PSU-AAUP filed a grievance this week pursuant to Division A of the Article 28 over the downgrade of a ranked Assistant professor of practice position in the Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services in SSW to an "Instructional Specialist II" position.
This grievance protests the University’s change of a job in the CCF from a non-tenure track faculty appointment at the Rank of Assistant Professor of Practice to an Academic Professional position titled “Instructional Specialist II.” The person who currently holds the position with the Assistant Professor of Practice rank was issued a notice of non-renewal (which is the subject of a separate grievance) terminating her employment effective June 30, 2017. The position was recently posted for hire, but as an Academic Professional position titled Instructional Specialist II. The posted job duties of this newly posted position are substantially the same as the Assistant Professor of Practice position.
The well-established practice has been that this is a ranked NTTF position. Notably, the position, among others, was formerly classified at the rank of Instructor. While the University attempted to change those jobs to AP positions in 2015, the Association protested and the parties reached an agreement, memorialized in the June 23, 2015 MOU, to re-rank them as Assistant Professors of Practice. This represented a change in the faculty rank, from Instructor to Assistant Professor of Practice, but it continued the longstanding practice of it being a ranked faculty position, not an Academic Professional position.
The University’s reclassification of this faculty position into an AP position less than two years later significantly affects the unit members who hold the position because the change contributed to decision to terminate two employees, eliminates promotional opportunities (to Associate Professor of Practice and Professor of Practice) and carries a title with far less prestige. This violates Article 8, Section 1.
In addition, the change from the NTTF Assistant Professor of Practice position to an AP classification violates the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines, which are incorporated by reference into the CBA through Article 14, Section 1. The P&T Guidelines make it clear, as the parties agreed less than two years ago, that the Assistant Professor of Practice rank is fitting for the CCF position. The position posting characterizes it as an “instructional lead” for the CANS team and incorporates most of the duties of the former NTTF position.