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MCCFA Employment Contract 1999-2001
Article 16 - Professional Development and Academic Affairs
Section 1. College Level Funds.
For the 1999-2000 academic year, each college will be allocated faculty development funds at the rate of one hundred and seventy-five dollars ($175) per each full-time equivalent faculty position at the college during the preceding academic year. For the 2000-2001 academic year, each college will be allocated faculty development funds at the rate of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per each full-time equivalent faculty position at the college during the preceding academic year. Funds provided by this section shall be used only for financing expenses for faculty members only to attend conferences, workshops, take college courses and other activities off-campus, or for the provision of on-campus activities for staff development of the faculty. These funds are to be used to support the professional development of the faculty, the development needs of the academic departments or areas, and the planned instructional priorities of the college. The local association chapter shall determine an equitable procedure for the distribution of faculty development funds. The college president or designee may review proposed faculty development expenditures, and may veto a proposed expenditure within one (1) week of its receipt if the proposed expenditures do not meet the purposes stated above. Nothing in this section shall preclude the local association chapter from proposing to spend faculty development funds on joint activities with other groups at the college. Upon mutual written agreement, the association chapter president and the college president may agree to another method for determination of the use of college level development funds.
Section 2. System Level Funds.
For each fiscal year of this contract, the Employer will allocate a pro rata share of the funds identified in the budget as "staff development" for faculty development. Such funds will be used to provide statewide or regional conferences, workshops and other activities for the staff development of faculty members. The joint committee for faculty development, comprised of at least three (3) faculty members appointed by the Association and at least three (3) administrators appointed by the chancellor shall aid and advise the chancellor or designee in the use of these funds.
Section 3. Sabbatical Leave.
The purpose of sabbatical leaves is to give faculty members the opportunity to secure additional education, training, or experience which will make them better prepared for carrying out their college assignments, and will support the professional development of the faculty, the development needs of academic departments or areas, and the planned instructional priorities of the college/system mission.
Such leaves shall be granted if the following criteria are met:
- Temporary full-time, unlimited full-time and unlimited part-time faculty are eligible for a sabbatical leave. The applicant must have continuously served the equivalent of six (6) or more academic years in the Minnesota community colleges with an aggregate of twelve (12) semesters of actual service without having been granted a sabbatical leave. All continuous employment in the Minnesota community colleges shall be included in the calculation of full-time equivalency. For purposes of this section, continuous employment shall mean holding an assignment during each academic year. No more than one (1) year of service will be counted for each academic year. This total must be achieved prior to the commencement of the leave. Faculty members may have one (1) semester in which the faculty member was on an approved unpaid leave count as one (1) of the twelve (12) semesters. If a faculty member is on an unpaid leave for one (1) year or more, the calculation of equivalent FTE will resume on the date of return. Faculty members on notice of layoff are not eligible for sabbatical leaves. In the event that the faculty member's layoff notice is rescinded, a faculty member who has applied for and met all other requirements for a sabbatical leave shall be granted the sabbatical regardless of the number of sabbaticals that have already been granted if the faculty member is more senior than the least senior faculty member who was granted a sabbatical at that college.
- The faculty member has submitted a plan for the sabbatical leave which is designed to serve the purpose described in Section 3. above.
- The college president has certified that a replacement can be found. In individual cases where a replacement cannot be found, a faculty member determined to meet the other eligibility requirements in the year of request will not be denied a sabbatical leave in subsequent years based solely on this reason. This provision shall not be applicable to the faculty member after a sabbatical leave request is granted (unless the situation recurs after six (6) more years of service).
- Funds to cover the cost of the sabbaticals are available. Except in situations of financial exigency for the Minnesota community colleges, sabbaticals will not be denied for this reason.
- The number of sabbaticals approved for a college does not exceed ten percent (10%) rounded up to the next whole number or one (1), whichever is greater, of the unduplicated headcount of unlimited (including probationary and provisional) full-time faculty and the total FTE of the minimum guarantees for unlimited part-time faculty on November 1 as published in the seniority rosters for that year.
- The number of additional sabbatical leaves beyond those generated
in Subd. 1.E. above awarded at any one (1) college including those
from the statewide pool, shall be determined as follows:
- Each college with fewer than 100 unlimited full-time and part-time faculty members on the seniority rosters as defined in Subd. 1.E. above shall have access to one (1) sabbatical leave from the statewide pool.
- Each college with 100 or more unlimited full-time and part-time faculty members on the seniority rosters as defined in Subd. 1.E. above shall have access to two (2) additional sabbatical leaves from ten statewide pool.
Subd. 2. Selection of Applicants.
If the number of applicants in a given college exceeds the number of sabbaticals using the calculation contained in Subd. 1.E. above, approval will be granted to those who have the greatest number of continuous years of full-time equivalent service based on the date of employment or the date of return after the last sabbatical, whichever is most recent. In the event of a tie, the sabbatical leave will be awarded to the applicant with the greatest system-wide seniority. Then, if a tie still exists, the tie shall be broken by the flip of a coin. At the request of either party, the tie shall be broken in the presence of an association representative.
If there are no sabbaticals available, the applicants may, at their option, fill vacancies created by cancellations at their college in order of descending number of years of service. In case of ties, selection will be made in accordance with the tie-breaker procedure above. Applicants must make a separate application each year that they wish to be considered for a sabbatical leave.
In the event the number of sabbatical leaves is not utilized through the procedure above, the remaining sabbaticals shall be pooled. These sabbaticals shall be available to those applicants who were in excess at the individual campuses. These sabbaticals shall be awarded to those applicants who have the greatest number of continuous years of full-time equivalent service based on the date of employment or the date of return after the last sabbatical. In the event of a tie, the sabbatical leave will be awarded to the applicant with the greatest system-wide seniority. Any sabbatical leave awarded to and then declined by a faculty member no later than April 15, shall be made available to the next eligible faculty member in accordance with the eligibility criteria set forth in this Section.
Subd. 3. Additional Sabbaticals.
If requested by a college president and agreed to by the chancellor and the Association, additional sabbaticals may be approved. Then, if a tie still exists, the tie shall be broken by a flip of the coin. At the request of either party, the tie shall be broken in the presence of an association representative.
Subd. 4. Sabbatical Leave Benefits.
Sabbatical leaves may be granted for one (1) or two (2) or consecutive semesters in an academic year with full base salary for one (1) semester or with two-thirds (2/3) of base salary for two semesters. The second sabbatical, if for a full-year, will be at eighty percent (80%) base salary and any subsequent full-year sabbatical will be at ninety percent (90%) base salary. The first sabbatical does not have to be a full-year sabbatical to qualify for the eighty percent (80%) benefit during the second sabbatical. The second sabbatical does not have to be a full-year sabbatical to qualify for the ninety percent (90%) benefit during the third sabbatical. In the case of unlimited part-time faculty "full base salary" shall be the average of the salary for the three (3) years prior to the sabbatical year. This calculation shall not affect the faculty members' minimum guarantee.
Faculty members on sabbatical leave may accept scholarships, fellowships, grants or employment during the sabbatical leave.
Time spent on sabbatical leave shall be counted as continuous service for all purposes for which continuous service is a factor in the Minnesota community colleges.
No sick leave or personal leave shall be accumulated or credited to a faculty member during a sabbatical leave.
Subd. 5. Application Procedure.
Applications for sabbaticals shall be submitted to the college president or designee between November 24 and December 15 in the year preceding the academic year during which the faculty member is planning to take the leave. The application must be delivered to the president or designee by December 15 or mailed by certified mail not later than December 15 to be considered. Notification of approval or rejection will be provided by the president or designee no later than February 15.
If a faculty member desires to change the substance of the sabbatical plan which was previously approved by the college president or designee, the faculty member shall submit an amended plan to the president. If the president fails to approve the amended plan, the faculty member may submit an alternative plan(s).
Subd. 6. Sabbatical Refusal.
When a sabbatical is granted and the faculty member wishes to refuse the sabbatical, the faculty member may make a written request to the college president stating this fact. The college president shall submit this request along with a recommendation to the chancellor or designee for approval. If the chancellor or designee grants the request, the faculty member shall forfeit eligibility for a sabbatical leave until such faculty member has served the equivalent of four (4) more full-time academic years in the community colleges as a full-time or unlimited part-time faculty member without a break in service unless the chancellor or designee chooses to waive this requirement. The determination of whether or not the four (4) year waiting period will apply shall be made at the time the refusal is approved. Any semester interrupted by thirty (30) or more working days of unpaid leave shall not count toward the four (4) year requirement. This total shall be achieved prior to the commencement of the leave.
Subd. 7. Return Requirements.
A faculty member who has taken a sabbatical leave shall be required to return to her/his college for at least one (1) academic year of service. If the faculty member refuses to do so, the faculty member will be required to repay the salary which was paid by the Employer during the sabbatical leave unless the chancellor or designee chooses to waive this requirement because of special circumstances. The repayment shall be completed not later than the beginning of the academic semester in which the faculty member was expected to return.
Upon returning from sabbatical, the faculty member shall submit a written description of plan activities undertaken during the sabbatical.
Section 4. Collaborative Forum on Academic Affairs.
A Joint Collaborative Forum on Academic Affairs shall meet at the request of either party to discuss and make recommendations to the parties on issues related to academic affairs.
Subd. 1. Membership.
A. The Forum shall consist of equal numbers of representatives appointed by the Chancellor and by the President of MCCFA. The members of the Forum shall determine the chair of the Forum. The parties may bring additional issue-specific resource persons to the meetings of the Forum as necessary.
B. The parties also agree to participate in a larger, MnSCU-wide forum of a similar nature utilizing the representatives on the MnSCU/MCCFA Forum. Details of the workings of the larger forum shall be established through discussions among all participants.
Subd. 2. Scope.
A. The Forum shall accept on its agenda any academic affairs matter as brought forth by either party.
B. Either party may refer a matter to the larger forum (Subd. 1.B.), thereby removing it from the agenda of the MnSCU/MCCFA Forum.
Subd. 3. Mission.
The members of the Forum shall meet as necessary to inform themselves on these issues, explore, investigate, and discuss them in a collaborative manner, and make a joint recommendation(s) to the Chancellor and the President of MCCFA. The recommendation may be for independent or joint action(s) including recommendation for changes in the Employment Contract or current Memoranda of Understanding (MOU or MOA).
Subd. 4. Process.
- The Forum shall conduct its meetings using interest-based problem solving under the auspices of a facilitator. The facilitator shall be agreeable to both parties. The fees and expenses of the facilitator shall be paid by MnSCU.
- When the Forum makes recommendations for changes to either the Employment Contract or to an MOU/MOA, those recommendations, if forwarded by the Chancellor and the President of MCCFA, shall be implemented through a process of meet and negotiate.