Administrative Policies

KCTCS Faculty Search / Appointment / Orientation

It is the aim of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System colleges to recruit and select outstanding faculty members in support of the KCTCS vision to create, a comprehensive community and technical college system recognized as the nation’s best.

The college president/ceo or designee is responsible for all college appointments including the appointment of search committees, the appointment of faculty members, and the conducting of the faculty orientation process. The college president/ceo is responsible for developing the procedures that adhere to the policies of the KCTCS Board of Regents regarding employment.

2.3.1. Faculty Recruitment and Search for Faculty

Prior to advertising of a faculty position, a chief academic officer or designee, in collaboration with the appropriate academic unit, must assure that:

Position Description and Identification

1. A vacant position is identified and authorized subject to availability of funds.
   
   
2. The current essential functions of the position are properly described and documented, including minimum requirements, preferred skills and experience, and any required and/or preferred licensures and/or certifications.
   

   Position Advertisement and Recruitment

3. The college Director of Human Resources or designee, in conjunction with KCTCS Diversity Programs and/or KCTCS Employment is responsible for using appropriate recruitment methods that secure a quality candidate pool. Increased recruitment emphasis should be implemented to obtain a representative pool. A list of recommended advertising media may be obtained from KCTCS Employment. EEO guidelines will be followed.
   
   
4. The position vacancy is advertised, including the minimum requirements, current essential functions, and required and/or preferred licensures and/or certifications. An Equal Employment Opportunity statement must be included in the advertisement.
   

   Advisory Search Committee Formation

5. The responsibility for recruiting faculty members is entrusted to the college president/ceo in consultation with a faculty advisory search committee appointed by the college president/ceo or designee and appropriate administrators. Search committees are normally comprised of the designated administrative official responsible at the applicable college, the appropriate division chairperson, and faculty members representing the academic unit in which the appointment is to be made and outside the academic unit in which the appointment is to be made. The search committee chairperson may be elected by the committee or appointed by the college president/ceo, or designee as determined by the college president/ceo.
   

   Responsibilities of the Search Committee Chairperson

6. The chairperson is responsible for communicating the committee’s official charge to committee members as soon as is reasonably possible after completion of the search committee formation and appointment or election of the chairperson. The committee charge is signed/approved by the college president/ceo, or designee, and assists in the determination of the interview and selection criteria for the position. The chairperson of the search committee is required to keep the president/ceo, or designee, of the college informed about the progress of the search. The chairperson is also responsible for appropriately informing the faculty of the applicable college about the status of the search process.
   
   The chairperson works closely with the college Director of Human Resources, or designee, to set up (an) organizational meeting(s) and deliver search committee guidelines and materials to committee members in addition to arranging candidate interviews and completing necessary documentation for the committee.
   

   Candidate Screening and Interviewing

7. An advisory search committee’s selection criteria for the vacancy are properly established in consultation with the college Director of Human Resources or college president/ceo’s designee, and the screening and interviewing processes are implemented. 
   
   
8. Employment and personal history inquiries are conducted according to hiring procedures specified in KCTCS Policy 2.18 as well as search committee procedures;
   
   
9. Generally, three (3) or more candidates are recommended by the Advisory Search Committee for an interview, based on their meeting or exceeding the established criteria and position requirements;
   
   
10. Of the selected interviewees, the finalists are selected to be interviewed by the college president/ceo or designee.
    
    
11. Recommendations for appointment are made by the Advisory Search Committee to the college president/ceo, or designee. The college president/ceo’s reviews the committee’s recommendation and determines if an employment offer will be extended.
    
    
12. If the employment offer is not accepted, the college president/ceo, or designee, may extend an offer to another candidate, continue, or terminate the search.
    
    
13. Either before or at the time of interview of an individual for an appointment to the faculty, the college president/ceo, or designee shall inform the individual about the parts of Kentucky Community and Technical College System Policies dealing with appointment, promotion, and tenure and shall provide access to these policies as requested.
    
    
14. In the event that no recommendation is made, the search may be re-opened or terminated at the discretion of the college president/ceo.

2.3.1.1 Open Meetings Law

Search committees for chief administrative officers are subject to the open meetings law in Kentucky. Faculty Advisory Search Committees that are established or appointed by a college at the division level to screen, interview, and make recommendations regarding appointment of individual faculty members, however, are not subject to the law. (See Attorney General Opinion 94-25.) Additional information regarding the scope and application of the open meetings law is available from the KCTCS office of the General Counsel.

2.3.2 Faculty Appointment and Assignment Periods

Faculty are normally assigned on a 10-, 11-, or 12-month basis dependent upon program and curriculum needs and as allowed under their respective personnel system. Tenured faculty members are on continuous appointment. Non-tenured faculty members are appointed for part or all of a fiscal year basis (July 1 - June 30). Assignments of regular status faculty members, however, shall be on nine-month (academic year), ten-month, eleven-month, or twelve-month basis within a fiscal year dependent upon program and curriculum needs. However full-time faculty covered under the administrative regulations effective on June 30, 1998 for KRS Chapter 151B are employed only on a 12- month basis.

Faculty members employed on a nine-month (academic year) assignment basis normally shall be available for participation in academic activities from August 16 through May 15. There is no entitlement to vacation during this period. Faculty members employed on a nine-month assignment basis may be permitted to engage in a KCTCS temporary assignment during an interim between regular assignment periods to a maximum extent of three (3) months or sixty-six (66) working days per year. Daily or monthly compensation for full-time KCTCS employment during such an interim shall not exceed 1/195 or 1/9, respectively, of an individual’s regular nine-month assignment period salary for the fiscal year in which the activity occurs.

Faculty members employed through a ten-month assignment basis shall be normally available for participation in academic activities from August 1 through May 31, or during any other ten-month period, which has been established after consultation with the affected faculty members, and approved by the Chancellor. All regular status full-time faculty members on a ten-month assignment basis shall be entitled to twenty-two (22) working days of vacation leave with pay per assignment period. With prior administrative approval, faculty members may take vacation leave at appropriate times during the period in which they are eligible to take such leave; however, each member of the teaching faculty shall be in actual attendance at least until after Commencement and until all reports have been made, and at least three days prior to the first day of registration for the fall semester, unless for special reasons leave is approved. Vacation leave normally cannot be accumulated from one assignment prior to another; however, under unusual circumstances, provided it is in the best interest of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and has advance approval by the college president/ceo, a faculty member employed on a ten-month assignment basis also may take unused vacation leave during the assignment period following that in which the leave was earned. Faculty members employed on a regular ten-month basis may be permitted to engage in a Kentucky Community and Technical College System temporary assignment during an interim between regular assignment periods to a maximum extent of two (2) months or forty-four (44) working days per year. Daily or monthly compensation for full-time Kentucky Community and Technical College System employment during such an interim shall not exceed 1/217 or 1/10, respectively, of an individual’s regular ten-month assignment period salary for the fiscal year in which the activity occurs.

Faculty members employed on an eleven-month assignment basis shall be normally available for participation in academic activities from August 1 through June 30, or during any other eleven-month period, which has been established after consultation with the affected faculty members and approved by the Chancellor. All regular status full-time faculty members on an eleven-month assignment basis shall be entitled to twenty-two (22) working days of vacation leave with pay per assignment period. With prior administrative approval, faculty members may take vacation leave at appropriate times during the period in which they are eligible to take such leave; however, each member of the teaching faculty shall be in actual attendance at least until after Commencement and until all reports have been made, and at least three days prior to the first day of registration for the fall semester, unless for special reasons leave is approved. Vacation leave normally cannot be accumulated from one assignment period to another; however, under unusual circumstances, provided it is in the best interest of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and has advance approval by the college president/ceo, a faculty member employed on an eleven-month assignment basis may take unused vacation leave during the assignment period following that in which the leave was earned. A faculty member employed on an eleven-month assignment basis may be permitted to engage in a Kentucky Community and Technical College System temporary assignment during an interim between regular assignment periods to a maximum extent of one (1) month or twenty-two (22) working days per year. Daily or monthly compensation for full-time Kentucky Community and Technical College System employment during such an interim shall not exceed 1/238 or 1/11, respectively, of an individual’s regular eleven-month assignment period salary for the fiscal year in which the activity occurs.

A faculty member employed on a nine-month, ten-month, or eleven-month assignment basis shall not engage in two (2) or more Kentucky Community and Technical College System assignments during an interim between two (2) regular assignment periods unless a request for such has been forwarded through the college president/ceo and approved in advance by the Chancellor. For any such request which is approved, an individual’s total compensation from all types of Kentucky Community and Technical College System assignments during such an interim shall not exceed the maximum compensation permitted in the absence of summer session teaching.

Faculty members employed on a twelve-month assignment basis shall be normally available for participation in academic activities from July 1 through June 30. All regular status full-time faculty members on a twelve-month assignment basis shall be entitled to twenty-two (22) working days of vacation leave with pay per assignment period, unless otherwise specified in the rules of their respective personnel system. With prior administrative approval, faculty members may take vacation leave at appropriate times during the period in which they are eligible to take such leave; however, each member of the teaching faculty shall be in actual attendance at least until after Commencement, and until all reports have been made, and at least three (3) days prior to the first day of registration for the fall semester, unless for special reasons leave is approved. Faculty members employed on a twelve-month assignment basis may take vacation leave either during the assignment period in which the vacation leave is earned or during the subsequent assignment period if allowed under their respective personnel system.

Temporary status faculty members on full-time assignment are entitled to the same holiday leave granted to regular faculty members, are not entitled to vacation leave, and are not entitled to compensation for unused holiday leave.

2.3.3 Orientation

1. At the time a contract is issued, an individual should be informed of general items regarding criteria for academic rank by the unit administrator, if applicable.
   
   
2. The college president/ceo or designee shall inform each new faculty member (within one (1) month of the beginning of employment) of the existence and locations of the following documents:
   
   1. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System Policies dealing with appointment, promotion and tenure; 
   2. The Rules of the Senate;
   3. The Rules and Bylaws of the Faculty of the college hiring the new employee;
   4. The rules and procedures of the new employee's division; and
   5. Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Access to any of these documents shall be provided by the college president/ceo or designee as requested.

All applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as applicable KCTCS policies and procedures for hiring and appointments, must be followed.