4. Faculty Appointments

4.1 Tenured and Term Appointment, Academic Staff

Faculty Ranks. Faculty members and other members of the academic staff of comparable rank, including librarians, may be appointed for a specific term (“term appointment”) or indefinitely (“tenured appointment”) depending on rank and experience. Appointment or tenure on one campus of the University carries no implication of appointment or tenure on another campus. Academic employees are tenured only with respect to their academic ranks and not with respect to administrative titles or assignments.

Tenure is not a guarantee of lifetime employment, particularly in the face of institutional change or financial exigency. It does assure that the employee will not be dismissed without adequate justification and without due process.

Term employees are appointed for specified periods of time as indicated on the appointment form.

Professors and Associate Professors are tenured and are appointed for an indefinite period of time, except that the initial appointment and subsequent reappointments through not more than five years of total service to the University campus involved may be made for a stipulated term. Persons promoted to the rank of Professor or Associate Professor after less than five years of service on the campus may be continued to term appointment through no more than the fifth year. Persons holding a professorial rank (Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor) while being paid by a grant or contract do not acquire tenure through the passage of time but may become tenured only by specific individual recommendation through appropriate channels and approval by the President.

Assistant Professors are appointed for terms no longer than three years. Upon reappointment after seven years of service in rank on a particular campus, Assistant Professors receive tenure. A thorough review will be made during the sixth year of service so that notice of termination may be given if necessary no later than the end of the sixth year of service. Individual campuses have the option of conducting the thorough review prior to the sixth year, provided that appropriate written notification is given to the faculty member. The University may, at its discretion, count prior service on the same campus toward the seven-year evaluation period for an Assistant Professor to achieve indeterminate tenure. The ultimate decision shall be left with the President, to be applied in each individual case for which the respective campus recommends granting indeterminate tenure counting prior service favorably.

Those who rank as Associate or Instructor shall be appointed for a specified term and shall not be considered for indeterminate tenure; provided, however, Associates and Instructors hired for an initial term greater than two years may be terminated at the end of the first year if given notice during the first nine months of that year. Otherwise, the provisions of Section 2-7(1)-(4) shall apply.

Exceptions: The rules pertaining to tenure and term appointments are subject to the following exceptions:

1. At the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, persons holding the rank of Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor, while being paid by a grant or contract, do not acquire tenure through the passage of time. Upon individual recommendation and approval by the President, such persons at the rank of Professor and Associate Professor may receive rolling tenure, i.e., they may be appointed for terms of 5 years. Faculty with rolling tenure are reviewed annually and reappointments of Associate Professor and of Professor faculty are for 5-year terms. At such annual review, a recommendation not to reappoint the Associate Professor or Professor is with a 5-year terminal appointment. The faculty member will be notified of a decision not to renew the appointment at least 5 years before the end of the appointment. Faculty members with rolling tenure or on terminal appointments may be terminated for cause at any time with due process.
2. At the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, the rank of Associate Professor may or may not carry with it the status of tenure, depending upon the timing and circumstances of the individual appointment. Individuals receiving an initial three-year appointment as Assistant Professor will be reviewed in their third year for a second three-year appointment for promotion to Associate Professor without tenure. No later than their sixth year, they will be considered for tenure and for promotion to Professor of Law. Typically, successful candidates will both be tenured and promoted to Professor of Law, although there may be cases in which tenure will be granted but the promotion to Professor of Law deferred for later determination. In such cases, they will hold the rank of Associate Professor of Law (with tenure), pending subsequent procedures addressing their promotion to Professor of Law.
3. At those campuses employing full-time faculty members in the professions (e.g. Education) whose primary responsibility is in teaching or service programs associated with coordinating fieldwork and supervising students in the field, the ranks of Assistant Professor-Professional Practice, Associate Professor-Professional Practice or Professor Professional Practice may be designated. Individuals with these academic ranks shall not be eligible for tenure and may be enfranchised to the degree deemed appropriate by the faculty unit (system, campus, college, division or department).

Expiration of Appointment: Upon expiration of a term appointment, the employee is a free agent to whom the University has no obligation. The University may reappoint the employee to the same or a different position. Nonreappointment carries no implication whatsoever as to the quality of the employee’s work, conduct, or professional competence.

When an employee, other than an Associate, is not to be reappointed, written notice to the employee will ordinarily be provided in accordance with the following schedule:

1. Not later than March 1 of the first academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of the year; or, if an initial one-year appointment terminates during an academic year, at least three months in advance of its termination.
2. Not later than December 15 of the second academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of that year; or if an initial two-year appointment terminates during the academic year, at least six months in advance of its termination.
3. At least 12 months before the expiration of an appointment after two or more years’ service on that campus.
4. When an Associate is not reappointed, the Associate shall be given written notice of termination no less than ninety (90) days prior to the expiration of the employment contract.

[Article II, Section 7 of the LSU Board of Supervisors Rules and Regulations (9/13/21)]

Tenure of Academic Staff: Members of the academic staff may be appointed for specified terms (term appointments) or for indeterminate terms (tenured appointments). Term appointments are utilized at the lower academic ranks and ordinarily for initial appointments at all levels. Associate Professors and Professors and those holding equivalent ranks are tenured except as noted in University regulations. Under certain circumstances tenure may be awarded to those holding lower ranks.

The provisions of tenure apply to full-time faculty members with respect to their academic rank and not to administrative titles or assignments. Tenure applies only on the campus on which the tenure is earned.

The foregoing shall not be construed to exclude contracts between the Board and members of the academic staff on mutually acceptable terms other than those stated herein.

Any appointment, whether tenured or term, may be terminated for cause.

[Article X, Section 4 of the Bylaws of the LSU Board of Supervisors (9/13/21)]

Faculty Appointment: A letter from an appropriate University Official offering a position with salary and duties specified, a letter of acceptance from a faculty member, the completion of a faculty appointment personnel form and the appearance of a faculty member’s name in the operating budget are the minimum requirements for an appointment. Duties specified in the original letter offering the position are subject to change, based on University needs.

A decision not to renew a term appointment is not subject to the LSUHSCS appeals procedure. Failure to follow established procedures in non-renewal of a term appointment may be appealed.

[LSUHSC-S]

4.2 Part-Time Academic Staff

Members of the part-time academic staff on the various campuses shall be given term appointments only, not exceeding one academic or fiscal year.

[Article II, Section 8 of the Rules and Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors (9/13/21)]

4.3 Basis of Pay

University employees may be employees for the academic year, fiscal year, summer term, or other stipulated terms. Employees shall be paid in accordance with procedures established for their employment.

[Article II, Section 10 of the Rules and Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors (9/13/21)]