Section 2: Core Requirements

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2.8 The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution. The institution has adequate faculty resources to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs. In addition, upon application for candidacy, an applicant institution demonstrates that it meets Comprehensive Standard 3.7.1 for faculty qualifications.

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Judgment of Compliance:
Compliance

Narrative/Justification for Judgment of Compliance:
Christopher Newport University is in compliance with this core requirement.

The number of full-time faculty for Fall 2005 was 218. Nearly 90% of the faculty hold the Ph.D. or another appropriate terminal degree in their fields. Adjunct appointments added another 21 full-time equivalent faculty positions for a total of 239 full-time- equivalent positions. CNU does not employ graduate teaching assistants to teach courses. Of the 218 full-time faculty positions, 182 had probationary or tenured appointments and 36 had restricted appointments. Using the standard formula used to calculate the student to faculty ratio (CDS 1-2), CNU's fall 2005 ratio was 19.6:1. The percentage of courses taught by adjunct instructors was 15.6% or 180 of 1151 courses.

CNU aspires to increase the full-time equivalent faculty to 293 by 2012. This will include an additional 44 full-time faculty positions. The current teaching load of CNU faculty is 4/4. During the 2005 – 2006 academic year, the Provost discussed with the Faculty Senate a plan for moving the CNU faculty to a 4/3 teaching load in the near future, and the Faculty Senate has prepared a resolution entitled Implementing the Change to a 3-4 Faculty Teaching Load in 2007-2008. According to the Higher Education Restructuring Plan for CNU (required by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia), “Based on the University's complement of academic programs and our projected enrollment through 2012, we need to increase our total faculty FTE to 293. This requires the addition of 44 full time faculty positions. As part of this initiative, we will alter the teaching load of our faculty from a 4:4 load to a 4.3 teaching load. The change in teaching load will allow the faculty to more fully engage our undergraduate students.” The University commits to this as a condition of SCHEV's acceptance of the plan. The combination of additional FTE faculty and minimum growth in student population will decrease reliance on adjunct faculty and reduce the student to faculty ratio.

Faculty Responsibilities
The University Handbook , Section XI 3.a.2), spells out the responsibilities of full-time faculty:

While the major responsibility of each faculty member is teaching, and while it is expected that those faculty members who serve at the rank of Instructor and Assistant Professor will regard teaching as their overriding primary responsibility, promotion to the ranks of Associate Professor, Professor, and Distinguished Professor, suggests not only sustained excellence in teaching, but also increased involvement in the faculty member's academic discipline, department, college/school, the University, and the community. It is the responsibility of each faculty member to demonstrate continued evidence of carrying out the expectations of the faculty member's rank.

Section XI 5.b. presents the specific requirements for all Instructional faculty. Among these are the requirements to meet their assigned classes at the times and places designated by the academic dean, to hold office hours and be available during registration periods and examination weeks in addition to during the regular semester, and to attend commencement. Evaluation standards (Section XI 8.c.3)) require full-time faculty to present evidence of effective teaching, professional development, and academic service for promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review. Section XVII A. 2. explains that faculty shall have the opportunity to participate in the formulation, development, review, and alteration of regulations and procedures affecting academics and the Instructional faculty of the University. This is often done through standing and ad hoc committees. It is important that faculty serve on committees and work within the areas of their jurisdiction. In most academic departments full-time faculty advise majors, and full-time faculty advise incoming freshmen and undecided students.

At this time CNU employs adequate full-time faculty to serve as academic advisors and take part in University governance.

Types of Appointments
The University makes eight types of appointments to the Instructional faculty: adjunct, temporary, part-time, sponsored research, restricted, probationary, tenured, and terminal. Sponsored research appointments, which do not have teaching responsibilities, occur for specific research projects, the length of the appointment and benefits, if any, subject to the terms of the research contract.

Temporary appointments are made for periods not exceeding six months to provide for specific, defined projects or for short-term replacements of permanent employees. This type of appointment has no continuing status. Part-time appointments are made for periods not exceeding one academic year and have no continuing status. CNU does not currently have appointments of either temporary or part-time status.

Full-time appointments consist of restricted, probationary, and tenure appointments. Restricted appointments are one-academic-year appointments and have no continuing status, but a new appointment may be made. Such appointments typically fill non-tenure track positions; replace a faculty member on leave; fill a position not considered to be permanent; allow for an extended period of recruitment for a probationary appointment; or permit the employment of visiting faculty. Restricted appointments do receive fringe benefits. Probationary appointments are tenure-track appointments. The University, at its discretion may renew this appointment for a total of not more than six years until tenure is granted or denied. Once tenure is granted, the faculty member receives a tenure appointment each succeeding academic year. There are contractual terms that the employee must meet as a tenured faculty member. Terminal appointments, for no longer than one year, are given to provide adequate notice of termination of employment for those on probationary appointments.

CNU does not currently appoint instructors on a part-time basis. This was one of the cost-saving measures CNU implemented during mandatory state budget cuts for 2003 – 2004.

Adjunct appointments are made for one semester at a time when no full-time faculty member, or no full-time faculty member with the necessary credentials or skills, is available to teach a course. Care is taken to hire qualified faculty. An adjunct faculty member normally teaches one or two courses. Adjunct instructors receive a contract specifying the wages and the details about their course(s) before the semester. Academic departments try to have comfortable space for instructors to meet with students and to prepare for classes. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences holds an orientation session for adjunct faculty to familiarize them with University regulations and procedures and to help with such matters as securing parking permits. The Luter School of Business uses very few adjuncts. Those meet with the department faculty and the dean to review regulations and procedures. The University publishes an Adjunct Handbook on the University website.

Adjunct instructors are evaluated using the course evaluation system full-time faculty use (IDEA). The evaluations are reviewed by the appropriate department chair and dean. Adjuncts are selected by the department and if their performance is not satisfactory, are not rehired. The deans' offices are responsible for adjunct contracts and for collecting and verifying credentials.

Mission and Faculty Size and Qualifications
Because the CNU Mission Statement emphasizes “excellence in teaching, inspired by sound scholarship” on the assumption “personal attention in small classes creates a student-centered environment where creativity and excellence can flourish,” small classes are essential. The average undergraduate class size is 24 (excluding independent studies, practicum's, internships, and laboratories) and 75.3% of classes enroll 29 or fewer. The table below shows the distribution of class sizes for Fall 2005.

The following table shows the size distribution of undergraduate class sections by percentages of classes in each group for the last five years:

As can be seen, CNU has been successful in decreasing the percentage of classes with 20 or more students. More than 44% of the classes for Fall 2005 had 19 or fewer students. The percentage of classes with between 40 and 99 students has been reduced from 14% in Fall 2001 to 7.4% in Fall 2005, a strong indicator that CNU employs adequate faculty to support its mission.

Advertisements for Probationary appointments emphasize excellence in teaching. CNU prefers to hire applicants who have the terminal degree their fields. A typical recruitment advertisement stipulates that “The University is seeking outstanding teachers who will engage undergraduate and graduate students in creative and disciplined intellectual challenges as well as promising scholars with an active research agenda. A commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching is a hallmark of CNU.”

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Support Documentation:
MCLL Recruitment Advertisement
School of Business Recruitment Advertisement
Implementing the Change to a 3-4 Faculty Teaching Load in 2007-2008
University Handbook 06-07, Section XI 3.a.2):
University Handbook 06-07, Section XI 5.b.
University Handbook 06-07, Section XI 8.c.3)
University Handbook 06-07, Section XVII A. 2.
Adjunct Faculty Handbook 05-06

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