Administrator Retreat Right to Faculty Position

Responsible Unit: Office of the Provost| Executive lead: Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs
Created: 9/20/25 | Reviewed/Revised: 9/26/25 | Effective: 10/15/25
Compliance:
Approving Body: ELT| Classification: Institution-wide

Policy: 
This policy establishes the conditions under which an administrator within Pacific Northwest University (PNWU) may return (“retreat”) to a faculty position in a health sciences program. The institution does not have a tenure system; therefore, all retreat rights are subject to the provisions of this policy and applicable faculty appointment guidelines.

Scope:

This policy applies to administrators holding academic leadership appointments (e.g., Vice-Presidents, Dean, Associate/Assistant Dean, Program Director, Department Chair) who also meet the qualifications for appointment to a faculty position within PNWU’s academic programs and held or holds a faculty role as part of their workload.

Definitions:

Administrator: An individual appointed to a leadership role with administrative responsibilities over an academic or operational unit.

Academic Recency: Demonstrated current experience in core areas of a faculty role, such as teaching, student mentoring/advising, scholarly activity, services, etc.

Retreat: The reassignment from an administrative position to a faculty appointment within the School or College.

Base Faculty Salary: The salary determined for the faculty role, exclusive of administrative stipends, overloads, or special project pay.

Eligibility for Retreat Rights:

To be eligible to retreat to a faculty position, the administrator must:

  1. Hold a faculty appointment with assigned workload (full-time, part-time) at the time of the administrative appointment or meet current qualifications for faculty appointment in the relevant discipline.
  2. Have served in good standing in the administrative role.
  3. Have a satisfactory record of academic recency.
  4. Have no ongoing disciplinary or performance actions at the time of retreat
  5. The program has demonstrated a need for additional faculty members and associated funding.

Conditions of Retreat:

  1. Faculty Appointment Type: Faculty appointments are non-tenured and subject to the same annual or multi-year contract provisions that apply to all faculty
    • Appointment rank and track (e.g. instructional, clinical, research) will be determined by the Provost in consultation with the appropriate Dean and Department/Program.
  2. Base Salary Determination: Upon retreat, the administrator’s salary will be adjusted to reflect the faculty base salary for the assigned rank and track, based on prevailing market rates and internal equity.
    • Administrative stipends and supplemental pay end upon the effective date of the retreat.
  3. Notice: The administrator must provide written notice of intent to retreat at least 120 calendar days prior to the desired effective date, unless waived by the provost.
  4. Placement and Workload: The Provost in consultation with the Dean will determine the faculty workload assignment based on program needs and the administrator’s qualifications.
    • Retreat does not guarantee reassignment to the same department or program from which the administrator originally came.
  5. Retreat Initiated by the University: If the University removes an administrator from their administrative role, it may, at its discretion, offer retreat to a faculty position if the individual meets faculty qualification and there is an available position.
  6. Loss of Retreat Rights: Retreat rights are forfeited if the administrator’s employment is terminated for cause or if they do not meet current faculty qualifications.

Procedures: 

  1. A vacancy or need exists for a faculty position in a college or program.
  2. The administrator submits a written Request for Retreat to the Provost at least 90 days prior to the desired effective date, unless waived by the provost. The written notice must include:
    • The desired date of retreat
    • Documentation of academic recency. This may include student and peer evaluation of teaching, scholarly products, records of service assignments and other evidence of core faculty functions such as student advising/mentoring load.
  3. Provost reviews eligibility, faculty qualifications and program staffing needs.
  4. If approved, the Provost issues a Faculty Appointment letter specifying:
    • Effective Date
    • Rank
    • Base salary and contract length
    • Assigned Department and Program
  5. Human Resources processes the change in appointment.

Exceptions:
Administrators without prior PNWU faculty service are not eligible for retreat rights but may apply for open faculty positions through the competitive hiring process.

Related Policies and references:

Faculty Appointment and Promotion policy

Employment Contract Policy

Compensation Administration Guidelines

Policy Resources

For assistance with policies and procedures contact:

Deidre Dennis
ddennis@pnwu.edu