1. Do all persons teaching need to be credentialed, even CCE and avocational?

Yes, all faculty need to be credentialed through the process established in the credentialing manual. Associate Deans/Deans can directly credential faculty for CCE and avocational; all program based (credit, prep and PSAV) will need clearance through the Dean’s Council.

2. I’m just updating an existing instructor for an additional course – do I still need approval from the Deans' Council?

Yes. For example, if a person has been teaching MAT 1033 Intermediate Algebra, their credentials would need to be reviewed to see if they could teach other classes. It is best to prepare a faculty roster from the start with all possible courses a faculty member is qualified to teach even if they might not initially be teaching those courses.

3. What should the sequence be for hiring an instructor – is it important?

Yes, very important. For any potential instructor, the first step should be for the person to complete an application with Human Resources and confirm their eligibility to work in the U.S. The second step should be to obtain an official or unofficial transcript and prepare the online faculty roster for Deans' Council review and submission to Academic Services. The third step should be adding the person to the class as a primary or secondary instructor. The fourth step should be to file a Personal Action Form (PAF) with Human Resources. If things happen out of sequence, delays will occur. For example, though you can have someone’s credentials approved BEFORE they have applied to HR, there is no way that the person’s credentials can be loaded onto PantherNet because they do not exist in the system. You will need to be check daily to see when the person is loaded as an applicant or employee and then send the credentials forward to Academic Services to be entered into the IRM system.

Steps:
1. Potential instructor should apply to HR
2. Review of faculty credentials – Academic Services adds to PantherNet if approved
3. Add person to class as instructor
4. File PAF form with HR

4. What if I am not sure if the person qualifies under the credentialing criteria or I think the criteria are wrong?

The purpose of the Deans' Council review is to gain input from colleagues on a person’s credentials to teach given our written criteria. Our goal is to use the credentialing manual as posted each academic year. If refinements are needed, they can be incorporated into next year’s manual.

5. Does Academic Services perform a “final check” against the credentialing manual, and keep files for the submitted faculty rosters?

No, Academic Services personnel do not re-check any credentialing eligibility – we add or update the credential and add a note to the electronic file as to the date added. We do not keep or file any faculty rosters.