Amendment/Extension
Tenure Clock Extension & Review Materials - SUNY-UUP MOU
Dear Faculty Colleagues:
Background
A statewide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SUNY and UUP was approved on April 30, 2020, that granted an automatic one-year extension of a faculty member’s time to continuing appointment (tenure). The original MOU applies to faculty who, as of May 6, 2020, were serving in a position of academic rank, had not yet attained continuing appointment, and were not then under review for continuing appointment. The April 30, 2020, MOU can be accessed here: https://www.newpaltz.edu/media/academic-affairs/TenureClockMOU-UUP.pdf
Extension of MOU
The tenure-clock provision of the foregoing MOU has been extended to June 30, 2021. This means that the MOU now also applies to faculty hired between May 6, 2020, and June 30, 2021, as well as to faculty who, as of May 6, 2020, were serving in a position of academic rank, had not yet attained continuing appointment, and were not then under review for continuing appointment. These faculty members will now also receive an automatic one-year extension of the faculty member’s time to continuing appointment (tenure). The MOU extension recognizes the continuing impact of COVID-19 on research, scholarship and university service. More about the April 6, 2021, amendment to the MOU by the SUNY Board of Trustees can be accessed at https://sites.newpaltz.edu/news/2021/04/suny-and-uup-further-extend-tenure-clock-for-academic-employees/
This letter explains what the amended agreement entails for now eligible faculty who have not yet attained continuing appointment. As the new provision states, “Specifically, the May 6, 2020 date in the April 20, 2020 MOU pertaining to continuing appointment for academic employees serving in title eligible for continuing appointment has been extended to June 30, 2021. As such, any academic employee hired between May 6, 2020 and June 30, 2021 now has the benefit of the extension of time toward continuing appointment provision.”
Tenure Clock Extension – How It Will Work
The automatic one-year extension will be applied in the year of the faculty member’s scheduled application for review for continuing appointment. The expected review date for continuing appointment is automatically pushed back by one year, so long as faculty are meeting their professional obligation. For example, if your original eligibility to apply for continuing appointment falls in the 2021-2022 academic year, and you take no action, your eligibility will then fall in 2022-2023, etc.
However, if you wish to pursue continuing appointment without this extension, you can opt out of the one-year extension.
and submit the completed form, via email, to your Department Chair with copies to the Dean, Provost, and Human Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion (HRDI).
- In future years, this notice of your decision to opt out must be submitted no later than the following applicable date:
- March 15 for faculty in the following December cohort
- May 15 for faculty in the following March cohort
- July 15 for faculty in the following June cohort
This tenure clock extension does not impact expected dates for earlier reviews for reappointment. A faculty member’s reappointment schedule remains the same until the year of application for continuing appointment.
This automatic tenure clock extension is separate from any other permissible tenure clock stops, such as Qualified Rank. It does not impact or preclude other tenure clock stops that may be provided for in the UUP contract or that a faculty member may request from the College and that the College has the authority to grant.
Guidance for Faculty
Faculty are encouraged to weigh carefully the decision of whether or not to opt out of the tenure-clock extension provision of the MOU. Faculty may wish to consult the department chair and/or faculty mentors for guidance.
Best regards,
Barbara G. Lyman
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
