Prior Service Credit
Faculty hired into a title of academic rank (i.e., tenure-track position), who have taught previously at another institution(s) and wish for those year(s) to be counted towards tenure, may fill out an application requesting prior service credit. Please review the following requirements and complete the attached form and submit to the Office of the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs.
In summary, you must have held an academic rank at a previous institution to qualify as prior service credit. Documents linked here are readily available at the SUNY website; for your convenience, their content has been copied into this document.
SUNY’s Policy on Service Credit
Satisfactory full-time prior service in academic rank at any other accredited academic institution of higher education may, at the request of the appointee and in the discretion of the chancellor, or designee, be credited as service, up to a maximum of three years, at the time of appointment at a college. Waiver of all or part of this service credit shall be granted upon written request of the employee to the chief administrative officer not later than six months after the date of initial appointment. (Article XI, Title B. Section 3d)
Academic Rank Titles
- Instructor
- Assistant professor/assistant librarian
- Associate professor/associate librarian
- Professor/librarian
These titles are in the unclassified service and in the SUNY Professional Services Negotiating Unit. Appointments to these titles are made by the chief administrative officer of the campus upon the recommendations of the appropriate academic committees and officers of the campus. The academic rank offered to an appointee depends upon the type of campus, the appointee’s qualifications, and the criteria established for each rank by the department and campus in accordance with SUNY policies. Within SUNY policies, appointments to these titles may be on the basis of temporary, term, or continuing (tenure) appointments. All of these academic ranks are “tenure track” — appointees are eligible for consideration for continuing appointment. For continuing appointment there are rigid requirements based upon rank, length of service and candidate’s qualifications, and such continuing appointments are made by the chancellor of the State University of New York upon the recommendation of the chief administrative officer of the campus. [By default, part-time is considered “Qualified Academic Rank” and such service does not count towards tenure even if it is rendered in one of these titles.]
SUNY’s Definition of Qualified Academic Rank Titles
These titles are in the unclassified service and in the SUNY Professional Services Negotiating Unit. Appointments to these titles are made by the chief administrative officer of the campus upon the recommendations of the appropriate academic committees and officers of the campus. The qualified academic rank offered to an appointee depends upon the type of campus, the appointee’s qualifications, and the criteria established for each qualified rank by the department and campus in accordance with SUNY policies. Within SUNY policies, appointments to these titles may be on the basis of temporary or term appointments but cannot be on the basis of continuing appointment. Qualified academic ranks are not “tenure track” — service in these titles do not count for meeting service requirements for continuing appointment even if appointees are subsequently appointed to academic rank. Appointees to Qualified Academic Rank are generally lecturers who fulfill basic curricular needs but may not be assigned the full range of duties normally associated with academic rank appointees, particularly with regard to scholarship. They often have clinical assignments, have appointments supported by research grants, or are on visiting appointments with primary appointments at other colleges, universities, or campuses. By definition, Qualified Academic Rank is: “Rank held by those members of the academic staff having titles of lecturer, or titles of academic rank preceded by the designations “clinical” or “visiting” or other similar designations.”
So, for example, if a new hire had previously taught as an assistant professor elsewhere for one year, that individual could complete the application requesting Prior Service Credit and submit that to the provost/VPAA. On the other hand, if the new hire has worked as a visiting assistant professor, he or she cannot receive prior service credit. As you will read in the definitions offered, such an individual has held a qualified academic rank and that time cannot count towards tenure.
The granting of credit for prior service makes one eligible for continuing appointment sooner than otherwise would be the case. Requests for such credit are acted upon only if the applicant is being hired for a tenure-track position. You should consult with your chair and dean prior to submitting this form to determine whether this course of action is in your best interest.
Procedures
- If you wish to request consideration for prior service credit, complete this form and submit one copy to the Office of the Provost, Kehoe 802, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, N.Y. 12901, no later than one month before the effective date of your appointment at SUNY Plattsburgh. Credit for prior service will not be considered after this date or without the submission of this application form.
- Upon receipt of this application, your prior service will be reviewed and verified. Thereafter, you will receive a letter from the provost confirming or denying the crediting of your prior service and advising you of your new eligibility date for continuing appointment, if any.
- Should prior service be credited, you may reverse your request for all or part of the credit through a written request to the provost within six months of your initial appointment date.