Reappointments and Career Pathways 

Your rights at work begin from the moment you are hired at UC. The contract you sign with your department should include a clear description of your work duties, as well as the service period of your appointment (single quarter/semester vs. academic year) and appointment percentage, as it impacts your wages/salary. Your department should also consult you about the time and location of your course(s). If these conditions are not addressed in your hiring paperwork, contact your local chapter.

If you’re offered a 0% appointment or a Without Salary (WOS) appointment, reach out for guidance before you accept it. Contact your local campus representative asap. 

After you’ve signed your hiring paperwork, the UC cannot reduce or terminate your appointment ending date without cause. 

If you are newly hired at UC on a one-year contract and you would like to be rehired after the end of your current appointment, we strongly encourage you to request reappointment right away. The deadline to request reappointment during your initial one-year appointment is October 15. For those appointed for only one semester/quarter in the Winter and Spring, the deadline in Feb. 1st.

1. All pre-continuing lecturers are strongly advised to request reappointment as a means of ensuring you receive full consideration. You can use this form and send it to your department chair, along with your C.V. 
2. Lecturers in the final year of a multi-year appointment are strongly encouraged to do the same. 
3. End of Initial Year Appointment

At the end of your initial appointment, you are entitled to written feedback about your teaching. You will be assessed on:

1. Demonstrated competence in the field
2. Teaching ability
3. Academic responsibility
4. And other assigned duties (which may include University co-curricular and community service).
5. If you do not hear from your department by late winter quarter, you should inquire into your assessment, reaffirming your interest to be assessed for a reappointment.
6. Ask what materials you should submit, and submit any other materials you think are relevant. These include (but are not limited to): teaching syllabi, letters of support from students/faculty/etc., peer reviews, examples of assignments, evidence-based teaching, new methods, successful student outcomes.

After receiving written feedback and demonstrating your teaching excellence, you should receive a reappointment letter from your department. In accordance with our hard-won job security protections, that reappointment should extend your appointment for two years. 

For academic year appointments, reappointment letters should be received by June 1 (quarter campuses) or May 1 (semester campuses). For quarter-based or semester-based appointments, you should receive your appointment letter 60 calendar days prior to the commencement of the first service period of the appointment (Article 7A, section c.1).

Under our current contract, late appointment letters are only permitted due to “reasons outside of the University’s control, such as unanticipated faculty leaves, withdrawals from instruction, separation unavailability, or unanticipated increases in enrollments” (Article 7A, section C.4). If you receive a late appointment letter for any reason, you should contact your field rep as soon as possible. 

Having demonstrated your teaching excellence, you should receive a multi-year reappointment as well as a minimum one-step (3%) Merit Increase to your salary. 

Your multi-year appointment should be the same minimum appointment percentage as your initial appointment. Although that percentage may vary term-by-term, it should be consistent across all years of your multi-year appointment. Your department may offer you supplemental assignments that temporarily increase your appointment percentage. If that supplemental assignment continues for three consecutive years, it should be added to your minimum appointment percentage for reappointment (Article 7A, section D.5).

As you begin a multi-year appointment, we also encourage you to start building your file towards your Academic Excellence Review. Collecting materials that evidence your teaching excellence can also be helpful should your department or campus administration attempt to modify your work duties, cut your classes, or otherwise violate your rights during your multi-year appointment. Ways to build your file include (but are not limited to):

1. Collecting teaching evaluations and letters of support from your students;
2. Participating in teacher trainings, professional development workshops, and other ongoing education opportunities;
3. Developing new curriculum, assignments, or lesson plans with evidence-based teaching methods that you can highlight in your teaching statement;
4. Building relationships with your colleagues, including senate faculty, through mutual support (e.g. peer reviews, letters of support, etc.).

Start building your file and collecting these materials now so that you’ll be prepared well in advance of your Academic Excellence Review. 

At the end of your first multi-year appointment of two years, you should receive a second multi-year appointment of three years. You should also receive another minimum one-step (3%) Merit Increase to your salary.

As you approach your 18th quarter or 12th semester of teaching in the same department or program, you will become eligible for Continuing Status, following your successful completion of an Academic Excellence Review. Your eligibility is determined by your Quarter/Semester count, so it’s important that you keep track of that count yourself (Article 7b and 7c).

Quarter counts do not include summer session appointments. 

By request to your department chair, summer session teaching from Summer 2022 onward, if you taught only 1 or 2 quarters in the department the preceding Academic Year.

Joint appointments, where a lecturer works in more than one department or program 

1. In a joint appointment, work in one program may be counted toward your quarter count in your home program. 
2. Pre-Six Academic Excellence Review (18th quarter/12th semester)

After 18 quarters/12 semesters of teaching in the same department or program at UC, teaching faculty become eligible for a Continuing status, which guarantees ongoing, indefinite appointments and regular merit reviews and salary increases pending an Academic Excellence Review. 

The Academic Excellence Review process should begin when you receive an appointment that includes your 18th quarter/12th semester of teaching. You will receive notice 30 days in advance of your review, which will include the timing, criteria, and procedures that will be followed. You file will first reviewed by your department and you will have the right to review all non-confidential materials before your file is passed to Academic Personnel.

Your teaching effectiveness will be measured by evaluation of evidence presented in your review file. Criteria may include:

1. Dedication to and engagement with teaching;
2. Command of the subject matter and continued growth in mastering new topics;
3. Organizing and presenting course content effectively and with demonstrated learning outcomes;
4. Setting pedagogical objectives appropriate for the course topic, level, and format;
5. Responding to student work in ways commensurate with student performance, course topic, level, and format;
6. Developing pedagogically effective assignments, lecture slides, lesson plans, exams, and/or other course materials and./or prompts for student work.
7. Awakening in students an awareness of the importance of the subject matter; inspiring interest in beginning students and stimulating advanced students to do complex work. 

Your department should notify you of these and any other criteria at least 30 days prior to the review.

Your department is required to give you timely notice about the results of your excellence review within 20 days of their decision. A finding of excellent results in a Continuing Appointment, with a 6% salary increase. You should be appointed at the same or increased appointment percentage as your previous appointment, unless the University gives specific, allowable reason (Article 7A, sec. J.6). 

A negative finding in your Academic Excellence Review results in separation from the UC. You should receive an explanation in your layoff notice and re-employment rights through the end of your appointment. If you feel the review had a procedural violation, including how you were assessed, contact your field rep immediately.

Every 3 years after achieving Continuing status, lecturers have a right to a merit review. Your department should provide a copy of their merit review guidelines. You also have a right to review all non-confidential materials before your file is passed to Academic Personnel. Your department should notify you at least 30 days in advance of your merit review. You may choose to defer by up to one year. 

If your performance is deemed excellent, you should receive a minimum salary increase of 6% percent. After you have had 2 positive merit reviews, Continuing Lecturers are eligible to request appointment to Senior Continuing Lecturer during your 3rd review period (Article 7d).

Upon appointment as a Senior Continuing Lecturer, you should receive a minimum three-step (9.25%) increase in salary. A Senior Continuing Lecturer shall be considered for additional merit increases at least once every three years following promotion to Senior Continuing Lecturer. You may also request that your merit review be deferred for up to one year (Article 7d).

While our 2021 contract strengthens the job security protections for all UC teaching faculty, we know that sometimes departments and programs do not abide by those terms. You should receive an explanation in your layoff notice and re-employment rights through the end of your appointment. If you feel the review had a procedural violation, including how you were assessed, contact your local steward or field rep immediately.