AA/10/AS/23/FAC - Range Elevation Policy

Effective May 18, 2023

Eligibility: Lecturers and temporary librarian and counseling faculty unit employees shall be considered eligible for range elevation according to terms of the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement and relevant Memoranda of Understanding or amendments thereto. For lecturers and temporary librarian and counseling faculty who earn a terminal degree appropriate to their teaching duties, see footnote.¹

Notification: On or before the last day of classes of the Fall Semester, the University shall notify lecturers eligible for range elevation. Failure to notify an eligible lecturer shall not be cause for automatic granting of range elevation. An eligible lecturer not properly notified may still apply for range elevation.

Evaluation Committee: Each department with at least one non-tenure-track faculty member eligible for a range elevation shall establish a committee to evaluate such applications. Each department should establish a policy for selecting the range elevation committee, and the selection process must include opportunities for input by all Unit 3 employees in the department. The range elevation committee may be identical to the department’s regular RPT committee if the department chooses, but in any case the committee evaluating range-elevation applications under this policy must be selected by a process that includes input from non-tenure-track faculty. In keeping with the CSU-CFA Collective Bargaining Agreement, members of committees evaluating applications for range elevation must be tenured faculty.

Application: An eligible faculty member may initiate an application for a range elevation by notifying the department chair. The application should be remitted to the chair of the department review committee by the date agreed upon by the University and the California Faculty Association Stanislaus Chapter. This date shall not be earlier than the 30th day of the Spring Semester. The application file will include three elements:

1. From the department: Evidence of a positive evaluation in their last cycle of review.Departments will provide copies of reviews and/or surveys of student opinions ofteaching for the file.

2. From the candidate: A letter (no more than 750 words) detailing the candidate’s ownreflections on the candidate’s growth as an instructor at CSU, Stanislaus. Such reflectionsmay include references to other documents in the file.

3. In addition to the materials in the candidate’s personnel action file, other artifacts thatsupport a positive review of the candidate’s teaching may be included. These artifactsmust include surveys of student opinions about the candidate’s teaching. These artifactsmay include other documents, including but not limited to letters from students and colleagues, evidence of attendance at workshops or conferences related to the candidate’s teaching, and other documents selected by the candidate.

Evaluation Criteria and Procedure: Evaluation criteria for range elevation must be based on factors specified in the employee’s work assignment. Candidates whose regular evaluations have been positive and who demonstrate development as faculty members through their reflection and evidence should be granted a range elevation. The period of review for the range elevation will be a minimum of five years.

The department review committee will evaluate the candidate’s letter and evidence. The committee will produce a letter explaining its decision to recommend the granting of range elevation or to refuse making such a recommendation. At each level of review beyond the department, any change in the recommendation or decision must be accompanied by a letter explaining the reasons for a different recommendation or decision.

The committee must complete its review and forward its letter regarding each candidate to the appropriate college dean within 14 calendar days (not including university breaks) of the date the application is due to the department; the committee must also forward a written copy of its letter to the candidate, who has seven (7) calendar days (not including university breaks) to send a response to the dean.

Deans must complete their recommendations for candidates within 14 calendar days (not including university breaks) of the date the committee review is due to the dean. A copy of the dean’s recommendation shall be remitted to the candidate, who has seven (7) calendar days (not including university breaks) to respond in writing. The recommendation and candidate responses (if any) will then be forwarded to the Provost for final review and action.

The Provost will then render a decision and notify the candidate and the Office of Faculty Affairs no later than 14 calendar days (not including university breaks) following the date the dean’s recommendation and the candidate’s responses are due to the Provost. The process will ordinarily be completed by the final day of classes of the Spring Semester.

Denial and Peer Review: Candidates who are denied a range elevation under this policy shall have the right to a rationale for denial and be informed of their right to request a peer review process as described in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Effective Date: A range elevation salary increase shall be effective at the beginning of the first appointment in the academic year following the review.

No Impact on Temporary Status of the Appointment: Range elevation does not imply any guarantee of future employment nor does it affect the conditional nature of the temporary appointment.

Salary Increase: In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, a successful range elevation award shall be accompanied by a salary increase of 5%, or the percentage increase necessary to reach at least the minimum of the next range, whichever is greater.

Authority: The President shall grant range elevation based on recommendations from the university Provost.

¹If, while employed at the University, a lecturer or temporary librarian or counseling faculty member earns a terminal degree appropriate to teaching in the discipline in which they were appointed, the faculty member will inform the appropriate Dean/Director and the Office of Faculty Affairs. Upon verification of the degree completion by the Office of Faculty Affairs, the appropriate salary adjustment and appointment in the next range will be made at the start of the next academic year.
 

Review History: Approved by the Academic Senate on May 2, 2023 Approved by President Ellen Junn on May 18, 2023

Faculty Affairs Division has the primary responsibility for this policy.

Attachment(s): AA/10/AS/23/FAC Range Elevation Policy  

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