Administrative Rules

Value Statement 

The employment of faculty will be conducted consistently and fairly according to the process outlined in the Hiring Guidelines for Adjunct and Full-Time Faculty.  The Austin Community College District will ensure that faculty are selected who meet the educational and/or experience requirements of the position, that credentials are reviewed and verified in accordance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and other accreditation requirements, and that faculty are appointed in accordance with all ACC policies and state and federal regulations.   

Administrative Rule

Faculty must be qualified to teach in the discipline.  Faculty members must meet the College’s requirements to teach in their discipline and the requirements of SACS and other applicable accrediting and approval agencies.  The College is committed to adhering to the SACS credential guidelines as found in The Principles of Accreditation (http://www.sacscoc.org).   

In addition, the College requires the following academic and professional qualifications:  

• Faculty members who teach adult basic education courses below the collegiate level must have a baccalaureate degree in a discipline related to their teaching assignment, and also have experiences that help them relate to the particular needs of the adult students.
• Faculty members who teach in remedial programs must hold at least a baccalaureate degree in the discipline or a baccalaureate degree with enough hours to be equivalent to a major in the discipline and have either teaching experience in a related discipline or graduate training in teaching under-prepared students.

• Each faculty member employed must be proficient in oral and written communication in the language in which assigned courses will be taught.

The highest earned degree presented as the credential qualifying the faculty member to teach must be from either a regionally accredited institution or from an institution outside the United States that has been shown to be accredited and worthy of acceptance through an evaluation from a reputable outside company.  A faculty member whose highest degree is from an institution outside the United States must provide the College an original transcript and an original transcript evaluation showing verification of academic preparation.  The appropriate Dean and Vice President must both review and indicate acceptance or non-acceptance of the credentials. 

Documentation of Credentials

The appropriate Vice Presidents, as shown below, are responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with all hiring guidelines and with appropriate documentation of all teaching credentials. 

The Vice President for Academic Transfer and General & Developmental Education and the Vice President for Workforce Education and Business Development are responsible for ensuring that all faculty meet the qualifications to teach and that they are hired in a timely manner in accordance with ACC’s policies and accreditation standards and guidelines.  The Vice Presidents shall accomplish this by communicating to Deans and Department Chairs the most current SACS requirements as they may apply to specific programs, and make clear the process for properly documenting the credentials of new faculty.  This includes the process for the occasional justification of a new faculty member’s outstanding professional experience, in lieu of the normally expected academic preparation, when it will further the instructional goals and objectives of the College.

The Deans and Department Chairs are responsible for evaluating faculty credentials and certifying that each adjunct faculty member is qualified to teach in the discipline.  The Vice Presidents will monitor this process by reviewing and approving regular reports of new faculty hires that include a list of their academic credentials and classes they are assigned to teach.  The Department Chairs, Deans, and the Vice Presidents are responsible for evaluating faculty credentials and certifying that each full time faculty member and each faculty member whose credentials are alternatively justified is qualified to teach in the discipline. 

• Review of credentials and hiring for adjunct faculty includes initial approval of Department Chair and Dean.  The appropriate Vice President will receive Human Resource generated reports of new hires for final review and approval.
• Review of credentials and hiring for full-time faculty includes approval of Department Chair, Dean, and the Vice President.
• Review of credentials and hiring for faculty whose credentials are alternatively “justified” by presenting outstanding professional experience, in lieu of normally expected academic credentials, when it will serve to further the instructional goals and objectives of the College includes approval of Department Chair, Dean, and the appropriate Vice President.

Faculty who are alternatively credentialed and approved for justification through outstanding professional experience, in lieu of normally expected academic credentials, will be notified in writing and encouraged, when appropriate, to secure additional education/workforce experience needed to fully meet the credential guidelines. 

Faculty Personnel Files

The Office of Human Resources will maintain a master personnel file for each faculty member that includes the appropriate credentials and materials that qualify the faculty member to teach.  It is Human Resource’s responsibility to monitor and maintain the files in good order.

The Office of Human Resources will ensure security of files and will require proper identification from anyone requesting access to official files.

The Office of Human Resources is responsible for disseminating guidelines for hiring faculty, ensuring that hiring committees/personnel are trained in the hiring process and managing the application and documentation process.

The Office of Human Resources shall provide a credentials check list, including provisions for justifying faculty, to all persons responsible for hiring faculty.

Reports 

The Office of Human Resources will generate a report two weeks before each semester/session which identifies all new faculty, full-time and adjunct, their teaching assignments, and their documented credentials.  This report will be provided to the appropriate Department Chair, Dean and Vice President so that any problems can be identified and any missing documentation can be secured before classes start.

The President and appropriate Vice Presidents will receive a similar report from the Office of Human Resources Records Department each semester after the twelfth class day that verifies that all new faculty meet SACS guidelines and other accrediting agency guidelines and that documentation is in order.

An additional report of all faculty with certifications/licenses will be produced and appropriate faculty supervisors informed to ensure that certifications remain current.

An annual report of faculty who are alternatively “justified” as qualified to teach will be prepared for the President, Vice Presidents, Deans, and Department Chairs.  The College shall strive to have less than two percent of its faculty hired to teach in any semester with major justifications of their credentials.