The most recent collective bargaining agreement between United Academics and the University of Oregon went into effect April 15, 2025. This agreement includes substantive changes to many articles in the CBA which necessitate revisions to several unit policies. What follows are highlights of areas units should be aware of and consider as they revise policies. In addition, units should carefully review Appendix 1 and 2 in the new CBA for implementation agreements, unit-policy development guidelines, and the standards and criteria for major reviews.

Changes that Impact Unit-Level Policies

The Office of the Provost has provided process instructions and templates required for unit policy revisions. The templates consist of exact language from the CBA and University policy approved by the UO Senate. That text should not be changed at any level of the process. There are clearly marked areas of each template for faculty to provide their unit-level, descipline-specific text, and for deans or their designees to accept or revise the faculty-developed text.  

Units may elaborate on or nuance, but not replace, standards or criteria in the CBA. Exceptions may be made when standards or criteria are inapplicable or irrelevant due to disciplinary norms and practices. In general, unit policies should not only accord with the CBA, but must use language that closely resembles that found in the CBA. The intent is to minimize discrepancies between the CBA and unit-level policies. 

New guidance and material will be added to this page throughout the summer.  

In updating unit policy for Career Faculty Review and Promotion, consider the following: 

• Such revisions should align unit-level policies with Article 19, remove references to contracts to reflect the expectation of continuing employment, and align classifications and categories with those in Article 15. Units that employ faculty in Limited Duration classifications should revise faculty review policies for relevant classifications and categories consistent with Appendix 2.
• Significant changes to Article 19 are outlined below.

Section 3: Career Faculty Performance Reviews

• Supervisors of career faculty members with a position description are to keep position description updated, in consultation with the faculty member
• Reviews should consider lack of resources necessary to perfomance of professional responsibilities that were identified in previous workload discussions

Section 4 & 6: Performance Review Timing and Process

• All performance review conducted during review period of evaluation for merit will be considered
• Personal statements - max of 3 pages
• Criteria limited to "meets" or "does not meet" expectations (for all Career Faculty review types). "Exceeds" excpetations no longer in use.

Section 8: Credit for Prior Service

• Career faculty hired from Pro Tem positions will be evaluated for years of credit the by OtP, after consultation with the unit head. May result in full, partial, or no credit towards promotion.
• Faculty reclassified to Career from Pro Tem (Article 15, Section 8) will receive credit when employment was at 0.5 annualized FTE or greater, and faculty met expectations during review

Section 12 and 22: Eligibility for Promotion

• Career instructional and Career research faculty members who have achieved promotion must wait at least five (formerly six) years before initiating the promotion process again. Promotion review will take place the subsequent year. 

In updating unit policy for Career Faculty Review and Promotion, consider the following: 

• Such revisions should align unit-level policies with Article 20. Each Department or Unit must articulate criteria within their policies that clarify the expectations for faculty activity in research and scholarship.
• Significant changes to Article 19 are outlined below.

Section 3: Review Types

• Third-year post-tenure review (3PTR) can now take place in the third year following:
  • a tenure and/or promotion decision (used to be one or the other)
  • a previous 3PTR for associate professors (if promotion to full is not taking place in the same year)
  • following a 6PTR for full professors
• 6PTR for full professorsfollowing a promotion to full decision or following a previous 6PTR

Section 4: Early Review

• Previous "accelerated" review is now called "early" review.

Section 7: Stopping the Clock

• The clock shall be stopped for one year in the two circumstances listed.
  • birth/adoption of child
  • leave of absence or intermittant leave with a duration of 12 weeks or longer as a result of an ADA or FMLA qualifying event. No more than two extensions may be granted for this reason.

Section 9: Review Evaluations and Considerations (Brand New Section)

• Reviews should provide justifications for their conclution based on the file, previous levels of review, and the unit-level po.,icy. Reviews shall consider any lack of resources necessary to the performance of professional responsibilities that were identified in previous workload discussions (see Artile 17, Section 3)

Section 11 & 12: Mid-term Reviews - Purpose, Outcome, Appeals, and Timing

• The outcome of the mid-term review should be either:
  • Contract until the end of P&T review year to allow for possibility of identifying concerns, providing constructive feedback, and appropriate support before the review
  • A one-year terminal contract in rare cases where the review determies the faculty member will be unable to meet unit-level criteria for P&T by the tenure decision date (two year contracts are no longer issued)
• Mid-term reviews are to happen halfway between appointment and eligibility of tenure, except those appointed with a P&T date three years or less from the time of their initial appointment

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