assessment with the librarian. The Dean and the librarian meet to discuss the librarian’s performance and both of them sign that written assessment. The signature of the librarian does not indicate acceptance of every conclusion of the assessment. Rather, it indicates only that the librarian has read it. The librarian may respond or comment on the Dean’s assessment in writing. 

First-Year Review for Faculty Librarians 
Mid-year developmental review in January; annual review in May by Dean of the Library and Academic Technology. 

Second-Year Review for Faculty Librarians 
The fourth-year review is conducted by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. If appointed without credit, review will be conducted in the fall with the candidate submitting the following materials by the last Friday in January, and the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology by the first Friday in February. 

If appointed with one or two years of credit, review will be conducted in the spring of the first year at the College with the candidate submitting the following materials by the second Monday in November, and the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology by the third Monday in November. 

• Second-Year Review Dossier Checklist: Second-Year Review candidates shall submit the following materials to the Provost’s Office via email (provost@washcoll.edu): 
  • Current curriculum vitae 
  • A substantive self-evaluation describing areas of challenge and growth in librarianship, scholarship, and service during their time as a librarian at Washington College.  The selfevaluation should be limited to 6-8 pages in length.  In the self-evaluation, candidates are advised to go beyond the facts of their records to articulate their goals for their librarianship and scholarship, the outcome of their efforts to meet these goals, and their plans for further development 
  • Evidence of outstanding librarianship 
  • Evidence of scholarly activities including publications 
  • Copies of syllabi and any other significant materials directly related to librarianship, scholarship, or service  
  • The Dean of the Library and Academic Technology shall submit the following:  
    • Letter that reflects the Dean’s assessment of the librarian’s progress at the College to date, signed by the candidate  
  • The Dean of the Library and Academic Technology then forwards the dossier and the written assessment of the librarian to the Provost and Dean. The Provost and the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology may meet to discuss the librarian’s performance.  

Third-Year Review for Faculty Librarians 
Mid-year developmental review in January; annual review in May by Dean of the Library and Academic Technology. 

Fourth-Year Review for Faculty Librarians 
The fourth-year (promotion) review is conducted by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. The fourth-year review is an in-depth and thorough assessment of the librarian’s progress up to that time. This review is based on the quality of the librarian’s librarianship, scholarly promise, and service to the College (see dossier checklist). The fourth-year review is meant to ensure that the work of librarians who pass this stage is of sufficient quality for promotion. 

• Fourth-Year Review Dossier Checklist: Materials to be provided by the candidate and the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology by the first Friday of May for fall promotion review or the first Thursday of December for spring promotion review.
  • Names and contact information for three possible external reviewers (3 names from each, 6 names total) 
  • Materials to be provided by the candidate to the Provost’s Office via email (provost@washcoll.edu) by the first day of classes for fall promotion review or the second Friday of December for spring promotion review:  
  • For external reviewers: 
    • Current curriculum vitae 
    • Copies of publications in the last five years 
    • Evidence of scholarly activities other than publications since arriving at WC  
  • Other: 
    • Names and contact information of eight student or alumni reviewers due from the candidate and the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology (8 names from each, 16 names total) 
    • Names of the three colleagues the candidate asked to write letters for their promotion review. 
  • Materials to be submitted to the Provost’s Office by the second Friday of October for fall promotion review or the second Friday of February for spring promotion review: 
    • Letter from the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology Letter that reflects the Dean’s assessment of the librarian’s progress at the College to date, signed by the candidate  
    • Letters from three colleagues, one of whom must be a tenured or tenure-track teaching faculty member, and one of whom must be a library staff member, preferably another library faculty member 
  • Materials to be submitted to the Provost’s Office by the third Friday of October for fall promotion review or the third Friday of February for spring promotion review: 
    • A current curriculum vitae 
    •  A substantive self-evaluation describing areas of challenge and growth in librarianship, scholarship, and service during their time as a librarian at Washington College.  The self-evaluation should be limited to 6-8 pages in length.  In the self-evaluation, candidates are advised to go beyond the facts of their records to articulate their goals for their librarianship and scholarship, the outcome of their efforts to meet these goals, and their plans for further development.  Additionally, the candidate is advised to address any concerns raised by the Tenure and Promotion Committee in the second-year review or by the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology in the third-year review.   
    • Evidence of outstanding librarianship 
    • Evidence of scholarly activities including publications 
    • Copies of syllabi and any other significant materials directly related to librarianship, scholarship, or service 
  • External Reviewer letters are due in the Provost’s Office by the fourth Friday of October for fall promotion review or March 1 for spring promotion review. 
  • Materials to be provided by the Provost’s Office:  
    • Previous years’ review letters written by the Dean of the Library and Academic Technology  
  • Candidates shall be notified of the Provost’s decision by the end of December for fall promotion review or the end of April for spring promotion review.  
  • Evidence of effective librarianship includes:  
    • Productive liaison, including competence in communication and other interpersonal skills, with faculty and students that fosters the use of library resources in teaching/ learning and scholarship  
    • Implementation and presentation of programs that teach information literacy to classes, small groups, or individuals  
    • Creation of materials to support the curriculum such as subject guides, webpages and weblogs  
    • Effective classroom teaching or team teaching with classroom faculty  
    • Effective point-of-use instruction such as reference assistance, office consultations, and electronic assistance  
    • Outcomes assessment of library services, including assessment of library instruction sessions  
    • Working knowledge of information storage and retrieval technology  
    • Effective management of the library collection in any media to support the curriculum and the diverse intellectual activities characteristic of a liberal arts education  
    • Development, implementation, and maintenance of effective methods of organizing, classifying, and cataloguing information resources  
    • Efficient and effective management skills including supervision of library staff and student assistants  
    • Keeping library materials current and in alignment with information literacy in a technological environment  
  • Evidence of effective scholarship includes:  
    • Publications of peer-reviewed books, journal articles, book chapters, or book reviews  
    • Authorship of webpages, including bibliographies, user guides, and user training materials  
    • Creation of databases and repositories  
    • Reviewing and refereeing publications, for example, as a member of an editorial board  
    • Presentation at scholarly or professional conferences  
    • Poster sessions at professional conferences  
    • Significant library exhibits at institutions other than Washington College  
    • Successful authorship or collaboration in grant writing for external funds  
    • Authorship of instructional media that teach users how to do research or use a library  
    • Original cataloging of library materials contributed to professional clearinghouses, such as OCLC, LOEX, and ERIC  
  • Evidence of effective service includes:  
    • Participation in the College’s co-governance, such as service on a standing committee or adhoc task force  
    • Participation in the work of the College beyond co-governance, such as participation in student recruitment or advancement efforts  
    • Advising of first-year students  
    • Advising of student organizations  
    • Service in professional organizations beyond mere membership, such as in a leadership role.  

Promotion to Associate Librarian requires excellent performance in librarianship, including exceptional performance in the candidate’s area of specialization. Promotion also requires that candidates demonstrate ongoing engagement in scholarly work and service activities and the promise that they will continue all of these activities throughout their career. 

Promotion to Librarian requires outstanding librarianship, innovations, and leadership in the field and positive contributions to the College’s mission. Significant scholarly accomplishment and professional or community service with an emphasis on activities that support library and College goals are also required. 

C. Non-tenure Track Faculty

Requests for awarding or renewal of non-tenure track faculty titles and ranks should originate from the chair or director of an academic department or program. Appointments require terminal degrees in relevant fields or professional experience and achievement equivalent to a terminal degree and are subject to periodic review by the chair or director. All appointees are encouraged to remain active and vital participants in the life of the College and are offered the following privileges. 

• Use of Washington College affiliation at professional meetings and in scholarly works. 
• Use of campus facilities (e.g., library, swimming pool, fitness center) 
• Use of a computer and network access 
• A faculty parking tag 
• Invitations to functions attended by all faculty (e.g., Commencement, Convocations, Senior Lunch, All-Campus picnic) 

The request for these ranks and titles should be made in the form of an appointment letter that includes the appointee's name, CV, the nature and extent of the duties of persons appointed with such titles, and salary information, if applicable, submitted to the Provost and Dean of the College or designate for approval.  

Initial appointment for non-tenure track faculty is one or two years, and the three thereafter. Multiyear appointments for adjuncts, lecturers, and research professors do not carry any expectations for teaching assignments and may change from semester to semester to reflect the needs of the teaching unit. An individual can be appointed to one or more departments or programs at a given time.  

Responsibilities of faculty in these roles are normally limited to the teaching of designated courses but may also include additional responsibilities such as attendance at departmental meetings, participation in departmental committees, senior capstone advising, and other duties as negotiated at the time of hire or contract renewal.  

1. Adjunct Professor: This title applies to those not currently employed by the College who engage in limited teaching responsibilities. Adjuncts are limited to teaching no more than a third of a full load per academic year; higher loads require approval from the Provost and Dean of the College. 
2. Lecturer: This title applies to those who teach more than a third of a full load per year. This rank can apply to those currently employed by the College in a non-faculty capacity; such individuals may be granted this rank with lower teaching loads negotiated at the time of appointment. Full-time employees are eligible for additional compensation for teaching with the approval of their direct supervisor. For Vice Presidents or equivalents, teaching does not carry additional compensation.
3. Visiting Assistant Professor: Candidates at this rank have been identified through a formal faculty search process. Visiting Assistant Professors carry a full teaching load and limited service responsibilities negotiated at the time of appointment or renewal of the contract. 
4. Professor of Practice: Candidates at this rank have been identified through a formal faculty search process. This title is reserved for practitioners appointed based on skills and expertise acquired in nonacademic careers. Professors of Practice carry full teaching loads or some combination of teaching and service responsibilities negotiated at the time of appointment or renewal of the contract. At the time of the appointment, the candidate is recommended for the rank of Assistant Professor of Practice, Associate Professor of Practice, or Professor of Practice based on qualifications appropriate to the rank. If the candidate holds or has held a faculty rank from another institution, that rank is customarily awarded with the appointment.
5. Research Professor: This title is granted to those primarily engaged in scholarship or professional activities relevant to the work of the College. Appointees at this rank have their salaries funded by a non-degree granting unit or a source outside the College. At the time of the appointment, the candidate is recommended for the rank of research assistant professor, research associate professor, or research professor based on qualifications appropriate to the rank. If the candidate holds or has held a faculty rank from another institution, that rank is customarily awarded with the appointment. 

Overview of policies for Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Part-Time Appointments: Washington College endeavors to staff its faculty with full-time appointments. Whenever practical, part-time positions will be consolidated into full-time ones. When, however, a part-time faculty position is desirable, it will be established in accordance with the following provisions: 

a. Regular Appointments with Reduced Load: In consultation with the department chair, and with the approval of the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion, a full-time faculty member may be granted part-time status under terms and for a period to be negotiated. Salary and benefits will be adjusted. Other rights and responsibilities, and rank, will be maintained as if the faculty member were teaching a full load. For untenured members of the faculty, reductions of load amounting to the equivalent of one full semester or less will not affect the length of the probationary period. Reductions amounting to the equivalent of more than one full semester will result in a corresponding extension of the probationary period. (See also Sabbaticals and Faculty Leave)      

b. Part-time Appointments: Persons whose responsibilities amount to less than a full- time instructional load are normally appointed to the rank of Lecturer. The rank of Adjunct Professor is extended at the President’s discretion to persons of exceptional academic or public recognition. 

Lecturers and Adjunct Professors are appointed for periods of one semester or one academic year at a time. Their responsibilities are normally limited to the teaching of designated courses, but may also include such specified additional responsibilities as attendance at departmental meetings, senior capstone advising, and duties related to assessment of student learning as negotiated at the time of hire or contract renewal. Salary is normally determined on a per-course basis as negotiated by the Provost and Dean of the College. Lecturers and Adjunct Professors are normally limited to teaching a maximum of two full-credit courses per semester (8 maximum credit hours). Any adjunct course load above this maximum requires approval from the Provost and Dean of the College. 

Lecturers and Adjunct Professors whose instructional load is at least half the normal load spread through the academic year and who have served without interruption at this level for two years will have voting privileges at Faculty Meetings. Following two years of half-time teaching, they may only vote during academic years in which they teach at least half time. Lecturers and Adjunct Professors whose instructional load is at least half the normal load spread through the academic year and who have served without interruption at this level for five years will be eligible to apply for faculty travel and faculty enhancement funds. After 12 years of uninterrupted service at this level, they will be eligible to apply for sabbatical leave. Faculty members who meet the load and service conditions described above may also be asked, if agreeable, to take on responsibilities in the area of faculty service in proportion to their part-time status. 

Lecturers with less than half the normal load are not eligible for faculty travel funds, faculty enhancement funds, or sabbatical leave. Although not entitled to vote at faculty meetings, they have the right to attend and are encouraged to do so.

Lecturers may concurrently hold part-time administrative appointments at Washington College, for which they are separately compensated at a salary level that is negotiated. Full-time College administrators may be eligible for appointments as Lecturers. For Vice Presidents and Deans or equivalents, such service does not carry additional compensation. 

Although Lecturers and Adjunct Professors might have a concurrent administrative or staff appointment, the appointment as Lecturer or Adjunct Professor is restricted to an academic department or academic program. The department chair or program director coordinates all hiring of Lecturers and Adjuncts, involving department/program faculty and majors meaningfully in the process.

D. Team Teaching 

Team teaching, where professors teach a course together, is an important way to demonstrate to students the meaning and value of liberal arts inquiry and to engage them in liberal learning. To facilitate team teaching, the College applies the following policies: 

1. Team teaching requires that both faculty members are fully engaged in the course throughout the entire semester (i.e., this is not a work sharing arrangement). Syllabus design, for example, is a collaborative process that involves both instructors. The team of instructors must also make learning opportunities available to students that cannot be accomplished when there is only a single instructor. Finally, the team must regularly set aside time to discuss upcoming sessions and to debrief with one another to ensure that the learning outcomes established for the course are being achieved. 
2. A primary goal of team teaching is to promote greater interdisciplinarity, so pairings that stretch each member of the team beyond the bounds of their discipline are preferred. 
3. Team-teaching is limited to no more than three faculty members teaching one course. 
4. A team-taught course counts as a full course for each faculty member in determining the teaching load of the faculty members teaching the course. 
5. Full-time faculty may team teach a course as an overload, in which case they are paid the usual stipend for a course overload. Adjunct faculty or faculty teaching less than full time may team teach a course with a full-time faculty member, in which case they are paid the usual stipend for teaching a course as an adjunct faculty member. However, team taught courses that do not result in overloads will take priority over those that do require an overload. 
6. For annual evaluation and for tenure and promotion evaluation, the development of and participation in a team-taught course is considered of equal value as any other course development and teaching for each faculty member involved. 
7. A set of course evaluations for each instructor can be issued so that each faculty member receives individualized feedback. Junior faculty are encouraged to exercise this option. 
8. Faculty members who want to team teach must have the approval of their department chair, to ensure that the department’s needs will be met while the faculty member is team teaching. A department may want to have the team-taught course count toward the major or to arrange for someone else to teach a course the team-teaching faculty member would have otherwise taught. Department chairs should consult with the Provost about their department’s needs before the deadline for the faculty members to present their plans to the Provost. 
9. Faculty members who want to team teach a course should secure their department chair’s approval and present their plans for team teaching to the Provost by October 1 for a spring semester course and by February 1 for a fall semester course. 
10. Being granted permission to team-teach a particular course in one semester is not a guarantee that the course will be approved as a team-taught course indefinitely. Requests to team teach must be submitted for each semester that the team wants to teach the course and, depending on the number of requests, the provost may deny or defer some requests to a later date. 

E. Internal Academic Administrative Appointments 

When an internal faculty appointment to an administrative position is to be made which carries compensation and/or an enhanced job title (e.g., director of a major or minor, curator of a special program, graduate program director, assistant dean, coordinator of FYS, etc.), the opening will be posted in the Faculty Lounge and on e-mail and applications invited from interested faculty members. (This rule does not apply to the position of academic chair.) 

F. Appointment of Emeritus Faculty

Eligibility: The title of Emeritus is awarded in recognition of extended faculty service that is in keeping with the values and mission of Washington College. Any Washington College faculty member with the title “Professor,” “Associate Professor,” “Assistant Professor,” “Adjunct Professor,” “Adjunct Associate Professor,” “Adjunct Assistant Professor,” “Librarian,” “Associate Librarian,” or “Assistant Librarian” who is retiring after serving the College for at least 15 years is eligible to stand for Emeritus status. Faculty with “Visiting” or “Lecturer” status are not eligible for Emeritus status. Retired faculty members appointed to Emeritus status retain their title at the highest rank achieved, modified by the incorporation of the Emeritus designation.

A faculty member who resigns from Washington College to take a full-time faculty or administrative position at another college or university is not eligible for the status of emeritus professor.

Process: The Provost and Dean of the College will ask the Chair (or a senior member of the department if the Chair is being considered for Emeritus status) to write a letter briefly outlining the contributions of the Emeritus candidate. The Provost and Dean of the College will then present the letter to the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion for discussion and vote. The Committee will make a recommendation to the President of the College, who will make a recommendation to the Board of Visitors and Governors.

Privileges: Faculty Emeriti are encouraged to remain active and vital participants in the life of the College, and are offered the following privileges.

• Use of Washington College affiliation at professional meetings and in scholarly publications
• Use of campus facilities (e.g., library, swimming pool, fitness center)
• Use of a computer and network access
• A Faculty parking tag
• Invitations to functions attended by all faculty (e.g., Commencement, Convocations, Senior Lunch, All-Campus picnic)

G. Excerpts from the College By-Laws Relating to the Faculty

[Full Title: Excerpts from the By-Laws of the Board Of Visitors and Governors of Washington College Relating to the Faculty, Article VII (The Faculty)] 

Section l. (Role): Subject to approval of matters of policy by the Board, the Faculty shall be responsible and accountable for the design and conduct of the academic program of the College. The Provost and Dean shall report regularly to the President and the Board on the Faculty's exercise of this responsibility.

Section 2. (Responsibilities): Each member of the Faculty is enjoined to maintain an attitude of loyalty to the fundamental principles and the government of the College as established by the Board, to promote its welfare, to bear a fair share of its general work, to attend the public exercises, to maintain due professional courtesy to colleagues, to recommend candidates for degrees in accordance with the Charter, to participate in recommending nominees for honorary degrees in accordance with these By-Laws, and to render exceptional services as may be assigned. Each member is required to participate in the discipline of the College, and to promote, by precept and example, good morals and manners among the student body.

Section 3. (Obligations): A member of the Faculty, in accepting an appointment or promotion from the Board, thereby contracts to comply with the Charter and these By-Laws and with the statements, procedures and regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 4. (Department Chairmen): Department Chairmen shall be appointed by the Board upon the recommendation of the President. They shall be responsible for the instruction and academic programs in their Departments and shall be accountable to the Provost and Dean.

Section 5. (Appointment, Promotion, and Dismissal for Cause): The Board shall receive, consider and act upon the recommendations of the President and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board relating to the tenure, promotion, and dismissal for cause of regular full-time members of the Faculty.

Section 6. (Tenure):

1. There shall be a policy of tenure for the Faculty whereby members of the Faculty who are awarded tenure by the Board, upon recommendation of the President, may continue in employment until retirement for age or disability, unless dismissed for just and adequate cause or terminated by reason of financial exigency or change of institutional programs adopted by the Board.
2. The Board shall determine that the criteria and procedures relating to the granting of tenure are fair and reasonable, and appropriate to Washington College.
3. The definitions of Academic Tenure (Title I), Financial Exigency (Title II), and Program Change (Title III) shall be set forth in Appendix A of these By-Laws. A statement of the basic criteria and procedures relating to them shall be published regularly in the Faculty Handbook of Washington College, together with the text of Article VII (The Faculty) and Appendix A of the By-Laws of the Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College. The statement shall first be approved and adopted by the Board of Visitors and Governors and shall thereby be incorporated by reference as part of the By-Laws of the Board of Visitors and Governors to be altered, amended, suspended, repealed and promulgated only as provided therein.
4. The award of tenure and the dismissal of a member of the Faculty for cause or reasons of financial exigency or program change must be accomplished through the criteria and procedures of Academic Tenure (Title I), Financial Exigency (Title II) or Program Change (Title III), respectively, as promulgated according to the By-Laws.

(Effective July 1, 1986 as amended effective July 1, 1991, and as republished July 1, 2002.)

Appendix A

A Statement of the Definitions of Tenure of Members of the Faculty of Washington College

Title I: Academic Tenure

"Academic Tenure" is defined as a status accorded to a faculty member by which Washington College agrees it will not remove from the institution anyone with continuous tenure except for cause, or for reasons of financial exigency or program change.

Title II: Financial Exigency

"Financial Exigency" is defined as an imminent financial crisis that threatens the survival of the College and that cannot be alleviated by means less drastic than those authorized under a declaration of financial exigency.

Title III: Program Change

"Program Change" is defined as reduction or termination of an existing curricular program involving faculty appointments.

(Adopted April 27, 1991, effective July 1, 1991)

Subsequent amendments to Appendix A following adoption by the Board of Visitors and Governors became effective January 1, 1996 and January 1, 1997 published in the Faculty Handbook 1998-99, and effective April 17, 1999 published in the Faculty Handbook 1999- 2000.

Note: The following resolution was adopted by the Board of Visitors and Governors on February 19, 2000:

Resolution

Clarification of Board Intent with Respect to Program Change

Whereas, the question has arisen of whether a reduction in the number of faculty positions in an academic department is equivalent to Program Change, and thus a trigger for the complex procedure required for Program Change; and

Whereas, the Washington College Administration and Faculty Committee on Appointments, Tenure, and Promotion have requested a clarification of Board intent with respect to Title III of the By-Laws, entitled “Program Change;”

Be it resolved that it is the intent of the Board of Visitors and Governors that, a reduction in the number of faculty positions in an academic department does not constitute a program change as used in Title III of the By-Laws and therefore, when full-time or part-time faculty positions become vacant, the Administration is not required to follow the procedures for Program Change in making a determination of whether the vacant faculty line should be allocated to another academic department or left unfilled, unless it involves a program change; and

Be it Further Resolved that “program change” or a “reduction or termination of existing curricular program” is defined to mean the removal of a major program or the removal of a teacher certification program for elementary or secondary school teachers; and

Be it Further Resolved that this Resolution be included in the Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College of February 19, 2000.

A statement of the basic criteria and procedures relating to tenure of the members of the faculty of Washington College:

Annual Review: The Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall conduct an annual review of the size and distribution of the Faculty in relation to the overall curricular needs of the College. In the event that such review raises the question of the continuing need for a particular faculty position, the matter will be resolved through prompt invocation of the procedures for Program Change as set forth herein as Title III.

H. Title I: Academic Tenure

Definition: "Academic Tenure" is defined as a status accorded to a faculty member by which Washington College agrees it will not remove from the institution anyone with continuous tenure except for cause, or for reasons of financial exigency or program change.

The review process for tenure-track faculty at Washington College is intended to be both developmental and evaluative in its approach. Our review process gives tenure-track faculty, their senior department colleagues, the members of the Advisory Committee on Tenure & Promotion (T&P), the Provost and Dean of the College, and the President insight into areas of strength and areas of concern. By engaging in early and regular reviews junior faculty have the opportunity to respond to feedback in productive and creative ways that serve our students, strengthen the academic program, and build the foundation for fulfilling and successful careers as teacher-scholars. It is the responsibility of the faculty member under review to demonstrate that they meet the expectations for continuous tenure at Washington College.

The criteria that will be used for assessing candidates for tenure are those approved by the faculty and published in this Faculty Handbook. If changes to these approved criteria are deemed necessary, then those proposed changes should be discussed by the faculty and voted into the Faculty Handbook as new policy.

1. Criteria relating to the granting of Academic Tenure

The College seeks to attract, retain, foster, and reward faculty capable of furthering the ideal of a sound liberal education in a residential college community. Each faculty member presents a unique combination of present competencies, past and present contributions, and potential for further growth and service, and each is evaluated individually in light of the needs and expectations of the College for the position that they hold and for the larger life of the college community. The criteria for success are flexible rather than rigid, and the process of evaluation is essentially qualitative rather than quantitative. Diverse contributions are valued, but most careful attention is given to performance in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and college service, and integrity and professional ethics on the basis of the general criteria, which follow. Meeting standards in all four areas is expected.

Permanent tenure will be considered only for faculty members with an earned doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree.

a. Criteria for Successful Teaching: Excellence in teaching is expected of all Washington College faculty. Thus, The Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion considers a candidate’s record of teaching to be the most important factor in determining a candidate’s qualification for tenure.

Faculty are expected to demonstrate broad command of one’s teaching subject and its interrelationships with other associated fields of learning. Teaching will be understood to mean not only regular classroom teaching but also availability for informal instruction as well as supervision of independent studies, internships, and senior capstones. There are several ways that relevant information is obtained -- from teaching evaluations, department chair evaluations, colleagues, and judgments of students who shall be selected at the Provost and Dean of the College's discretion.

Traditional qualities of excellence in teaching -- from organizing and presenting challenging material effectively, to being available to students and grading and returning their work promptly -- are considered when judging a faculty member's teaching ability. A successful teacher challenges students to produce work of high quality, encourages critical and independent thinking, and nurtures a passion for learning. Constant review of course materials is taken into account, as well as the development of new courses or areas of study.

b. Criteria for Successful Scholarship: Productive scholarship is an important consideration but is in no sense a substitute for excellence in teaching or for any other of the criteria herein set forth. Candidates must demonstrate a pattern of achievement in scholarship that reflects their involvement and expertise within the life of a discipline. Examples of peer-reviewed scholarship that candidates may consider including in their dossier to demonstrate continued development since tenure include: a book (authored or edited) or series of articles published by a peer-reviewed journal or press; production of works in creative, fine, and performing arts that is peer-reviewed; scholarship which contributes to pedagogical theory or practice and results in publication; grant proposals, patents, development of computer software, or other forms of scholarship that are peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed scholarship is a significant mark of scholarly achievement, and thus constitutes an important element of a promotion dossier.

Candidates might also address in their dossier other forms of professional and scholarly activity such as the following: evaluating scholarship in the form of book reviews; serving as a referee for manuscripts or materials by other scholars; providing leadership as an officer for a scholarly organization or as an editor for a publication; developing research activity with students for presentation or publication. This listing of various types of scholarly activity and achievement is not intended to be hierarchical or exhaustive of all that candidates might include in their dossiers. We expect that candidates will characterize their scholarship in their self-evaluative statement to demonstrate a pattern of productive scholarly activity and achievement that reflects their involvement within the disciplines of the liberal arts and informs their work as Washington College teacher-scholars.

c. Criteria for Successful Service to the College: Active and effective participation in governance and other forms of service to the College is expected. Commendable service on college committees must be a part of a successful record of college service. Advising students is a primary form of service to the College and faculty members are expected to participate in the advising program. As advisors, faculty are expected to be knowledgeable, willing to consult with others when necessary, well organized, and generous with their time. Service within departments that benefits the College as a whole, program and curricular development, contributions to all-college events and programs, advising student organizations, giving on-campus public presentations/performance, and community service that connects to the College’s mission are also considered to be aspects of a successful record of college service. This listing is not intended to be exhaustive of all achievements in service. Junior faculty should consult with their department chairs, mentors, and members of the Service and Scholarship Committee to identify service opportunities that match their interests.

d. Criteria for Integrity and Professional Ethics: Faculty are expected to demonstrate a high sense of integrity and professional ethics. These qualities include courtesy, openness and respect toward colleagues and students, and engaging in ethical professional behavior. These qualities are assumed of all faulty unless concerns are raised during the review process. Candidates are only expected to formally address these criteria when concerns are brought forward by their department chair or the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.

Procedures relating to the granting of Academic Tenure

• Student reactions to instruction are solicited by means of a questionnaire prepared by the Faculty Council. Results of the survey including individual item means and campus wide medians, are made available to the individual professor, department chairs, and the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion (Only 4-credit courses will be included in college norms). Every undergraduate credit-bearing course, except independent studies, individual lessons, internships and the senior capstone experience, must be evaluated every time it is offered. All faculty members are obliged to distribute surveys in classes each semester. The results of the survey are intended to assist the individual professor, as well as to provide an additional perspective when evaluations are being made with regard to such matters as promotion and salary increases.
• After the expiration of a probationary period and upon being awarded tenure by action of the Board of Visitors and Governors, a faculty member shall have permanent or continuous tenure, and service will be terminated only for adequate cause pursuant to the provisions of paragraph m of this statement, or for reasons of Financial Exigency or Program Change (pursuant to the provisions of Titles II and III, respectively).
• An initial appointment to the Faculty at the rank of Professor shall be for a two-year term. Unless notification is given by December 15 of the second year, the appointment will be extended for another two-year term. After completion by the faculty member of four years of satisfactory service and upon being awarded tenure by action of the Board of Visitors and Governors, tenure shall be continuous.
• An initial appointment to the Faculty at the rank of Associate Professor shall be for a two-year term. Unless notification is given by December 15 of the second year, the appointment will be extended for another two-year term. After completion by the faculty member of four years of satisfactory service and upon being awarded tenure by action of the Board of Visitors and Governors, tenure shall be continuous.
• The President, after consultation with the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion, and with the concurrence of the candidate, may reduce the number of years of service required before the candidate may be considered for tenure. This exception will be made only for candidates to be hired at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, and only if in their prior positions they have demonstrated that they exemplify the characteristics described in Section A, above, of this Title.
• An initial appointment to the Faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor shall be for a one-year term. Unless notification is given by March 1 of the first year, by December 15 of the second year, and at least twelve months in advance of each succeeding year of the probationary period, the appointment will be extended for another one-year period. Assistant Professors without such previous teaching experience shall assume continuous tenure after seven years of satisfactory service and upon being awarded tenure by action of the Board of Visitors and Governors at Washington College. Those with prior teaching experience should refer to Sections i through o below.
• The appointment of a faculty member at the rank of Instructor will occur when the individual has not earned the terminal degree in the member's field; the letter of appointment should indicate the mutually agreed upon date by which this degree will be earned, beyond which contract renewal would not occur. If service is not satisfactory, notice of the intent for termination will be given by March 1 of the first year, by December 15 of the second year. Should notice of intent to terminate be given in any succeeding year, such notice must come at least twelve months in advance. If the terminal degree is completed within the first year, the faculty member is automatically promoted to Assistant Professor and enters on the tenure track at the beginning of the second year. Those completing the degree subsequently are promoted to Assistant Professor at that time, enter on the tenure track the following fall, and are awarded credit for years served less one year.
• A member of the Faculty who is promoted to a professorship and upon being awarded tenure by action of the Board of Visitors and Governors shall attain continuous tenure as of the effective date of the promotion.
• A member of the Faculty who is promoted to the associate professorship shall attain continuous tenure either at the end of his first two-year term as associate professor or after a total of four years of satisfactory service at Washington College and upon being awarded tenure by action of the Board of Visitors and Governors, whichever occurs first.
• An instructor who is promoted to the assistant professorship shall attain continuous tenure at Washington College under the same provisions as set forth in Section 5 of this statement.
• A faculty member who is not to be retained with continuous tenure at the end of the full probationary period shall be notified and retained without tenure for a terminal year.
• The notice of termination provided for in Sections b, c, d, e, and h shall be made only after consultation with the chair of the department concerned, and with the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.
• The provisions of this statement are framed with generous regard for the interests of the individual faculty member. In safeguarding its own interests and those of its students, the College must rely on the faculty member's sense of professional responsibility. Hence, in resigning an appointment, a faculty member shall give notice in writing to the Dean and Provost as early as possible, preferably no later than April 15 if the member does not expect to return the following fall, or by September 15, if the member does not expect to return for the spring semester. A faculty member, who is on approved leave and considering resignation, should notify the Provost and Dean as early as possible prior to the end of the leave so that the College can ensure a smooth transition for upcoming courses should the faculty member not return as planned for the next semester.
• Once a faculty member submits a letter of resignation, it can only be rescinded within two business days of the submission. The faculty member will be expected to fulfill all job-related responsibilities through the end of the last semester of appointment. The appointment of a faculty member ends on June 30 (end of the fiscal year) if the member does not expect to return the following fall semester, or on December 31 (end of the calendar year), if the member does not expect to return for the spring semester.
• A faculty member who resigns from Washington College to take a full-time faculty or administrative position at another college or university is not eligible for the status of emeritus professor.
• As noted in the section on Emeritus, a faculty member who resigns from Washington College to take a full-time faculty or administrative position at another college or university is not eligible for the status of emeritus professor.
• A copy of the resignation letter will be forwarded to the Office of Human Resources, which will work with the Provost and Dean  and the faculty member regarding the effective date of termination of employment and final pay.
• Termination for cause of a continuous appointment, or dismissal for cause during a term appointment, shall be considered by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. Members of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Visitors and Governors may attend the hearing as observers. In all cases where the facts are in dispute, the accused faculty member shall be entitled to a hearing before the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. The member shall be informed before the hearing, in writing, of the reasons for termination, shall be permitted to have an adviser of the member's choosing who may act as counsel, and shall have the opportunity to confront the accusers. There shall be a full record of the hearing available to all parties concerned. In a hearing of charges of incompetency, the testimony shall include that of teachers and other scholars from this or from other institutions. The recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall be transmitted through the President to the Board of Visitors and Governors. The decision of the Board of Visitors and Governors shall be final.
• Process of Review:
  1. Overview

Untenured members of the faculty undergo a review by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion in their second, third and fourth years at the College, followed by a tenure review in their sixth year.
In their first year, untenured faculty members are reviewed by their department chair. This review has two parts, a developmental review in January of their first year and a developmental and summative review in May of their first year.

As part of this review, the department chair must observe the first year faculty member’s teaching at least twice in the first year and must meet with the faculty member in both January and May to discuss their assessment of the candidate’s work.

In May, the chair writes one letter summarizing the substance of these reviews, and the first year faculty member signs it. The signature of the faculty member does not indicate acceptance of every judgment in that letter; it merely indicates that the person has read it.

The department chair’s letter is then sent to the provost and becomes part of the second year review dossier. Faculty completing their first year will be required to meet with the provost after the provost has received the department chair’s letter. The first year faculty member may respond to or comment on the department chair’s letter in writing to the provost prior to their meeting.

After the mid-year developmental review in the first year, the department chair can recommend non-reappointment of the faculty member for second year. In this case the department chair must have observed the first-year faculty member’s teaching at least twice in their first semester. A recommendation of non-reappointment will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion, which will make a final recommendation to the president to uphold or overturn the department chair’s recommendation.

In its second and fourth year reviews, the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion assesses a candidate’s record of teaching, scholarly/artistic development, and college service by reviewing the department chair’s letter and the candidate’s course evaluations, curriculum vitae, scholarly or creative work, and a brief self-evaluative letter (no more than 2 pages) describing 1) areas of challenge and growth as a teacher during the previous semester and 2) professional development goals and strategies for the coming year. The Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion also reviews previous letters from the Committee to the candidate and examines the candidate’s record for signs of improvement if particular areas of concern were raised in a previous review.

In the third-year and tenure reviews, candidates are required to submit a full and substantive self-evaluative statement (see “Elements of an effective self-evaluation” on p. 91). In the tenure review, the members of the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion review the above-mentioned materials, as well as letters from all tenured members of the candidate’s department, letters from three faculty colleagues outside the department, and external letters from three scholars in the candidate’s discipline or area of interest. Further, in the tenure review, the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion reviews letters from students and alumni. Ordinarily these letters are from students/alumni who have completed a course with the candidate, however, students who have built a relationship with the candidate through other means, such as club service or advising, may also write a letter on behalf of the candidate.

ii. Continuous Appointments - Probationary Period
The total period of teaching at Washington College prior to the acquisition of continuous tenure shall not exceed seven years. The tenure review will normally occur in the fall of the sixth year. For all faculty appointed to continuous positions after July 1, 1991, this rule shall apply.
All years of teaching service at Washington College in excess of half-time will normally be counted proportionately toward the probationary period for tenure consideration.

The decision as to whether or not a scholarly leave extends the probationary period shall be made by the individual faculty member, subject, however, to the condition that a minimum of three years of on-campus service is required before consideration for tenure. This option must be exercised no later than the end of the period for which the leave has been granted.

Faculty will have the option of stopping or continuing the tenure clock during their paid maternity/adoption leave or unpaid FMLA leave related to the birth of a son or daughter. The tenure clock will stop by default, but every faculty member will have the option (after consultation with their Department Chair and the Provost and Dean) of continuing the tenure clock. This request will be granted in all cases. In addition, faculty members will not have to notify the Provost and Dean of their decision to stop or continue the tenure clock at the time of pregnancy, birth, or adoption, but will have to notify the Provost and Dean no later than the beginning of the academic year prior to the year of the originally scheduled tenure decision (except in cases where the birth or adoption is expected to occur during the tenure review year or the preceding year – in those cases the Provost and Dean must be notified when the leave is requested.)

iii. Prior teaching experience 

Persons joining the Washington College faculty who have had one to three years of previous full-time teaching experience at other comparable institutions will normally be credited with that service minus one year. Persons with more than three years of teaching experience will normally receive three years’ credit toward the probationary period. There may be circumstances where that prior service (or some portion of it) will not count towards the probationary period at Washington College (e.g. teaching which occurs before attainment of the Ph.D. or the appropriate terminal degree; service at a community college, technical institute, or other institution very dissimilar to Washington College; when there has been a long break between the prior teaching experience and commencement of service at Washington College; or when the character and range of teaching experience is not comparable to a normal faculty load at Washington College). The number of years of previous teaching experience, which will be credited towards the probationary period at Washington College, will be stated in writing at the time of initial appointment.

Faculty members with one year of credit for prior teaching have a second-year review in the Spring semester of their first year and then follow the normal timetable for third, fourth, fifth, and tenure reviews. Faculty members with two years of credit for prior teaching have a second-year review in the Spring semester of their first year, followed by third and fourth-year reviews in their second and third year at the College. In this case, these faculty members will undergo tenure review in their fourth year at the College because of the absence of a fifth-year review. Faculty members with credit for three years prior teaching will have a third-year review in their first year, followed by a fourth year and tenure review. In all of these cases, the faculty member is eligible to apply for a junior leave after successful completion of the third-year review.
Tenure Review Timetable for Faculty with Teaching Credit:

Tenure Review

Credit for Prior Teaching	Tenure Review
One-year credit for prior teaching experience:
Year # at Washington College
Year 1	Second year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 2	Third year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 3	Fourth year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 4	Fifth year review (departmental evaluation)
Year 5	Tenure (evaluation by T&P)

Tenure Review

Credit for Prior Teaching	Tenure Review
Two-year credit for prior teaching experience:
Year # at Washington College
Year 1	Second year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 2	Third year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 3	Fourth year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 4	Tenure (evaluation by T&P)

Tenure Review

Credit for Prior Teaching	Tenure Review
Three-year credit for prior teaching experience:
Year # at Washington College
Year 1	Third year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 2	Fourth year review (evaluation by T&P)
Year 3	Tenure (evaluation by T&P)

The purpose of the probationary period preceding the granting of tenure (continuous appointment) is to provide an opportunity for the College to judge whether a faculty member is a competent and effective teacher/scholar, and beyond that, whether they are likely to make a substantial contribution to the fulfillment of the general aims and purposes of the College. But the probationary period is also a period of development or perfection of skills and attitudes, especially in the case of those who are relatively new to the profession. Every person invited to join our faculty, therefore, should be able to count on getting constructive criticism, counsel, and encouragement from colleagues. In particular, department chairs (and the Provost and Dean of the College) have an obligation to keep them informed of their problems and progress. This obligation may be met through informal chats, as well as through annual reviews and a third-year review (see 14.c below). Any untenured faculty member who feels that they are not fully and fairly informed of their status at reasonable intervals may request that their department chair bring them up to date. If for some reason satisfactory communication has not been established on the departmental level, the faculty member involved may appeal to the Provost and Dean of the College for clarification of status.

iv. Second, Third and Fourth Year Reviews

For the second, third and fourth year reviews, the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion will take into account the departmental assessment, the faculty member's response or comments, if any, as well as other pertinent information relating to the tenure criteria stated in the Faculty Handbook. After considering a candidate’s pre-tenure review materials, the Provost and Dean of the College will draft a letter addressing what the committee identifies as areas of strength and areas of concern, with steps they should consider taking as progress is made toward the next review.

v. Peer Mentoring

To support robust feedback on teaching a departmental peer mentor be included in the evaluation of teaching as part of the tenure review process. This mentor, preferably another member of the department who is tenured or advanced on the tenure track, will be assigned by the chair in the candidate’s first semester. In consultation with the Provost and the candidate, the chair may instead opt to choose an appropriate faculty mentor outside the department, if preferred or necessary due to the availability of colleagues in the department. The departmental mentor will conduct at least one observation per year during the first two years of service and share, with the candidate and the chair, a written summary of the teaching observation and follow-up conversation. The departmental mentor will also communicate feedback on a candidate’s teaching in the third-year review colleague letter or--if not tenured--directly to the chair. At any point after the first year, the candidate, in consultation with the chair or Provost, may decide to change the departmental mentor if desired. Candidates are, of course, free to coordinate peer observations with departmental faculty in addition to their peer mentor, as they wish.

An extra-departmental peer mentor shall be added for formative support for junior faculty. A mentor from outside the department will be chosen by the candidate by the conclusion of the third year. The mentor will conduct at least one observation per year during years 4 and 5 and provide to the candidate a written summary of the teaching observation and follow-up conversation. Any feedback provided will not be shared with the chair or T&P unless the candidate chooses to do so. The candidate may decide to change the extra-departmental peer mentor at any point, if desired. Consultation with the chair on the selection of this mentor is recommended but not required. In addition, the candidate may or may not decide to ask this peer mentor to be one of the three extra-departmental colleagues to write a letter for the tenure review. If the mentor is asked by the candidate to write for the candidate’s tenure review, the mentor may use the previous observation and feedback to inform the letter submitted as part of the candidate’s tenure review.

Chairs observe junior faculty annually throughout the review period. This table summarizes expectations for routinely involving additional faculty as detailed in the two preceding paragraphs.

Peer Mentor

Year	Mentorship
Year 1	Departmental Peer Mentor observes and shares feedback with junior faculty member and chair
Year 2	Departmental Peer Mentor observes and shares feedback with junior faculty member and chair
Year 3	Departmental colleagues contribute review letters (tenured) or feedback to chair
Year 4	Extra-departmental Peer Mentor observes and provides feedback to junior faculty member
Year 5	Extra-departmental Peer Mentor observes and provides feedback to junior faculty member
Year 6	Departmental colleagues contribute review letters (tenured) or feedback to chair

vi. Annual Review Dossier Checklist
(Approved by the Faculty – May 2006; Amended by the Faculty - December 2012, October 2013, May 2016, April 2019)

Materials to be provided by the candidate:

• Second, and Fourth-Year review candidates:
  • A cover letter, no more than two pages in length, describing their 1) areas of challenge and growth in the four primary areas of evaluation—teaching, scholarship, college service, and integrity and professional ethics—since arriving at the College or since the candidate’s last review, and 2) professional development goals and strategies for the coming year. Candidates are only expected to address criteria for integrity and professional ethics in their cover letter when concerns are brought forward by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion or the candidate’s department chair.
• Third-Year review candidates:
  • A substantive self-evaluation describing areas of challenge and growth in the four primary areas of evaluation – teaching, scholarship, college service and integrity and professional ethics – during their time on the tenure-track at Washington College. The self-evaluation should be limited to 6-8 pages in length. In the self-evaluation, candidates are advised to go beyond the facts of their records to articulate their pedagogical and scholarly goals, the outcome of their efforts to meet these goals, and their plans for further development. In addition, candidates are advised to address any concerns raised by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion in previous reviews and outcomes of efforts to address those concerns. The candidate should also articulate a plan for continued professional growth as a teacher-scholar. Candidates are only expected to address criteria for integrity and professional ethics in their self-evaluation when concerns are brought forward by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion or the candidate’s department chair.
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Copies of publications (to be returned)
  • Evidence of scholarly activities other than publications
  • Copies of syllabi and any other significant materials directly related to teaching

vii. Guidelines for the review of faculty members with joint appointments

Joint appointment between a department and a program. Faculty with joint appointments will include a letter from the Program Director in all annual reviews. They will include the following additional materials in third-year-review, tenure-review and promotion-review dossiers:

• Letter from the Program Director discussing the candidate’s contribution to the program (provided by the Program Director).

• Letters from the Program Director for previous years (not to exceed six) (obtained by the Provost and Dean of the College).

A copy of the Program Director’s letter shall be forwarded to the candidate’s department chair at least one week in advance of the date by which the department chair’s letter is due to the Provost and Dean of the College.

Joint appointment between two departments. For faculty with joint appointments in two departments, the Provost and Dean of the College will designate one department as the primary department of appointment and one department as the secondary department. The chair of the primary department shall function as the chair in formative, tenure and promotion reviews. The chair of the secondary department shall provide the same supporting material that Program Directors are required to provide in annual reviews, third-year review, tenure review and promotion review dossiers. Designation of primary and secondary departments should be made in the initial letter of appointment, but can be designated in a subsequent letter, if necessary.

viii. Third-Year Review

For individuals appointed to continuing faculty positions in the tenure stream, a comprehensive review of their performance is undertaken in the third year. The third-year review is based on the quality of the individual's teaching, scholarly promise in addition to the Ph.D. dissertation, and service to the College (see dossier checklist). The third-year review is meant to ensure that individuals who pass this stage are of sufficient quality that continued appointment up to the tenure decision is warranted. It should be clear to all candidates that a positive decision at the third-year review stage does not have any necessary implications for an eventual decision on tenure, which is made in the candidate's sixth year.

This statement governing tenure and notification of non-reappointment does not apply to faculty members on part-time or limited term appointments (e.g. lecturers, visiting professors, adjunct professors). Conditions of employment of these positions will be set out in each case in the letter of appointment.

3. Faculty Appointment and Tenure Appeal Procedure:

The appeals procedure is designed for use in those situations that cannot be resolved through a less formal process. A faculty member with concerns about re-appointment, tenure or promotion is encouraged to discuss those concerns with the department chair or the Provost and Dean of the College, and those officers will make every effort to address the faculty member's concerns.

The appeals process exists to assure fair treatment of the individual within the context of Washington College. The exercise of the right to appeal will not have repercussions to the faculty member. The appeals process is not a substitute for formal legal proceedings, and the burden of proof in an appeal rests with the appellant.

All parties involved in an appeal will make a good faith effort to meet the deadlines below, which will be extended only for compelling reasons.

1. In the event of a negative decision by the President regarding recommendation for re-appointment, tenure, or promotion, the President or Provost and Dean of the College will promptly notify the faculty member in writing of the decision, and the reasons for the negative recommendation.
2. Within 10 working days of receiving such notification, the faculty member may request a meeting with the Provost and Dean of the College or President to discuss in detail the reasons for the decision. The Provost and Dean of the College or President will meet with the faculty member within 10 working days of the request.
3. The faculty member may at this point appeal the decision on one or more of the following grounds:
   1. Violation of academic freedom.
   2. Discrimination, including but not limited to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, age, marital status or national origin.
   3. Violation of College procedures as described in the Faculty Handbook.
   4. The omission, through no fault of the candidate, of substantive information from the dossier considered by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.
   5. Alleged inclusion of biased, distorted, or false representations of a substantial kind in the dossier considered by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.
      
      A written appeal, including supporting materials, must be lodged with the President within 10 working days of the meeting between the faculty member and the Provost and Dean of the College or President. The written appeal must clearly state the grounds of the appeal (from among i-v above).
      
      Note: Significant changes in the candidate's credentials shall not constitute grounds for convening the Appeals Committee. However, a candidate who receives such new information from sources outside the College after the original dossier has been compiled may bring the information to the attention of the Provost and Dean of the College, and the President may review their decision in consultation with the members of the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion who originally considered the case.
4. Having received an appeal on grounds listed in c.i through c.v above, the President may choose to reconsider the case on the basis of the written appeal, in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.
5. The appellant will be notified, within 10 working days of submitting the appeal, of the President's decision.
6. If the above steps have not resolved the matter to the faculty member's satisfaction, the faculty member may choose to send the appeal forward to the Appeals Committee. The faculty member shall, within 5 working days, so notify the Provost and Dean of the College, who shall promptly inform the members of the Appeals Committee and forward to them the written appeal and all relevant documents.
7. The appellant shall be entitled to a meeting with the Appeals Committee.
8. The Dean and the appellant's department chair shall also be entitled to meetings with the Appeals Committee. In addition, the Appeals Committee may choose to interview other persons in connection with the appeal and shall have access to all files they consider to be pertinent, except as set forth below.
9. If the Appeals Committee feels it is entitled to materials that the Administration does not believe are appropriate, then these issues should be resolved by a legal expert selected by the Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Board. This expert shall make a decision after consultation with the Provost and Dean of the College and the Chair of the Appeals Committee.
10. The Appeals Committee shall send copies of its finding to the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion who originally considered the case and to the Appellant, if possible within twenty working days of receiving the case. If a decision cannot be made within the twenty-day limit, the Appellant, the President, and the Provost and Dean of the College shall be notified of the extenuating circumstances in writing by the Committee's Chair. The Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall review the findings of the Appeals Committee, and may choose to reconsider its original recommendation. The President will then make the final decision and inform the Appellant of this decision within five working days of receiving the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. In the event of a negative decision, the appellant may request a written statement of the reasons for the new decision, and such a statement shall be supplied by the President of the College.

Appendix

Assistant Professors who earn tenure will typically be promoted to Associate Professor at the time that tenure is awarded, based on the criteria set forth in the Faculty Handbook. However, the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion may, in some cases, recommend the awarding of tenure without concurrent promotion. Faculty whose appointment began before 2007 may choose to have tenure and promotion considered separately or concurrently.

Tenure Dossier Checklist

(Approved by the Faculty – May 2006; Amended by the Faculty - December 2012, November 2014, May 2016, April 2019)

Materials to be provided by the candidate:

• A substantive self-evaluation describing areas of challenge and growth in the four primary areas of evaluation – teaching, scholarship, college service, and integrity and professional ethics – during their time on the tenure-track at Washington College. In the self-evaluation, candidates are advised to go beyond the facts of their records to articulate their pedagogical and scholarly goals, the outcome of their efforts to meet these goals, and their plans for further development. In addition, candidates are advised to address any concerns raised by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion in previous reviews and outcomes of efforts to address those concerns. The candidate should also articulate a plan for continued professional growth as a teacher-scholar. Candidates are only expected to address criteria for integrity and professional ethics in their self-evaluation when concerns are brought forward by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and promotion or the candidate’s department chair.
• Current curriculum vitae
• Copies of publications (to be returned)
• Evidence of scholarly activities other than publications
• Copies of syllabi and any other significant materials directly related to teaching
• Letters from three Washington College non-departmental colleagues who can attest to the candidate's teaching, scholarship or service, solicited by the candidate, and sent directly to the Provost (confidential). Note: A single retired member of the Washington College faculty may serve in this capacity if they are within one year of their retirement date
• The candidate has the option to solicit a letter from Washington College retired faculty from the same department if these retired colleagues are within one year of their retirement date. This letter should be sent directly to the Provost (confidential).
• Names of three external reviewers with professional standing in the candidate's field with explanation of professional relationship with the candidate
• Names of up to eight students and recent alumni whose views on the candidate will be solicited by the Provost and Dean of the College

Materials to be provided by the Department Chair (for faculty with joint appointments, see the section above, Guidelines for the Review of Faculty Members with Joint Appointments):

• Letter that reflects the Department's and the Chair's opinion about the candidate's application for tenure or promotion (confidential). Department chairs are encouraged to discuss the candidate’s progress as a teacher-scholar, their plans for developing as a teacher-scholar, and their record of service to the College. The department chair is advised to pay particular attention to any areas of concern raised by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion in previous reviews.
• Names of three external reviewers with professional standing in the candidate's field, chosen in consultation with the other tenured members of the department (with rationale for selection to be provided)
• Names of up to eight students and recent alumni whose views on the candidate will be solicited by the Provost and Dean of the College

Materials to be obtained by the Provost and Dean of the College:

• Letters of evaluation by the Provost and the Dean of the College for previous years.
• Letters of evaluation by the Department Chair for previous years.
• Copies of teaching evaluations since hiring on the tenure track
• Letters solicited from the tenured members of the Department (confidential)
• Three letters solicited from external reviewers as indicated by the candidate and Chair and chosen by the committee, at least one of which must come from the candidate’s list of potential reviewers, and at least one of which must come from the department chair’s list (content of the letters is confidential but names of chosen external reviewers will be shared with the candidate)
• Letters solicited from students and recent alumni as indicated by the candidate and the Chair (confidential)
• Letters from Washington College non-departmental colleagues, requested by the candidate (confidential)
• Letters of evaluation by the Department Chair for previous years

* The President reserves the right to solicit additional information but will only do so in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. The President will share the results of additional solicitation with the full committee.

Student Representation:

In the course of a tenure deliberation and at the discretion of the individual faculty member, two representatives of the Student Advisory Board may make a succinct presentation to the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.

The two SAB representatives shall be a representative of the Department in which the candidate for tenure is teaching and the vice-president of the Student Government Association in their role of chair of the Student Advisory Board.

Student representatives to any meeting of the Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall not be present during further deliberations and voting by the Committee.

To enable students to be appropriately conversant with the dossier of the tenure candidate, a file will be available to them at the Office of the Provost well in advance of the scheduled meeting. That file will consist of the following items:

• Current curriculum vitae
• Statement on teaching, scholarship, service and integrity and professional ethics
• Copies of publications
• Evidence of scholarly activities other than publications
• Copies of syllabi, and any other significant materials directly related to teaching

The students making the presentation shall seek information about the candidate through dialogue with other students and shall preserve the confidentiality of relevant documents and proceedings in which they participate.

The date and time for said meeting will be arrived at in consultation with the student representatives. Since it is essential that the tenure-decision process proceed in an orderly and timely fashion, the presentation must happen at the scheduled time.

The absence of student participation shall not affect the legitimacy of the process.

Third Year Review Dossier Checklist

(Approved by the Faculty – May 2006; Amended by the Faculty - December 2012, May 2016, April 2019)

Materials to be provided by the candidate:

• A substantive self-evaluation describing areas of challenge and growth in the four primary areas of evaluation – teaching, scholarship, college service and integrity and professional ethics – during their time on the tenure-track at Washington College. The self-evaluation should be limited to 6-8 pages in length. In the self-evaluation, candidates are advised to go beyond the facts of their records to articulate their pedagogical and scholarly goals, the outcome of their efforts to meet these goals, and their plans for further development. In addition, candidates are advised to address any concerns raised by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion in previous reviews and outcomes of efforts to address those concerns. The candidate should also articulate a plan for continued professional growth as a teacher-scholar. Candidates are only expected to address criteria for integrity and professional ethics in their self-evaluation when concerns are brought forward by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion or the candidate’s department chair.
• Current curriculum vitae
• Copies of publications (to be returned)
• Evidence of scholarly activities other than publications
• Copies of syllabi and any other significant materials directly related to teaching

Materials to be provided by the Department Chair (for faculty with joint appointments, see p. 82):

Letter that reflects the Department's and the Chair's opinion about the candidate's progress at the College to date (co-signed by the candidate). Department chairs are encouraged to discuss the candidate’s progress as a teacher-scholar, their plans for developing as a teacher-scholar, and their record of service to the College. The department chair is advised to pay particular attention to any areas of concern raised by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion in previous reviews.

Materials to be obtained by the Provost and Dean of the College:

• Copies of teaching evaluations since hiring on the tenure track
• Letters solicited from the tenured members of the Department (confidential)
• Letter of evaluation by the Provost and the Dean of the College for previous years.
• Letters of evaluation by the Department Chair for previous years

Appendix. Elements of an effective self-evaluation

The third-year and tenure review self-evaluation should be a substantive description of the candidate’s areas of challenge and growth in the three primary areas of evaluation—teaching, scholarship, and college service—during their time on the tenure-track at Washington College. In the self-evaluation, the candidate is advised to address any concerns raised by the Advisory Committee on Tenure & Promotion in previous reviews and outcomes of efforts to address those concerns. The candidate should also articulate a plan for continued professional growth as a teacher-scholar. Ideally, the self-evaluation will itself serve as a vehicle for professional growth. Candidates’ self-evaluation statements should be 6-8 pages in length.

1. Teaching section of the self-evaluation: The teaching section of the self-evaluation should be a thorough, concise, thoughtful exploration of a review candidate’s teaching. The candidate should discuss their teaching goals, methods, and measures of successful learning outcomes, with reference to specific examples drawn from one’s courses, SCE mentoring, and other forms of teaching. The candidate should reflect on the developmental trajectory of their teaching experience and aspirations—considering what has gone well, challenges identified and met, and areas where they seek to become more effective.

The candidate should identify any linkages between their teaching and scholarship, as well as the relationship between their classroom teaching and broader departmental, programmatic, and institutional goals.

In the teaching section of their self-evaluation, review candidates may also wish to discuss their approach to advising—particularly in areas that represent an extension of one’s teaching—and any measures they have taken to increase their effectiveness in this area.

2. Scholarly/artistic development section of the self-evaluation: In the scholarly/artistic development section of the self-evaluation, review candidates should discuss their research agenda and its rationale, including current activities and the future trajectory of their research. Review candidates should describe the nature of their work and where it fits in their discipline or field of interest. Candidates should identify outcomes such as peer-reviewed publications, conference papers, workshops, grant proposals, and so on, which they plan to pursue. Candidates should also report any active participation in regional, national, and/or international professional associations.

Tenure-track faculty members are encouraged to consult with colleagues within and beyond their department and professional networks outside of Washington College as to the specifics of what constitutes appropriate venues and professional standards for their discipline. Similarly, tenure-track faculty are encouraged to consult with the Provost as they progress toward the tenure decision to ensure that their expectations of what constitutes a successful scholarly/artistic portfolio are compatible with college-wide expectations.

3. College Service: In their self-evaluation, review candidates should discuss their contributions to the College beyond the classroom and their department, including service on committees, service within departments that benefits the College as a whole, program and curricular development, contributions to all-college events and programs, on-campus public presentations/performances, and service to the Offices of Admissions, College Advancement, and Student Affairs.

In addition to regular committee service, many faculty members serve the College through their advising activities, such as serving as advisor to campus organizations, fraternities and sororities, study abroad and/or off-campus domestic programs, or as faculty mentors to athletic teams. In this case, faculty members under review may include the discussion of such advising activities in the “college service” section of their self-evaluation.

4. Conclusion: If they wish to do so, review candidates may provide a summary and/or concluding statement of the self-evaluation.

4. Criteria for Promotion to Professor at Washington College

(Approved by the Faculty – April 2015)

The following passage appears in the “tenure and promotion section” of this Faculty Handbook, and we believe that the language is useful and instructive in guiding our discussions for promotion to Professor.

“The College seeks to attract, retain, foster, and reward faculty capable of furthering the ideal of a sound liberal education in a residential college community. Each faculty member presents a unique combination of present competencies, past and present contributions, and potential for further growth and service, and each is evaluated individually in light of the needs and expectations of the College for the position that they hold and for the larger life of the college community. The criteria for success are flexible rather than rigid, and the process of evaluation is essentially qualitative rather than quantitative.”

This passage articulates the general qualities the College seeks to advance in the faculty. It also suggests that ours is a community that prides itself on being both demanding in its expectations as well as flexible in how faculty might meet those expectations. Thus, the promotion process will consider the faculty member’s career holistically.

While the rank of Associate Professor is awarded to faculty who are deemed to have the potential to achieve the rank of (full) Professor, promotion to Professor is not automatic, nor is it based on longevity. An Associate Professor at Washington College is awarded tenure in part as recognition of the promise of their future contributions as teacher, scholar, and campus leader. The promotion to Professor signals the fulfillment of that promise. Professors serve as leaders and role models for the campus community. Thus, the rank of Professor recognizes the impact these members of the faculty have had as well as their achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service in the course of their career. It also recognizes the commitment of these individuals for continuing achievement as teachers, scholars, and leaders of the highest rank of Washington College faculty.

It is presumed that the successful candidate for promotion to Professor will have continued to grow as a teacher, scholar, and citizen in the governance of the institution since the granting of tenure. Thus, promotion to Professor at Washington College assumes continued achievement in all three areas. However, as we are a community of teachers whose scholarship supports and enlivens our teaching and not a community of scholars who teach to support our scholarship, successful teaching is our primary goal and thus occupies a singular position at the top of our criteria for promotion, as is the case with the criteria for tenure. Furthermore, while all successful candidates for promotion will demonstrate a record of productive scholarship and meaningful achievements in service to the College, the community recognizes the possibility that the path to Professor might differ among individual faculty members. As such, candidates may opt to give more emphasis to particular achievements in the area of scholarship or in the area of service in their Statement on Teaching, Scholarship, and Service if they believe that one of those areas better represents their rationale for promotion.

The continued growth and achievement required for promotion to Professor is measured against criteria that are fundamentally similar to those used in the tenure review process outlined in this Handbook. Below we describe what is expected of candidates for promotion to Professor in each of the areas of evaluation. Further, in each area, we identify ways a faculty member might cultivate a record of achievement that could be put forward in a dossier for promotion to Professor.

Criteria for Achievement in Teaching: As is the case in the granting of tenure, successful teaching is highly valued at Washington College and is considered the primary criterion for promotion to Professor. Successful teaching engages the intelligence, imagination and curiosity of students, and results in the development of a passion for learning within and beyond the classroom, a depth and breadth of knowledge, and a core of essential skills for productive, meaningful engagement with the world. A successful teacher challenges students and encourages them to produce work of high quality and to think critically and independently. A successful teacher is also well prepared, skillful and respectful, conveys expectations clearly, and provides valuable and timely feedback.

Successful teaching involves continuous reflection on teaching practice and course design. Traditional qualities of excellence in teaching -- from organizing and presenting challenging material effectively, to being available to students and grading and returning their work promptly -- are considered when judging a faculty member's teaching ability. Constant review of course materials is taken into account, as well as the development of new courses or areas of study. Successful teaching will be assessed with the methods used at the granting of tenure: teaching evaluations, the candidate’s Statement on teaching, department chair evaluations, statements from colleagues, and the judgments of students who shall be selected by the Department Chair and the Provost and Dean of the College.

Criteria for Achievement in Scholarship: Productive scholarship is an important consideration but is in no sense a substitute for excellence in teaching or for any other of the criteria herein set forth. Candidates for promotion to Professor must demonstrate continuing achievement in scholarship since the granting of tenure that reflects their involvement and expertise within the life of a discipline. Examples of peer-reviewed scholarship that candidates may consider including in their dossier to demonstrate continued development since tenure include: a book (authored or edited) or series of articles published by a peer-reviewed journal or press; production of works in creative, fine, and performing arts that is peer-reviewed; scholarship which contributes to pedagogical theory or practice and results in publication; grant proposals, patents, development of computer software, or other forms of scholarship that are peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed scholarship is a significant mark of scholarly achievement, and thus constitutes an important element of a promotion dossier. Candidates might also address in their dossier other forms of professional and scholarly activity such as the following: evaluating scholarship in the form of book reviews; serving as a referee for manuscripts or materials by other scholars; providing leadership as an officer for a scholarly organization or as an editor for a publication; developing research activity with students for presentation or publication. This listing of various types of scholarly activity and achievement is not intended to be exhaustive of all that candidates might include in their dossiers. As is the case with the tenure dossier, we expect that candidates for promotion will characterize in their Statement on scholarship how these exhibits demonstrate a pattern of productive scholarly activity and achievement that reflects their involvement within the disciplines of the liberal arts and informs their work as Washington College teacher-scholars.

Criteria for Achievement in Service to the College: Consistent with the importance of co-governance at Washington College, candidates for promotion to full professor should demonstrate active and effective participation in the governance of the institution.

Candidates for promotion to full professor might demonstrate a commitment to serving the college in the following: effective leadership of a department, program, or committee; significant involvement in standing committees, search committees, ad hoc committees, task forces, and other types of ongoing program development; significant contribution to the advising and mentoring of students; advising of student organizations; the writing or reviewing of grant proposals for the institution; recruitment assistance; involvement with extracurricular activities, such as drama, music, and athletics. Also taken into account are contributions to the special programs of the College, such as the Global Research and Writing Seminars; the Writing Program; the Honors Program; and Academic Computing Program; participation in seminars on pedagogy and academic topics; as well as presentations of one's discipline to lay audiences. Once again, this listing is not intended to be exhaustive of all achievements in service.

Criteria for Demonstrating Integrity and Professional Ethics: Candidates for promotion to full professor are expected to demonstrate a high sense of integrity and professional ethics. These qualities include courtesy, openness and respect toward colleagues and students, and engaging in ethical professional behavior. These qualities are assumed of all faculty unless concerns are raised during the review process. Candidates are only expected to formally address these criteria when concerns are brought forward by their department chair or the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion.

Promotion Process: Normally, an Associate Professor is first eligible to be considered for promotion to Professor during the seventh year following promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. However, in the case of a faculty member who has held the rank of Associate Professor prior to the granting of tenure, this individual must serve at least four years as a tenured Associate Professor prior to standing for promotion to the rank of Professor.

Feedback: Continuing feedback is crucial to successful teaching, productive scholarship, and effective participation in the governance of the college. We recommend that Associate Professors seek and receive ongoing feedback regarding their plans for advancement and their progress toward promotion.

Promotion Dossier Checklist

(Approved by the Faculty – May 2006, amended May 2016)

Materials to be provided by the candidate:

• Current curriculum vitae
• Statement on teaching, scholarship, service, and integrity and professional ethics
• Copies of publications (to be returned)
• Evidence of scholarly activities other than publications
• Copies of syllabi and any other significant materials directly related to teaching from the previous six years
• Letters from three Washington College non-departmental colleagues who can attest to the candidate's teaching, scholarship or service, solicited by the candidate, and sent directly to the Provost (confidential). Note: Retired members of the Washington College faculty may serve in this capacity if they are within one year of their retirement date
• The candidate has the option to solicit a letter from Washington College retired faculty from the same department if these retired colleagues are within one year of their retirement date. This letter should be sent directly to the Provost (confidential).
• Names of three external reviewers with professional standing in the candidate's field with explanation of professional relationship to the candidate
• Names of up to eight students and recent alumni whose views on the candidate will be solicited by the Provost and Dean of the College

Materials to be provided by the Department Chair (for faculty with joint appointments, see the section above, Guidelines for the Review of Faculty Members with Joint Appointments)¹:

• Letter that reflects the Department's and the Chair's opinion about the candidate's application for tenure or promotion (confidential)
• Names of three external reviewers with professional standing in the candidate's field, chosen in consultation with the other tenured members of the department (with rationale for selection to be provided)
• Names of up to eight students and recent alumni whose views on the candidate will be solicited by the Provost

Materials to be obtained by the Provost and Dean of the College:

• Copies of teaching evaluations from the previous six years
• Letters solicited from the tenured members of the Department (confidential)
• Three letters solicited from external reviewers as indicated by the candidate and Chair and chosen by the committee, at least one of which must come from the candidate’s list of potential reviewers, and at least one of which must come from the department chair’s list (content of the letters is confidential but names of chosen external reviewers will be shared with the candidate)
• Letters solicited from students and recent alumni as indicated by the candidate and the Chair (confidential)
• Letters from Washington College non-departmental colleagues, requested by the candidate (confidential)
• All letters of evaluation written by the Department Chair during the previous six years

¹

In the case that a candidate for promotion is also chair of the department, the Provost and Dean shall be responsible for the materials that are usually submitted by the Chair: these will be collected in consultation with the other tenured members of the candidate’s department.

Changes to Promotion Criteria:

The above criteria for promotion are intended to clarify the policies that are currently in place by better organizing the guidelines that already exist in our Faculty Handbook. Our practice has, over the years, fluctuated slightly and sometimes significantly around these published guidelines, often elevating the role of scholarly activity relative to the other criteria. We remind our colleagues on the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion that they should be guided by the criteria approved by the faculty and published in this Faculty Handbook. Candidates must know how they are being judged and what expectations are in place, and these expectations must not shift with every new administration, or each time new members are elected to the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. If changes to these approved criteria are deemed necessary, then those proposed changes should be discussed by the faculty and voted into the Faculty Handbook as new policy.

I. Title II: Financial Exigency

Definition: "Financial Exigency" is defined as an imminent financial crisis that threatens the survival of the College and that cannot be alleviated by means less drastic than those authorized under a declaration of financial exigency.

1. The Board of Visitors and Governors may consider the question of whether or not the College is experiencing a bona fide condition of financial exigency. After the Board acts to raise the question, the President within a stated time will send a memorandum to the Faculty Finance Committee stating that the question of financial exigency is being raised, including the financial data that resulted in the decision to raise the question.
When the Faculty Finance Committee concludes its deliberations, it will report its findings to the President, who will forward them with their recommendations to the Board, all within the time required by the Board. After considering the report of the Faculty Finance Committee and the recommendation of the President, the Board will determine if a bona fide condition of financial exigency exists. If so, the Board will issue a formal declaration of financial exigency. At that time, the President will send a memorandum to all Faculty and other teaching staff members and all Administrators, notifying them that the College is in a state of financial exigency, and will include the financial data that resulted in the decision to declare financial exigency. The President will make recommendations to the Board arrived at by the following procedures for consultation with the Faculty.

2. The President, in consultation with the Faculty Finance Committee and other officers of the College, will be responsible for working out within the time required by the Board, in a broad conceptual outline, a Program to Redress Financial Exigency. This program, and all its implementing components, will be devised with the aim of preserving as much as possible the mission of the College with an absolute minimum of disruption to the curriculum and to existing contractual arrangements. All reasonable alternative methods of saving will be explored before recommending a reduction in the curriculum that would involve termination of the appointments of tenured members of the Faculty or cancellation of the contracts of non-tenured members of the Faculty. Prior to submitting the Program to Redress Financial Exigency to the Board, the President shall promptly submit it, along with any dissenting views of the Faculty Finance Committee, to the Faculty Meeting for further comment and discussion. The President shall then promptly submit the President's final version of the plan, along with any dissenting views of the Faculty, to the Board of Visitors and Governors for action.

3. After the Program to Redress Financial Exigency has been approved by the Board, the Faculty component of the Program will be devised by a committee formed expressly for this purpose: the Faculty Review Committee, consisting of the Provost and Dean of the College; the four elected Faculty members of the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion, and the chairs of the Divisions of the Humanities and Fine Arts; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and Social Sciences. In the event that all of the Division chairs are tenured, an additional position on the Faculty Review Committee will be reserved for an untenured faculty member, to be elected at-large from the floor of the Faculty Meeting. In the event that a Division chair is also serving on the Advisory Committee on Tenure, and Promotion, that Division will elect another one of its members to serve on the Faculty Review Committee. The Committee shall elect its chairman.

4. The Faculty Review Committee will recommend methods of achieving the goal of the Faculty Component of the Program, including, if necessary, the number and type of Faculty positions to be terminated. It will consult with individual Faculty and departments affected whenever termination of Faculty positions or reduction or termination of departments or programs is being considered. The Faculty Review Committee, after consultation with the President, is responsible for providing at the Faculty Meeting an opportunity for discussion and revision of its recommendations. After such further discussion and revision as may be necessary, the Faculty Review Committee, within the time prescribed by the Board, will submit its recommendations to the President, who will promptly submit this Faculty Component of the Program to Redress Financial Exigency, along with the President's recommendations, to the Board for action. The Board in its discretion may meet with the Faculty Review Committee if there are substantive disagreements with its recommendations. The Board will provide the Committee with a copy of its final plan.

5. After action on the Faculty Component by the Board, the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion will be responsible for recommending the particular Faculty positions to be terminated, if any. The Committee will pursue all reasonable alternatives to the termination of existing contractual arrangements, such as offers of early retirement, conversions of Faculty positions from full-time to part-time, and options not to fill vacant Faculty positions. In recommending the termination of appointments of particular members of the Faculty, the Committee will be guided by considerations of educational policy and the overall integrity of the academic program. Except where a serious distortion of the curriculum would result, however, the Committee shall be guided by the principle that, first, those with tenure are to be given preference for retention over those without tenure, and that, second, those of higher rank or seniority within rank are to be given preference for retention over those with lesser rank or seniority within rank.

The Committee will report its recommendations promptly to the Faculty Meeting. In the event that the Committee has recommended the termination of Faculty positions, the following procedures will apply:

6.1 Faculty members whose positions have been recommended to be eliminated as a result of financial exigency, as well as Departments whose programs have been recommended either to be reduced or to be terminated, will have the right to a full hearing before an ad hoc Faculty Appeals Committee, provided written request is made within ten days of formal notice of termination or reduction. The ad hoc Appeals Committee will be composed of one member from each of the three academic divisions of the Faculty and two members at- large, all elected from the floor of the Faculty Meeting. At least one place on the Committee will be specified for an untenured member of the Faculty, and none of the members of the Faculty Review Committee will be eligible to serve. The Committee shall elect its chair. Grounds for appeal shall be limited to the validity of the educational judgments that led to the selection of the particular areas of the curriculum for reduction or elimination, the validity of the application of these educational judgments in deciding to terminate the specific positions in question, and violation of the process of decision-making as defined in these Faculty Handbook provisions. The ad hoc Appeals Committee will in each case promptly make a recommendation to the President and the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. The President, in consultation with that Committee, will then decide in each case whether or not to recommend termination to the Board. The President shall inform each faculty member who has appealed, in writing, of the recommendation to be made, and shall also inform in writing all other faculty members whose positions have been recommended for termination. All faculty members so designated within the time prescribed may submit written statements to the Board, with which the final decision to terminate faculty positions rests.

6.2 The College will not create any new faculty positions to take the place of ones terminated as a result of financial exigency except in the circumstance in which a serious distortion of the curriculum would otherwise result.

6.3 The College will make reasonable efforts to place all faculty members whose positions have been terminated as a result of financial exigency in other suitable positions within the College.

6.4 Tenured faculty members whose positions have been terminated as a result of financial exigency, and who during this year have not been placed in other suitable positions within the College, shall be given one full academic year of employment or severance compensation, including all fringe benefits, beyond the academic year in which final notice of termination of appointment is given by the Board. Non-tenured faculty members shall have the same rights of notice or severance compensation, including all fringe benefits, as would have applied in the event of non-renewal of their contracts under normal circumstances.

6.5 If the College reinstates any faculty position terminated as a result of financial exigency within three years of its termination, the College must make a reasonable effort to offer the appointment to the faculty member who occupied it at the time of its termination. The position will be offered to this faculty member at the same rank and with the same seniority and tenure status as had been earned at the time of the termination.

J. Title III: Program Change

Definition: "Program Change" is defined as reduction or termination of an existing curricular program involving faculty appointments (see also the Clarification of Board Intent with Respect to Program Change, above). 

1.1 In cases where a position is being vacated by attrition, and a question has been raised about the need to continue such position, the following review procedure will be followed: The affected department or program will make a presentation to the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion augmented for this purpose by the addition of the chairs of the Divisions of the Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences. This Committee will make a recommendation to the President.

1.2 A Program Change Committee, on the recommendation of the President; the Provost and Dean of the College; the Curriculum Committee; the Planning Committee; the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion; or the Faculty may formally raise the question of program change. This Program Change Committee, to be convened promptly for this purpose only, shall consist of the Provost and Dean of the College, the chairs of the three academic divisions, and the four elected faculty members of the Planning Committee. It shall be chaired by the Provost and Dean of the College. (In the event that all seven faculty members of this committee are tenured, one additional, untenured member shall be elected at-large by the Faculty Meeting.) A memorandum stating that the question of program change is being raised and the educational considerations that resulted in the decision to raise the question will be sent by the Provost and Dean of the College to all Faculty and other teaching staff.

The Program Change Committee will prepare a Plan for Program Change based exclusively on long-range educational judgments about the desirability and feasibility of proposed modifications in academic program and staffing, and with specific reference to any comprehensive written plans for curricular development and staffing needs currently in force, and to other approved official statements of the College mission. The Committee will determine how many faculty positions, if any, and what types of Faculty positions, if any, must be terminated in the interest of program change. Before recommending the terminations of faculty positions, the Program Change Committee will consider all reasonable alternative methods of achieving program change, such as possible conversions of faculty positions from serving current programs to serving future programs. The Committee will consult on the merits of the proposed program change with the individual Faculty and with the departments affected, and with the President, and will then promptly report its Plan to the Faculty Meeting for discussion, revision, and a vote. After adoption by the Faculty Meeting, the Plan for Program Change will be reported to the President, who will submit it promptly to the Board of Visitors and Governors, with the President's recommendations.

2. Immediately after action by the Board, if the termination of faculty positions is mandated, the Plan for Program Change will be sent by the President to the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. This Committee will be responsible for recommending the particular faculty positions to be terminated. In recommending the termination of the appointments of particular members of the Faculty, the Committee will be guided by considerations of educational policy and the overall integrity of the academic program. Except where it would be inconsistent with the Plan for Program Change, however, the Committee shall be guided by the principle that, first, those with tenure are to be given preference for retention over those without tenure, and that, second, those of higher rank or seniority within rank are to be given preference for retention over those with lesser rank or seniority within rank.

3. The Committee will seek all reasonable alternatives to the termination of existing contractual arrangements, such as offers of early retirement, conversions of faculty positions from full-time to part-time, and options not to fill vacant faculty positions. The Committee will report its recommendations promptly to the Faculty Meeting. In the event that the Committee has recommended the termination of Faculty positions, the following procedures will apply:

4.1 Faculty members whose appointments have been recommended to be terminated as a result of program change, as well as departments whose programs have been recommended either to be reduced or to be terminated, will have the right to a full hearing before an ad hoc Faculty Appeals Committee, provided written request is made within ten days of formal notice of termination or reduction. The ad hoc Appeals Committee will be composed of one member from each of the three academic divisions of the Faculty and two members at-large, all elected from the floor of the Faculty Meeting. At least one place on the Committee will be specified for an untenured member of the Faculty, and none of the members of the Program Change Committee or the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion will be eligible to serve. The Committee shall elect its chair. Grounds for appeal shall be limited to the validity of the long-term projections of the College's future mission that led to the decision to institute program change, the validity of the judgment that led to the selection of the particular faculty positions in question to be terminated in the interest of program change, and violation of the process of decision-making as defined in these Faculty Handbook provisions. The ad hoc Appeals Committee will in each case promptly make a recommendation to the President and the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion. The President, in consultation with that Committee, will then decide in each case whether or not to recommend termination to the Board. The President shall inform each faculty member who has appealed, in writing, of the recommendation to be made, and shall also inform in writing all other faculty members whose positions will be recommended for termination. All Faculty members so designated may submit written statements within the time prescribed to the Board, with which the final decision to terminate faculty positions rests.

4.2 The College will make reasonable efforts to place any faculty member whose position has been terminated as a result of program change in another suitable position within the College. If a reasonable period of retraining of the tenured faculty member will facilitate their placement in another suitable position, a reasonable amount of financial and other support for such retraining will be provided by the College, but the obligation of the College shall not exceed the costs of one academic year of retraining plus full compensation and fringe benefits for that period. At its discretion, the College may also offer retraining support to untenured members of the Faculty.

4.3 Faculty members whose positions have been terminated as a result of program change, and who have not been placed in another suitable position within the College, shall be given one full academic year of employment or severance compensation, including all fringe benefits, beyond the academic year in which final notice of termination of appointment is given by the Board.

4.4 If the College reinstates a faculty position terminated as a result of program change within five years of its termination, the College must make a reasonable effort to offer this appointment to the faculty member who occupied it at the time of its termination. The position will be offered to this faculty member at the same rank and with the same seniority and tenure status as had been earned at the time of the termination.

Note: The preceding includes the text of the By-Laws of the Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College (Article VII - The Faculty) and Appendix A (Definitions of Tenure, Financial Exigency, and Program Change) and the text of Title I-Academic Tenure, Title II-Financial Exigency, and Title III-Program Change, as repealed and re-enacted with Amendments effective July 1, 1991. Subsequent amendments to Appendix A following adoption by the Board of Visitors and Governors became effective January 1, 1996 and January 1, 1997 published in the Faculty Handbook 1998-99, and effective April 17, 1999 published in the Faculty Handbook 1999-2000.

K. Retirement

There is no mandatory retirement age. Faculty may retire after teaching a full course load or may participate in one of the College’s phased retirement options. Faculty who choose to retire after teaching a full course load must inform the provost and their department chair of their plan to retire by May 1 prior to what would be their last year of teaching a full course load. Meeting this deadline allows the department to prepare a proposal for a replacement faculty member.

Phased Retirement

Phased retirement options are available to tenured faculty who have served at Washington College for at least fifteen years. These options do not preclude the possibility of retiring after a semester teaching a full course/credit load.

There are five phased retirement options, three two-year options and two three-year options, which provide a reduced teaching load each year for a proportional pay reduction. Details of each option are available on the Human Resources web site.

Availability of options may depend on department and college needs.

The salary for each semester is pro-rated based on the number of courses/credits taught. In a semester in which a faculty member teaches two courses/eight credits s/he will earn 70% of the salary per semester that they earned in the last semester of teaching a full course load. In a semester in which a faculty member teaches one course/four credits, s/he will earn 40% of the salary per semester earned in the last semester of teaching a full course load.

Rank

A faculty member who begins a phased retirement at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor is not eligible to apply for promotion to Associate Professor or Professor. All faculty members who retire via phased retirement and meet the other qualifications for the title “Faculty Emeritus” are eligible for that title at the time of retirement regardless of rank.

Availability of Options and Process

A faculty member who wants to begin a phased retirement should notify the Provost and the department chair by May 1 prior to what would be their last year of teaching a full course load. Available phased retirement options will depend in part on the needs of the department(s) or program(s) that rely on the faculty member’s teaching contributions. Other leaves, such as junior leave or sabbatical, already scheduled for members of the same department will be one of the considerations to determine the needs of the department(s) or program(s) to which the faculty member contributes.

The Provost will consult with the department chair about the impact of a faculty member’s phased retirement request on the department’s course offerings and workload and work with the department chair to arrange the transition and replacement of the teaching and departmental workload of the phased retiring faculty member.

In the case of a faculty member whose responsibilities extend beyond their department, such as a program director, or whose teaching contributes significantly to another department or program, the Provost will also consult with the department or program that will also be affected by the phased retirement about the transition.

Hiring of new full-time faculty

The department may propose a tenure-track faculty member to replace the faculty member on phased retirement in the first year of a two-year phased retirement or the second year of a three-year phased retirement. Authorization to hire a tenure-track faculty member is subject to the recommendation of the replacement position by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion and the President’s acceptance of that recommendation.

Expectations of service

Faculty members on a phased retirement are not required to participate in college service such as service on a standing committee or appointed or elected task force, service as the curator of a college program or service on a college-wide search committee.

These faculty members are expected to participate in departmental advising, including SCE advising, with a number of advisees proportional to their teaching load, and to participate in the evaluation of department colleagues for tenure and promotion. They are not required to perform other service for their department but they are welcome to contribute if they so choose and their department chair agrees. They are expected to attend department meetings unless they and their department chair agree otherwise.

Benefits

For the duration of an approved phase-out, the faculty member will remain eligible for participation in the College’s benefits programs (health insurance, retirement plan, etc.).

The faculty member who is phasing out will be able to remain in their office until the retirement date and will continue to have use of College facilities and resources as is the case for full-time faculty.

For eligibility of other benefits, please see section S. Additional Benefits of this handbook. Such benefits may include the Early Retirement Medical Program and benefits for the faculty member’s spouse/children. Details about these additional benefits can be discussed with Human Resources staff.

Documentation

The approved phase-out plan for a faculty member will be documented in a letter from the Provost outlining the mutually agreed-upon option and will be accompanied by the faculty member’s irrevocable letter of retirement including the date on which the faculty member will relinquish tenure.

L. Equal Opportunity And Affirmative Action Plan

1. Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan: Definitions and Purposes
   1. Equal Opportunity
      
      Washington College complies with provisions, as amended, of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1972 Education Amendments. This legislation (most specifically Titles VI and VII of the 1964 Act and Title IX of the 1972 Act) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, and national origin. The College also complies with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992, which gives civil rights protection to disabled individuals. In addition, College policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, age, or marital status.
      
      Consistent with these requirements, Washington College provides equal opportunity to all individuals for faculty appointment, reappointment, tenure, and promotion without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, physical disability, age, marital status, or national origin – except where age or ability constitute bona fide occupational qualifications for employment.
   2. Affirmative Action Plan
      
      Washington College has voluntarily adopted an Affirmative Action Plan whose primary goal is to achieve, over time, a diverse faculty. The College therefore commits itself to go beyond nondiscrimination and equal opportunity, and will engage actively in efforts to achieve such diversity.
      
      The Designated Groups affected by this Affirmative Action Plan are women and minorities who are US citizens or permanent residents, as well as veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities. Minorities are defined as Asians, American Indians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Alaskans, and Native Pacific Islanders.
      
      The Affirmative Action Plan is intended to ensure that:
      1. Applicant pools, with regard to the Designated Groups, are reflective of national availability in the relevant field.
      2. Applicants in the Designated Groups receive full and fair consideration in the appointment process.
      3. The practices and procedures for faculty appointment do not discriminate against individuals from the Designated Groups.
2. Roles and Responsibilities Under the Affirmative Action Plan
   1. Role of the Advisory Committee on Appointments
      
      The Advisory Committee on Appointments shall serve as the Faculty Affirmative Action Committee, and will assist and advise the Provost and Dean of the College. The person elected to the member-at-large position will serve as the Faculty Affirmative Action Officer.
      
      The Advisory Committee on Appointments shall:
      1. Review state and federal laws pertaining to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action, and be aware of information from job announcement services and applicant listings relevant to the Designated Groups.
      2. Review practices and procedures for faculty appointment as published in the document Washington College Faculty Recruitment Guidelines to ensure that they do not discriminate against individuals from the Designated Groups.
      3. Evaluate effectiveness of the Affirmative Action Plan with respect to institutional performance in hiring faculty from the Designated Groups.
      4. Recommend to the Faculty any necessary changes in the Affirmative Action Plan, and in College policies and procedures relevant to Affirmative Action.
         
         Receive from the Office of Institutional Research current national data on the availability of persons from the Designated Groups in candidate pools.
   2. Role of the Faculty Affirmative Action Officer
      
      The Faculty Affirmative Action Officer shall:
      1. Serve as the liaison between the Office of Institutional Research and the Advisory Committee on Appointments.
      2. During a search, assist the academic department and the Provost and Dean of the College in advancing affirmative action by providing the Department Chair with availability data in the respective field.
      3. During a search, develops with the Department Chair and the Provost and Dean of the College a strategy that aims to bring to campus at least one candidate from the Designated Groups.
      4. Promote community awareness of the Affirmative Action Plan, and identify and report problems to the Advisory Committee on Appointments as they arise.
      5. Prepare and present, with the aid of the Advisory Committee on Appointments, an annual report to the Faculty and the President and to the Chairman of the Board of Visitors and Governors for distribution to members of the Board. The annual report shall be submitted no later than September 1. This report will provide an evaluation of the College's recruitment and hiring activities in the area of Affirmative Action in the previous year.
   3. Roles of the President and the Provost and Dean of the College
      
      The ultimate responsibility for the Affirmative Action Plan rests with the President of the College. As the President's designee for oversight of faculty appointments, the Provost and Dean of the College has responsibility for the general administration of the plan.
      
      Prior to the initiation of a search, the Provost and Dean of the College, as administrator of the Affirmative Action Plan, shall:
      1. Provide departments with the College's search and interview procedures that are published in the document Washington College Faculty Recruitment Guidelines. These procedures will convey to all parties involved in the hiring process the means of assuring broad applicant pools and upholding the spirit of Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination, and Affirmative Action.
      2. With the Faculty Affirmative Action Officer, review availability data and goals for faculty hiring with the Department Chair.
      3. Ensure that all searches for full-time faculty positions of more than one year are full national searches and that, if time restrictions force an abbreviated search, the individual who is hired temporarily be given no special standing in the subsequent full national search.
         
         During the search, the Provost and Dean of the College shall:
   • Receive a Search Report from the Department Chair and review it with the Department Chair and the Affirmative Action Officer. The report shall identify the Department's desired candidates for on-campus interviews. The report shall also list applicants who are regarded by the Department as fully qualified for the job. Within the limits of the information available in the dossiers, the Search Report will also identify all applicants from the Designated Groups, and tabulate the total applications and those from the Designated Groups. If it is the consensus of the Department that there are no qualified applicants from the Designated Groups, the Search Chair will include a justification for this decision in the Search Report.
   • In consultation with Advisory Committee on Appointments and the Faculty Affirmative Action Officer, determine whether additions to the projected interview list will be negotiated with the Department Chair.

M. Extra-College Employment

A full-time appointment at Washington College as a faculty member requires extensive commitment of time and energy, not only in teaching and other College matters during the academic year, but also in activities that refresh and enhance professional competence during some of the time when classes are not in session. Nonetheless, it has been traditionally recognized in American higher education that, within limits, supplementary remunerative employment may be compatible with full-time commitment to an institution such as ours. There are some rules-of-thumb about the permissible limits of outside employment (for example, consulting work one day a week; teaching of a single course beyond load each semester), but Washington College finds it best, in view of the great number of variables involved, to deal with the matter on an individual basis. Faculty members, accordingly, should accept or continue outside employment only upon securing the approval of the Provost and Dean of the College.

N. Additional Teaching Beyond the Academic Year

With the approval of the Provost, faculty may teach courses during the summer and winter breaks, such as short-term study abroad programs and on-campus block courses. To ensure that faculty have the time they need to engage in scholarly research and other professional activities, participation in summer and winter-break teaching is voluntary and is not considered part of a faculty member’s regular responsibilities. To preserve the integrity of the academic-year program, participation in summer and winter break programs cannot substitute for a faculty member’s normal teaching responsibilities in the academic year.

O. Attendance at Academic Occasions

In accordance with the By-Laws of the College, the Faculty's attendance in academic regalia is required at various formal convocations each year (Fall Convocation, George Washington's Birthday Convocation, Commencement, etc.) and at such other occasions as the President may designate.

P. Academic Freedom

The Visitors and Governors of Washington College endorse the 1940 statement on academic freedom of the American Association of University Professors. This statement is as follows:

1. The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research [or employment outside of the College] for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.
2. The teacher is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing the subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter, which has no relation to their subject. Limitations of academic freedom because of religious or other aims of the institution should be clearly stated in writing at the time of the appointment.
3. The college or university teacher is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When they speak or write as a citizen, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a learned person and an educational officer, they should remember that the public might judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence, they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinion of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not an institutional spokesperson.

Q. Professional Societies and Attendance Allowances

Faculty members are encouraged to take part in the activities of professional societies related to their respective fields of work. Institutional membership is maintained by the College in a number of educational and professional organizations. Membership and active participation in professional societies promote the professional growth of the faculty member.

A faculty member attending a professional meeting or traveling in the interest of the College may have their expenses paid in full or in part by the College upon recommendation of the Provost and Dean of the College according to the following terms:

Invitations for applications for allowances will be issued by the Provost and Dean of the College. For all requests submitted outside of the set deadlines, allocation of funds is at the discretion of the Provost and Dean of the College. Please use request forms provided by the Office of the Provost.

No funds will be issued prior to attendance except on the approval of the Provost and Dean of the College. All statements of expenses must be submitted through the Provost and Dean of the College to the Business Office accompanied by receipts, bills, etc. before payments will be issued.

R. Faculty Enhancement Funds

Tenure-line faculty members, professional librarians, and full-time visiting faculty on multi-year appointments may submit requests to the Provost and Dean of the College for Faculty Enhancement Funds, to defray out-of-pocket expenses for specific scholarly projects, such as research and writing for the purpose of presentation, publication, performance or exhibition. These funds include Curricular Innovation Awards, which support research and the gathering of materials for the development of new courses or the significant revision of existing courses. Lecturers and Adjunct Professors whose instructional load is at least 1/2 the normal load spread through the academic year and who have served without interruption at this level for five years are eligible to apply for Faculty Enhancement Funds.

Funds are specifically available for:

• Acquisition of equipment and supplies that are needed for research but are not normally available through the academic department
• Funds to pay for training programs or materials, such as courses, manuals, software and/or hardware training or other training in techniques relevant to the project
• Travel to libraries, archives, and other sources of research material
• Travel to conferences directly related to the project being pursued. (Travel to conferences that received support from the Dean’s Travel Fund should not be resubmitted for funding from Faculty Enhancement.)

Faculty Enhancement Funds are not awarded for expenses that have already been incurred.

Proposals should contain the following information:

• A description of the project
• Specific goals and expected outcome(s) of the project, including a timeline for completion of the project
• Relationship of the project to research and/or teaching interests and plans
• Benefit to the institution
• Detailed itemized budget, lodging and meals expenses, if any, based on the U.S federal per diem for that location
• Description and outcomes of any previous projects funded by faculty enhancement grants

The process of awarding grants is normally competitive. Decisions are made by the Service and Scholarship Committee and the Provost and Dean of the College, on the basis of the following criteria:

• Benefit of the project to the individual as teacher and scholar
• Benefit to the institution
• Feasibility of the project
• Outcome of the project (publication, new courses, presentation, exhibition, performance etc.)
• Effort at securing funding from other sources
• Amount, timing, and results of other faculty enhancement awards to the applicant

The annual award is normally capped at $3,000 (up to $4,000 for international travel and longer projects). A faculty member requesting funds in excess of this cap should also apply for support to at least one source of funding external to the College.

Special Faculty Enhancement Awards

Research Reassigned Time Awards: These awards cover the hiring of an adjunct to allow for one course release, plus money for expenses related to the project. Three awards per year – one from each division – are available. 

• Each $6,000 award consists of $4,000 to pay for an adjunct and $2,000 for expenses (materials, equipment, books, travel, hiring of student assistants).
• Preference is given to submissions from faculty who have not received a Reassigned Time Award in the previous two years.
• All submissions must include a letter of support from the Department Chair.
• Awardees agree to offer a presentation of their research to their colleagues at a yearly event sponsored by the Dean’s Office.

Curricular Innovation Awards: These awards provide a stipend and cover expenses related to the development of new courses or the significant revision of existing courses. Four awards per year are available.

• The total amount of a Curricular Innovation Award is $2,500. The awardee may decide how much of that amount to use as a stipend and how much to use to cover approved expenses (books, electronic media, and other materials).
• Preference is given to submissions from faculty who have not received a Curricular Innovation Award in the previous two years.
• All submissions must include a letter of support from the Department Chair.
• Awardees agree to offer the new or revised course at least three times, and to present a summary of their curricular innovations in a session organized by the Center for Teaching and Learning.
• All Faculty Enhancement Proposals should be submitted electronically to the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College, using the application form available on the website for the Office of the Provost and Dean. The deadlines for submission of requests are September 13 for projects to be pursued during the academic year and February 14 for projects to be pursued over the summer or the following Fall semester.
• Faculty may apply for funding for more than one project in the same round, not to exceed the $3000/$4000 annual limit, by submitting a separate application for each project. Faculty may also apply for funds in both rounds in the same academic year.
• Occasionally faculty receive on short notice an opportunity that will contribute to or extend the impact of their research but will have to be accepted and completed before the faculty member can apply for Faculty Enhancement Funds. In this case, the faculty member should consult with the Provost about the availability of other funds.

S. Research

1. It is the policy of the College administration to encourage creative research by members of the Faculty in the belief that research stimulates the scholar's imagination and keeps them abreast of developments in their field. The College fully recognizes that sound scholarly study broadens and deepens the competence of its faculty members in their respective fields, whether or not such study is directed toward publication.
2. Any unusual expenses of a research project, which will be beneficial to the teacher and indirectly to the institution, should be included in the department's annual budget proposal.
3. When the Federal government sponsors a research project on the campus, it includes a percentage for the use of facilities and equipment. When a private corporation enters into an arrangement of a similar sort with any member of the Washington College faculty, staff, or student body, which entails the utilization of our facilities, the administration of the College must be a party to whatever agreement is reached. The Business Office should be informed by written memorandum of any privately sponsored study or research, involving College facilities, with full information about the extent of such utilization.
4. A large number of fellowships and grants are available each year from government and private sources. Information and application forms may often be obtained from the Provost and Dean of the College.

T. Sabbaticals and Faculty Leave

The basic purpose of a faculty leave program is to strengthen the College intellectually. We seek, as teachers of the liberal arts, scholar-humanists who are continually striving toward the expansion of their intellectual horizons and the fulfillment of whatever creative potential they may have. For such teachers, the privilege of exceptional freedom from teaching responsibilities is often a very real necessity. By providing for occasional release from ordinary duties, the College encourages members of the faculty to increase their professional competence.

Leave will be considered for such reasons as completion of graduate degrees, research, creative intellectual activity, planned travel relative to the applicant's academic function, and such other reasons as may be deemed appropriate. Insofar as possible, an application should clearly indicate the benefits which may be expected, both to the individual and to the College, should leave be granted. The following provisions shall govern the leave program:

1. To be eligible for compensated leave, a faculty member shall have served at least five years as a full-time member of the Washington College Faculty and shall hold permanent tenure.
2. Leave as herein understood will be granted to a faculty member on the basis of one semester at full salary, or one year at half salary. Salary as used in this context is limited to compensation received as a full-time teaching member of a regular academic department and is not to include stipends received for conducting extra-curricular activities.
3. Requests for leave shall be submitted to the Provost and Dean of the College by the fourth Friday in September of the academic year preceding the one for which leave is desired. The President will consult with the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion before reaching decision on leave requests.
4. Activities for which compensation is provided by an agency other than Washington College shall render a faculty member ineligible for a concurrent faculty leave grant, unless in the opinion of the reviewing body of the College additional compensation is warranted.
5. Requests for leave must be accompanied by a clearly detailed statement of the reasons therefore, together with supporting data where necessary.
6. Ordinarily, not more than three faculty members shall be on leave at one time, and not more than one member of any department. Final decision on any request for leave will be contingent upon the availability of a suitable replacement for the period of the intended absence.
7. Promotion and salary increases for a tenured faculty member on leave shall be handled precisely as though they were regularly serving on the full-time teaching staff.
8. Following the termination of such leave, the faculty member shall provide a succinct written report to the Dean of the College concerning their scholarly activities while on leave and the benefits derived there from in relation to the general purposes of this program.

U. Christian A. Johnson Fellowship Junior Faculty Leave Program

Washington College offers each year on a competitive basis a Christian A. Johnson Fellowship to an untenured, full-time member of the Faculty. The Johnson Fellowship is designed to provide junior faculty in the tenure stream with the opportunity to engage in full-time scholarly activity for one semester at their normal salary, but it also permits recipients to arrange a three-course load reduction over two semesters if such a schedule facilitates the proposed research and the department chair approves. Candidates shall have successfully passed the third-year review (where applicable), or have served at least three years in their probationary period. In other words, leaves will normally be taken during the fourth or fifth year of an individual's credited time, at least two years of which must have been at Washington College. Time spent on a Junior Faculty Leave will count in the probationary period for tenure. There is an expectation that individuals selected as Johnson Fellows will return for at least a year of continued full-time teaching at Washington College, and will submit a written report of their accomplishments at the conclusion of the leave.

The Johnson Junior Faculty Leave Program is administered by the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College. The timetable for the submission of proposals is available on SharePoint in the “Provost Faculty Resources” folder located here. Applications will be evaluated by the Advisory Committee on Tenure and Promotion, which will make its recommendations to the President. Candidates should provide a curriculum vitae and describe the research and/or writing to be carried out, the methods to be applied, the location of the research, and the applicability, if any, of the project to undergraduate teaching and/or course development. Each application must include a statement by the candidate's department chair indicating approval of the proposed leave and its timing. Departments of successful applicants will receive funds to staff the courses that would have been taught by the faculty member's granted leave, if such replacement staff is needed.

V. Faculty Administrative Assistants

Faculty administrative assistants are assigned to assist faculty. Faculty will be assigned a faculty administrative assistant by the Office of the Provost. Overload will be shared among the faculty administrative assistants as needed. The following guidelines are provided for working with faculty administrative assistants:

1. The faculty administrative assistants will give first priority to faculty work relating directly to teaching; course syllabi, examinations, letters of recommendation, and other work related to courses and to student needs. They will be available, however, to assist faculty with all college-related work, including research, faculty searches, committee work, and other administrative tasks.
   
   Forty-eight hours' notice on this work should be given to the faculty administrative assistants. It is understood that the faculty administrative assistants will try to finish work given with less notice, but completion cannot be guaranteed with less than 48 hours' notice. Written instructions should accompany the work given to the faculty administrative assistant, using an instruction sheet available from the faculty administrative assistant.
2. Faculty administrative assistant overtime shall be pre-approved through the Office of the Provost. It is expected that, by sharing the workload, the needed tasks can be performed by the faculty administrative assistants during the regular workday.
3. If the workload exceeds the time capabilities of one faculty administrative assistant, that faculty administrative assistant should contact the other administrative assistants to see if time is available. If none of the other faculty administrative assistants is able to complete the task, and if the assignment was made within the prescribed time limits, overtime will be authorized.
4. Faculty administrative assistants typically work from 8:30AM to 4:30PM daily, Monday through Friday, and are to post their lunch hours and any other times that they will be out of their offices; some have other daily schedules, such that you should check with your specific administrative assistant to understand when they will be in the office. Members of the faculty should be judicious about requiring tasks of the faculty administrative assistants that take them away from their desks. Comments concerning the work of faculty administrative assistants should be directed to the Provost if they cannot be satisfactorily resolved by the faculty administrative assistant and the faculty member.

W. Statutory Benefits

Statutory Benefits refer to those forms of insurance, which all employers are required by law to provide for their employees. Employees at Washington College, therefore, are covered under all federally and state mandated programs. This includes Social Security and Medicare, unemployment insurance, and worker’s compensation, as well as the Family and Medical Leave Act.

1. Social Security & Medicare: Every Washington College staff and faculty employee is covered by Social Security (FICA) and Medicare. The rates for this coverage are established by law and vary annually. As required by law, both the employee and the College pay a percentage of taxable wages for Social Security and for Medicare:
   
   Social Security benefits include retirement income, disability income, survivor and children's benefits.
   
   Medicare provides primary health insurance for individuals after retirement at age 65.
2. Maryland’s unemployment insurance program provides temporary income to individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own, who are able and available to work, and who are actively seeking work. For more information, contact Human Resources.
3. Workers’ Compensation: In accordance with Maryland law, Washington College, in conjunction with an insurance carrier, provides workers’ compensation benefits for all eligible employees.
   
   If an employee experiences an accident or injury at work, they are required to report the incident to a supervisor immediately. The employee and supervisor are responsible for completing the Report of Injury that must be submitted to Human Resources within 24 hours of the incident.
   
   For additional information, please refer to the Human Resources section on the College’s website, specifically the Workers’ Compensation policy.
4. Family and Medical Leave Act: The Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) provides eligible employees the opportunity to take unpaid, job-protected leave for certain specified reasons. The maximum amount of leave an employee may use is either 12 or 26 weeks within a 12-month period depending on the reasons for the leave.
   
   The most current version of this policy is found on the HR section of the College’s website under “Family and Medical Leave.” Please contact the College’s HR department by phone or by email should you believe you might need this type of leave so that you can receive the forms and support throughout this process.

Employee Eligibility:

To be eligible for FMLA leave, you must:

1. have worked at least 12 months for the College in the preceding seven years (limited exceptions apply to the seven-year requirement);
2. have worked at least 1,250 hours for the College over the preceding 12 months; and
3. currently work at a location where there are at least 50 employees within 75 miles.

Conditions Triggering Leave:

FMLA leave may be taken for the following reasons:

1. birth of a child, or to care for a newly-born child (up to 12 weeks);
2. placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care (up to 12 weeks);
3. to care for an immediate family member (employee’s spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition (up to 12 weeks);
4. because of the employee’s serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee’s job (up to 12 weeks)
5. to care for a Covered Servicemember with a serious injury or illness related to certain types of military service (up to 26 weeks); or,
6. to handle certain qualifying exigencies arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on duty under a call or order to active duty in the Armed Forces (e.g., National Guard or Reserves) in support of a contingency operation (up to 12 weeks).

The maximum amount of leave that may be taken in a 12-month period for all reasons combined is 12 weeks, with one exception. For leave to care for a Covered Servicemember, the maximum combined leave entitlement is 26 weeks, with leaves for all other reasons constituting no more than 12 of those 26 weeks.

FMLA Definitions:

A “Serious Health Condition” is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either an overnight stay in a medical care facility, or continuing treatment by a health care provider for a condition that either prevents the employee from performing the functions of the employee’s job, or prevents the qualified family member from participating in College or other daily activities. Subject to certain conditions, the continuing treatment requirement includes an incapacity of more than three full calendar days and two visits to a health care provider or one visit to a health care provider and a continuing regimen of care; an incapacity caused by pregnancy or prenatal visits, a chronic condition, or permanent or long-term conditions; or absences due to multiple treatments. Other situations may meet the definition of continuing treatment.

A “Covered Servicemember” is a member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness. The term “serious injury or illness” means an injury or illness incurred by the member in the line of duty while on active duty in the Armed Forces that may render the member medically unfit to perform the duties of the member’s office, grade, rank, or rating.

“Qualifying exigencies” include activities such as short-notice deployment, military events, arranging alternative childcare, making financial and legal arrangements related to the deployment, rest and recuperation, counseling, and post-deployment debriefings.

Identifying the 12-Month Period: The College measures the 12-month period in which leave is taken by the “rolling” 12- month method, measured backward from the date of any FMLA leave with one exception. For leave to care for a covered servicemember, the College calculates the 12-month period beginning on the first day the eligible employee takes FMLA leave to care for a covered servicemember and ends 12 months after that date. FMLA leave for the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care must be concluded within 12 months of the birth or placement.

Using Leave: Eligible employees may take FMLA leave in a single block of time, intermittently (in separate blocks of time), or by reducing the normal work schedule when medically necessary for the serious health condition of the employee or immediate family member, or in the case of a covered Servicemember, their injury or illness. Eligible employees may also take intermittent or reduced-scheduled leave for military qualifying exigencies. Intermittent leave is not permitted for birth of a child, to care for a newly-born child, or for placement of a child for adoption or foster care. Employees who require intermittent or reduced-schedule leave must try to schedule their leave so that it will not unduly disrupt the College’s operations.

Use of Accrued Paid Leave: Depending on the purpose of your leave request, you may choose (or the College may require you) to use accrued paid leave (such as sick leave, vacation, or PTO), concurrently with some or all of your FMLA leave. In order to substitute paid leave for FMLA leave, an eligible employee must comply with the College’s normal procedures for the applicable paid-leave policy (e.g., call-in procedures, advance notice, etc.).

Maintenance of Health Benefits: If you and/or your family participate in our group health plan, the College will maintain coverage during your FMLA leave on the same terms as if you had continued to work. If applicable, you must make arrangements to pay your share of health plan premiums while on leave. In some instances, the College may recover premiums it paid to maintain health coverage or other benefits for you and your family. Use of FMLA leave will not result in the loss of any employment benefit that accrued prior to the start of your leave.

Notice and Medical Certification: When seeking FMLA leave, you are required to provide:

1. Sufficient information for the College to determine if the requested leave may qualify for FMLA protection and the anticipated timing and duration of the leave. Sufficient information may include that you are unable to perform job functions, a family member is unable to perform daily activities, the need for hospitalization or continuing treatment by a health care provider, or circumstances supporting the need for military family leave. You must also inform the College if the requested leave is for a reason for which FMLA leave was previously taken or certified.
   
   If the need for leave is foreseeable, this information must be provided 30 days in advance of the anticipated beginning date of the leave. If the need for leave is not foreseeable, this information must be provided as soon as is practicable and in compliance with the College’s normal call-in procedures, absent unusual circumstances.
2. Medical certification supporting the need for leave due to a serious health condition affecting you or an immediate family member within 15 calendar days of the College’s request to provide the certification (additional time may be permitted in some circumstances). If you fail to do so, we may delay the commencement of your leave, withdraw any designation of FMLA leave or deny the leave, in which case your leave of absence would be treated in accordance with our standard leave of absence and attendance policies, subjecting you to discipline up to and including termination. Second or third medical opinions and periodic re-certifications may also be required;
3. Periodic reports as deemed appropriate during the leave regarding your status and intent to return to work; and
4. Medical certification of fitness for duty before returning to work, if the leave was due to your serious health condition. The College will require this certification to address whether you can perform the essential functions of your position.

Failure to comply with the foregoing requirements may result in delay or denial of leave, or disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employer Responsibilities: To the extent required by law, the College will inform employees whether they are eligible under the FMLA. Should an employee be eligible for FMLA leave, the College will provide them with a notice that specifies any additional information required as well as the employee’s rights and responsibilities. If employees are not eligible, the College will provide a reason for the ineligibility. The College will also inform employees if leave will be designated as FMLA-protected and, to the extent possible, note the amount of leave counted against the employee’s leave entitlement. If the College determines that the leave is not FMLA-protected, the College will notify the employee.

Job Restoration: Upon returning from FMLA leave, eligible employees will typically be restored to their original job or to an equivalent job with equivalent pay, benefits, and other employment terms and conditions.

Failure to Return After FMLA Leave: Any employee who fails to return to work as scheduled after FMLA leave or exceeds the 12-week FMLA entitlement (or in the case of military caregiver leave, the 26-week FMLA entitlement), will be subject to the College’s standard leave of absence and attendance policies. This may result in termination if you have no other College-provided leave available to you that applies to your continued absence. Likewise, following the conclusion of your FMLA leave, the College’s obligation to maintain your group health plan benefits ends (subject to any applicable COBRA rights).

Extended Medical Leave: Eligible employees who have exhausted their family and medical leave and all other employees may be allowed to take an extended medical leave of absence, not to exceed twelve (12) months following the last day worked. Employees who take such extended medical leave are not guaranteed to be returned to work or reinstated to a particular job, rate of pay, or shift at the end of their extended medical leave. However, the College will attempt to return an employee to their regular position if it is available. If it is not available at the time reinstatement is sought, the College will attempt to place you in a similar job for which you are qualified, if such job is available. Employees on extended medical leave may maintain their insurance benefits, subject to policy terms and conditions, by paying the applicable COBRA premiums in a timely manner. Employees on extended medical leave do not accrue any additional employee benefits such as paid time off while on extended medical leave.

Other Employment: The College generally prohibits employees from holding other employment. This policy remains in force during all leaves of absence including FMLA leave and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including immediate termination of employment.

Employers’ Compliance with FMLA and Employee’s Enforcement Rights: FMLA makes it unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under FMLA, or discharge or discriminate against any person for opposing any practice made unlawful by FMLA or for involvement in any proceeding under or relating to FMLA.

While the College encourages employees to bring any concerns or complaints about compliance with FMLA to the attention of the Human Resources Department, FMLA regulations require employers to advise employees that they may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor or bring a private lawsuit against an employer.

Further, FMLA does not affect any Federal or State law prohibiting discrimination, or supersede any State or local law or collective bargaining agreement which provides greater family or medical leave rights.

Military Caregiver Leave: Unpaid Military Caregiver Leave allows eligible employees to care for certain family members who have sustained serious injuries or illnesses in the line of duty while on active duty. The family member must be a “covered servicemember,” which means:

1. a current member of the Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves,
2. who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy; is otherwise in outpatient status; or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list,
3. for a serious injury or illness that may render them medically unfit to perform the duties of the member’s office, grade, rank, or rating.

Military Caregiver Leave is not available to care for former members of the Armed Forces or the National Guard or Reserves, or for servicemembers on the permanent disability retired list.

To be eligible for Military Caregiver Leave, the employee must be a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of the covered servicemember and meet all other eligibility standards as set forth within the FMLA Leave policy.

An eligible employee may take up to 26 workweeks of Military Caregiver Leave to care for a covered servicemember in a single 12-month period. Within the single 12-month period, an eligible employee may take a combined total of 26 weeks of FMLA leave including up to 12 weeks of leave for any other FMLA-qualifying reason (i.e., birth or adoption of a child, serious health condition of the employee or close family member, or a qualifying exigency).

Qualifying Exigency Leave: Eligible employees may take unpaid “Qualifying Exigency Leave” to tend to certain “exigencies” arising out of the duty under a call or order to active duty of a “covered military member” (i.e. the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent).

Persons who can be ordered to active duty include retired members of the Regular Armed Forces, certain members of the retired Reserve, and various other Reserve members including the Ready Reserve, the Selected Reserve, the Individual Ready Reserve, the National Guard, state military, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve.

Although Qualifying Exigency Leave is available to an eligible employee whose close family member is called up from status as a retired member of the Regular Armed Forces, it is not available for a close family member on active duty or on call to active duty as a member of the Regular Armed Forces. Also, a call to active duty refers to a federal call to active duty, and state calls to active duty are not covered unless under order of the President of the United States pursuant to certain laws.

Qualifying Exigency Leave is available under the following circumstances: short-notice deployment, military events and related activities, childcare and College activities, financial and legal arrangements, counseling, temporary rest and recuperation, post-deployment activities, mutually agreed leave.

Failure to Return from Leave or to Comply with College Policy: Employees may be subject to immediate termination for:

1. Failure to return to work as scheduled following the end of a leave;
2. Providing false or misleading information or omitting certain information in connection with a leave;
3. Violation of any of the College’s rules and regulations relating to leave; or
4. Violation of any College policy or performance standard.

Effect of Family Leave on Other Benefits

Benefit Accrual Rates: The period of the family and medical leave will not count as service time for the computation of benefits eligibility or earning rates except during the period of paid leave.

Leave Earnings: The employee does not earn vacation leave, personal leave, or sick leave while on family and medical leave except during the period of paid leave.

Retirement Benefit: The employer’s retirement contribution will continue during the period of paid leave. The employee may make arrangements with the College’s Benefits Administrator to make individual contributions (that will not be matched by the College) during the period of unpaid leave.

Health Insurance Benefits: During family and medical leave, an employee’s eligibility to participate in the group health program will be continued. If the leave is unpaid, the employee must make arrangements to pay their share of the premium to the Benefits Administrator by the first of the month.

Life and Disability Insurance: Life and disability insurance normally ends at the end of the month, after the unpaid period of the family and medical leave begins, unless an exception has been granted by the insurance carrier and the employee assumes responsibility for the premium payments.

Insurance Premium Payments: Payments for any month of coverage must be made to the College and received by the Benefits Administrator by the first of the month.

Other Benefits: Check with the Director of Human Resources for the applicability of other benefits.

Unemployment Insurance: The State of Maryland, with federal assistance, has a program that provides temporary benefits to certain eligible former employees.

Eligibility: The State of Maryland establishes the precise eligibility rules for receiving benefits. In general, any former employee of the College may be eligible if the individual is involuntarily terminated from employment and has been employed by a participating employer in five consecutive quarters immediately prior to involuntary separation. It should be noted that employment during five quarters does not need to be entirely with one employer.

Benefits: The State of Maryland establishes the level and duration of benefits as well as the duties of the beneficiary during the benefit period.

Information: Specific information on all aspects of the State of Maryland's Unemployment Insurance Program may be obtained from the local office or website of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. In accordance with Maryland law, Washington College, in conjunction with an insurance carrier, provides workers’ compensation benefits for all eligible employees.

If an employee experiences an accident or injury at work, they are required to report the incident to a supervisor as soon as possible. The supervisor is responsible for documenting a “first report” that must be submitted to Human Resources within 72 hours of the incident. For additional information, please refer to the section on workers’ compensation in this handbook

X. Additional Benefits

All benefits provided by the College are governed by their official policy document and/or plan documents. The following information provides an overview of the benefits. Please refer to the plan or policy documentation for the full details and provision. In the event of a conflict, the insurance contract or plan documents will prevail over other documents.

Please refer to the Benefits section of the Human Resources section of the College’s website for more details: https://www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/human-resources/benefits/index.php

1. Medical Insurance: Washington College offers all regular full-time employees and their dependents medical insurance. Enrollment may be made during the initial orientation period, during the annual “open enrollment period” in November, and at other times of eligibility. All regular full-time employees are required to have medical insurance and must either join a plan offered by the College or show evidence of coverage by another plan. If employees have other medical insurance, they must formally decline Washington College coverage on the appropriate form.

Eligibility:

• Full-time: Full-time regular employees and their dependents are eligible for health insurance. Lecturers and Adjunct Professors who teach 5 courses (20 credits) per year or more are considered “full-time employees” for the purposes of the Affordable Care Act, and they and their dependents are eligible for medical benefits under the Washington College benefits plan.
• Dependent Coverage: Dependents eligible for enrollment include the employee’s legal spouse and may include dependent children who have not attained plan age limits (currently age 26). Dependents are eligible as long as the employee is in the plan. The employee must enroll an eligible dependent in order for them to receive benefits.

It is important to report to Human Resources promptly any:

• Changes in family status such as marriage, divorce, a newborn child, an adoption, a child reaching the maximum age (26) or a child leaving school
• Other qualifying life events if you are considering adding or dropping coverage, which may include spouse/partner’s loss of coverage, spouse/partner’s open enrollment period, spouse/partner’s eligibility for other coverage (e.g. new employment or newly eligible for another group plan)

Effective Date of Coverage

Initial Enrollment: Medical insurance is effective the first day of the month coinciding with or following 30 days after the date of enrollment.

Open Enrollment: Effective date of coverage is January 1, following the open enrollment period in November.

Late Enrollment: Effective date of coverage is the first day of the month, following the acceptance of the application by the insurance.

Benefits: Information for each plan describing the benefits is available from Human Resources and the HR section of the College’s website. Questions that are not addressed in the literature may be directed to Human Resources or the insurance company’s member services department. In the event of a conflict, the insurance contract or plan documents will prevail over other documents.

Because of the nature of health care today, aspects of the College’s plans change from year to year. Human Resources will notify all employees of changes by distributing new information as it becomes available. Each employee should study the new information carefully, in order to have a full understanding of any changes from the previous plan(s).

Cost of Insurance: Washington College and the employee share the cost of Washington College’s health insurance premiums. With the employee’s written authorization, the employee’s portion will be deducted from their paycheck on a pre-tax basis. Premiums and percentages of the contribution assumed by the College are subject to change; the specific premium costs are provided in written (Employee Benefits Booklet) and electronic materials through the College’s Human Resources Office.

2. Dental Insurance and Vision Insurance: Washington College offers dental and/or vision insurance to eligible employees and their dependents. This is a voluntary benefit that can be elected by an employee. An eligible employee may participate in the College’s dental plan and/or vision plan, while selecting to waive participation in the College’s health insurance plan. The College does not require the employee to have dental or vision insurance.

Eligibility, Enrollment and Termination of Coverage/Continuation options mirror the health insurance plan

Benefits: Plan information is available in the Employee Benefits Booklet. In the event of a conflict, the insurance contract or plan document will prevail over other documents.

Cost of Insurance: The employee is responsible for paying the full premium for the voluntary dental and/or vision insurance. With the employee’s written authorization, the premium will be deducted from the employee’s paycheck on a pre-tax basis. Premiums and benefits are subject to change. For current premiums, please see the Employee Benefits Booklet and the Human Resources section of the College’s website.

3. Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a program that helps you pay for health care and dependent care costs using tax free dollars. Each pay period, you decide how much money you would like to contribute to one or both accounts. Your contribution is deducted from your paycheck on a pretax basis and is put into the Health Care FSA, the Dependent Care FSA, or both. When you incur expenses, you can access the funds in your account to pay for eligible health care or dependent care expenses. The limits for how much an employee can defer into these accounts is currently:

Dependent Care Account: Up to $5,000 per calendar year

Health Care Account: Up to $2,600 per calendar year

Health Savings Account (HSA) is similar to a health care FSA but only available to those employees who participate in the high-deductible health plan. The College and the employee can make contributions into this account, per the rules and limits established by the IRS.

Election Forms and Salary Redirection Agreements (which may be online) must be completed during the initial enrollment and often again at the open enrollment period prior to the start of the next calendar year. Enrollment and plan materials for the Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare and Dependent Care) and the Health Savings Accounts are available from Human Resources.

• For FSAs, the participant's election cannot be altered for the calendar year except for certain qualifying changes in family status. Funds contributed to the flexible spending accounts and not used for expenses incurred during the calendar year will be forfeited by the participant 90 days after the end of the calendar year.
• For HSAs, changes can be made at any time and amounts roll-over year after year.

4. Early Retirement Health (Medical, Dental and Vision) Program for Employees and Spouses or Domestic Partners:

The College offers regular full-time employees of Washington College who meet all the conditions listed below the option, upon retirement, to:

1. terminate participation in the Washington College Health Plan;
2. elect COBRA (if eligible); or
3. elect to retain current medical and prescription drug coverage through the Washington College Health Plan on the same terms and conditions as active employees except that the retiree is responsible for 100% of the premiums of the elected plan for themselves and for their spouse or domestic partner, if applicable.

Eligibility: To be eligible to participate in the Early Retirement Medical Program, the employee, at the date of retirement, must

1. be within five (5) years of first being eligible for participation in Medicare;
2. have fifteen (15) full years of continuous service immediately preceding the date of retirement;
3. not be eligible to enroll in Medicare;
4. elect to participate, when first eligible, in the Early Retirement Medical Program under the Washington College Health Plan;
5. be a participant in the Washington College Health Plan immediately prior to retirement; and
6. have at least five (5) full years of participation in the Washington College Health Plan prior to retirement.

An eligible retiree may continue to participate in the Early Retirement Medial Program only until the retiree becomes eligible for participation in Medicare at which time the retiree’s eligibility to remain a member of the Washington College Health Plan ceases.

Please contact the College’s Human Resources Department by phone or by email if you are interested in participating in the College’s Early Retirement Health Insurance Program to receive complete plan details and enrollment and cost information.

5. Parental Leave Policy:

Eligibility: An employee who a) is eligible for family and medical leave under the College's policy; and b) gives birth to a child, or is the father of a newborn (co-resident) child, or adopts a child, is eligible for maternity/paternity leave.

Leave Period: Parental leave provides up to 15 weeks of paid leave at the same rate of pay that would have normally been received during that period. The 15 weeks of paid leave runs concurrently with any leave available to the employee under the Family and Medical Leave Act. If both parents of the child are employees of the College who qualify for this benefit, only one leave will be granted, but the 15 weeks of the maternity/ paternity leave may be divided between two consecutive time periods selected by the parents.

Faculty employees may elect one of three options for the leave:

Beginning at the time of disability, birth or adoption. The total of 15 weeks may be divided between the Fall and Spring semesters.

1. During the semester in which the birth or adoption is expected.
2. During the Fall semester, if the birth occurs in late spring or during the summer, and leave was not taken in the Spring semester. For faculty, the summer weeks are not counted as part of the 15 weeks of leave.
3. Faculty expecting to use parental leave must arrange with the Provost and Dean for duties or assignments during the portions of semesters not covered by their leave, if any.

6. Life, AD&D and Long-Term Disability Insurance:

Washington College provides two programs: 1) group life, accidental death and dismemberment insurance and 2) long-term disability insurance for eligible employees. Election to participate in a program(s) is exercised by completing and signing an enrollment form/process (which may be online). The plan is governed by its plan documents.

Eligibility: Only regular full-time employees are eligible to participate in these plans.

Effective Date of Coverage: Life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and long-term disability are effective the first of the month after the employee becomes eligible, provided the employee is actively at work and has completed and signed the enrollment form. If the employee is not actively at work on the date the insurance would normally start, the insurance will not become effective until the first of the month after the employee is actively at work.

Insurance Provisions:

• Basic Group Life Insurance: The benefit is one and a half times (1.5x) the employee’s base annual salary up to a maximum benefit. For current amounts, please see the Employee Benefits Booklet and the plan documents for the plan.
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance: The benefit is an amount equal to the life benefit for accidental death and specific amounts according to the schedule for other losses.
• Long-Term Disability Insurance: The benefit begins after the 180 consecutive day elimination period of total disability and pays a portion of basic monthly earnings up to a maximum benefit, as dictated by the plan documents. The payment may be reduced by deductible sources of income and disability earnings. Additional information is available from Human Resources.
• Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance: For an additional cost to the employee, an eligible employee can elect to have additional life insurance coverage for themselves, their spouse or their child(ren), per the coverage levels and rates established by the plan document

Cost of Insurance:

Washington College pays the entire cost of the insurance premiums on basic group life insurance, group accidental death and dismemberment insurance and long-term disability insurance. For employees who elect to have supplemental life insurance for themselves, their spouse or their child(ren), the cost for those additional premiums is fully paid by the employee. The cost of life insurance coverage in excel of $50,000 is taxable income and will be included in W-2 wages as required by the Internal Revenue Service.

Claims/Benefit Payments, Beneficiary forms/designation process, and information about termination of coverage are available from Human Resources. Benefits will be paid upon approval of the insurance carrier. Further Plan Details: Information is available from Human Resources. In the event of a conflict, the insurance contract or plan documents will prevail over other documents

7. Retirement Plan:

The College participates in the TIAA retirement program, which is a 403(b) plan. TIAA is an organization that provides retirement and tax-deferred annuity plans for colleges, universities, independent schools, and other non-profit and tax-exempt educational and research institutions and their employees. The retirement program is a defined contribution plan through which the College makes contributions to the employee's account. The employee may also make contributions to the same retirement account on a tax-deferred basis. All contributions are immediately 100% vested. The employee may select from among the investment options offered by TIAA. A supplementary retirement account option is also available for interested employees. A full description of the plan is available from Human Resources.

Eligibility:

• All full-time regular staff and faculty employees are eligible to participate in the plan, per the plan document.
• Part-time regular employees, who work at least 1,000 hours in a prior year, are eligible to participate in the retirement plan effective the start of the subsequent plan year, per the plan document

Enrollment: To enroll in the retirement plan, an eligible employee must complete an application form/process (which may be online) and a salary reduction agreement and submit these to Human Resources. Forms and further information are available in Human Resources. Participation begins with the pay period beginning after the submission of the properly completed enrollment forms.

Contributions:

• Minimum Contribution: The College will make a minimum contribution equal to 3% of the basic bi-weekly earnings for eligible employees who are not making a contribution.
• Matching Contributions: The College will match employee contributions starting at 3% of the employee’s basic bi-weekly earnings up to a maximum of 7.5%.
• Maximum Contributions: Federal tax law limits the amount that an employee may contribute to a retirement plan such as that offered by the College. The limit may be adjusted annually; the maximum employee contribution is available from TIAA through the College’s Benefits department.

Retirement:

Initiation of Benefits: There is no mandatory retirement age. With limited exceptions, an employee may begin receiving benefits at age 59 1/2 without tax penalty if they terminate their employment with the College and is not participating in a TIAA plan with another institution. An employee should notify TIAA at least three months prior to the desired start date for the commencement of benefits.

Benefit Payment Options: Prior to receiving benefits, an employee is required to choose among the various payment plans offered by TIAA. The optional forms of retirement payment may be discussed in full with a TIAA counselor.

Pre-retirement Death/Spousal Benefits: If an employee dies prior to retirement, the full current value of the account accumulation is payable as a death benefit. Federal pension law requires the spousal death benefit regardless of the beneficiary designation in effect when the employee dies. The spouse may waive this benefit if the spouse consents in writing to the designation of a non-spouse beneficiary.

Additional Information: TIAA Retirement Plan Enrollment Kits are available from Human Resources. For a complete menu of services, an employee can visit TIAA’s website at www.tiaa.org. Employees also have the opportunity to meet with TIAA representatives during their scheduled visits to campus.

8. Educational Programs:

The College offers various ways for you and your family members to pursue an undergraduate education. Full details, including eligibility and procedures to take advantage of these benefits, are found on the HR section of the College’s website, under “Educational Programs” or “Tuition programs Policy”.

The College offers:

• Tuition Waiver for Employees
• Tuition Waiver for Spouse, Dependents ad Domestic Partners
• Tuition Exchange for Dependents

9. Employee Assistance Program:

The Employee Assistance Program is designed to improve the health and well-being of employees and their dependents through services including information, evaluation, crisis intervention, short-term counseling and referrals.

You may be struggling with stress at work, seeking financial or legal advice, or coping with the death of a loved one. Maybe you just want to strengthen your relationships with your family. Your EAP offers assistance and support for all these concerns and more:

• Workplace effectiveness
• Management skills
• Communicating effectively
• Managing stress
• Parenting
• Childcare or eldercare
• Overcoming anxiety
• Strengthening personal relationships
• Depression
• Alcohol or drug dependency
• Physical abuse
• Financial planning
• Compulsive gambling
• Legal questions
• Coping with grief and loss

From short-term counseling services and referrals to more extended care, your EAP offers just what you need. For more information about Washington College Employee Assistance Programs, please visit the Employee Assistance Program page.

Y. Weapons Policy

The possession, storage, or use of fireworks, firearms, ammunition, explosives, weapon replicas, or other weapons, including any dangerous article or substance with the potential to injure or discomfort a person, including knives with blades of 3" or longer, is prohibited at any time for any purpose at any place on the campus or other property of Washington College. This regulation may be conditionally waived for temporary periods by the President of Washington College for authorized College Department of Public Safety Officers, for College-sanctioned public fireworks displays presented and supervised by qualified groups and individuals, and for College-sanctioned athletic events supervised by the Athletic Department.

This regulation may also be conditionally waived for temporary periods by the President of Washington College under such conditions as may be prescribed to permit the exhibition and temporary storage on campus of such articles in connection with activities or events approved and sanctioned by the College.

This regulation does not prohibit an individual otherwise subject to its provisions from carrying or possessing chemical mace or similar chemical sprays or propellants on campus property provided that such carrying or possession would not constitute a crime under Maryland criminal law.

Z. Policies on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct

1. Policy Statement on Discrimination

Washington College does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification in the administration of any of its educational programs and activities or with respect to admission and employment.

The designated coordinator to ensure compliance with Title IX of the Educational Act Amendments of 1972 is:

Greg Krikorian
Hodson Hall
Washington College
300 Washington Avenue
Chestertown, Maryland 21620
(410) 778-7752

The designated coordinator to ensure compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is:

Gregory Krikorian and/or Kate Laking
Section 504/ADA Coordinators
Cromwell Hall
Washington College
300 Washington Avenue
Chestertown, Maryland 21620
(410) 778-7752

For additional information and/or to file a complaint contact:

Director of Civil Rights
US Department of Education
Office of Civil Rights
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East, Suite 515
Philadelphia, PA 19107

2. Policy Statement on Harassment

Harassment in any form, whether based on race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification, is unacceptable on the Washington College campus.

For purposes of this policy harassment means unwelcome verbal, written, or physical conduct based on a protected classification (race, color, sex, disability, etc.) that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or education, (including living conditions, extracurricular activities, and social life) creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment, or constituting a threat to an individual’s personal safety.

3. Policy Statements on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct

Policy on Sexual Harassment

Washington College will not tolerate sexual harassment in any form. Sexual harassment includes sexual violence/assault. The goal of this policy is to create a community free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment committed in connection with any College program, whether on or off campus, is prohibited. This applies to academic, educational, extra-curricular, athletic, residential, and other College programs. Sexual harassment may be a violation of state and federal laws as well as a violation of this policy. Individuals who feel they have been sexually harassed may have the right to bring legal action, in addition to making a complaint to the College. Legal action and an internal complaint can be pursued at the same time. Retaliation against an individual who brings a complaint, participates in an investigation of sexual harassment, or pursues legal action is prohibited.

Definition of Sexual Harassment

Federal Law (Title VII of the Civil Rights Law of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972) provides that sexual harassment shall be considered a form of gender discrimination. Maryland Law also prohibits gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of interfering with one’s academic or work performance or social world by creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive, or violent environment.

Examples:

• Action of an individual in a position of institutional power or authority who misuses that position to subject an individual to unwanted sexual attention of either a verbal or physical nature when that conduct is either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of a person’s employment or academic status.
• Demanding sexual favors accompanied by implied or overt threats or promises concerning grades, recommendations, or evaluations.
• Inappropriate sexual conduct that interferes with an individual’s work performance or educational experience by creating an uncomfortable environment. This prohibition applies to all relationships at the institution between members of the College community.
• Inappropriate conduct against an individual that interferes with an individual’s work performance or educational experience by creating an uncomfortable environment that would not occur but for the sex of the individual.

Consensual Relationships

Washington College policies prohibit unreciprocated and unwelcome relationships. However, persons in positions of power, authority, and control over others should be aware of and sensitive to problems that may arise from mutual relationships that are inherently unequal. Individuals in these situations are urged to examine such relationships before engaging in them, especially in terms of emotional health, self-esteem, and respect for the freedom of others.

Apparently consensual sexual relationships, particularly those between individuals of unequal status, may be or become a violation of this policy. Anyone who engages in a sexual relationship with a person over whom they have any degree of power or authority must understand that the validity of the consent involved can and may be questioned. The College particularly abhors the abuse potentially inherent in sexual relationships between faculty members and students and between staff supervisors and their student employees.

College Policy requires that employees who are involved in a consensual relationship with an employee with less authority or power or a student must disclose the relationship to a supervisor.

Discrimination or Harassment Based on Disability

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, amended in 2008, prohibits discrimination based on disability. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Examples:

• Lack of access to educational programs and facilities.
• Denial of academic adjustments or accommodations.
• Offensive remarks, jokes, epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping or threatening, intimidating or hostile acts that relate to a person’s disability.

Academic Freedom

The essential importance of academic freedom is recognized and a standard of reasonableness will guide the College in its policies regarding discrimination and harassment. These policies are in accordance with the 1940 statement on academic freedom put forth by the American Association of University Professors and endorsed by the Visitors and Governors of Washington College (see “Academic Freedom” in chapter IV of this Handbook). Only when academic freedom is used to disguise, or as the vehicle for, prohibited conduct will it be questioned. As the AAUP guidelines indicate, such prohibitions against discrimination and harassment would include speech or conduct that is “directed against another and is either abusive or severely humiliating, or persists despite the objection of the person targeted by the speech or conduct; or speech or conduct that is reasonably regarded as offensive and substantially impairs the academic or work opportunity of students, colleagues, or co-workers. If it takes place in the teaching context, it must also be persistent, pervasive, and not germane to the subject matter. The academic setting is distinct from the workplace in that wide latitude is required for professional judgment in determining the appropriate content and presentation of academic material.” Washington College believes that ideas, creativity, and free expression thrive and, indeed, can only exist for students, faculty, and staff in an atmosphere free of discrimination and sexual harassment.

Discrimination or Harassment Complaints

Washington College encourages anyone who has experienced any form of discrimination or harassment to report the incident promptly, to seek all available assistance, and to pursue remedies available through campus judicial or grievance processes. Complainants are also encouraged to report incidents to local, state and/or federal authorities or offices charged with handling unlawful discrimination or harassment.

Reporting a Complaint

Students, employees, or third parties who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or harassment, including sexual violence/assault, by a student or employee of the Washington College community or by another individual for whom the College is or may be responsible (e.g., applicants for admission or employment, alumni, independent contractors, vendors, recruiters) should contact one of the following persons for assistance with resolving a complaint:

• Title IX Coordinator or Assistant Coordinator(s) – for matters involving discrimination or harassment based on sex or gender
• 504 Coordinator or Assistant Coordinator(s) – for matters involving discrimination or harassment based on disability
• Professional Staff in Student Affairs (Including Resident Area Directors)
• Department of Public Safety
• Human Resources Department

Complaints alleging sexual discrimination or harassment (including sexual assault/violence) should be submitted to Gregory Krikorian, Dean of Students and the College’s Title IX Coordinator, Hodson Hall, 410-810-7752.

Complaints alleging disability discrimination or harassment should be submitted to Gregory Krikorian or Kate Laking, 504/ADA Coordinators.

When a Washington College student is the subject of a discrimination or harassment complaint, the matter will be referred to the Honor Board or other appropriate hearing body (see the Washington College Honor Code and Student Judicial System found earlier in this Handbook).

When a Washington College employee or third party is the subject of a formal written complaint, the matter will be reviewed by the Washington College Discrimination and Dispute Review Committee.

Students, employees, or third parties alleging discrimination or harassment may submit a complaint in writing using the Discrimination/Harassment complaint form. Complaint forms are available in Public Safety, Student Affairs, Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator’s Office or for download and printing from the College website at https://www.washcoll.edu/title-ix/index.php

Interim Measures

The Title IX Coordinator or 504 ADA Coordinator will determine with campus administrators appropriate interim measures to be taken during the investigation. Interim remedial actions can include, but are not limited to the following:

• No Contact Orders
• Interim Suspension
• Administrative Leave (Employee)
• Reassignment of Housing
• Reassignment of Job
• Class Schedule Change
• Prohibit or restrict participation in extracurricular activities
• Prohibit or restrict access to campus for third parties

Investigating a Complaint

All complaints of harassment or discrimination will be investigated in a manner that is adequate, reliable, and impartial. Investigations may be conducted by trained Public Safety staff, the Title IX Coordinator or Assistant Coordinators (for Title IX matters), the Section 504 Coordinator or Assistant Coordinators (for ADA/Section 504 related matters), Human Resource staff, or another trained investigator appropriate to the situation and in accordance with all College policies and legal requirements.

For matters involving discrimination or harassment based on sex or gender (covered by Title IX), the Title IX Coordinator will ensure that the investigation complies with all Title IX requirements. For matters involving discrimination or harassment based on disability (covered by ADA/Section 504), the Section 504 Coordinator will ensure the investigation complies with all Section 504 requirements.

The responsibility to conduct an investigation shall not be altered by the fact that a criminal investigation of the incident is pending or has been concluded, although the investigation may be delayed or suspended at the request of law enforcement while the law enforcement agency is gathering evidence. In the event the investigation is delayed at request of law enforcement agency, appropriate steps will be taken to provide for the safety of the complainant and the College community and to prevent retaliation by any individual. The steps may include changes to the schedule, housing assignment or work location of the respondent or summary suspension/leave from the College issued to the respondent. The College will promptly resume its Title IX investigation as soon the College receives notification that law enforcement has completed the evidence-gathering process.

Investigation Process:

• The Complainant will be contacted by a College administrator designated by the Title IX Coordinator or ADA/Section 504 Coordinator to schedule a meeting.
• During the meeting, the College administrator will:
• Inform Complainant of their rights under the Honor Code or Employee Code of Conduct.
• Give the Complainant the opportunity to submit a written statement and evidence.
• Give the Complainant the opportunity to list any witnesses who may have information pertaining to the complaint.
• Inform the Complainant to have no contact with the Respondent during the course of the investigation.
• Inform the Complainant that there will be follow-up meetings to discuss the case and status.
• The Respondent will be contacted by a College administrator designated by the Title IX Coordinator or Section 504/ADA Coordinator to schedule a meeting.
• During the meetings, the College administrator will:
• Inform the Respondent of their rights under the Honor Code or Employee Code of Conduct.
• Present the allegations and provide the Respondent the opportunity to respond.
• Give the Respondent the opportunity to submit a written statement and evidence to contest the allegations.
• Give the Respondent the opportunity to list any witnesses who may have information pertaining to the complaint.
• Inform the Respondent to have no contact with the Complainant during the course of the investigation.
• Inform the Respondent that there will be follow-up meetings to discuss the case and status.
• Any person identified by the Complainant or Respondent who has information that pertains to the allegation will be contacted by the investigator(s).
• The person designated to conduct the investigation shall prepare a written report within fifteen (15) business days after commencing the investigation, unless additional time to complete the investigation is required. In that case, the investigator shall report on the status of the investigation to the complainant, the respondent, and the Title IX or Section 504 Coordinator (or designee) as applicable at the expiration of the fifteen (15) day period and every fifteen (15) business days thereafter.
• At the conclusion of the investigation, a designated College administrator will meet with the Complainant and discuss the written report and inform them of the next steps in the process.
• The designated college administrator will contact the Respondent and review the written report and explain the next steps in the process.

The Complainant and Respondent may have a support person present during the investigation process. A support person is defined as a member of the College community (faculty, staff, or student). The support person is not permitted to participate in the meetings, but is there in support of the individual.

The written report shall include a summary of the investigation; findings of fact and an explanation of the evidence in support of such findings (including a determination with respect to the factual allegations of the complaint); conclusions as to whether there have been any violations based on the factual findings; and a discussion of the reasons for such conclusions.

The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the Honor Board or the Discrimination and Dispute Resolution Committee (DDRC) for review and any action deemed appropriate in accordance with the procedures of each.

Nothing in these procedures or in the procedures of the Honor Board or DDRC limits the right of any person to pursue other avenues of recourse which may include filing charges or a complaint with local, state and federal authorities responsible for addressing unlawful discrimination and harassment.

More information about the procedures of the Honor Board can be found in the chapter “Washington College Honor Code and Student Judicial System” found earlier in this Handbook.

Resolving Complaints

The Title IX Coordinator or Section 504 Coordinator or other appropriate College administrator will ensure that steps are taken to address and resolve any instance where an investigation and subsequent review (by either the Honor Board or the DDRC) concluded discrimination or harassment occurred. Resolution outcomes include actions to remediate the instance of discrimination or harassment and, where needed, actions to prevent future recurrence and to correct discriminatory effects on the Complainant and others.

Remedial actions include, but are not limited to:

• College Warning (Except in cases of Sexual Assault/Violence)
• Suspension/Expulsion
• Probation
• Termination of Employment
• Protection from Retaliation
• Counseling for the Complainant
• Other steps to address the impact of harassment or discrimination on the complainant, any witnesses and the College community.

Discrimination and Dispute Resolution Committee (DDRC)

The Washington College Discrimination Dispute Resolution Committee (DDRC) is used when the subject of a complaint is an employee or third party. The DDRC will consist of faculty and staff trained to review matters involving discrimination and harassment. A hearing panel will consist of three members of the DDRC and is facilitated by the Director of Human Resources (or designee) for complaints against staff members or the Provost (or designee) for complaints against faculty members. Hearings where there is a staff Respondent will include only two staff members and one faculty member on the hearing panel. Hearings where there is a faculty Respondent will include two faculty members and one staff member on the hearing panel. Within 15 days after the hearing, the panel will issue a written decision that includes a review of the information relevant to the case and sanctions assigned if it is found to be “more likely than not” that the subject of the Complaint violated College policy. The DDRC will continue to function whenever the College is open even if classes are not in session.

Records

Records of complaint investigation and any corrective action will be entrusted to the Title IX Coordinator or ADA/Section 504 Coordinator and will be maintained in an electronic system accessible throughout the College on a confidential basis consistent with the College’s legal requirements and appropriate legal requests for said documents.

Appealing a Decision

The Complainant or Respondent may appeal decisions of the DDRC or Honor Board by submitting a written appeal request within five business days of receiving written notification of the outcome of the hearing. Appeal forms can be downloaded from the following website https://www.washcoll.edu/title-ix/index.php

Only appeals that are based on one or more of the following grounds will be considered for review:

• Procedural error(s) that prevented fundamental fairness;
• New information or evidence that was not available at the hearing;
• An imposed sanction that is excessively severe;
• The decision of the DDRC or Honor Board is not supported by the information presented.

Letters of appeal for Honor Board decisions must be sent to the Vice President of Student Affairs (or designee). The Vice President for Student Affairs or designee will determine whether or not the appeal meets the above criteria. If any of the criteria are met, the case will be referred to the appeal board; if the case does not meet at least one of the criteria, there will be no further review. More information on the student appeal process can be found in the Student Handbook.

Letters of appeal for DDRC decisions must be sent to the President of the College (or designee). The President of the College (or designee) will determine whether or not the appeal meets the above criteria. If any of the criteria are met, the case will be reviewed and a decision made within 5 business days; if the case does not meet at least one of the criteria, there will be no further review. The appellant(s) and the other party, shall be notified of the outcome of the appeal. All appeals will be conducted in an impartial manner and by an impartial decision-maker.

Retaliation

All members of the Washington College community are advised that retaliation against anyone for filing a complaint of discrimination or harassment or for participating in an investigation of discrimination or harassment is strictly prohibited by law and by College policy.

Confidentiality

All parties involved, especially those charged with carrying out the above policies, are enjoined to work in confidence to the extent legally permissible and practically possible.

In cases of discrimination and harassment, Complainants may also obtain information and/or file a complaint by writing the Director of Civil Rights, US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, The Wanamaker Building, 100 Penn Square East, Suite 515, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Such complaints generally must be filed within 180 days.

Policy Statement on Sexual Assault

When sexual assault or sexual violence in any form occurs, the standards of the community, and possibly criminal laws, are violated. When reported, the College will deal with these issues in accordance with its policies and procedures and as required by applicable laws. Sexual assault committed in connection with any College program, whether on or off campus, is prohibited. This includes all College programs including, but not limited to, academic, educational, extra-curricular, athletic, and residential programs.

Washington College urges individuals who believe they have been sexually assaulted to pursue criminal charges against the person or persons they believe to have committed the sexual assault. A criminal charge and an internal complaint can be pursued at the same time. Retaliation against an individual who brings a complaint, participates in an investigation, or pursues legal action is prohibited and possible violations will be investigated and addressed in accordance with College policy and procedures.

In cases of sexual assault or other sexual misconduct, College authorities will inform a Complainant of the options of criminal prosecution and medical assistance, as well as the complainant’s rights under the Crime Complainant’s Bill of Rights. This includes the right to assistance from the Maryland State Crime Complainants Reparation Board and the Maryland State Office of the Crime Complainant Ombudsman. A Complainant will also be informed of the right to file a complaint of sexual harassment (which includes sexual assault/violence). Students or employees wishing to file a complaint should follow the procedures outlined in the “Reporting Discrimination and Harassment” section found earlier.

When a Washington College student is the subject of a sexual assault/violence complaint, the individual filing the complaint will be informed about the role of the Honor Board’s Sexual Misconduct Hearing Board in evaluating whether the student who is the subject of the complaint is responsible for violations of College policy (including policies addressing discrimination and harassment). When a Washington College employee or third party is the subject of a sexual assault/violence complaint, the individual filing the complaint will be informed about the role of the DCRC or appropriate administrator in evaluating whether the individual who is the subject of the complaint is responsible for violations of College policy (including policies addressing discrimination and harassment).

College authorities, normally the Director of Public Safety, will notify the Chestertown Police of the sexual assault only at the request of the individual filing the complaint and will provide assistance in notifying any other law enforcement authorities or in preserving materials that may be relevant to the investigation. At the direction of the Chestertown Police, College authorities will provide assistance in obtaining, securing, and maintaining evidence for criminal prosecution.

Interim Measures

By decision of the President of the College, the Vice President of Student Affairs, or a designee of either, the person who is the subject of a sexual assault complaint may, without prejudice, be removed from the campus or subjected to other forms of restriction with regard to the complainant, pending formal judicial action or criminal procedures, to avoid additional conflict within the community and/or to protect the safety of members of the College community.

Resources for Victims of Sexual Assault

There are many services established to assist individuals who have been sexually assaulted. The Student Affairs Office, 410-778-7752, as well as the resources listed below may be contacted to provide assistance or answer any questions.

Washington College Health Services, 410-778-7261

Washington College Counseling Services, 410-778-7261, 7289, or 7826

“For All Seasons, Inc.” Sexual Assault Crisis Center, 1-800-310-7273 (A 24-hour confidential service that provides counseling, advocacy and support to survivors.)

Office of Public Safety, 410-778-7810

Two area hospitals have sexual assault response programs in place. Forensic Nurse Examiners are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide confidential medical examination, STI and pregnancy prophylactics. The programs work in conjunction with For All Seasons, Inc., to provide advocacy support to victims.

University of Maryland Shore Health Center at Chestertown, 410-778-3300 – located adjacent to Washington College at 100 Brown Street, Chestertown, Maryland

Memorial Hospital, 410-822-1000 – located at 219 S. Washington Avenue, Easton, Maryland

A member of the Campus Department of Public Safety is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to transport the complainant to either hospital if requested. Volunteers from the For All Seasons Sexual Assault Crisis Center are also available to provide counseling and assistance throughout this process.

The Assistant Director of Student Engagement, serving as the sexual assault response coordinator, will inform complainants, at a minimum, of internal complaint options, availability of confidential counseling, mechanisms available to address concerns about physical safety, as well as the possibility of alternative housing assignments or classroom arrangements (where appropriate).

Education and Training

The Office of Student Affairs is responsible for developing and coordinating educational and training programs for students about sexual assault and sexual violence. To address issues of sexual assault and sexual violence proactively, the College will distribute these policies to and provide training for students and employees. In addition, these policies will be communicated at appropriate opportunities in classes, meetings, programs, and publications.

People to contact for more information:

• Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students, student_affairs@washcoll.edu, 410-778-7728
• Greg Krikorian, Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator 410-810-7425
• Director of Health Services, health_services@washcoll.edu, 410-778-7261
• Director of Counseling Services, health_services@washcoll.edu, 410-778-7261
• Director of Public Safety, public_safety@washcoll.edu, 410-778-7810
• Director of Student Engagement, student_engagement@washcoll.edu, 410-778-7146

---

V. Charter of Washington College

(As amended)

Whereas institutions for the liberal education of youth in the principles of virtue, knowledge and useful literature, are of the highest benefit to society, in order to raise up and perpetuate a succession of honest men and women, for discharging the various offices and duties of the community, both civil and religious, with usefulness and reputation, and such institutions of learning have accordingly merited and received the attention and encouragement of the wisest and best regulated states; and

Whereas the Visitors and Kent County School in the town of Chester represented to the General Assembly of the year 1782, that if they were made capable in law of erecting the said school into a college or general seminary of learning for the eastern shore, or peninsula between the bays of Chesapeake and Delaware (maintaining the original design of said school as a foundation not to be violated), very considerable sum of money could be raised in a few years, within the said peninsula, by free and voluntary contributions, for the establishment and support of such seminary, and prayed that a law be passed to enable them, the said Visitors, to enlarge and improve said school into a college, or place of universal learning; and

Whereas, It was then enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, that the Visitors of Kent County School, and their successors, should have full power and authority to erect the said school into a college or seminary of universal learning, to bear the name of "The Visitors and Governors of Washington College in the State of Maryland", in honorable and perpetual memory of His Excellency, General Washington, the illustrious and virtuous Commander-In-Chief of the Armies of the United States; and

Whereas, The present Visitors and Governors of said College deem it desirable to eliminate from said original Charter, as heretofore amended, certain obsolete and unnecessary nomenclature and provisions therein contained, and to make certain other amendments thereto, consistent with present requirements and conditions, while retaining so much of the original Charter as is practical; now, therefore,

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That the Charter of Washington College and all amendments thereto as, the same were enacted by Chapter 8 of the Acts of the April 1 Session of 1782, Chapter 121 of the Acts of 1922, Chapter 44 of the Acts of 1953, and Chapter 401 of the Acts of 1959, be and it is hereby repealed, and that a new Charter, to stand in the place and stead of the Charter so repealed be and it is hereby enacted, to read as follows:

I. The present Visitors and Governors of Washington College in the State of Maryland, and their successors, shall have full power and authority to continue to operate, enlarge and improve the said College under the corporate name of " Washington College".

II. (a) The governing body or board of said College shall consist of not more than 37 Visitors and Governors, 12 of whom shall be elected by the Alumni of the College; 12 of whom shall be appointed by the Governor of the State of Maryland; 12 (or any lesser number) of whom shall be elected by the Board of Visitors and Governors, and these 36 (or any lesser number, if the Board, in the exercise of its discretion, shall elect less than 12), or a quorum thereof, shall elect a President of the College, who shall, by virtue of their office, be a member of the Visitors and Governors.

(b) Of the twelve (12) members appointed by the Governor; and the twelve (12) members elected by the Alumni; and the twelve (12) or any lesser number, elected by the Visitors and Governors, all shall be chosen without regard to their place of residence.

(c) The terms of office of the members of the Visitors and Governors shall be six (6) years, and not more than two (2) members shall be elected or reelected by either the Alumni or Board of Visitors and Governors for full terms in any college year, nor shall more than two (2) members be appointed by the Governor for full terms in a college year.

(d) Within thirty days after the occurrence of a vacancy of said members of Visitors and Governors, by death, resignation, removal, disqualification or expiration of the term of office of a member, a notice thereof shall be sent by said Visitors and Governors to the Governor or the Alumni Association, depending upon whether said vacancy is to be filled by appointment of the Governor or the election of the Alumni, and should the Governor or the Alumni fail to appoint or elect, as the case may be, a successor to fill said vacancy within six months after receipt of said notice, then the Visitors and Governors shall proceed to fill said vacancy for the un-expired term; and vacancies among the members elected by the Board shall be filled for the un-expired term by election of the Board in the same manner as is provided for their original election.

(e) Any graduate of Washington College and any student who left the College in good standing after having completed sufficient work to entitle them to a sophomore or senior normal rating shall be qualified to participate in all elections conducted by the Alumni Association of Washington College and to serve as alumni-elected members of the Visitors and Governors of said College; provided that no ex-student shall be entitled to participate in said election until after the class to which they belong shall have been graduated.

III. The said Visitors and Governors, and their successors, shall be able and capable in law to purchase, have and enjoy, to them and their successors, in fee, or for any other lesser estate or estates, any lands, tenements, rents, annuities, pensions, or other hereditaments, within this state, by gift, grant, bargain, sale, alienation, release, confirmation or devise, of any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, capable to make the same; and such lands, tenements, rents, annuities, pensions or other hereditaments, or any lesser estates, rights or interests, of or in the same, including the estate of the said Kent County School, at their pleasure to grant, alien, sell or transfer, in such manner and form as they shall think meet and convenient for the furtherance of said College; and also that they may take and receive any sum or sums of money, and any kind, manner or portion, of goods and chattels, that shall be given, sold or bequeathed, to them by any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, capable to make a gift, sale or bequest thereof, and employ the same towards erecting, setting up and maintaining, the said college in such manner as they shall judge most necessary and convenient for the instruction, improvement and education of youth, in the vernacular and learned languages, and generally in any kind of literature, arts, and sciences, which they think proper to be taught, for training of good, useful and accomplished men and women, for the service of their country in church and state, and youth of all religious denominations and persuasions shall be freely and liberally admitted to equal privileges and advantages of education, and to all the literary honors of the college, according to their merit, and the standing rules of the seminary, without requiring or enforcing any religious or civil test whatsoever upon any student, scholar or member of the said college, in schools and seminaries of learning in general; nor shall any preference be given in the choice of any visitor and governor of the said college or of the president, administrative officers, professors or officers of instruction, on account of their religious persuasions, but merely on account of their literary and other qualifications to fill the place for which he is chosen.

IV. The said Visitors and Governors, and their successors, shall have full power and authority to have, make and use, one common and public seal, and likewise one privy seal, with devices and inscriptions as they shall think proper; and to ascertain, fix and regulate the use of both seals, by their own laws, and the same seals, or either of them, to change, break, alter, and renew, at their pleasure.

V. The said Visitors and Governors, and their successors, from time to time, shall have power and authority to constitute and appoint, in such manner as they shall think best and most convenient, a president, such administrative officers as may be deemed necessary, professors and other officers of instruction, for instructing the students and scholars of the said seminary in all the liberal arts and sciences; and the said president and professors so constituted and appointed from time to time shall be known and distinguished forever by the name of the president and faculty of Washington College, and by that name shall be capable of exercising such powers and authorities as the Visitors and Governors of said college, and their successors, shall by their ordinances think necessary to delegate to them, for the instruction, discipline and government of the said seminary and of all the students and scholars belonging to the same.

VI. The said Visitors and Governors, and their successors, shall meet at least four times a year, in stated quarterly meetings, between July 1 of each year and June 30 of the next year, to be known as the College Year, the last meeting of which shall be the Annual Meeting. Meeting dates shall be appointed by their own ordinances, and at such times as their said ordinances may direct, in order that they may hear and determine upon all matters touching the discipline of the seminary and the good and wholesome execution of their ordinances; provided there is present a quorum consisting of a majority of the current board members.

VII. The said Visitors and Governors may appoint an executive committee, consisting of not less than nine (9) members, who shall, between the meetings of the Board, possess and exercise all of the power of the Board except as limited by the general corporation laws of this State.

VIII. For animating and encouraging students of said college to a laudable diligence, industry and progress, in useful successors, shall by a written mandate under their privy seal, and the hand of some one of the Visitors and Governors to be chosen annually as their chair according to the ordinance to be made for that purpose, have full power and authority to direct the president and the officers of instruction to hold public commencements, either on stated annual days, or occasionally, as future ordinances of the said seminary may direct; and at such commencements to admit any of the students of the said college, or any other persons meriting the same, (whose names shall be severally inserted in the said mandate) to any degree or degrees in any of the faculties, arts and sciences, and liberal professions, to which persons are usually admitted in other colleges or universities in America or Europe; and it is hereby enacted that the president or in the case of their death or absence the next ranking academic officer of the college, shall make out and sign with their name, diplomas or certificates of the admission to such degree or degrees, which shall be sealed with the public or greater seal of the said corporation or college, and delivered to the graduates as honorable and perpetual testimonials of such admission; which diplomas, if thought necessary, for doing greater honor to such graduates, shall also be signed with the names of the different professors and members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, or as many of them as can conveniently sign them.

IX. No Student or Students within the said College shall ever be admitted to any such degree until such student or students have duly fulfilled all the requirements for such degree or degrees, as established by the faculty of the college with the approval of the Visitors and Governors.

X. The ordinances which shall be from time to time made by the Visitors and Governors of the said College, and their successors, with an account of their other proceedings, and of the management of the estate and monies committed to their trust, shall, when required be laid before the General Assembly of Maryland, for inspection and examination, but in case at any time hereafter, through oversight, or otherwise through misapprehensions and mistakes, constructions of the powers, liberties, franchises, in this charter or act of incorporation granted or intended to be granted, any ordinance should be made by the said Visitors and Governors of said corporation, or matters done and transacted by the corporation, contrary to the tenor hereof, it is enacted, that although all such ordinances, acts and doings, shall be null and void, yet they shall not, however, in any court or by the General Assembly, be deemed, taken, interpreted or adjudged into an avoidance or forfeiture of this charter and act of incorporation, but the same shall be and remain unhurt, inviolate and entire, unto the said corporation in perpetual succession; and all its acts conformable to the powers, true intent and meaning hereof shall be and remain in full force and validity, the nullity and avoidance of such illegal acts to the contrary notwithstanding.

XI. The said Visitors and Governors, and their successors, shall have all the general powers granted to corporations under the Public General Laws of the State of Maryland, and this charter and act of incorporation and all ordinances adopted by the Visitors and Governors, and every part thereof, shall be good and available in all things in the law, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be construed, reputed and adjudged, in all cases, most favorably on the behalf and for the best benefit behoof of said Visitors and Governors, and their successors, so as most effectually to answer the valuable ends of this act of incorporation, towards the general advancement and promotion of useful knowledge, science and virtue.

Section 2. And be it further enacted, that this Act shall take effect July 1, 1986.