Office of the Provost and Academic AffairsFaculty Policies and Documents

Adjunct Faculty Handbook
Administrative Practice for Doctoral Supervision
Affiliated Faculty Designation
Evidence of Scholarly Achievement
Faculty Overload Pay
Faculty Credentials Form
First Year Faculty Research Stipend Policy
Hybrid and Online Schedule Types
Laboratory and Classroom Safety Policies
Visiting Scholar Process
Performance Evaluations for Adjunct Faculty
Performance Improvement Plan Policy and Procedure
Performance Improvement Plan Form
Performance Improvement Plan Sample
Post-Doctoral Fellowship Policies & Procedures


Qualified Faculty and the Higher Learning Commission's Criteria For Accreditation And Assumed Practices

The Office of the Provost ensures that the University remains in compliance with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) criteria for accreditation by validating that all full-time and adjunct faculty members teaching classes at Lawrence Tech hold the proper credentials, that these credentials have been officially reviewed, and that credentials are maintained on file for inspection. The following policies are strictly enforced by the Provost's Office.

HLC has provided Guidelines for Institutions and Peer Reviewers regarding determination of faculty qualifications to teach.  HLC’s requirements related to qualified faculty seek to ensure that students have access to faculty members who are experts in the subject matter they teach and who can communicate knowledge in that subject to their students. 

From HLC's guidelines there are two tracks for determining qualifications of faculty 1.) Using Credentials, and / or 2.) Using Tested Experience.  LTU's Faculty Credential Manual is currently in draft form pending the determination of appropriate credentials by each academic departments using the HLC guidelines.  This policy states Lawrence Tech's policy and process for determining appropriate credentialing standards and the process and documentation needed to determine tested experience.

1. Each hiring department is responsible for informing each potential new faculty member that they will need to make available an unofficial copy of their transcripts before or during the interview process. The hiring department is also responsible for informing each prospective new faculty member that they must submit a current curriculum vitae and all official transcripts to the Provost's Office before any teaching assignments can be made or payments made to newly hired faculty members.
2. Responsibility for ensuring that a current curriculum vitae and all official transcripts are obtained for each new full-time and adjunct faculty member rests with each individual faculty member. Prospective faculty members must work with their academic department to ensure that a current curriculum vitae and official copies of all academic transcripts are presented to the Office of the Provost when a hiring recommendation is made. Academic departments are encourage not to make official hiring offers until all official documents are on file.
3. Responsibility for maintaining current curricula vitae and all official transcripts rests with the Provost’s Office staff. These documents are maintained in a secure location and are not copied and distributed for other purposes.
4. Contracts and academic appointments for new full-time and adjunct faculty members will not be processed by the Provost’s Office until all credentials are verified and placed on file.
5. In certain cases, the Provost Office may elect to review a copy of an official transcript which is no longer obtainable, verify its originality, and make a validated copy for official faculty files. Please note that this exception will be considered only after all other methods of obtaining the credential have been exhausted.
6. The Provost Office will monitor the assignment of full-time and adjunct faculty members to future semester Banner classes and will inform academic departments in cases where an assigned faculty member is missing an official credential. In these cases, the Provost’s Office will direct that the faculty member’s Banner teaching assignment be removed until all official credentials are verified and placed on file.
7. The department chairperson may review official faculty files for faculty members in their department by visiting the Provost's Office. Faculty files cannot be removed from the Provost's Office.

Minimum Enrollment for Scheduled Classes

For Fall and Spring semesters, the minimum enrollment for a course to run as a full course will be seven (7) students for undergraduate courses and six (6) students for graduate courses. For Summer semester, the minimum enrollment for a course to run as a full course will be six (6) students for undergraduate courses and five (5) students for graduate courses.

As the start of a semester approaches, department chairs and deans are expected to review under-enrolled courses to determine if they should be canceled, combined with other course sections, or offered as an under-enrolled class. Deans are expected to provide their decisions and justification for running under-enrolled classes to the provost at the start of each semester. Under-enrolled classes may be justified for several reasons including: 1) the course is required for students to complete their academic program; 2) the course is offered infrequently but is an important elective supporting a program concentration; or 3) the course supports an academic program with few majors.

Courses that are approved to run in an under-enrolled status should maintain the teaching schedules noted in Banner and documented in course syllabi. Under-enrolled courses should not be run as directed study courses where students meet infrequently with the instructor; directed study courses are specialized courses and should not be confused with regular courses run in an under-enrolled status. Courses run in an under-enrolled status are subject to pro-rated faculty load or adjunct compensation unless approved for full compensation by the provost upon recommendation by the dean. See your department chair or call the Office of the Provost 248-204-2400 for more information about pro-rated course compensation.

Spring 2023 Adjunct Faculty Pay Schedule

Due to payroll processing deadlines, there will be no exceptions to the schedule. All contracts must be turned in to the Office of the Provost (ext. 2000). Please contact Payroll (ext. 2109) for questions pertaining to payments.