The purpose of the Faculty Handbook is to describe the administrative policies and procedures of the University of Alabama (“University”) that affect faculty-rank employees in academic units. Reasonable efforts have been made to cover all important matters and to ensure that the contents are accurate; in the event that areas of policy have been omitted or are not stated clearly, or if ambiguities or inconsistencies are found to exist, decisions will be made by appropriate officials of the University.
The provisions of and policies referenced in the Employee Handbook (except for provisions and policies applicable only to non-exempt employees) apply to faculty members. Faculty members are responsible for reviewing and adhering to the Employee Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, and all applicable rules of The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama. If, in applicable situations involving faculty-rank employees, a conflict exists between the language of the Faculty Handbook and the language of the Employee Handbook, the language of the Faculty Handbook will control and supersede the language of the Employee Handbook provided that interpretation is consistent with the University’s custom and practice with applicable faculty status.
Faculty with rights and responsibilities under this Faculty Handbook are understood to be all persons who have full-time tenured, tenure-track, or renewable contract appointments. Part-time, temporary, emeritus, and adjunct faculty are understood to have responsibilities dictated by this Faculty Handbook (e.g. compliance with policies and upholding instructional standards), but do not have full rights as defined herein. Some faculty rights are exclusive to those holding a tenured or tenure-track position; these rights are noted in the appropriate sections.
The University reserves the right to amend or alter the conditions and terms contained in this Faculty Handbook as it deems necessary. The University will attempt to give notice of changes of information, policy, and procedure to faculty members and administrative personnel; inquiries as to whether the information contained herein is the current policy and procedure of the University should be made at the Office for Academic Affairs. Board of Trustees Rule 108 requires this statement appear in this Faculty Handbook:
“Although the policies contained herein are intended to reflect current rules and policies of the University, users are cautioned that changes or additions may have become effective since the publication of this material. In the event of a conflict, current statements of Board policy contained in the Bylaws, Rules, official minutes, and other pronouncements of the Board or Chancellor, or superseding law, shall prevail.”
This Faculty Handbook will be reviewed annually. The revision process will include consultation with the Council of Deans and with the Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate. Suggestions for changes should be addressed to the Provost. All changes will be made in compliance with Board of Trustees Rule 108.
This current version of the Faculty Handbook was revised following the above process and became effective October 13, 2020, superseding all previous versions of the Handbook.
Signed – James T. Dalton, Executive Vice President and Provost, October, 2020