Contract Faculty, Lecturer, and Teaching Specialist Task Force

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has established the Contract Faculty, Lecturer, and Teaching Specialist Task Force to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the professional landscape for contract faculty and specialized instructional staff. By examining current policies and practices, the task force seeks to ensure that these vital educators are integrated, supported, and recognized as essential contributors to our mission.

Background

Over the past decade, faculty governance groups; and college and department leaders have raised concerns about the University’s policies and practices related to pay and benefits, governance involvement, promotional paths, and job classifications for contract faculty, lecturers, and teaching specialists. While some of these concerns are being addressed through other ongoing efforts from governance and administrative groups, there remains a need to address inconsistent and conflicting policies and practices related to these employee groups.

Charge

We ask that the task force provide a set of recommendations related to policies and practices governing contract (term) faculty, lecturers, and teaching specialists including suggestions for changes to job classifications and promotional paths, changes in governing policies, and improvements in the areas of hiring, promotion, governance, and professional development for these employee groups.

Specifically, the committee is asked to:

  • Review current policies and practices related to employment conditions for contract faculty and instructional staff on the three campuses that are not covered by collective bargaining agreements (Twin Cities, Morris, and Rochester).
  • Review recent recommendations from shared governance efforts such as the Senate Term Faculty and Academic Professionals Subcommittee (TFAPS) reports, and the Workforce Reinvestment Resolution implementation.
  • Develop recommendations for guidelines and policies related to the appointment of contract faculty and instructional and research staff positions with related job functions. Specifically, this will involve a review of policies governing the appointment of contract (term) faculty and academic professionals.
  • Recommend guidelines for promotion, advancement, and professional development for contract faculty and instructional and research P&A staff. This includes recommendations for establishing three levels of promotion for lecturers and teaching specialists and exploring possible revisions to professional P&A job titles.
  • Provide guidance regarding how to ensure that colleges and departments have clear promotional guidelines for contract faculty, lecturers, and teaching specialists.
  • Create guidelines for how contract faculty, lecturers, and teaching specialists should be involved in departmental governance.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs will assist in scheduling meetings of the task force. The committee will provide a report by May, 2026.

Task Force Members

  • GerShun Avilez, Dean, College of Liberal Arts
  • Shawn Curley, Professor, Minnesota Carlson, Chair of Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs (SCFA)
  • Charlotte Garden, Professor, Law School
  • Ole Gram, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs
  • Paul Hanstedt, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation, University of Minnesota, Rochester
  • Mary Rohman Kuhl, Senior Director, Total Rewards
  • Beth Lewis, Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs
  • Paula Merrill, Compensation Director
  • Kerri Miller, Director of Faculty Affairs, College of Science and Engineering
  • Anna Mosser, Teaching Associate Professor, College of Biological Sciences
  • Michelle Page, Chair, Division of Education, University of Minnesota, Morris, member of Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs (SCFA)
  • Katrien Vanpee, Director of Arabic Language Program, College of Liberal Arts