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Faculty are employed for a nine- (9) month academic year or, in a limited number of cases, a twelve- (12) month contract. Agreements for employment are issued by the President of the University acting upon recommendations forwarded by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. Twelve-month agreements issued to faculty representing the University as clinicians in a primary health care area may have specific terms of employment not stated in this Handbook, but approved by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and written into college by-laws.
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Compensation will fall into ranges determined by the rank accorded a faculty member at the time of initial employment. Individual salary negotiations conducted with the dean and higher administrators during the hiring process may lead to individual salary differences.
If the budget permits, salary increases may be granted to all faculty with the decision on actual amounts determined by the president. When authorized by the University president, deans may also recommend merit awards based on criteria contained within the Professional Portfolio (Appendix C1) . Additional salary increases may be given to faculty receiving a promotion or completing an advanced degree.
Compensation for summer term and short-term Intersession teaching will be determined by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and will reflect the prevailing University policy in effect at the time.
Beginning Fall (August) 2011, all new full-time faculty will be enrolled in the twelve month pay plan. Faculty members enrolled in the twelve month pay plan will receive 1/12 of their base salary each month. Regular faculty hired prior to August 2011 are encouraged to enroll in the twelve month pay plan. Faculty currently enrolled in the ten month pay plan will be allowed to continue in their current plan. The first salary payment for the academic term will begin on the last working day of August and then on the last working day of each subsequent months. Direct deposit or pay card is mandatory for all employees. Notice of deposit forms may be viewed online through NSU Web Services. Beginning August, 2011, overload pay, intersession pay and summer pay will be included in the monthly pay in which the paperwork is completed. Fall and spring overload payments are paid in four installments. Add-pay is paid based on the definition of the project.
Continuing Education courses (no transcript credit) are of public service nature and are administered by the Offices of Continuing Studies under guidelines provided by the Regional University System of Oklahoma. The Office of Professional and Continuing Education on the Broken Arrow and the Center for Lifelong Education on the Tahlequah and Muskogee campuses provide opportunities for special interest non-credit courses, courses and programs to enhance job standing, and/or courses and programs to meet continuing education credits for certain occupations. The Oklahoma College of Optometry also provides professional continuing education for optometrist across the United States.
The rate of pay to part-time instructors is established by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. The need of the University plus the academic experience and preparation of the teacher will enter into determining the actual salary offered. Payment to part-time lecturers is made in four installments beginning mid-September for the Fall semester and mid-February for the Spring semester. Payment for the summer term is made in two installments: mid June and mid July. Payments will be made by direct deposit.
The Payroll Manager administers the system of payroll withholdings. Although insurance, annuity, and savings plan withholdings are optional, Federal/State Income Tax, OTRS contributions, and FICA/MQFE withholdings are mandatory. At the time of employment, each faculty member will be required to complete forms defining the number of deductions for Federal/State Income Tax withholding purposes.
Administrative positions may carry increased responsibilities for a faculty member. These responsibilities may be rewarded with a temporary salary increase that might partially or totally be rescinded upon release from administrative duties.
While the University does not prohibit a faculty member from engaging in outside employment, prior approval is required. At the beginning of each academic year a form must be submitted to the department chair, who will forward it through the dean to the president of the University for approval. Such employment should in no way take time from or interfere with the University services for which the faculty member is employed. Outside employment includes professional work of a continuous nature, such as supervision, consultation, advisory services, or other regular or occasional work; and specific work, usually of a limited duration, for which compensation is received. It does not include honoraria for lectures or for literary articles, private income from real estate, or investment and royalties from books and patents. Payments for services performed by a faculty member during any period in which he/she is not on the University payroll are excluded from consideration.
Financial exigencies may require an orderly release of faculty from their contracts in order to protect the existence of the whole University. Northeastern faculty and administrators are pledged to work together to find solutions when this dilemma arises. Although each faculty member judged to be of value to the University (through tenure approval and/or extension of continuing contracts) must be considered, the greater challenge is to preserve the integrity of the University and those programs most vital to Northeastern.
If a financial emergency arises, the President will ask the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs to identify a priority listing of missions/programs on the academic side of the University. Attention will be given to both historical and developmental missions and programs with the result being the ethical and legal preservation of the nucleus of the University. Once the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, working with each dean, has identified programs for retrenchment, an objective inquiry will start that will lead to the selection of faculty members the University can release without impairing a vital program or the University’s Affirmative Action Plan. The following guidelines will apply:
At the college level, deans will consult with faculty and department chairs to consider exceptions to these guidelines. After review, with input from the Curriculum and Educational Policies Committee, the Provost/Vice-President for Academic Affairs shall recommend to the President a list of faculty to be released. The President should act upon the data provided but shall have the option to recommend the release of faculty and/or the elimination of programs other than those forwarded by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. The final decision made on faculty reduction is that of the President of the University.
Prior to the release of faculty members, the administrators of the University will make reasonable efforts to find alternative ways to utilize the skills of the faculty members in order to retain their employment. A tenured faculty member who is to be released at the end of an academic year will be notified on or before December 1 of that year. Non-tenured faculty will be notified no later than March 1. Tenured positions vacated due to financial emergency will not be filled for two (2) years, and non-tenured positions shall not be filled for one (1) year after the time of release. It is the responsibility of the president and Affirmative Action Officer, working with the appropriate academic units, to ensure that any retrenchment activity does not have a disparate impact on minority employees.
Unless a non-tenured faculty member perceives that his/her release from the service of the University is for reasons other than a bona fide financial emergency, the provisions of the Grievance Policy (See 3.7) do not apply. Tenured faculty may appeal a dismissal based on financial emergency to the Appellate Committee on Dismissal of Tenured Faculty (See 3.66).