Faculty Status
Vernon College defines full-time faculty members on the basis of the faculty member meeting the following three criteria:
- The faculty member meets or exceeds the credential guidelines recommended by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
- The faculty members’ major employment is with the institution and is in a role of direct instructional activities.
- The faculty members’ employment with the institution is on a contract for full-time employees based on the Faculty Salary Schedule.
Vernon College aligns its definition of faculty status with its governing agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. According to the THECB, direct instructional activities include interaction with the students related to instruction, preparation of such instruction, and evaluation of student’s performance. It also includes administrative assignments which directly supplement the teaching function, such as heads of teaching departments, coordinator of special programs or multi-section courses, etc., and any other professional assignment which an institution considers to be directly related to the teaching function. Full-time faculty members, therefore, are those faculty whose contracts are based on 100% of their time being directly related to teaching and instructional activities. VC does not provide faculty rank or tenure. However, the college may award multi-year continuing contracts, up to a period of three years, to those faculty members who qualify. See Policy Manual, DCA (LOCAL)