Category Archives: Adjunct Faculty

Annual contract applications for Lecturer Faculty

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(Email: January 5, 2021)

First, I want to congratulate those who recently gained Lecturer promotions. Thank you for your service to our students. Your hard work and efforts, and that of all adjunct faculty, are greatly appreciated.

One of the benefits of Lecturer status is that you may apply for an annual or multi-annual (up to 2-year) contract. It’s a quick form — I’ve attached one to this email, but you can also find it online here: Application for Annual Contract. To apply for an annual or multi-annual contract, you must turn in your request form to your dean by the 10th day of Winter quarter. This year that is by Friday, January 15, 2021. [Edit: Deadline extended to January 18] I will be working with the deans to help provide support and consistency with how annual contracts are awarded.

If you want to refresh your memory about the fine details on annual or multi-annual contracts, I’ve included section 14.3 of the faculty contract below. You can also see the full contact at this link: BCAHE Negotiated Contract.

Thank you for the work you do every day to support our students and for choosing Bellevue College as the place to share your expertise, knowledge, and passion. Please let me know if there are other ways I can help support you as adjunct faculty.  I hope you have a great start to Winter Quarter.

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Information on Annual Contracts from section 14.3 of the faculty contract.

14.3. Annual and Multi-Annual Contracts

14.3.1. Eligibility and Criteria. Lecturer I’s and Lecturer II’s may request annual or multi-annual contracts of up to two (2) years in duration. Application for the following Academic year will be due by the 10th day of Winter quarter. The decision to award an annual or multi-annual contract will be made by the dean, following consideration of the recommendation of the faculty member’s program chair/director, including his/her evaluation of the program’s enrollment needs and resources and ongoing need for the faculty member’s demonstrated expertise over the recommended term of the contract. The dean’s decision to approve or deny a request for an annual or multi-annual contract, including the rationale for any denial, will be provided to the faculty member in writing.

14.3.2. Expiration and Termination of Annual or Multi-Annual Agreement Terms.

a. Annual or multi-annual contracts expire at the end of their term. Faculty members may request an additional contract – as provided in Section 14.3.1 but annual and multi-annual contracts contain no promise of renewal or employment beyond their term.

b. An annual or multi-annual contract may be terminated by the College during its term where there is sufficient cause. Such contracts may also be terminated where there is insufficient student demand or insufficient funding; provided that prior to terminating an annual or multi-annual contract in such circumstances, the College will provide the affected faculty member and the Association a minimum of thirty (30) days’ notice during which the parties will meet to discuss the circumstances and reasonable alternatives.

Adjunct Promotions to Lecturer I or II – Due Oct 5

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(Email: Sept 18)

Just a quick reminder that part time promotion applications (for Lecturer I or II) are due by Monday, October 5. You can find the forms here: Lecture I application , Lecture II application, This promotion applies to part-time faculty, as well as full-time faculty who moonlight.  You have to have been at BC for at least 9 quarters and taught at least 90 credits to be eligible for Lecture I. Those applying for Lecture II must have taught 9 quarters and 90 credits since their last promotion. (See Article 14 of the faculty contract for details.) If you have any questions or concerns about applying, please let me or your dean know.

Adjunct faculty: This promotion requires that you have a PT performance review completed to be eligible, but please remember that is on your Division to make sure that is done.  If you are due (or overdue) for a performance evaluation, your Dean and Chair will work to have that completed this quarter.  So don’t let that stop you from applying!

Full-time faculty: You need to write up an assessment of your moonlight student evaluations as part of your application. You should include all moonlight classes taught in the last 12 months and any additional moonlight sections since your last moonlight promotion to get to a total of at least 3 moonlight classes. [Note: last sentence corrected – the email had an error.]

In either case applications should be submitted to your Division Dean by October 5. It is a rather quick application process, and I encourage everyone that is eligible to apply!

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For those that want the details here is the section of the Faculty Contract that covers these promotions: 

14.2. Promotion

Part-time faculty may be promoted according to the eligibility provisions and criteria below. Applications for promotion must be submitted to the dean by the tenth (10th) instructional day of the Fall Quarter. Promotional decisions will be made by the dean and provided in writing to the part-time faculty member prior to the end of Fall Quarter. If awarded, promotions will take effect at the beginning of the quarter following promotion.

14.2.1. Lecturer I.

a. Eligibility for Promotion. Part-time faculty will be eligible to apply for promotion to Lecturer I following the completion of nine (9) cumulative quarters of employment with the College, and completion of ninety (90) or more credits of instruction (or equivalent for non-teaching faculty). In addition, all part-time faculty compensated at the Senior 1 Rate are eligible for promotion to Lecturer I.

b. Criteria for Promotion:

i. Demonstrated excellence in teaching as determined through a substantive review of the faculty member’s cumulative performance conducted by the program faculty and dean. In the event that an application for promotion is received, and part-time performance reviews have not been completed in accordance with Article 25, the dean shall ensure that a part-time performance review is completed within the same quarter as the application for promotion was received.

ii. Satisfactory completion of the professional development obligations as outlined on the promotion application.

c. Responsibilities. In addition to the responsibilities of all part-time faculty members, Lecturer I’s shall have the following responsibilities:

i. Participation in department and division meetings, events and activities.

ii. Forty-five (45) minutes per week per class of designated office hours. Such office hours may be satisfied by electronic means (telephone, on-line chat, etc.) provided the faculty member is available to interact with students at pre-scheduled times identified on the course syllabus.

14.2.2. Lecturer II.

a. Eligibility for Promotion. Lecturer I’s will be eligible to apply for promotion to Lecturer II following the completion of nine (9) cumulative quarters of employment with the College as a Lecturer I, and completion of ninety (90) or more credits of instruction as a Lecturer I (or equivalent for non-teaching faculty). In addition, all part-time faculty compensated at the Senior 2 Rate are eligible for promotion to Lecturer II.

b. Criteria for Promotion:

i. Demonstrated excellence in teaching as determined through a substantive review of the faculty member’s cumulative performance conducted by the program faculty and dean. In the event that an application for promotion is received, and part-time performance reviews have not been completed in accordance with Article 25, the dean shall ensure that a part-time performance review is completed within the same quarter as the application for promotion was received

ii. Satisfactory completion of the professional development obligations as outlined on the promotion application.

c. Responsibilities. In addition to the responsibilities of all part-time faculty members, Lecturer II’s shall have the following responsibilities:

i. Participation in department and division meetings, events and activities.

ii. Participation in appropriate College-wide governance activities and College events.

iii. One (1) hour per week per class of designated office hours. Such office hours may be satisfied by electronic means (telephone, on-line chat, etc.) provided the faculty member is available to interact with students at pre-scheduled times identified on the course syllabus.

d. Part-Time Faculty Reviews. Lecturer II’s may, at their option, perform part-time faculty reviews for faculty members eligible for their second or fifth quarter review. Lecturer II’s performing reviews will be compensated as provided in Section 18.4.6.

Staffing & Scheduling Best Practices

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(Email: Sept 10)
As we prepare for the new academic year, I’d like to share with you some new guidelines about class staffing and scheduling that I shared with the program chairs last month, so that everyone is aware of these new guidelines for the coming year.

Based on a framework of equity for all faculty, the AVP of Academic Affairs, the Provost and President all support the attached best practices for scheduling/staffing classes. These practices recognize that adjunct faculty play an important role in serving our students. In addition, we acknowledge that changing the current SBCTC system, which is heavily dependent on the inequities between full time and adjunct faculty, requires systematic and long-term changes at all levels.  At the college level, we feel that we can contribute to this by issuing guidance on class staffing that provides a more equitable, transparent, uniform and fair system of class assignments for the most vulnerable of our faculty colleagues.  Hence, you will see that a major focus of these guidelines honors the long-term contributions of all our adjunct faculty by more clearly considering how make class assignments, and how and when we communicate that information to all faculty. A major change from current practice is to schedule existing adjunct faculty for a full load (plus an additional class) before making full time moonlighting assignments. In conjunction with this we, as program chairs and as a college, need to nurture and provide feedback to adjunct faculty in their first few years (much like we do with tenured faculty) to support their success as effective instructors.   

This document also provides additional guidelines on communicating class assignments, moonlights, “per head” assignments, release time, cancelations, and bumping. 

With COVID and budget cuts, it was important to release these guidelines before staffing occurs for winter, hence during the summer.  However, input from Faculty Council, the Positive Policies for Adjuncts Committee, and faculty discussions with the President did inform these guidelines. We will have time to discuss them further in the coming year.  I also recognize that some programs and situations will require some flexibility, however, it is important that we have some standard expectations as a college, to assure that all faculty know what to expect when it comes to making course assignments. But I think it is important, especially in this time of so many unknowns, to provide more equity for adjunct faculty.

Please let me or your Deans know if you have questions, Chairs and Deans will be working with these guidelines as they work on any remaining Fall staffing, as well as moving forward with Winter scheduling/staffing and beyond.