Adjunct Rights
If you are hired as a Term Adjunct or Continuing Adjunct at Queen’s University, you are a Member of QUFA. Please read your Collective Agreement and pay particular attention to Article 32 as it deals with Adjunct appointments and Rights to Reappointment.
Right of Reappointment: Process, Guidelines, and Path to Permanence
Specific Right of Reappointment (SRoR)
Articles 32.1 and 32.2
A Term Adjunct who has had full responsibility for teaching 1 or more courses (in the same delivery format) as an Adjunct at least 3 times in 3 separate Academic Years over 5 consecutive Academic Years shall have a SRoR.
The granting is contingent on a record of good teaching (per Article 29) and satisfactory performance, based on three evaluations (per Article 28).
A Post-Doctoral Fellow appointed as a Term Adjunct shall accrue a maximum of 1 half credit course toward the granting of a SRoR.
Article 32.2 has further information with respect to seniority within SRoR.
General Right of Reappointment (GRoR)
Article 32.3
A Term Adjunct with a SRoR who has served 4 or more consecutive years as a Term Adjunct and whose years of service multiplied by the cumulative total of full-course equivalents equals 16 or greater shall be eligible to apply for GRoR. Only Term Adjuncts with a SRoR on 0.5 or more courses shall be eligible.
Example: 4 years X 4 full courses (8 half courses) =16
The teaching load entitlement (TLE) of a GRoR equals the full-course equivalents to which the member has earned SRoR.
A GRoR shall be granted to an eligible Term Adjunct where there is clear evidence, based on at least 3 evaluations per Article 28, of demonstrated professional growth and the promise of future development as reflected in a record of very good teaching and clear evidence of a commitment to academic and pedagogical excellence and a record of high-quality performance of assigned duties.
Conversion to Continuing Adjunct
Article 32.4
A Term Adjunct with a GRoR and a minimum of 6 consecutive years of service and whose service multiplied by the cumulative total of full-course equivalents they have successfully taught in that period equals 72.
Example: 6 years x 12 full courses (24 half courses) = 72, or 8 years X 9 full courses (18 half courses) = 72.
A Continuing Adjunct appointment shall be granted to an eligible Term Adjunct where there is clear evidence, based on at least 6 evaluations (per Article 28) of demonstrated professional growth and the promise of future development as reflected in a record of very good teaching and clear evidence of a commitment to academic and pedagogical excellence and a record of high-quality performance of assigned duties. The Member must show that the evidence favours granting the appointment. Note a higher bar than GRoR.
Term Adjuncts who are converted to a Continuing Adjunct shall be entitled to a course load entitlement (CLE) no less than the higher of the average number of half courses per year they have taught in all years used in eligibility, or the average number of half courses taught in the last 3 years.
Application Process: Acquiring GRoR or Conversion to Continuing
Article 32.3 and 32.5
The Unit Head shall inform all Term Adjuncts of their eligibility to apply for GRoR or Continuing status no later than the first day of the Term prior to the Term they come eligible. Within 30 days the Member must indicate their wish to be considered.
By January 31 applications are submitted which include an up-to-date CV, a teaching dossier, a list of courses or subject areas within the Unit the Member believes they are demonstrably qualified to teach and any other materials relevant to the courses in the Unit the Member is demonstrably qualified to teach.
Prior to February 15, the Unit Head shall inform the Committee of the application, make available to the Committee information from the Official File and the materials submitted by the Member.
By March 15, the Committee will meet to assess all the materials in the Application File to determine if the Member has met the criteria and which courses the Member is demonstrably qualified to teach with satisfactory assessment (GRoR only).
Application Process: Acquiring GRoR or Conversion to Continuing
Article 32.3 and 32.5
In the case of an emerging negative at the Committee level, the Member shall be informed with reasons and have 10 working days to respond or add additional materials, which will be added to the file.
By May 1, the Committee shall form a recommendation in writing with reasons and submit to the Unit Head. In the case of a positive recommendation the Unit Head shall grant GRoR/Continuing, unless the Head is not persuaded the Member has met the criteria, or in the case of Continuing Adjunct they determine that the course(s) taught by the Member will be discontinued or re-assigned and there are no other courses offered in the Unit for which the Member is demonstrably qualified to teach.
By May 15, in a departmentalized faculty, the Unit Head shall forward to the Member, and submit to the Dean, the written recommendation of the Committee and the Unit Head, with reasons.
Application Process: Acquiring GRoR or Conversion to Continuing
Article 32.3 and 32.5
For a departmentalized faculty, in the case of positive recommendation from the Committee and the Head, the Dean shall grant GRoR/Continuing unless the Dean is not persuaded that the Member has met the criteria. If the Committee and Head disagree, the Dean shall decide.
For a non-departmentalized faculty, in the case of a positive recommendation by the Committee the Dean shall grant GRoR/Continuing unless the Dean is not persuaded the Member has met the criteria, or in the case of Continuing Adjunct status, they determine that the course(s) taught by the Member will be discontinued or re-assigned and there are no other courses offered in the Unit which the Member is demonstrably qualified to teach.
By July 1, the Dean shall inform the Member of the decision in writing, including reasons for any denial. In the case of a positive recommendation, the Dean’s notification letter shall state the GRoR/Continuing becomes effective on July 1 on the year granted, the TLE or the FTE, and the list of courses the Member is demonstrably qualified to teach (GRoR only).
Eligibility for GRoR or Continuing Across Two or More Units
Article 32.3.6 and 32.5.8
A Term Adjunct who wishes to apply teaching experience in more than 1 Unit toward their eligibility for GRoR/Continuing shall inform the Head of all such units in writing by October 31, or February 15 if they are only teaching in that term. The Head of the Unit with the greatest amount of teaching shall initiate the procedures.
For the purpose of making recommendations for the granting of a GRoR/Continuing, the composition of the Committee may be modified, as determined by the Chair, to including at least one member from each Unit or program in which the Term Adjunct has taught.
With respect to GRoR, a TLE is Unit-specific. If a Unit’s need change over time (or the Member can request), a portion or all of a TLE may be transferred to another unit in which the Member has a TLE
A Term Adjunct may apply for Continuing Adjunct across multiple Units only in those Units with a CLE. The Member shall submit an application in each Unit. The Dean shall assess each application independently.
Adjunct Promotion
Article 32 and 33
A Continuing Adjunct who is successful in obtaining multi-year external research funds as a principal investigator, shall be granted no more than one half (0.5) credit course teaching release, per full year of grant funding excluding extensions granted by the relevant funding agency, with no reduction to salary. The timing of the teaching release shall be negotiated with the Unit Head.
A Continuing Adjunct who has held an Adjunct appointment for 10 consecutive years and who has been promoted to the rank of Professor in accordance with Articles 30 and 32 shall be granted a full-range Tenured appointment with the rank of Professor.
A Member granted Tenure under the terms of Article 32 shall be eligible to apply for Academic Leave in the first year of their tenured appointment.
Adjunct Rights Workshop (May 2023) – Audio and Slides
Fund for Scholarly and Creative Work and Professional Development (Adjuncts)
For information on this fund, please click here.