Faculty Policies & Procedures

Policies and procedures related to faculty are provided below. Click to expand each category. 


The Faculty/Administration Manual (PDF) brings together in one place policies, procedures, and statements that relate to faculty members and academic administrators at the College of Charleston. Each year a revised version of the FAM is posted by the Provost. Changes made to the FAM in the course of the year are reflected in a Log of Changes that is maintained and posted online.

Faculty Recruitment

The Faculty Recruitment page for details about how to recruit regular and visiting faculty, including links to PeopleAdmin's internal and applicant sites.  

New Faculty Onboarding

The New Faculty Information page provides a collection of information that new faculty (permanent, visiting, adjunct, or affiliate) will need to on-board, including links to new faculty checklist, orientation, and resources for getting started at the College of Charleston.

Roster Faculty Appointments

Policies and procedures related to roster faculty (tenured and tenure-track) are detailed in the Faculty/Administration Manual.

Please note the following important sections of the FAM: 

Department Chair and Program Director Appointments

The Academic Program Director page provides details about appointing and certifying the credentials for Department Chairs and other Academic Curricular Program Directors. 

For the director of each major, minor, and certification program, the SACSCOC requires that the institution assign responsibility for program coordination, as well as for curriculum development and review, to persons academically qualified in the field. At the College of Charleston, these responsibilities are held by a department chair or academic program director who is appointed and serves in accordance with the divisional Policy on Academic Curricular Program Directors. This policy details the appointment and duties of academic curricular program directors. Credential guidelines for Academic Curricular Program Directors are outlined in the divisional Policy on Instructor of Record and Faculty Credentials (Section 5.2 and 5.3).

Affiliate Faculty Appointments

The Affiliate Faculty page provides details about appointing and certifying the credentials for courtesy appointed affiliate faculty at the College of Charleston.

The major purpose of making courtesy faculty appointments is to stimulate interaction between the appointee and the students and faculty of the College. This interaction could take the form of teaching, advising, research, and/or service. Courtesy faculty appointments may be offered to persons who visit the College of Charleston from other institutions or work outside the College and who contribute without compensation to a Department, School, or Program. 

Retired Faculty Appointments

The Retirement Teaching Policy (PDF) outlines details about the College's policy on retirement teaching. Faculty members who retire1 from the College of Charleston can often continue to contribute to their departments. Recognizing retiring faculty members’ value to the College, Academic Affairs has developed a process for determining personal interest and institutional need, giving flexibility to the faculty members and their departments, schools and the College to craft a plan for their continued service. Nothing in this proposed process should be construed as requiring the faculty member to continue their employment with the College and nothing should be construed as requiring the College to employ faculty retirees. The Retiree Compensation (PDF) provides details about our compensation rates for retired faculty who teach.

Following retirement, an instructional faculty member or librarian may be nominated by a Department Chair or the Dean of the Library (or equivalent administrator) for the “Emeritus” or “Emerita” title. “Emeritus” or “Emerita” appointments must be approved by the appropriate Academic Dean and the Provost. Details about Emeriti Faculty Appointments (FAM III.F) are outline in the FAM. The emeriti faculty are listed on the Emeriti Faculty page.

Adjunct Faculty Appointments

The Adjunct Faculty Information section provides details about adjunct faculty appointments, healthcare eligibility, development funds, and evaluations.

Faculty Employment, Workload, and External Professional Activities

The Faculty/Administration Manual, specifically the Terms of Faculty Employment and Workload (FAM V.F) detail the terms for instructional faculty's employment and workload at the College of Charleston. 

Information regarding summer term employment and compensation is outlined in the Summer School Payment Policy (.PDF).

Information regarding employment outside the College is detailed in Policy Concerning Outside Employment of Faculty (FAM V.G). Faculty seeking to engage in outside employment, should submit the Notice of Intent to Engage in External Professional Activities For Pay (aka the "Outside Employment Form") as instructed in the policy. 

Faculty Credentials

The Faculty Credentials page provides details about how to certify and submit credentials for all instructors at the College per the Instructor of Record and Credentials Policy. The College has the responsibility to ensure that faculty credentials satisfy the College policy and SACSCOC Standards. 

Faculty Records and Activities

The Faculty/Administration Manual, specifically the Faculty Records (FAM V.C) detail the three areas in which official personnel records are maintained: the Office of Human Resources, the Office of the Provost and the appropriate office of the Deans.

Additionally, the Faculty Activity System (FAS) is our faculty activity reporting tool used to record faculty teaching, research, publication, presentations, awards, creative and service activities and accomplishments; generate faculty CVs; and generate other faculty activity reports that can be provided to directors, deans and the Provost's office. Log into the Faculty Activity System via the link within MyCharleston using your CofC credentials. Go to the Faculty Activity System page for more information. 

The College uses the Tenure and Promotion SharePoint Site for the creation and review of candidate’s online packets. The Faculty/Administration Manual details the standards and procedures for tenure, promotion, and third-year reviews. Please reference the memo on changes to language on major faculty reviews, effective with the 2021-2022 edition of the FAM. The T&P Joint Memo RE: Tenure, Promotion and Third-Year Evaluation Procedures (PDF) provides additional guidance, including the 2022-2023 calendar.  Candidates and reviewers are also invited to view the Informational Presentation (PDF). Each of these resources, as well as a sample candidate packet, are available on SharePoint. 

TENURE & PROMOTION SHAREPOINT

Questions? Many questions are answered in the FAM, Joint Memo, and SharePoint links provided above. If you have additional questions, contact the Associate Provost Deanna Caveny at cavenyd@cofc.edu. For technical SharePoint related issues, contact staff support at faculty-review-group@cofc.edu.

The College uses the Post-Tenure Review SharePoint Site for the creation and review of PTR candidate’s online packets.The Faculty/Administration Manual, specifically the section on Post Tenure Review (FAM VI.H), provides information about standards and procedures for faculty undergoing post-tenure review. Please use the PTR Memo RE: Instructions for Constructing Online Packets (PDF) and the PTR Calendar for additional guidance in preparing materials for review. Additionally, Department Chairs (and select Program Directors) should reference page 6 of these instructions for the "PTR Chair's Checklist." Additional resources, site URLs for candidates, and samples may be found on the Post-Tenure Review SharePoint site's Resources page.

POST-TENURE REVIEW SHAREPOINT

The PTR Deferral Request (PDF) provides information regarding faculty who wish to defer their review. 

Questions? Many questions are answered in the FAM, PTR memo, and SharePoint links provided above. If you have additional questions, contact the Associate Provost Deanna Caveny at cavenyd@cofc.edu. For technical SharePoint related issues, contact staff support at faculty-review-group@cofc.edu.

The College of Charleston is committed to fostering an educational community with a flexible and supportive work environment where faculty can thrive in both their professional and personal lives. Periodically a faculty member may need an adjustment or modification in the assignment of academic duties in order to respond to the birth or adoption of a child. To address this, the College has the following policy, procedure, and forms regarding Modification of Duties for faculty who become new parents, as well as the memo regarding pandemic-associated tenure clock modifications.

Annual, Sick, and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Leave

The College outlines a Faculty Member's sick leave, leave of absence, FMLA, annual leave, and leave with pay in the FAM as follows:

  • Sick leave: The guidelines for Sick Leave (FAM X.A.1) are outlined on the CofC Sick Leave Benefits.
  • Leave of Absence: Any member of the tenured or untenured faculty may apply to the Provost for a leave of absence without pay for a period of up to two years. Please see Leave of Absence (FAM X.A.2) for details.
  • FMLA: Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the College will provide up to 12 weeks (26 weeks in certain military caregiver situations) of unpaid, job-protected leave to “eligible” employees for certain family and medical reasons. Please see Family and Medical Leave (FAM X.A.3)
  • Annual Leave: The Annual Leave Act for state employees establishes a standard Annual Leave Policy that applies to all state employees except nine, ten, and eleven-month teaching faculty. Twelve-month employees on academic appointments carrying faculty status are entitled to the standard leave earning rate applicable to all State employees. See Annual Leave (FAM X.A.4).
  • Leave Benefits: State regulations provide that leave with pay may be granted under certain circumstances. Visit Leave Benefits for details. Also see Leave with Pay (FAM X.A.5).
  • Modification of Duties: For information about faculty who become new parents and/or tenure clock modifications, please see our Modified Duties & Tenure Clock Modification information outlined above.

Sabbatical leave is paid time exempt from normal duties granted to faculty members for the accomplishment of professional development programs. For more information, please see Sabbatical Leave (FAM X.A.6), the Sabbatical Leave Calendar, and our Sabbatical Leave Policy (PDF).

To assist faculty with sabbatical proposals, please reference the following samples:

SSCM: Mathematics Sample and SSCM: Physics Sample

LCWA: Classics Sample and LCWA: Jewish Studies Sample

SOTA: Music Sample and SOTA: Art History Sample

SBUS: Economics and Finance Sample and SBUS: Hospitality and Tourism Management Sample

SHSS: Psychology Sample and SHSS: History Sample

EHHP: Teacher Education Sample 1 and EHHP: Teacher Education Sample 2

As detailed in the Faculty/Administration Manual, faculty research, development, and service are essential to a faculty member’s ability to carry out the College’s educational mission.

See the Faculty Research, Development, and Service page for details about expectations, current opportunities, and ongoing resources. 

See also the Staff Professional Development page. 

Adjunct and Affiliate Faculty Appointments and Payscales

See the Appointment of Teaching Efforts for Adjunct, Affiliate, Staff, Overload, and Retired Faculty page provides information for departments/programs regarding adjunct faculty appointments for teaching duties, staff pay for teaching duties, affiliate faculty with teaching duties, retired faculty who return to teach, and roster faculty overload pay for teaching duties. This page includes the typical payscale and dates of appointments for each term. 

Additionally, the Affiliate Faculty page provides details for departments/programs about appointing and certifying the credentials for courtesy appointed affiliate faculty at the College of Charleston. 

The Faculty Credentials policy is also applicable to adjunct faculty teaching appointments.

Adjunct Faculty Benefits and Healthcare Eligibility

View the Office of Human Resource's Adjunct Healthcare Eligilibility Information (ACA)

The College of Charleston is committed to supporting our faculty and staff by offering CofC benefits that are comprehensive and that represent the best that we can offer in coverage and cost. Health and retirement options are only a few of the benefits provided to employees of the College. We also have generous annual and sick leave plans, as well as other features that significantly impact all of our lives. The CofC benefits site is designed to summarize the plans that are available to you and to reference actual sites with specific information. Although we have made every attempt to accurately represent the plans, please refer to the actual plan sites for detailed information.

Please note: The College offers healthcare insurance to benefits-eligible employees in FTE positions and their dependent children up to age 26. Under the ACA, full-time employees are those who consistently work 30 or more hours per week and those variable-hour employees who average 30 hours or more per week over a determined measurement period. Please go to http://hr.cofc.edu/benefits/affordable-care-act.php for more information about the Affordable Care Act, and contact HR directly with questions about your eligibility. Additionally, we have provided answers to a few FAQs about ACA eligibility on this new faculty information page.

Adjunct Faculty Onboarding

All new faculty are invited and strongly encouraged to attend New Faculty Orientation held in August and January each year. Information about orientation and onboarding is regularly updated on the New Faculty Information page. 

The New Faculty Information site provides links to the new faculty checklist, orientation details, onboarding requirements, mandatory online training, classroom and technology resources, instructions on how to get started in MyCharleston (our internal gateway) and OAKS (our learning management system), as well as information about parking, parenting, and perks at CofC. 

Adjunct Professional Development

View the Adjunct Faculty Development page for details and forms for adjunct faculty support. The Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs supports adjunct faculty development opportunities that are offered by schools, departments, and programs. Please contact your department, program, or school for information about unit-level offerings. Also on this page are additional professional development opportunities available to faculty that may be relevant for some adjunct faculty. 

Adjunct Faculty Evaluations

View the Adjunct and Visiting Faculty Evaluations Policy (.PDF). This Divisional Policy provides information and guidance regarding the requirement for evaluation of adjunct and visiting faculty, as such faculty of special status are described in the College's Faculty/Administration Manual.

Adjunct Faculty Teaching Resources and Academic Policies

Visit our Faculty Information & Resources for information about teaching at the College of Charleston, grading, attendance, academic policies, final exams, services for students, syllabi requirements, honor code, library services, and more.

 


SACSCOC Policies

CHE Policies