Sessional Contact Allocations

Initial Sessional Appointments (Article 4 in the Collective Agreement)

Normally, initial sessional contracts are initiated after workload has been allocated to full-time faculty, limited-term faculty, fixed-term contract faculty, continuing contract faculty, and sessional contract faculty reappointments.

A standing committee for sessional appointments will be struck and will normally be comprised of the chair of the academic unity and at least two tenured or tenurable faculty members elected by the academic unit or discipline.

The unranked criteria used for initial sessional appointments are as follows:

• Candidate availability
• Required and desired academic credential(s) and professional certificate(s)
• Appropriate subject and professional expertise
• Record of successful teaching performance, or clear potential for becoming a successful teacher
• Any applicable professional performance standards
• Other bona fide department and program needs and priorities approved by the Dean

The standing committee will review all applications, conduct interviews if necessary, and develop a short list of candidates in order of priority based on the selection criteria.

Sessional Reappointments

All current contract faculty in an academic unit and contract faculty who have held contracts in the Academic Unit within the last 18 months (excluding time served in limited-term appointments) are eligible to apply for available sessional contracts, subject to the availability of courses for the period under consideration.

Normally, sessional reappointments are initiated after workload has been allocated to full-time faculty, limited-term faculty, fixed-term contract faculty, and continuing contract faculty.  The unranked criteria used for sessional reappointment and workload allocation are as follows:

• Candidate availability
• Seniority (per Article 4 and presented below)
• Required and desired academic credential(s) and professional certificate(s)
• Appropriate subject and professional expertise
• Teaching performance, or clear potential for becoming a successful teacher
• Any applicable professional performance standards
• Other bona fide department and program needs and priorities approved by the Dean

Seniority is to be based on accumulated teaching experience within the academic unit in terms of total SICH taught within the unit.

Deadlines for posting the projected available courses and the reappointment criteria, and inviting the eligible contract faculty to submit their requested teaching load (courses and numbers of sections) are as follows:

• April 1 for the fall semester
• November 15 for the winter semester
• March 15 for the spring semester

The standing committee will be provided with all applications and supporting documents, including

• The criteria outline in Article 4
• Performance evaluations to which applicants have had the opportunity to respond
• Any current documented disciplinary issues to which applicants have had the opportunity to respond
• Any responses that applicants provided during the course of evaluation or disciplinary proceedings

The standing committee will determine whether the applicants are eligible for reappointment, eligible for reappointment with conditions, or ineligible for reappointment.

Current contract faculty who are ineligible for reappointment will be advised in writing of the reasons for ineligibility, and these contract faculty members may respond to the committee in writing within ten days of receiving notice of ineligibility.

Contract faculty are encouraged to review the Reappointment and Workload Allocation – Fall 2018 presentation for Contract Faculty for more details on sessional workload allocation.