Rule 3342-6-28 | University policy on retrenchment.
(A) As defined in section 3345.454 of the Revised Code, "retrenchment" means a process by which a state institution of higher education reduces programs or services, thus resulting in a temporary suspension or permanent separation of one or more institution faculty, to account for a reduction in student population or overall funding, a change to institutional missions or programs, or other fiscal pressures or emergencies facing the institution.
Retrenchment may occur within a designated program, within a designated academic unit, and/or within a program across the regional campus system as a whole.
(1) Retrenchment may be necessary when a judgement, made by the university, based upon the evidence, indicates one of the following:
(a) the university finds it desirable to change or adopt new academic missions or programs; or
(b) the university's ability to fulfill its academic goals has been or will be seriously affected because of a pattern of declining income; or
(c) a general pattern of declining enrollment exists in the university or in a particular unit(s) or program(s), either of which has seriously affected or will seriously affect the university's ability to fulfill its academic goals and responsibilities; or
(d) the university faces the need for quick and substantial retrenchments due to documented extraordinary circumstances (beyond the general pattern of declines in enrollment and/or income covered by the above paragraphs (A)(1)(b) and (A)(1)(c)).
(2) When implemented, retrenchment will be reflected in any one or more of the following ways:
(a) Program modification;
(b) Reallocation of resources;
(c) Changes in academic organizations;
(d) Program excision.
(B) If the university determines that a reduction in the number of faculty may become necessary, it shall first attempt to achieve the desired result through the following:
(1) Attrition, including voluntary early retirement;
(2) Restructuring or reallocation of resources to reduce non-academic expenses and/or administrative overhead.
(3) The university may also attempt to achieve the desired result through the following:
(a) Transfer of faculty from one program or academic unit into another program or academic unit within which their specific academic expertise would be valuable and which is not itself facing fiscal pressures that might necessitate retrenchment;
(b) Transfer of regional campus faculty within one and the same program to another regional campus or from the regional campuses system to the Kent campus.
After considering the preceding, and after consultation with the faculty senate, the university may determine that retrenchment is necessary and proceed to paragraph (C) below.
(C) Following the determination provided for in the above Section B, and after consultation with the faculty senate, the office of the provost, acting on behalf of the university, will notify the dean(s) of the affected program(s), academic unit(s) or regional campus(es) that retrenchment may be required. Accompanying such notification shall be a written description and rationale for the proposed reductions, a copy of which is to be simultaneously forwarded to the chair of the faculty senate and the Kent state united faculty association.
(1) Upon receipt of the above described notice of possible retrenchment, the provost, and/or the dean(s) of the affected program(s), academic unit(s) or campus(es) shall, in accordance with the shared governance procedure, obtain the recommendations of the faculty advisory body of any affected academic unit(s) or campus(es) on how best to carry out the proposed retrenchment. Within fifteen (15) calendar days of the receipt of such notification of possible retrenchment, the faculty advisory body shall submit any recommendations, including alternative proposals, to the provost and its dean.
(2) The original notice of possible retrenchment, plus all recommendations from each faculty advisory body of any affected program(s), academic unit(s) or campus(es) submitted in accordance with the above subsection (C)(1) will then be submitted to the Educational Policies Council for review and recommendations. The educational policies council may then review the proposed retrenchment, take into consideration any other matters it considers relevant and submit its recommendations to the faculty senate within fifteen (15) calendar days. The recommendation, if any, of the elected representatives of the faculty senate must be received by the university within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt by the faculty senate of the recommendation from the educational policies council.
(D) After receiving and considering the recommendation(s) of the faculty advisory bodies of the affected program(s), academic unit(s) or campus(es) and the faculty senate, if such is submitted, the university, through the provost, will make the final determination on any retrenchment.
(E) Once the final determination has been made that retrenchment is necessary, the following factors shall determine which faculty members within the affected program(s), academic unit(s) or campus(es) will be released:
(1) The affected faculty member shall first be placed in the appropriate one of the following categories:
(a) Non-tenure eligible faculty (employment classes F2 and F6) who have completed less than three consecutive years of employment as faculty members;
(b) Probationary tenure-track faculty (employment class F1) who have completed less than three consecutive years on the tenure-track;
(c) Non-tenure eligible faculty (employment classes F2 and F6) who have completed between three and six consecutive years of employment as faculty members;
(d) Probationary tenure-track faculty (employment class F1) who have completed more than three years on the tenure-track;
(e) Non-tenure eligible faculty (employment classes F2 and F6) who have completed more than seven consecutive years of employment;
(f) Tenured faculty (employment class F1) members.
(2) Faculty members within each of the categories listed above in subsection (E)(1), will then be placed in the appropriate rank subcategory:
(a) Lecturer/assistant professor
(b) Associate lecturer/associate professorLecturer/assistant professor
(c) Senior lecturer/professor
(3) Faculty members will be recommended for release starting with the most junior ranked faculty in the first category in (E)(1), and continuing by rank (from most junior to most senior) within that category, and then proceeding similarly through the ranks within each of the categories in (E)(1). In making the final determination within each rank subcategory of a category as to whether or not an individual faculty member will be released, the following additional factors will be given full consideration:
(a) the quality of the faculty member's performance in the areas for which the faculty member was hired;
(b) the impact on the academic program resulting from the release of the faculty member;
(c) the impact on the college, department, or program accreditation resulting from the release of the faculty member;
(d) the faculty member's length of service with the university.
(4) The dean(s) of the affected program(s), academic unit(s), or campus(es) after receiving the recommendation of the appropriate faculty advisory bodies concerning the factors listed in subsection (E)(3), above, will make final recommendations in accordance with subsections (E)(1), (E)(2), and (E)(3) above to the office of the provost concerning the individual faculty members to be released.
The provost will then make the final recommendation to the president for the university in accordance with subsections (E)(1), (E)(2), and (E)(3) above concerning the faculty members to be released and will notify each such faculty member in accordance with the time limitations set forth in the following paragraph (F). A copy of each such notification shall be sent to the chair of the faculty senate and to the Kent state united faculty association.
(F) Notice of release.
(1) The circumstances requiring retrenchment set forth in paragraphs (A)(1)(a) to (A)(1)(c) of this rule cover reductions in the number of faculty members which could be anticipated and planned for well in advance of the actual release of faculty members. Accordingly, in circumstances requiring retrenchment under paragraphs (A)(1)(a) to (A)(1)(c) of this rule, the university will provide notice of release to affected faculty members in accordance with the following:
(a) For a faculty member in category (E)(1)(a) or (E)(1)(b), at least ten (10) months in advance of release.
(b) For a faculty member in category (E)(1)(c) or (E)(1)(d), at least twelve (12) months in advance of release.
(c) For a faculty member in category (E)(1)(e) or (E)(1)(f), at least eighteen (18) months in advance of release.
(2) When retrenchment is invoked under paragraph (A)(1)(d) of this rule, notices of release to be effective at the end of the current academic year must be received by the affected faculty member not later than one-hundred twenty (120) days in advance of release in the case of faculty in the categories provided in (E)(1)(a) to (E)(1)(d) to this rule and not later than six (6) months in advance of release in the case of faculty in categories provided in (E)(1)(e) and (E)(1)(f) of this rule.
(G) The procedure for retrenchment set forth in this policy is designed to accommodate both the orderly change in the university and reductions that must accompany more abrupt changes in circumstances. Therefore, this paragraph (G) shall not be used to accomplish retrenchment. However, it is recognized that catastrophic circumstances beyond the control of the university could develop which require reductions, and such catastrophic circumstances would render impossible or unfeasible the implementation (but only so long as these catastrophic circumstances are in effect) of any or all of the procedures contained in this policy. If such unforeseen, uncontrolled and catastrophic circumstances should occur, then the university agrees that, before taking any action that could be interpreted as bypassing the retrenchment procedures, representatives of the university will meet with representatives of the faculty senate to discuss and show evidence of the circumstances described above and to discuss the proposed course of action.
(H) This policy shall be reviewed by the faculty senate and updated by the board of trustees every five (5) years in accordance with section 3345.454 of the Revised Code.
Last updated December 30, 2025 at 10:07 AM
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