August 25, 2004

Important Dates and Time Lines
in the 2002-05 Collective Agreement for
Faculty, Librarians, and Archivists Members

(A)    Some Important General Dates

(B)    Time Line for Renewal, Tenure or Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

(C)    Time Line for Renewal of Term, Initial, and Renewable Adjuncts

(A)        Some Important General Dates

By Feb 1:  Each Member shall submit an Annual Report to her/his Dean or delegate or to the University Librarian or University Archivist or delegate, as appropriate. (Article 29.2)

By Feb 1:   Applications and receipts for Child care expenses incurred during the previous calendar year must be made. (Appendix U, A. iii.)

By Feb 28:   Applications for the second round of Tuition support under the Tuition Support Plan must be made. (Appendix V)

By Apr 1:  An Appointments Committee shall be established in each Unit each year. (Article 25.7.1)

By Apr 15:  The Unit Head shall have consulted with and offered the member an initial Workload proposal (Article 37.2.4)

By May 30:  The Unit Head shall normally provide the Member with her/his Workload in writing for the September 1 to August 31 period of the following academic year. (Article 37.2.4)

By June 30:   Librarians and Archivists - Each member’s annual Assigned duties shall be confirmed in writing to the University Librarian (or designate) or University Archivist (or designate). (Article 37.3.6)

By Oct 15:   Following review of an application for Academic Leave, the Unit Head will submit it, along with a letter of recommendation, to the Dean, University Librarian, or University Archivist. (Article 33.1.7)

By Oct 31:  The Dean, University Librarian, or University Archivist, following a review of the application for Academic Leave and the Department Head’s recommendations, shall submit her/his recommendation to the Vice-Principal (Academic) and/or Principal (or delegate) (Article 33.1.7)

By Oct 31:   Applications for the first round of Tuition support under the Tuition Support Plan must be made by this date. (Appendix V)

By Nov 1:   Applications must be made to the Fund for the Scholarly Research and Creative Work (Adjuncts).  (Article 36.11)

By Nov 15:  The distribution of the JCAA Anomalies Side-Table Fund shall be made. (Article 42.3.2)

By Nov 15:  Librarians and Archivists - The distribution of the Anomalies Fund for Librarians/Archivists shall be made. (Article 42.5.4.3)

By Nov 30:   Applicants for Academic Leave shall be informed of the decision by the Vice-Principal (Academic). (Article 33.1.7)

(B)        Time line for Renewal, Tenure or Continuing Appointment, and Promotion

Preamble: The following time lines are specifically included or implied in the Collective Agreement and as such represent a binding agreement between the Parties (QUFA and Queen’s University) . The Parties recognize that some of these time lines are tight, and so applicants are, for example, encouraged to hand in their lists of referees and their applications as soon as they are ready. But it is also recognized that Applicants are not obliged to comply with administrative pressure to meet earlier deadlines not specifically included in the Agreement. Members may, for example, wish to use the summer months to finish research or creative work in progress, and to complete their file.

Note: ‘Unit Head’ refers to the Head of a Department, Dean of non-departmental faculties, University Librarian or designate, or University Archivist as appropriate. ‘The Committee’ refers to the standing Renewal, Tenure/Continuing Appointment and Promotion Committee of Article 28.2.

By Apr 1:  The Committee shall be elected in each Department, Unit and non-departmental Faculty. (Article 28.2.1)

By May 1:  All eligible Members in the Department, Unit, or Faculty must be advised in writing by the Unit Head of eligibility for Renewal, Tenure, or Continuing Appointment. All Members must be notified of Promotion deadlines. The Unit Head must continue to follow up until a response is received. (Article 28.3.1) A notice will be placed in the Queen’s Gazette announcing the September 1 deadline for applications for Renewal, Tenure or Continuing Appointment, or Promotion. (Article 28.3.2)

By May 15:  The Unit Head must provide written notification to all Members of the Gazette announcement. (Article 28.3.2)

By Aug 1:  The Member must notify the Unit Head of her/his intention to apply for Renewal, Tenure, Continuing Appointment, or Promotion. Thereafter the Unit Head provides a list to the Committee of those to be reviewed for Renewal, Tenure, Continuing Appointment, or Promotion. (Article 28.3.3)

By Aug 15:   Within a reasonable time of receiving notification of the Member’s intended application and no later than this date, the Unit Head meets with the Member to help prepare his/her application and discuss the suitability of potential referees. (Article 28.4.1)

By Sept 1:  The Member provides the Committee with a CV, summary of teaching experience and/or dossier, copies of all relevant scholarly work (or citations), description of work in progress, summary of contributions to Department, Unit/Faculty, University, and where appropriate, discipline or profession. (Article 28.4.3)

It is assumed that the list of referees will have been finalized between the Member and the Committee by this date. (Article 28.4.2 (c))

By Mid-Sept:  The Unit Head requests references, sending potential referees the Member’s CV, teaching dossier (if prepared), and significant scholarly work selected by Member. (Article 28.4.2(d),(e))

The Committee solicits views in writing from an appropriately sized random sample of the Member’s students and former students. The Member is given a list of those to be contacted and may indicate in writing to the Committee any one who is unsuitable and have them struck from the list without having to provide a reason. (Article 28.4.5) The Committee obtains USAT course surveys. (Article 28.4.5)

By Sept 15:   Materials submitted to the Committee, together with anything else the Member permits, are made available for review in the Department, Unit, Faculty, Library or Archives by current Members. (Article 28.4.4)

By Oct 15:  The Unit Head provides to the Member material from the Official File that is relevant to the application. The Member has 10 working days to respond to this and may also provide additional relevant materials.

The Unit Head forwards this material to Committee. (Article 28.4.6)

By Nov 1:  The Committee receives the complete Application File including letters form referees. (Article 28.4.7, 28.5.2) No new material may be submitted by the Member after this date unless it is likely to change the outcome. (Article 28.4.7 (d))

By Mid-Nov:  The Committee considers the file and provides to the Unit Head, Dean of non-departmental faculties, University Librarian, or University Archivist, and the Member a written recommendation with reasons based on appropriate criteria, and any dissenting view. The Unit Head gives the Member an opportunity to respond.  If a negative decision is emerging prior to this, the Member must be informed immediately and be given 10 days to respond in writing and provide additional information/material. (Article 28.5.4, 28.5.5)

By Dec 1:  The Unit Head writes his/her recommendation and shows it to the Member, providing 10 days to respond in writing. (Article 28.5.6)

By Dec 15:  The Unit Head or Associate University Librarian forwards to the Dean of a departmental Faculty or University Librarian the application file, the Committee’s recommendation and her/his recommendation and reasons. (Article 28.5.6)

By Feb 1:  The Dean or University Librarian provides the Member with the recommendation and gives seven days to respond. If a negative decision is emerging the Member has to be informed immediately and given ten days to respond. If it differs from that of the Committee or Unit Head, the Dean shall have discussed his/her concerns with the Committee and the Head. (Article 28.5.7)

By Feb 15:  The Dean or University Librarian forwards the Application File to the Principal together with the recommendation of Committee, Unit Head, and Dean and any responses by the Member. (Article 28.6.1)

By Mar 1:  The Principal (or Vice-Principal) informs the Member in writing of her/his decision regarding Renewal. (Article 28.6.2)

By Mar 15:  The Principal (or Vice-Principal) informs the Member in writing of his/her decision regarding Tenure/Continuing Appointment and Promotion to Associate. (Article 28.6.2)

By Apr 15:  The Principal (or Vice-Principal) informs the Member in writing of his/her decision regarding Promotion to Professor. (Article 28.6.2)

(C)        Time line for the Renewal of Term, Initial, and Renewable Adjuncts

Note that the procedure for Adjunct Renewal is substantially different from that for regular faculty Members. The process for Renewable Adjuncts commences at the start of their final (3^rd) year while that for Term and Initial Adjuncts commences by Jan 1. For all these Adjuncts the process must conclude before May 1; however, unless grounds for non-renewal under Article 30.3.5.1 exist, the process should be completed by March 15.

For complete details of the process and procedures mentioned below consult 30.3.6 and 30.3.8.

By Jan 1:  All Term and Initial Adjunct Members eligible for Renewal must be informed in writing of their eligibility by the Unit Head/Dean. Note: Term Adjuncts first appointed after May 1, 2002 are not eligible for Renewal until they have served at least three consecutive years as a Term Adjunct at Queen’s. (Article 25.3.3 (d) iv)

Renewable Adjuncts must be informed of their eligibility for Renewal at the commencement of the final (3 ^rd) year of appointment by the Head/Dean.

By Feb 1:   The Member must indicate to the Unit Head/Dean in writing that she/he will consider a new term of appointment providing Article 30.3.5.1 does not apply.

By Mar 1:   The Head/Dean reviews the Member's Official File and the Unit's plans for the upcoming year. If, in the Head/Dean’s opinion, none of the grounds for non-renewal in Article 30.3.5 apply, he/she informs the Committee (of Article 28.2) both of the Member's application and of her/his proposal to renew the Member, and makes available to the Committee the Member's file.

By Mar 15:   The Committee reviews the file solely for the purpose of determining if Article 30.3.5.1 may apply. The Member is then renewed unless the Committee, after reviewing the file, is of the provisional opinion that Article 30.3.5.1 may apply.

By Mar 15:   If either the Committee or the Head/Dean is of the provisional opinion that Article 30.3.5 may apply, the Head/Dean notifies the Member and advises her/him that she/he may submit relevant material (as outlined in 30.3.6.2 (a), 30.3.6.3 (a), 30.3.8.2 (a), or 30.3.8.3 (a)) for consideration by the Committee. At all stages of the procedure the Head/Dean should make every effort to inform the Adjunct as soon as possible of an emerging negative outcome.

QUFA strongly advises Members to contact the Association’s Grievance Officer for assistance at the earliest stage possible in the application process if a member anticipates or experiences any difficulties or negative responses.

By Apr 15:   The Member submits any material he/she considers relevant to the Head/Dean who prepares a file containing all material submitted by the Member and other material pertinent to the particular circumstances envisaged by Article 30.3.5.1 that apply in this case. The Head/Dean provides the Committee with the file which it considers before making its recommendation to the Head/Dean.

By May 1:   The Head/Dean offers Renewal unless persuaded, after receiving the Committee's recommendation, that Article 30.3.5.1 applies. She/he informs the Member in writing of the decision, stating in the letter either the terms of the Renewal, including an indication of expected duties and the length of appointment, or the reasons for non-Renewal.

NOTE:   The information contained in this QUFACTS is intended only as a guide. Please consult the Collective Agreement for the full details. In the case of a discrepancy, the Collective Agreement takes precedence.