Instructional Reassigned Time

Purpose:

To identify the college’s process for managing instructional reassigned time for full-time teaching faculty positions. This policy defines instructional reassigned time, identifies the types of instructional reassigned time, and sets forth the administrative procedures to be utilized in the management of instructional reassigned time (also referred to as “released” time in the Virginia Community College System [VCCS] policy).

Definitions:

Clinical hours: the number of hours per week in a clinical setting as defined in the course description in the catalog.

Course contact hours: actual hours of contact per week, per semester, in a course (lectures, seminars, laboratories, clinicals, shops, supervised practice, and similar instructional activities) or the total of lecture and laboratory/clinical hours. For purposes of calculating workload, the contact hours for distance learning courses will be the same as the established contact hours for oncampus courses.

Credit hours: the credit-hour value of a course as described by the course description in the college catalog.

Equivalent teaching load: teaching load adjustments translated into teaching credits and considered as part of the faculty member’s semester teaching load.

Full semester teaching load: twelve to fifteen (12–15) credit hours and fifteen to twenty (15–20) contact hours per week, per semester, in classes in the day or evening, or if the individual has fewer than twelve (12) credit hours and maintains twenty-four (24) contact hours.

Hiring manager: the cost center manager for the administrative or academic unit.

Laboratory hours: the number of hours per week in a laboratory setting as defined in the course description in the college catalog.

Lecture hours:the number of hours per week in a lecture setting as defined in the course description in the college catalog.

Non-credit contact hours: generally, for purposes of calculating workload, fifteen (15) contact hours of non-credit lecture activity are equivalent to one (1) contact hour of lecture credit instruction or one (1) workload credit hour. Fifteen (15) contact hours of non-credit laboratory/clinical activity are equivalent to (1) contact hour of laboratory/clinical credit instruction or one-half (0.5) workload credit hour.

Overload: a faculty workload consisting of more than thirty (30) credit hours per academic year, or greater than thirty (30) workload hours, whichever figure results in the greatest number of overload credit hours. In cases where the number of annual credit hours is fewer than twenty-four (24), a faculty workload consisting of more than forty (40) contact hours per academic year, or more than forty-eight (48) contact hours per academic year, shall be considered an overload.

Reassigned time: non-teaching duties translated into teaching credits for the purpose of computing a teaching faculty member’s full semester teaching load. Reassigned time may not exceed 50% of an annual full-time teaching load for more than two (2) consecutive years. Exceptions require approval of the VCCS chancellor.

Regular academic session: consists of the fall and spring semesters and excludes summer session.

Substantial additional assignment: substantial, additional non-teaching assignment/project outside of routine duties or alternative work schedule assigned to a faculty member when under full-time contract. This additional duties assignment must be of a temporary nature with a specific beginning and ending date and does not require a vacant position. Supporting documentation for this pay action must include a description of the additional duties assignment, the amount of the supplement, the duration of the additional duties assignment, interim goals, and the expected outcomes. An individual may be given a supplement of zero to ten percent (0–10%) or a flat rate not to exceed zero to ten percent (0–10%). It may not be used to compensate faculty when they are not under their full-time faculty employment contract.

Teaching faculty: full-time teaching faculty hired on 9-month, 10-month or 12-month appointment.

Policy:

1. Instructional reassigned time is categorized in three (3) groups:

   1. Generated reassigned time: This category of instructional reassigned time is generated by a formula using the previous regular session full-time equivalent student enrollment. The generated reassigned time is used to provide administrative work hours for program heads and assistants to the dean in each academic school. The formula used is as follows: full-time equivalent faculty generated (FTEFG) by school divided by 25 FTEFG = 1 full-time reassigned time position or thirty (30) credit hours. Under the guidance and leadership of the vice president of academic affairs, the deans redistribute the total credit hours of generated reassigned time based on academic program needs. The findings are reported back to the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness in accordance with established deadlines.

   2. Non-generated reassigned time: This category of reassigned time represents all other types of academic administrative and professional services, other than those work assignments mentioned above (Item 1). This category may include acting assignments due to vacant administrative or professional faculty positions, special administrative projects due to the college’s strategic plan, etc. Funding support for these types of assignments must be requested via the vice president of academic affairs as part of the college’s annual budget process. Additionally, reassigned time requests for these and other assignments needed to cover unexpected administrative or professional faculty vacancies require pre-approval by the vice president of academic affairs, executive vice president, and the vice president of finance and administration.

   3. Externally-funded reassigned time: College stakeholders often provide funds to support special administrative or professional level academic work using college faculty and their distinctive academic expertise. The most noteworthy example of this type of reassigned time includes grant program awards. Therefore, hiring managers are required to coordinate instructional reassigned time requests, which are supported by external funds, through the college’s Grants Office (Office of Institutional Advancement), the grants funds accountant (Office of Financial Operations), and the Office of Human Resources for handling. Additionally, the use of these external funds will require the pre-approval of the respective President’s Executive Cabinet member and the vice president of finance and administration.

      External funds, which do not qualify as grant program awards, are to be submitted for approval to the vice president of finance and administration.

      Lastly, externally-funded reassigned time requests can be presented to college leadership any time during the academic year and as soon as the funding becomes available for use.

2. Academic deans shall establish all reassigned time work assignments. Reassigned time work assignments are made to teaching faculty based on college need and shall not be routinely assigned.

3. All reassigned time and other non-teaching activities during the regular academic session shall be expressed in terms of equivalent teaching load for the purpose of computing a faculty member’s total teaching load. Each eight (8) administrative work hours per week of reassigned-time activity is equivalent to three (3) credit hours of instruction.

4. Reassigned-time credit hours are normally limited to the equivalent of fifteen (15) credit hours per fall or spring semester. Reassigned time may also include the use of overload hours, which is provided at five (5) credit hours for each semester of the regular academic session. As an extra compensation measure, reassigned time may be compensated above the twenty (20) hour semester limitation as set forth above and in VCCS policy by using JSRCC Form No. 35-0700, Substantial Additional Assignments, and Reynolds Policy No. 3-28, Personnel Actions for Full-time Faculty Rank Positions. However, supervisors are required to offer reassigned-time assignments within the twenty-hour (20) semester limitation before utilizing the substantial additional assignment option.

5. The faculty member’s supervisor maintains the hiring authority for reassigned-time assignments of less than fifty percent (50%) of the faculty member’s full-time teaching load.

6. The faculty member’s supervisor also maintains the hiring authority for reassigned-time assignments of more than fifty percent (50%) of the faculty member’s full-time teaching load; however, further approval of the assignment is required by the executive vice president and the vice president of academic affairs. Additionally, assignments of more than fifty percent (50%) are restricted by the VCCS to a maximum of two (2) successive academic years. Requests for teaching faculty to perform work assignments for more than fifty percent (50%) of their teaching load for more than two (2) years require prior approval by the VCCS chancellor.

7. If the chancellor’s approval of this extension is not obtained, the college shall redistribute the reassigned-time assignment to fall below fifty percent (50%) or shall initiate the request to establish a full-time administrative or professional faculty position to perform the job assignment in question.

8. While reassigned-time assignments are awarded based on the hiring authority of the faculty member’s supervisor, each supervisor and/or hiring manager is required to adhere to Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act and Executive Order 1 issued by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. These antidiscrimination regulations prohibit discrimination and makes it unlawful to limit, segregate, or classify employees in any way that would deprive them of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect their career progressions based on their race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, political affiliation, disability, military service or veteran status. Therefore, equal rotation and open and inclusive publication of reassigned-time assignments by the hiring manager are critical to this effort.

9. The Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness shall maintain a record of all reassigned time, per academic year, for audit purposes.

Procedures:

1. Conversion of instructional reassigned time to teaching credits

   1. All reassigned-time activities (generated, non-generated or externally-funded) must be converted by the hiring manager into teaching credits and applied towards the faculty member’s full semester teaching load, and overload (if applicable).

   2. In order to make a fair and equitable calculation regarding the conversion of instructional reassigned time, the hiring manager is required to develop a detailed job description to include the following:

      1. beginning and ending date of assignment;
      2. job title;
      3. specific duties and responsibilities, performance expectations/objectives, and requirement of progress report(s) and/or finished work product;
      4. number of work hours per week to perform assignment; and
      5. minimum qualifications and preferred qualifications.

   3. Hiring managers are to use the following formula for conversion: Eight (8) administrative work hours per week of reassigned-time activity is equivalent to three (3) credit hours of instruction.

   4. Hiring managers are required to maintain automated copies of each detailed job description for reassigned-time assignments in their respective administrative and/or academic offices.

2. Requesting and reporting of instructional reassigned time

   1. Generated reassigned time – in accordance with the formula prescribed in III.A.1. above, the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (data analyst) will calculate the number of generated reassigned time credits to be made available for each academic year in accordance with established budgetary deadlines. The academic deans will distribute these credits among the academic schools and Student Affairs. Each semester, each respective hiring manager will report allocation of reassigned credits by completion and submission of a prescribed workbook/spreadsheet. Reports must identify the individual faculty member to whom reassigned time was allocated, the faculty member’s emplid number, the reassigned time code, the number of credit hours, and the prefix of the assigned teaching discipline. See Attachment A – JSRCC Form 05-0001, Reassigned Time Workbook/Spreadsheet.

   2. Non-generated reassigned time – the vice president of academic affairs and vice president of student affairs are required to submit requests for academic and professional services to the executive vice president and the vice president of finance and administration for approval prior to making working assignments to faculty. The reassigned time for these types of services must include a description of the work assignment documented via the detailed job description to include the following:

      1. beginning and ending date of assignment;
      2. job title;
      3. specific duties and responsibilities, performance expectations/objectives, and requirement of progress report(s) and/or finished work product;
      4. number of work hours per week to perform assignment; and
      5. minimum qualifications and preferred qualifications.

   3. Externally-funded reassigned time – academic deans and the vice president of student affairs are required to coordinate all grant-funded reassigned time work assignments through the college’s Grants Office (Office of Institutional Advancement and Strategic Partnerships) and the grants funds accountant (Office of Financial Operations), prior to making work assignments to faculty. This includes the submission of JSRCC Form 50-0207, Replacement Personnel for Full-time Faculty on Grant Reassigned Time, to the Grants Funds Accountant (Attachment B); and, consulting with the Office of Human Resources to provide rates of pay for replacement adjunct faculty.

      Other externally-funded reassigned time work assignments must be coordinated through the vice president of finance and administration and the Office of Human Resources. Nonetheless, in both cases the reassigned time for these types of services must include a description of the work assignment documented via the detailed job description to include the following:

      1. beginning and ending date of assignment;
      2. job title;
      3. specific duties and responsibilities, performance expectations/objectives, and requirement of progress report(s) and/or finished work product;
      4. number of work hours per week to perform assignment; and
      5. minimum qualifications and preferred qualifications.

3. Advertisement of reassigned-time job assignments

   1. Hiring managers are required to post instructional reassigned time work assignments and use the detailed job description mentioned above for a minimum of ten (10) workdays prior to making the hiring decision.

   2. Job postings are to be disseminated via college email using the teaching d-list address. The college’s associate vice president of human resources is to be copied on all such email communications.

   3. The college’s associate vice president of human resources will be responsible for maintaining copies of job posting emails for three (3) years after the date of the initial email announcement.

4. Reassigned-time work assignment selection

   If more than one teaching faculty member expresses interest in a reassigned-time work assignment, the hiring manager must perform the following steps:

   1. screen the applicants based on current college work experience;
   2. interview all minimally-qualified applicants;
   3. make selection for “best fit” from applicants interviewed;
   4. inform non-selected applicants of hiring manager’s decision; and
   5. announce final selection to college-wide audience.

5. President’s Executive Cabinet approval process for annual reassigned-time requests.

   The chart below describes the annual reassigned-time process to be followed and identifies the responsible parties and required due dates:

   President’s Executive Cabinet approval process for annual reassigned-time requests

   Description of Activity	Responsible Party	Due Date
   Data analyst (Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness) distributes workbooks / spreadsheets requesting reassigned time data.	Data analyst (Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness)	Second week in February
   Academic deans and Student Affairs complete their individual spreadsheet to request reassigned time for generated, non-generated and/or externallyfunded reassigned time work assignments.	Academic deans, VP of Academic Affairs, and VP of Student Affairs	Last week in February
   Academic deans and Student Affairs submit requests for nongenerated or externally-funded reassigned time requests to their respective President Executive Cabinet member for budget approval in the upcoming fiscal year. Appropriate justification is to be provided for each request.	Academic deans, VP of Academic Affairs, and VP of Student Affairs	First week in March
   President’s Executive Cabinet members submit prioritized requests to the Budget Office.	President’s Executive Cabinet members	Fourth week in March
   Planning Committee reviews requests for reassigned time.	Planning Committee	Last week in April
   Final reassigned time decisions are distributed.	AVP of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness and Budget Office	Last week in May

6. President’s Executive Cabinet approval process for VCCS policy exception regarding reassigned-time requests.

   The chart below describes the annual reassigned-time process to be followed in monitoring the VCCS policy limitation regarding reassigned time:

   President’s Executive Cabinet approval process for VCCS policy exception regarding reassigned-time requests

   Description of Activity	Responsible Party	Due Date
   Generate report that lists all full-time faculty with more than 50% reassigned time for the two (2) previous academic years. For each of the four (4) terms, the report will show the amount and source of each reassigned time arrangement recorded for the faculty listed on the report.	Data analyst in Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness	Second week in February
   Above report is sent to executive vice president, vice president of academic affairs, and, associate vice president of human resources with copies to the associate vice president of strategic planning and institutional effectiveness, the vice president of academic affairs, and each academic dean, or the vice president of student affairs as applicable.	Data analyst in Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness	Third week in February
   Academic deans and the vice president of student affairs review report in order to: (1) verify report data; (2) determine reassigned time requests for the upcoming academic year; (3) prepare budget justifications for new positions, if applicable; and (4) prepare written justification to VCCS for faculty who are expected to participate in a reassigned time arrangement for more than 50% of their teaching load for the upcoming academic semester. Justification explains why an extension for an additional year is necessary.	Academic deans and the vice president of student affairs	Last week in February
   Reconciled report, request for new positions, and/or above justifications due to vice president of academic affairs. In the case of Student Affairs, the above data is due to the executive vice president.	Academic deans and the vice president of student affairs	First week in March
   Vice president of academic affairs and the executive vice president reviews reconciled reports and other data submitted by academic deans and Student Affairs, respectively. Vice president for academic affairs consults with executive vice president to request further approval of requests. If VCCS justifications are necessary, vice president of academic affairs prepares the draft letter on behalf of the college president to send to the chancellor requesting exemption to VCCS Policy 3.5.2. The vice president of student affairs is required to provide VCCS justification language for the draft letter in the event this information is needed for Student Affairs.	Vice president of academic affairs, vice president of student affairs, and executive vice president	Last week in April
   Draft justification letter sent to associate vice president of human resources for review and edit. Associate vice president of human resources forwards final draft to President’s Office for review, signature and mailing to VCCS chancellor with copies to the executive vice president, vice president of academic affairs, vice president of finance and administration, associate vice president of strategic planning and institutional effectiveness, and associate vice president of human resources.	AVP HR / President’s Office	First week in May
   Upon receipt of VCCS response, copies distributed to executive vice president, vice president of academic affairs, vice president of finance and administration, associate vice president of strategic planning and institutional effectiveness and associate vice president of human resources for handling. The vice president of academic affairs is responsible for notifying the appropriate academic dean of the VCCS response, and the executive vice president is responsible for notifying the vice president of student affairs of the VCCS response.	President’s Office	Upon receipt
   Academic deans and/or the vice president of student affairs use VCCS response to determine full-time teaching loads and job postings for reassigned-time work assignments.	Academic deans and the vice president of student affairs	Prior to start of fall semester

Other Information:

Reynolds Policy No. 3-2, Faculty Teaching Load and Responsibilities

Reynolds Policy No. 3-3, Teaching Overload

Reynolds Policy No. 3-28, Personnel Actions for Full-time Faculty Rank Positions

JSRCC Form 35-0700, Substantial Additional Assignments

Attachment A - JSRCC Form 05-0001, Reassigned Time Workbook/Spreadsheet

Attachment B - JSRCC Form 50-0207, Replacement Personnel for Full-time Faculty on Grant Reassigned Time