RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

Position and Procedures 1 course. Students and faculty reported finding the additional
assistant helpful in preparing students for their clinical rotations.
Job Descriptions (SJDs), Workloads, Responsibilities
All faculty have specifically defined roles in the institution as defined by the CCSNH BoT
policies referenced above as well as the full-time and adjunct CBA documents.
CCSNH BoT policy 690 states that the “responsibilities of part-time [adjunct] faculty are
limited to those accountabilities associated with teaching a course at the College.” The
responsibilities expected of adjunct faculty include development of instructional materials,
or usage of prepared instructional materials; and grading of their assigned course(s) work
to meet the course objectives as defined in course outlines. Adjunct faculty are also
expected to be available for student consultation before and after class or via electronic
means as outlined in Section 9 – Workload of the 2017-18 Adjunct faculty CBA. Most
adjunct faculty meet this requirement through electronic communications either via
Canvas or e-mail. Some adjunct faculty, such as one of the Phlebotomy instructors sets
aside 30 minutes after each class to be available to students; and adjunct faculty, such as
one teaching Psychology, reserve classroom space each week to hold “office hours” in
order to assist students.
Full-time faculty have additional responsibilities including teaching and learning, academic
contributions to a department and/or the College, service to students, service to college
and community, and professional growth and development. The responsibilities of each
faculty member are outlined in their Supplemental Job Description (the SJD). This SJD is
available at the time of advertisement of each faculty position and also clearly outlines the
requirement for appointment level (professor, associate professor, or assistant professor).
All faculty are assigned to a specific program or department upon hire and their specific
job responsibilities are outlined in their SJD. With appropriate credentials, faculty may
teach in a discipline outside of their assigned program or department to fulfill the needs of
the institution.
All qualifications for teaching are overseen by the Office of Academics, specifically the
VPAA, to ensure that all faculty applicants meet minimum qualifications. SJDs are revised
upon promotion or as needed based on individual job requirements.
River Valley ensures the proper qualifications of all full-time faculty. Since 2005, the
minimum degree qualification for all full-time and adjunct faculty has been a Master’s
degree. There are some exceptions to this policy made only for programs with
accreditation standards that do not require a Master’s degree such as Massage Therapy,
Medical Assisting, and Medical Laboratory Technician. Occasionally, exceptions have also
been made for programs in which no qualified Master’s level faculty are otherwise
available. In these situations, exceptions are typically made only when there is sufficient
experience to offset the lack of Master’s degree. In addition to degrees, some faculty
members hold certifications and licenses required by their profession. This is often the
case in many programs in Nursing and Respiratory Care, Allied Health, and Health
Sciences. In these cases, faculty are required to maintain certifications, licenses, and
other criteria as dictated by the state or federal requirements or by the individual program
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