Administrative Policies

Work Load

Faculty work load shall be assigned in an equitable manner within campus locations, according to KCTCS Policy 2.11.1.

Faculty work includes instruction, student guidance-advising activities, internal service-institutional service, external service-community service, professional development activities, and educational leadership. Faculty work may be performed in many locations and is not defined by time spent on campus or school premises.

Each academic year, faculty supervisors will develop in consultation with each faculty member a written plan of responsibilities and assignments. This plan will be used by the supervisor and reviewer in the faculty performance reviews.

Faculty may be asked to assume overload assignments for additional compensation at rates approved by the college president/ceo. A faculty member may decline an overload assignment without prejudice to his/her record with KCTCS.

Work Load KCTCS Colleges

The Division Chairperson or other appropriate academic officer, with the approval of the reviewer, will develop with the faculty member a written statement of responsibilities and assignments including institutional service. Work load allocations within the broad areas of responsibility will vary with both faculty members and divisions and the requirements of specific programs and disciplines and should be noted on the faculty member’s Performance, Planning, and Evaluation document (PPE)

The normal teaching load for full-time faculty members is considered to be fifteen (15) credit hours per semester or equivalent for the academic year, fall and spring semesters. The maximum number of contact hours per week for full-time teaching faculty shall be determined by the college president/ceo but shall not exceed twenty-five (25). For faculty whose courses involve laboratory and clinical responsibilities with extensive contact hours or who teach courses with low enrollments, a teaching load equivalent may be calculated based on local college policy.

The normal teaching load for part-time faculty is less than 70% of a full-time faculty teaching load. On a fiscal year basis, this equates to a teaching assignment of 25 credit hours or fewer including fall, spring, and summer terms.

Decisions about work load allocation will be reached on the basis of discussion between the faculty member and the division chair or other appropriate academic officer through the PPE process, with final approval given by the chief academic officer.

2.11.1.1 Teaching Duties

Consideration should be given to a person who teaches a variety of courses, or to the faculty member who can teach effectively a large number of students. Faculty members are expected to maintain regular office hours for consultation with students and are encouraged to take an active role in college and community life through work with committees and civic groups.

2.11.1.2 Non-Teaching Duties

Occasional circumstances may require that a faculty member take on an assignment beyond the scope of the individual's normal college responsibilities. In such cases, an approved fee schedule or appropriate per diem compensation is used. Prior administrative approval of an internal overload assignment is required.

2.11.1.3 Faculty Consulting and Other Overload Employment Outside the KCTCS Colleges

2.11.1.3.1 KCTCS Colleges

KCTCS has an obligation to encourage its faculty to assist in the transfer of knowledge from the KCTCS colleges into the general community. It recognizes that the effectiveness of its academic programs can be enriched by appropriate faculty involvement with the realities of social, economic, and technologic activities outside the colleges. Faculty members are uniquely qualified to assist in meeting a variety of societal needs by way of limited consulting activity. Personal participation in professionally relevant consulting activities should enhance a faculty member's competence as a teacher and a researcher.

With appropriate prior administrative approval, a faculty member employed on a full-time basis may render professional consulting services in the public interest to an individual association, governmental agency, business, or others. Such consulting activities, whether compensated or not, should not interfere with the fundamental responsibility of a faculty member to meet regularly assigned duties and obligations to teaching and research, including being regularly available to students and colleagues, which are normally expected of a full-time faculty member and for which the faculty member receives compensation from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The chief executive officer of a KCTCS college has the authority to limit external consulting and other overload assignments for faculty in that college to less than the maximum extent when such limitation is necessary to meet the college's commitments to instruction and service.

At all times while on full-time or part-time appointment, during either an assignment period or a non-assignment period, faculty members must avoid any situations in which their involvement may actually conflict with their Kentucky Community and Technical College System duties and responsibilities. While it is not possible to anticipate every factual situation which might give rise to a conflict of interest, such a conflict of interest does arise within the meaning of this regulation when a faculty member represents the legal interest of another party against KCTCS or when a faculty member engages in litigation on behalf of another party against KCTCS. A conflict of interest also may arise in a case of a potentially patentable invention or discovery (see KCTCS intellectual properties policy and guidelines). Interpretations as to conflicts of interest in particular factual situations are to be made by the chief executive officer of the college with the proviso that an adverse decision can be appealed.

The above principles apply to all faculty members during the period of their active full-time employment by Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

Regardless of the assignment period, faculty who plan to consult or to undertake employment outside the Kentucky Community and Technical College System must complete Form F. Form F must be completed before a faculty member undertakes any consulting or outside employment. The information provided by the faculty member on Form F will be evaluated to ensure that there are no actual or potential conflicts of interest during the nine (9) -, ten (10) -, eleven (11) -, or twelve (12) - month assignment period and also during any non-assignment period, authorized leave, or vacation period. Professional services covered under KCTCS-enacted professional service plans are excluded from the approval process.

2.11.1.3.2 Approval Procedure

The variety of outside consulting or employment situations and the potential of such for detracting from a faculty member's regular KCTCS activities, for lacking professional relevance to the faculty member's field, or for constituting a conflict of interest for the faculty member demand a standard procedure for review and approval.

The following guidelines and procedures are set forth to aid in the interpretation of the policy for consulting, whether compensated or not. In general, any outside consulting demanding more than purely spare-time effort must be substantially justified in terms of the contribution its performance can bring to the faculty member's pursuit of teaching, research, and service. The basic responsibility for determining the appropriateness of any consulting is determined collaboratively by the chairperson, chief academic officer or other appropriate administrative officer, president/ceo, and the faculty member.

When desiring to engage in such activities, a faculty member must make a formal proposal in writing to the concerned department or division chairperson using a copy of Form F. Since approval shall not be granted for blanket authorization to consult or engage in professional practice, a proposal should be specific. Such a proposal shall indicate the nature of the work to be performed, the estimated amount of time involved, the duration of the assignment, and the scale of compensation, if any. The division chairperson's recommendation on the proposal shall be forwarded to the college chief executive officer whose approval or denial shall be forwarded to the KCTCS System Human Resources (HR) Office. These proposals shall be made a matter of record by the HR who shall transmit periodic reports to the President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and to the Board of Regents.

Whenever a proposal by a faculty member is disapproved by an official of the college, it is the obligation of that official to provide the faculty member, upon request, with an oral statement of the reason for the decision. The faculty member also is entitled to appeal such a disapproval through established channels.

Faculty members engaged in consulting and other overload activities must not use the name of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System in such a manner as to suggest institutional endorsement or support of a non-KCTCS enterprise.

Requests for outside consulting that involve significant use of other KCTCS personnel, facilities, or equipment should be performed on a contractual basis with KCTCS rather than on an individual consulting basis.

A faculty member wishing to engage in continuing consulting must resubmit a request annually.

The following professional activities are subject to the guidelines set forth above, but are excluded from the approval requirements discussed in this section so long as any such activity occurs on no more than four separate occasions per year and does not result in compensation in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per occasion.

1. Occasional service on review panels, site visit teams, professional committees or boards;
2. Occasional lectures or seminars at other institutions;
3. Occasional telephone or office consultation; and
4. Occasional reading and evaluation of manuscripts, writing reviews, serving as expert witness, rendering professional opinions in depositions, etc.

Faculty members engaged in consulting and other overload activities must assure that they do not have a conflict of interest nor a conflict with regular workload and quality of instruction.

2.11.1.3.3 Special Considerations Regarding Faculty Consulting and Other Overload Assignment

KCTCS recognizes that there are occasional circumstances when a faculty member may be the most appropriate person to undertake KCTCS assignments which are beyond the scope of that individual's normal division, college, and System-wide responsibilities. Examples include the conducting of continuing education classes, the grading of correspondence courses, and participating in various types of sponsored activities for which the basic responsibility lies outside the faculty member's educational unit. Equity demands that procedures for compensation above the individual's regular KCTCS contract be provided for these situations. At the same time, however, the local nature of the circumstances and the relative closeness of participants suggest that special attention be given to the potential impingement on the individual's regular duties and the potential for conflicts of interest.

Additional compensation for internal overload assignments (e.g., continuing education classes, including extension and evening programs classes, and grading in correspondence courses) must be approved by the college president/ceo.

If an internal overload assignment is to be compensated from sponsored project funds, the faculty member's proposal for overload employment shall be forwarded sequentially to the division chairperson, chief academic officer or other appropriate administrative officer, president/ceo, principal investigator for the sponsored project, and the KCTCS System HR Office. (CEOs should coordinate with the System Office of Sponsored Projects and Contracts where appropriate.)

2.11.1.3.4 Internal Faculty Overload

1. Restrictions on Internal Overload for Faculty. Internal overload within the educational unit for faculty in KCTCS will be restricted to instructional assignments that are clearly above and beyond the duties and responsibilities recorded in the faculty member’s approved Performance Planning and Evaluation agreement.
   
   
2. College-Level Approval. It is the president/ceo’s responsibility to evaluate the budgetary impact of a proposed overload and to determine, after due consultation with the faculty member, the division chairperson, and chief academic officer or other appropriate administrative officer, whether an instructional assignment is clearly above and beyond the duties and responsibilities recorded in the faculty member’s approved Performance Planning and Evaluation agreement.
   
   
3. Overload for Non-Credit Business and Industry Teaching. Instructional assignments approved for overload above and beyond the Distribution of Effort Agreement may include credit courses and non-credit business and industry short courses, seminars, and educational programs.
   
   
4. Overload for Faculty on ‘Released Time’ or ‘Reassigned Time.’ Overload pay is generally restricted to faculty carrying a normal teaching load of fifteen (15) credit hours per semester or equivalent for the academic year, fall and spring semesters. The maximum number of contact hours per week for a full-time occupational/technical instructor shall be determined by the chief executive officer but shall not exceed twenty-five (25). However, faculty members who have been released from one or more courses to take on other duties may be paid overload for an additional instructional assignment if that assignment is clearly above and beyond the duties recorded in the approved Distribution of Effort Agreement.
   
   
5. Librarians, Counselors, and Mid-management Staff. Librarians and Counselors may be documented using appropriate forms and submitted for approval by the chief executive officer prior to the start of the semester for which the overload is requested. Exceptions to this deadline will be made for circumstances which arise after the start of the semester.
   
   
6. KCTCS System HR Office Submission. Overload payment requests must be documented using appropriate forms and submitted to the KCTCS System HR Office as notification by the chief executive officer prior to the start of the semester for which the overload is requested. Exceptions to this deadline will be made for circumstances which arise after the start of the semester.
   
   
7. Minimum / Maximum Overload Pay Limits. The minimum payment for credit classes shall be the college’s existing per-course rate for part-time faculty. Overload payment for business and industry classes is a matter of local policy, as is the limit on the number of overload assignments permitted in a given semester or academic year.