1. RECOGNITION 
2. TERM OF AGREEMENT 
3. MANAGEMENT RIGHTS
4. UNION RIGHTS 
5. UNION SECURITY 
6. NO STRIKE/NO LOCKOUT 
7. JOINT LABOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 
8. GENERAL POSITION QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
9. SERVICE TO THE COLLEGE 
10. SALARY
11. EVALUATIONS AND PROMOTIONS 
12. PEER TEACHING OBSERVATION
13. FACULTY ABSENCES AND LEAVES
14. COURSE CANCELLATION AND LOW ENROLLMENT 
15. HIRING 
16. TERM OF APPOINTMENT AND NONREAPPOINTMENT
17. FACULTY GOVERNANCE
18. USE OF TECHNOLOGY
19. ACADEMIC FREEDOM & PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
20. SABBATICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE
21. BENEFITS
22. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
23. RETIREMENT BENEFITS
24. DISCIPLINE
25. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
26. RESIGNATION
27. LAYOFFS AND RETRENCHMENT
28. SUCCESSORSHIP CLAUSE
29. NON-DISCRIMINATION
30. COMPLETE AGREEMENT
    

APPENDIX A: SALARY SCHEDULE
APPENDIX B: SICK TIME DONATION PROGRAM
APPENDIX C: COURSE SECTION DEFAULT CAPACITY PER INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
APPENDIX D: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TENETS
APPENDIX E: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS (AAUP) STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM
APPENDIX F: AAUP STATEMENT ON PROFESSIONAL ETHIC
APPENDIX G: TUITION REMISSION

1.1. California College of the Arts (“Employer”) recognizes California College of the Arts Ranked Faculty United, California Federation of Teachers (CFT) (“Union”) as the exclusive bargaining representative, within the meaning of Section 9(a) of the NLRA, of the following employees:

1.1.1. Included: All ranked full-time and ranked part-time faculty, including all tenured, tenure track, and ranked renewable Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors, including all ranked faculty serving as assistant chairs and associate chairs.

1.1.2. Excluded: All other employees, Adjuncts, Instructors, Visiting Faculty, Professors Emerit, Distinguished Professors, managerial employees, guards and supervisors as defined in the NLRA, Program Chairs, and Program Directors.

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2.1. This Agreement becomes effective October 24, 2025 and will continue in full force and effect through August 15, 2028. Thereafter, it will automatically renew itself and continue in full force and effect from year to year unless, at least sixty (60) days prior to August 15, 2028 or at least sixty (60) days prior to any subsequent anniversary date thereafter, either party gives written notice to the other of its desire to make changes to this Agreement.

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3.1. It is agreed that the Employer retains the right to establish and enforce reasonable rules and personnel regulations relating to the duties and responsibilities of faculty members and their working conditions which are not contrary to this Agreement. Except as specifically expressed in writing in this Agreement, nothing shall in any way limit or be deemed to limit the College in its exercise of management rights and functions, all of which are vested exclusively in the College, including the following:

3.1.1. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of the College's mission, strategic plan, goals, objectives, activities, resources, and priorities; the College's budgets, budget savings and/or plans for increased efficiency; the College's academic calendar during which courses and services will be provided to students; the purpose, size, number and location of non-academic programs and departments of the College; and, in consultation with the Faculty Senate, the purpose, size, number and location of academic programs of the College; 

3.1.2. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of curricular changes, provided that significant collegewide curricular changes shall be made in consultation with the Faculty Senate and Curriculum Committee and Divisional or Program curricular changes shall be made in consultation with the Faculty, Chairs and Deans of the affected Divisions or Programs;

3.1.3. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of the College's regulations, rules, and procedures for its operations, including those applicable to faculty and other employees, as well as students;

3.1.4. To direct, control, alter, extend or discontinue operations, including the College’s physical operations, buildings, facilities, and equipment, provided that the College shall consult with the Faculty Senate and affected programs before discontinuance or deaccessioning of equipment that would result in changes to the curriculum;

3.1.5. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of the qualifications, skills, responsibilities, assignments and standards of performance and conduct for all employees of the College;

3.1.6. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of courses and educational services for students in consultation with the Faculty Senate and Curriculum Committee;

3.1.7. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of decisions of which individual faculty members will deliver courses and educational services for students;

3.1.8. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of student recruitment, admission, academic evaluation policies and regulation of student conduct;

3.1.9. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of the methods of operation and of organization of the work of the College, including instructional modality (e.g., in-person, remote, hybrid, etc.) for courses and other educational services for students;

3.1.10. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of decisions for the expansion or contraction of the College's educational programs, services and of administrative services, generally, and specifically within any department, activity or function of the College in consultation with the Faculty Senate;

3.1.11. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of appropriate staffing levels of any group of College employees generally, and specifically within any College department, activity or function;

3.1.12. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of decisions to hire, promote or demote, and discipline, discharge, not reappoint, transfer, or reassign employees of the College;

3.1.13. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of the construction, removal, specification and acquisition of facilities, apparatus, equipment or other materials in consultation with relevant faculty; 

3.1.14. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of the use and identity of suppliers, vendors, external support, independent contractors, and sub-contractors; and

3.1.15. The determination, modification, direction, control and implementation of faculty teaching, service, and other administrative or non-instructional assignments. 

3.2. The above summary of the exclusive rights and functions of the management of the College is not exhaustive and does not exclude any normal or customary management rights or functions. The exercise, or non-exercise, of any rights or functions of management shall not limit or serve as a waiver. The Employer shall notify the Union of any proposed changes to wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment not expressly identified in this Agreement and bargain with the Union over such changes prior to implementation.

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4.1. Union Officers, Shop Stewards, and Member Organizers

4.1.1. Each academic year, up to two (2) faculty members shall be granted one (1) line of release each per academic year to serve as elected officers of CCARFU. Such lines of release shall not be used for political action, lobbying, or other activities not directly related to contract negotiation, administration, and enforcement of this Agreement, and representation of bargaining unit members.

4.1.2. The Employer shall provide a reasonable amount of release time without loss of compensation to faculty designated by the Union as officers, shop stewards, or member organizers to conduct Union business and to attend Union trainings, meetings, and conferences. Officers, stewards, and member organizers will schedule meetings and trainings at times when required attendees are not scheduled to teach or attend regular meetings associated with their program, division, or service assignments, with the exception of meetings to address imminent concerns or issues, whenever possible. 

4.1.3. Officers and shop stewards shall be provided with appropriate resources, including access to information regarding College policies and procedures and access to pertinent administrators for consultation, to enable them to assist faculty in resolving disputes, complaints, and conflicts on a confidential, informal basis. Time spent by shop stewards assisting faculty in resolving disputes, complaints, and conflicts, representing faculty, and processing grievances shall constitute collegewide service.

4.1.4. At the start of each semester, the Union will provide the College with a list, in Excel format, of current Union officers, shop stewards, and member organizers, including their name and union position.

4.2. Facilities

4.2.1. The Employer shall grant the Union use of the Employer’s facilities for Union meetings at no cost to the Union, provided that such use shall not interfere with or disrupt Employer business or operations.

4.3. CCA Portal

4.3.1. The Employer shall provide a reasonable amount of space for the Union on the CCA Portal in areas frequented by faculty.

4.4. Bulletin Boards

4.4.1. The Employer shall provide a reasonable amount of bulletin board and wall space for the Union in areas frequented by faculty.

4.5. Mail and Electronic Mail

4.5.1. The Union shall have the right to use faculty physical and electronic mailboxes to communicate with faculty.

4.6. Faculty Orientation

4.6.1. The Employer shall provide an orientation session for all new faculty members which all new hires are required to attend during the week prior to the start of classes in the fall term during regular business hours or, for faculty members whose employment begins in the spring term, at a time mutually agreed upon between the faculty member and the Employer. The session will be in-person whenever possible. “Orientation session” means the onboarding process of a newly hired faculty member, in which the faculty member is advised of their employment status, rights, benefits, duties and responsibilities, or any other employment-related matters.

4.6.2. The Employer will provide the Union President with at least five (5) days email notice of the session with a list of the new faculty who are expected to attend.

4.6.3. A Union representative may join the orientation session at a time mutually agreed upon between the Employer and the Union. The Union shall have the opportunity, without the presence of non-bargaining unit employees, to provide new faculty with a copy of this Agreement, member and agency fee information and payroll deduction forms, and any other written information, and to meet with the new faculty members for up to thirty (30) minutes. If a Union representative is unable to attend, the Employer will provide the Union documents to new faculty if the Union requests. 

4.7. Bargaining Unit Information

4.7.1. At least seven (7) days before the first day of class of each semester, the Employer will provide the Union with a list, in Excel format, of current faculty members, including their:

4.7.1.1. Name;

4.7.1.2. Employee identification number;

4.7.1.3. Home address;

4.7.1.4. Personal email address;

4.7.1.5. College email address;

4.7.1.6. Cell phone number;

4.7.1.7. Home phone number;

4.7.1.8. Date of hire;

4.7.1.9. Rank;

4.7.1.10. Program;

4.7.1.11. FTE; and

4.7.1.12. Salary.

4.7.2. Within thirty (30) days of the date of hire, the Employer will provide the Union with the same information in section 4.7.1 for any newly hired faculty.

4.7.3. Current information about faculty teaching assignments for the upcoming semester will be accessible to the Union online through Workday or other employee scheduling software used by the Employer.

4.8. Access

4.8.1. California Federation of Teachers or the American Federation of Teachers representatives will, with advance notice, be permitted access to the Employer’s facilities for the purpose of conducting union business related to representation of the bargaining unit covered by this agreement as set forth in Article 1 (Recognition), provided that such representatives will not interfere with or disrupt the business or operations of the Employer.

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5.1. Agency Shop

5.1.1. Each faculty member covered by this Agreement shall be required, as a condition of continued employment, to acquire and maintain membership in the Union, or to pay to the Union each month an agency fee (a share of periodic dues and initiation fees relating to collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment), beginning no later than thirty (30) days after their date of hire or the effective date of this Agreement, whichever is later. The amount of such agency fee shall be determined by the Union in accordance with applicable law as a percentage of full dues uniformly required to be paid as dues and initiation fees by those who choose to become members of the Union.

5.1.2. A faculty member who is a member of a religious body whose traditional tenets or teachings include objections to joining or financially supporting employee organizations shall, upon written request to the Union, pay a sum equal to dues and initiation fees to a charitable fund designated by the Union in lieu of paying dues. The faculty member shall provide proof of such payments every July 1st to the Union as a condition of continued exemption from the requirement of paying dues. The Union shall provide the names of faculty members requesting such an exemption upon the Union’s approval of that exemption. If the faculty member requests the Union to use the grievance procedure on the faculty member's behalf, the faculty member shall pay the Union for the cost of using such procedure.

5.2. Dues Deduction

5.2.1. The Employer shall require all unit members, as a condition of employment, to complete an authorization form provided by the Union for the purpose of paying membership dues or fees as provided herein. For new hires, the College will include that form with their hire paperwork.

5.2.2. The Employer shall deduct from each faculty member’s paycheck a sum of dues or fees owed for the month covered by that paycheck. If the faculty member has not submitted the authorization form by the time of their first paycheck, the deduction shall be made twice from their second paycheck.

5.2.3. The Employer shall remit the dues or fees to the Union along with a list of members and agency fee payers within the first ten (10) working days of the month following the month of collection.

5.3. COPE Deduction

5.3.1. The Employer will deduct from the pay of unit members, and pay to the Union, voluntary contributions to the Union’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) in the amount authorized in writing by the unit member. COPE deductions shall be made upon submission by the Union, to the Employer, of an authorization card provided by the Union duly completed by the unit member. COPE deductions shall be forwarded in a separate check from dues deductions. COPE deduction authorizations may be terminated, in writing, at any time by the unit member.

5.4. Hold Harmless

5.4.1. The Employer shall assume no financial or other obligation arising out of the provisions of this Article, and the Union hereby agrees that it shall indemnify, defend and hold the Employer harmless from any claims, actions, proceedings or other forms of liability, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that may arise out of or by reason of, any action taken or not taken by the Employer for the purpose of complying with this Article or for the Employer’s reliance on any list, notice, or assignment furnished under any provision of this Article.

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6.1. During the term of this Agreement, neither the Union nor any bargaining unit employees will engage in a strike, picketing, slow-down, or stoppage, nor shall the College lock out the employees. If such action should occur, after written notice from the College, the Union will in good faith encourage employees to terminate such activities and return to their jobs. Faculty members’ academic and individual freedoms of expression are not covered by this Article so long as those expressions do not result in a work slow-down or work stoppage.

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7.1. During the term of this Agreement, representatives of the Union and of the College shall meet as the Joint Labor-Management Committee for the purpose of:

7.1.1. Mutually providing feedback on College-wide matters of importance; 

7.1.2. Establishing and maintaining effective and cordial labor relations;

7.1.3. Exchanging information;

7.1.4. Resolving disagreements and preventing disagreements;

7.1.5. Other matters as agreed by the Committee members.

7.2. The Committee shall be composed of an academic leader at the Dean level or higher and one (1) other administrator appointed by the Employer and the Union President or designee and one (1) additional faculty representative appointed by the Union. Either party may invite guests as subject matter experts when appropriate. Both parties shall also specify in writing which College employees shall serve as its Co-Chair. Participation in the Joint Labor Management Committee shall be considered collegewide service.

7.3. The Committee members will agree upon meetings to be held two (2) to four (4) times per semester, with at least four (4) meetings each academic year. If the Committee members mutually agree, additional meetings may be scheduled but are not required.

7.4. Each Co-Chair will submit to the other, a proposed agenda at least one (1) week in advance of meetings. 

7.5. The Labor-Management Committee will not engage in the settlement of specific pending grievances. The actions of the Committee or of the individual Committee members are not subject to the grievance procedure. Further, no action of the Committee or discussion shall replace the grievance procedure of this Agreement.

7.6. The Labor-Management Committee will not engage in collective bargaining.

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8.1. Positions

8.1.1. Ranked faculty positions serve specific instructional needs of the college. Faculty in these positions are compensated to teach, and provide service to the college and community. To remain qualified to serve as a ranked faculty member, they must maintain an active professional, creative, or scholarly practice in their field(s) of expertise.

8.1.2. Ranked faculty may hold other employment that does not interfere with their availability to perform their job duties according to the schedule and reasonable needs of the program as determined by the program chair. If a faculty member is not available to teach at the time of an assigned course, the program chair will attempt to reschedule the course to a mutually agreed upon time or assign the faculty member a different course. If rescheduling the course or assigning a different course is not possible, the faculty member will be required to teach the initial course or voluntarily reduce their contract load for the academic year.

8.1.3. All ranked faculty are exempt, non-hourly employees.

8.2. Workload

8.2.1. The workload of each faculty member, including teaching assignments, service, and other duties is allocated as follows:

8.2.2. All past practices and prior individual arrangements, as of the ratification date of this Agreement, whether written or oral, regarding course load and course equivalency computations for purposes of determining workload shall cease.

8.2.3. Service expectations are commensurate with teaching lines and are defined in 9.2.

8.2.4. Tenured/tenure-track faculty shall be contracted for one hundred percent (100%) FTE per academic year. Tenured/tenure-track faculty may be contracted at less than one hundred percent (100%) FTE at the request of the faculty member with approval of their program chair and dean. Tenured/tenure-track faculty may be contracted for a sixth (6th) line of teaching at one hundred and twenty percent (120%) FTE based on exceptional need on a one-year basis by mutual agreement between a faculty member and their program chair, dean, and provost. An increase in a faculty member’s teaching/instructional lines above one hundred percent (100%) FTE shall not result in an increase in the faculty member’s expectations for service.

8.2.5. Ranked renewable faculty shall be contracted for sixty to eighty percent (60 - 80%) FTE per year. Ranked renewable faculty may be contracted at less than sixty percent (60%) FTE at the request of the faculty member with approval of their program chair and dean. Ranked renewable faculty may be contracted up to one hundred percent (100%) FTE at the request of the faculty member with approval of the program chair, dean, and provost.  Ranked renewable faculty in leadership roles may also be contracted for administrative release in addition to their teaching/instructional and service load for up to a total of one hundred percent (100%) FTE. Ranked renewable faculty may be contracted for up to six (6) total teaching lines at one hundred and twenty percent (120%) FTE based on exceptional need by mutual agreement between a faculty member and their program chair, dean, and provost. An increase in a ranked renewable faculty member’s teaching/instructional lines above one hundred percent (100%) FTE shall not result in an increase in the faculty member’s expectations for service/non-teaching duties. All exceptions to the standard sixty to eighty percent (60% - 80%) FTE load are granted on a one (1) year basis.

8.3. Minimum Qualifications

8.3.1. Minimum Qualifications for Assistant Professor

8.3.1.1. Terminal degree or equivalent in a field relevant to teaching assignments;

8.3.1.2. Teaching experience at an accredited institution of postsecondary education;

8.3.1.3. CCA’s judgment of evidence of professional activity in area of expertise;

8.3.1.4. CCA’s judgment of evidence of involvement in and service to the educational institution(s) or the equivalent.

8.3.2. Additional Minimum Qualifications for Associate Professor

8.3.2.1. At least six (6) years full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching experience at an accredited institution of postsecondary education.

8.3.2.2. CCA’s judgment of sustained teaching excellence indicated by professional evaluation/recommendations, syllabi, and teaching reviews.

8.3.2.3. CCA’s judgment of evidence of significant professional engagement/achievement recognized within the field.

8.3.2.4. CCA’s judgment of evidence of recognized service of high quality and impact to the educational institution(s) or the equivalent.

8.3.3. Additional Minimum Qualifications for Professor

8.3.3.1. At least twelve (12) years FTE teaching experience at an accredited institution of postsecondary education.

8.3.3.2. CCA’s judgment of evidence of sustained teaching excellence indicated by professional evaluation/recommendations, syllabi, and teaching reviews.

8.3.3.3. CCA’s judgment of evidence of professional engagement/achievement recognized nationally/internationally or equivalent professional recognition.

8.3.3.4. CCA’s judgment of evidence of educational leadership.

8.3.3.5. CCA’s judgment of evidence of recognized service of high quality and impact to the educational institution(s), and the external academic and/or disciplinary community.

8.3.3.6. Exceptional strength in one (1) or more areas may be judged to compensate for lesser accomplishment in another, although professional or service performance may never substitute for lack of teaching excellence at an appropriate institution.

8.4. Expectations Related to Instruction

8.4.1. Ranked faculty are expected to:

8.4.1.1. Attend all scheduled course meeting sessions.

8.4.1.2. Maintain competence and currency in the field of instruction and effectively bring this expertise to bear on instruction.

8.4.1.3. Develop and/or revise a course section description that is consistent with the general course description of record.

8.4.1.4. Develop syllabus, assignments, activities, curricula, and policies in accordance with program policies and directives, and in keeping with any course-specific learning outcomes that have been designated or provided by the program chair.

8.4.1.5. Submit syllabus and required textbook information by the deadlines established by the College.

8.4.1.6. Prepare for class; plan, coordinate, and lead all classroom activities; and assist students with course materials.

8.4.1.7. Regularly monitor student progress, provide feedback and grades to students, and discuss performance with students.

8.4.1.8. Use CCA email addresses and servers for all CCA communications.

8.4.1.9. Submit grades for all students by the deadline established by Student Records.

8.4.1.10. Attend meetings related to curricular and teaching obligations when required.

8.4.1.11. Participate in course, program, and college assessment and accreditation activities.

8.4.1.12. Apprise the program chair, designated coordinator, advising staff, and/or administrative staff of any concerns regarding students as needed.

8.4.1.13. Maintain a regular on-campus schedule during semesters when assigned in-person teaching and/or administrative work, and otherwise have the ability to commute to campus when needed for meetings, service obligations, and other activities.

8.4.1.14. Attend all academic meetings to which they are invited to the best of their ability. Faculty with course assignments in more than one (1) program will prioritize meetings in their program of locus, home division, as well as collegewide meetings and events. Faculty shall be offered the option to attend such meetings remotely when possible. 

8.4.1.14.1. In the case of unavoidable absences the faculty member must notify the appropriate program chair or the organizer of a meeting ahead of the absence or as soon as possible.

8.5. Professional Achievement

8.5.1. As a job qualification, faculty are expected to contribute to their fields of practice in substantive ways throughout their careers. The quality, scope, and stature of professional achievement should be commensurate with the rank of the faculty member.

8.6. Service

8.6.1. All ranked faculty are required to perform service on an annual basis. Specific service assignments are determined in collaboration with the program chair/dean according to the process defined in Article 9 (Service).

8.7. Other Duties

8.7.1. All faculty members are expected to abide by campus operational policies of the college; however, it is the responsibility of the college to give advance notice of policy and operational changes affecting working conditions to faculty and the union, and to include information concerning the changes in faculty orientation and training sessions. The Employer shall bargain with the Union over the effect of such changes on working conditions prior to implementation.

8.7.2. All faculty are required to complete all college-issued state and federal compliance training, as well as Employer required training. Employer required training in excess of three (3) hours per academic year will be counted as service.

8.7.3. All faculty are required to reply in a timely manner to response requests received from faculty leadership and staff during typical working hours. If faculty leadership and staff have made at least two (2) attempts to contact a faculty member regarding a change in schedule or course assignment, and the faculty member does not reply to such requests, faculty leadership and staff may proceed with decision-making based on the information available.

8.7.4. All faculty are expected to engage with staff, students, and faculty across the college in a collegial and professional manner.

8.7.5. All faculty are required to acknowledge receipt and/or sign all official documents (such as contracts, appointment letters, and promotion review outcome letters) sent to them by the deadlines established by Academic Affairs.

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9.1. Definition

9.1.1. “Service” is defined as meaningful participation in the organization, shared governance, activities, initiatives, and projects of the program, division, and College, contributing to the success of students, the broader community, and the College’s mission.

9.2. Service Expectations

9.2.1. Committee service and other service to the college is required for all faculty. Service expectations shall be commensurate with teaching lines as set forth in Article 8 (General Position Qualifications and Expectations). For example, a faculty member with an average course load of three (3) lines per year is not expected to provide as much service as one with a five (5) line appointment. 

9.2.2. The obligation is equivalent to one fifth (⅕) of faculty’s annual teaching workload (approximately one hundred and thirty-five (135) hours pro-rated based on FTE). 

9.2.3. The amount of service that a faculty member performs may vary year to year. Faculty shall not be required to track their service hours. Faculty will maintain a record of their service activities via an annual Service Plan (see 9.5). 

9.2.4. Faculty shall be excused from performing service while on sabbatical without a reduction in compensation.

9.3.5. Faculty members shall be held to equitable standards regarding the amount of service work that may be expected from them over a period of review.

9.2.6. Ranked faculty who participate in activities to which they are invited by their peers may record such activities in their Service Plan. 

9.3. Service Activities

9.3.1. These general categories of work constitute service:

9.3.1.1. Committee service, including, but not limited to, standing committees, task forces, hiring committees, ad hoc committees, or other advisory groups or initiatives as requested by the College, division, or program.

9.3.1.2. Other activities defined as service in this Agreement.

9.3.1.3. Work for courses that the faculty member is not receiving additional compensation to teach, including, but not limited to: guest lectures, reviews, critiques, short-term course teaching substitutions for colleagues, and student advising.

9.3.1.4. Work for divisions or programs beyond the expectations related to contracted instruction, including, but not limited to: admissions, recruiting, advancement, marketing and communications, exhibitions, publications, mentoring faculty, delivering faculty development workshops, and event planning and execution. 

9.3.1.5. Work that is specifically in service of student needs, including, but not limited to: advising, career counseling, mentorship, reviews, critiques, presentations of lectures or workshops on special topics, participation in panel or group discussion, supervising independent study projects, serving as faculty moderator of a student activity, sponsoring or advising a student organization, engaging in extracurricular academic activities with students, and involvement in student affairs programming, advising on portfolios and internships, and writing references.

9.3.1.6. Facilities and studio support and expertise beyond what is related or proportional to a faculty member’s contracted instruction.

9.3.1.7. Work for the community requested by the College, division, or program that gives publicity to the school or benefit to the discipline.

9.4. Exclusions

9.4.1. As a general rule, any event or meeting that faculty simply attend but do not play an active role in is not considered service. For example, attending a public lecture is not service. Acting as a panel member or moderator is.

9.4.2. Expectations related to instruction as set forth in section 8.4 of this Agreement are not considered service and are part of a faculty’s regular work expectations. 

9.4.3. When a faculty member is assigned a paid coordinatorship or stipended work, the faculty member shall be provided with the total hours of work for the assignment in writing. Work performed up to this total is not considered service. However, if work exceeds the total, the excess time shall be considered service.

9.5. Service Plan Process

9.5.1. During the spring term, information regarding known service opportunities for the forthcoming academic year is made available to all faculty during a program meeting. Following the meeting, each faculty member provides their chair with an initial draft of the Service Plan based on the faculty member’s interests, service needs, and availability. Faculty who fail to provide an initial draft by the deadline established by the program chair will be delivered a Service Plan by the chair. It is understood that unanticipated service needs may arise throughout the course of the academic year. When this occurs, chairs or deans will inform faculty of the new opportunity and faculty members will have the opportunity to express interest in that opportunity.

9.5.1.1. The following chart serves as a guide to ensure balanced and equitable distribution of service assignments among ranked faculty. 

* Per occurrence

9.5.2. The chair provides the faculty with revisions to the initial draft of the Service Plan submitted by the faculty member. By mutual agreement between the faculty member and the chair, a portion of a faculty member’s service activities may be reserved for unforeseen needs.

9.5.3. The faculty member and chair/dean shall discuss the Plan and make any necessary adjustments. The program chair and faculty member will make best efforts to reach mutual agreement on the plan, taking into consideration the needs of the program and division as well as the faculty’s interests and relevant expertise. This is completed no later than the end of the second (2nd) week of the fall semester.

9.5.3.1. In the absence of mutual agreement, the dispute will be referred to an ad hoc service plan review committee. The committee will be composed of one (1) member chosen by the Union and one (1) member chosen by the Employer. The two (2) members shall mutually agree upon a third (3rd) member who shall serve as committee chair. Participation in a service plan review committee constitutes collegewide service.  The committee will hold an informal hearing on the dispute with the faculty member and the chair within ten (10) business days after the dispute has been referred to the committee. The committee will render a majority decision in writing, which shall be communicated to the faculty member and the chair within ten (10) business days after the hearing. The decision of the committee shall be final and binding.

9.5.4. The finalized Service Plan defines the faculty’s service activity for the academic year. 

9.5.5. A program chair or dean or faculty member may request reasonable modifications to the Service Plan. The program chair and faculty member will make best efforts to reach mutual agreement on modifications to the plan. Any modifications shall be by mutual agreement between the program chair and the faculty member.

9.5.6. Any adjustments to the Service Plan as a result of changes to overall percentage of FTE or available service activities will be made throughout the applicable academic year. 

9.5.7. By the end of each academic year, the faculty will review the Service Plan in effect and make any necessary revisions to the document to reflect the activities they engaged in. At the conclusion of each academic year, the completed Service Plan becomes part of the faculty’s service record.

9.5.8. Faculty will be evaluated by APT on their service record during the overall period of review. 

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10.1. Salary Schedule

10.1.1. Effective September 16, 2025, faculty shall be paid according to the salary schedule as set forth in Appendix A.1.

10.1.2. Effective August 16, 2026, faculty shall be paid according to the salary schedule as set forth in Appendix A.2.

10.1.3. Effective August 16, 2027, faculty shall be paid according to the salary schedule as set forth in Appendix A.3.

10.1.4. The salary schedule reflects salaries for faculty at one hundred percent (100%) FTE.  Salaries shall be prorated based on FTE.

10.2. Initial Placement

10.2.1. Faculty shall be placed on the salary schedule, up to the maximum step for their rank, based on years in rank at the College and/or at another accredited college or university as follows:

10.2.2. Faculty who taught as an adjunct faculty member at the College and/or at another accredited college or university on or after the ratification date of this Agreement will be credited with one (1) year in rank for every five (5) such lines taught up to a maximum of three (3) years for purposes of placement on the salary schedule.

10.2.3. For the 2025-2026 academic year, faculty will either be placed at the appropriate step based on 10.2.1 or will have a three and a half percent (3.5%) increase applied to their preceding year’s base salary, whichever results in a greater increase, but not both. Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, and in effect through the term of this Agreement, faculty will either be placed at the appropriate step based on 10.2.1 or will have a two percent (2%) increase applied to their preceding year’s base salary each year, whichever results in a greater increase, but not both. 

10.3. Advancement on the Salary Schedule

10.3.1. Faculty shall advance one (1) step on the salary schedule each year at the start of each academic year until they reach the maximum step for their rank.

10.3.2. Faculty who promote to rank shall be placed at the nearest step for the higher rank that results in at least a two percent (2%) increase in pay.

10.4. Line Rate

10.4.1. A faculty member’s line rate shall be their salary at one hundred percent (100%) FTE divided by five (5).

10.5. Stipend for Independent Study and Thesis Advising

10.5.1. Independent Study

10.5.1.1. Faculty who agree to teach independent study (i.e., an unscheduled one-on-one course of study for up to three (3) credits/units) at the request of their program chair or dean shall receive a stipend equal to three hundred dollars ($300) per credit/unit per semester for each student.

10.5.1.2. Faculty may optionally agree to conduct a for-credit independent study at a student’s request. These independent studies are compensated as service and considered part of the faculty’s overall service load.

10.5.2. Thesis Advising

10.5.2.1. Faculty may serve as a secondary thesis advisor without an associated teaching line for one (1) student per semester as service. For each additional student a faculty advises, they shall receive a stipend equivalent to five hundred dollars ($500) per additional student per semester. Secondary thesis advisors shall not replace the need for primary thesis advisors teaching thesis courses.

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11.1. General

11.1.1. Faculty will undergo reviews by the Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure committee (APT). These include review within rank (RWR) and promotion to rank (PTR) reviews, which are described below. All promotion reviews will coincide with a faculty member’s regular review cycle.

11.1.2. Since effective teaching is a principal concern of the college, all faculty shall undergo periodic evaluations by their colleagues to acknowledge and improve teaching effectiveness, to create clear documentation for faculty members of their performance, and to identify the need for faculty members to show significant and timely improvement of teaching effectiveness. Evaluation encourages faculty members to examine their own teaching and benefit from peer feedback. The process of evaluation is a means by which all faculty members can obtain constructive information to improve their teaching, research and service. 

11.1.3. Once the APT evaluation procedure is initiated, the faculty member should confer with the Dean and program chair for guidance on the process. Results of an evaluation will be filed in the faculty member’s file of record, which includes the Service Plans, Faculty Record Report, student evaluations, peer observation reports, and other documents.

11.2. General Criteria and Process

11.2.1. The criteria for review and promotion will be as follows:

11.2.1.1. Teaching - forty percent (40%)

11.2.1.2. Professional achievement - forty percent (40%)

11.2.1.3. Service to the CCA and the external community, including service as program chair, co-chair, assistant or associate chair within the period of review - twenty percent (20%)

11.2.2. Documentation of accomplishment in all three (3) categories will be required for consideration of promotion. Guidelines for the current requirements for documentation will be established by the APT committee and provided directly to candidates by Academic Affairs. 

11.2.3. After review of the faculty member’s application materials, APT will provide a confidential written recommendation to the Provost.

11.2.4. If recommended by APT and approved by the Provost, the Dean and the program chair will meet with the faculty member being evaluated to discuss the outcome of the evaluation and compose a performance improvement plan. After this meeting, the outcome and the plan will be reviewed with the Provost and become part of the faculty’s file of record.

11.2.5. Faculty may grieve the review or decision process, but may not grieve the validity of academic judgments by the reviewers. For more information on the grievance procedure, please refer to Article 25 of this Agreement.

11.2.6. For reasonable cause in the judgment of the Provost, in consultation with the relevant program chair(s) and program faculty, the Provost will initiate an evaluation procedure for any ranked faculty member at any time.

11.3. Review within Rank (RWR)

11.3.1. Ranked faculty members who hold the rank of assistant or associate professor will be reviewed every three (3) years. Ranked faculty members who hold the rank of full professor will be reviewed every five (5) years.

11.3.2. Review within rank will be based on consideration of all of the following: a current resume; evidence of teaching effectiveness (i.e., student evaluations and optional peer observations as set forth in Article 12 (Peer Teaching Observations); a candidate statement addressing teaching, professional practice, and service; a program chair’s letter of recommendation; evidence of professional accomplishment; evidence of college service; evidence of service to the external community; and previous sabbatical reports from the period of review, if applicable.

11.4. Pretenure Review

11.4.1. The academic year of the pre-tenure review will be stated within the letters of appointment for tenure-track faculty.

11.4.2. The intention of the review is to provide an interim assessment and report of progress toward developing a record that will merit consideration for tenure based on the existing categories of review. The pretenure review is designed to identify areas of apparent strengths and weaknesses and thereby assist the faculty member in addressing any weaknesses identified during the review.

11.4.3. The outcome of the pretenure review cannot be relied upon by the faculty member as predictive of future appointment decisions by the Employer.

11.4.4. Pretenure review will be based on consideration of all of the following: a current resume, evidence of teaching effectiveness, evidence of professional accomplishment, evidence of college service, evidence of service to the external community, and a presentation before an Initial Review Committee, all of which are provided by the candidate. Additional materials include a letter of recommendation from the candidate’s chair, letters from members of the candidate’s Initial Review Committee (IRC), and a letter from the Dean, who chairs the IRC.

11.4.5. The pretenure review process will follow a sequence of steps.

11.4.5.1. Academic Affairs will provide written notification to the candidate regarding the upcoming review. The letter shall be sent to the candidate by the end of the spring semester prior to the academic year in which the candidate is eligible for review. This notification signals the candidate to compile the required application components. All components must be submitted by the deadline(s) established by Academic Affairs. Faculty may request an accommodation to extend the application deadline. Such requests will be considered on a case by case basis. If the candidate identifies any components that are missing, the candidate will have one (1) week following the application deadline to submit the missing components.

11.4.5.2. Modifications to applications will not be accepted after deadlines have passed, provided that corrupted files and files that failed to upload due to technological issues beyond the faculty member’s control will be accepted after the deadline.

11.4.5.3. The candidate will meet with the Dean of the appropriate division. At this meeting, the Dean will inform the candidate about the ensuing process, including recommendations for how best to prepare their materials for committee review and the required presentation. The candidate may express concerns regarding the areas to be evaluated and inquire about any other matters. The candidate may also express concerns about the potential membership of the Pretenure Initial Review Committee (IRC) specifically with regard to possible conflicts of interest. Based on this conversation with the Dean, the candidate may request to postpone the review. The candidate should understand that a compelling reason for postponement is expected. Any requests for postponement must be approved by the Provost.

11.4.5.4. Following the meeting, the Dean, noting any candidate concerns and in consultation with the Provost, will appoint the Pretenure IRC and schedule a review meeting. Under normal circumstances the Pretenure IRC will consist of at least three (3) tenured faculty members in the candidate’s program. If there are not three (3) tenured faculty in the candidate’s program, the Dean will appoint other faculty with relevant qualifications and experience. The Pretenure IRC shall include the relevant Dean as its chair. No current APT member may serve on the Pretenure IRC. The APT committee will, however, send a delegate to the IRC meeting in order to have a firsthand report of the candidate’s verbal presentation. Ideally, the members of the Pretenure IRC will serve on the later Tenure IRC as well, to provide insight into the candidate’s growth.

11.4.5.5. The Pretenure IRC members will individually review the candidate’s application materials prior to the review date.

11.4.5.6. The candidate will give a presentation of their activity within the three (3) categories of review to members of the Pretenure IRC. Guidelines for this presentation will be available from Academic Affairs and will be provided to both the candidate and all IRC members in advance.

11.4.5.7. The Pretenure IRC will meet to discuss the candidate’s qualifications and progress towards tenure in light of the criteria set forth in this Article.

11.4.5.8. Each committee member will be solicited by Academic Affairs to provide a written evaluation/recommendation for the Dean about the candidate’s submitted materials and presentation. The Dean, as committee chair, will then be solicited by Academic Affairs to write a summary of the meeting and the committee’s observations and recommendations. The IRC member letters and IRC chair summary letter will be placed in the candidate’s application.

11.4.5.9. APT will consider the candidate’s application materials. APT members individually will review the application and supplemental materials before meeting as a committee. APT will discuss the candidate's progress toward tenure and submit to the Provost a collective recommendation for how the candidate should proceed toward their tenure review. If, at this time, APT feels that there is insufficient potential for the candidate to earn tenure, they may make a recommendation for nonreappointment that would include one final year of appointment.

11.4.5.10. Within forty five (45) calendar days of receipt of the application materials, the Provost will review the application, consider the recommendation of APT, reach a judgment based upon the relevant criteria, prepare a written recommendation and assessment of current status of progress toward tenure, which is then shared with the faculty member as well as their program chair and divisional Dean. If the Provost’s judgment is substantially different from that of the APT, the Provost will explain the differences in their written recommendation and assessment.

11.5. Promotion to Rank (PTR) and Tenure Review

11.5.1. A promotion to rank (PTR) review occurs in the following circumstances:

11.5.1.1. As a coinciding review with a tenure review. This review requires an IRC presentation and meeting.

11.5.1.2. When an assistant professor RR meets the eligibility criteria for review for promotion to associate professor.

11.5.1.3. When an associate professor (tenured or RR) meets the eligibility criteria for review for promotion to full professor and elects, based on their own judgment and/or advice from program or division leadership, to apply for promotion to the rank of full professor. This review requires an IRC presentation and meeting.

11.5.2. Reviews of Applications for Promotion to Associate (RR)

11.5.2.1. Assistant professors with a minimum of six (6) years FTE teaching experience at an accredited institution of postsecondary education as the faculty of record may be eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of associate professor (RR) after at least three (3) years of teaching at CCA. These timelines will be articulated in the faculty member’s initial appointment letter.

11.5.2.2. Ranked faculty eligible for consideration for promotion to rank will be notified of their eligibility by Academic Affairs. Promotion accrual may be suspended for the period of any leaves of absence other than CCA-granted sabbaticals. Promotion to the rank of associate professor for ranked renewable (RR) assistant professors follows the same procedures, conditions, submission, and evaluation criteria as described in section 11.3 above. RR assistant professors who are eligible for promotion to the rank of associate professor must successfully complete this promotion within a maximum of nine (9) years of ranked teaching at CCA in order to maintain eligibility for renewal of their appointments.

11.5.2.3. The Provost will make the final determination regarding promotion to the rank of associate professor, and prepare a written assessment of the faculty’s performance which will then be shared with the faculty member as well as their program chair and divisional Dean.

11.5.3. Reviews of Applications for Tenure and for Promotion to Full Professor

11.5.3.1. Tenure-track assistant professors will typically be eligible for review for tenure and the accompanying promotion to associate professor during their sixth (6th) year of teaching at CCA, though timelines for tenure are negotiated individually with the Provost as part of the initial hiring process in regards to past teaching experience. 

11.5.3.2. Tenured and RR associate professors will be eligible for promotion to the rank of full professor once having completed a minimum of six (6) full years of associate professor level teaching and the total equivalent of twelve (12) years teaching experience at an accredited institution of postsecondary education. They must have served at least three (3) years in the rank of associate professor at CCA.

11.5.3.3. The schedule for consideration of promotion to rank must coincide with the faculty member’s regular three-year review. Ranked faculty eligible for promotion to rank will be notified of their eligibility by Academic Affairs. Promotion accrual may be suspended for the period of any leaves of absence other than CCA-granted sabbaticals.

11.5.3.4. Application for tenure or promotion to full professor follows a sequence of steps.

11.5.3.4.1. Academic Affairs will provide written notification to the candidate regarding the upcoming review. The letter shall be sent to the candidate during the spring semester prior to the academic year in which the candidate is eligible for review. This notification signals the candidate to compile the application components. All components must be submitted by the deadline(s) established by Academic Affairs. Faculty may request an accommodation to extend the application deadline. Such requests will be considered on a case by case basis. If the candidate identifies any components that are missing, the candidate will have one (1) week following the application deadline to submit the missing components.

11.5.3.4.2. Modifications to applications will not be accepted after deadlines have passed, provided that corrupted files and files that failed to upload due to technological issues beyond the faculty member’s control will be accepted after the deadline. 

11.5.3.4.3. Candidates will be required to submit to Academic Affairs the names and contact information and short bios of six (6) external reviewers. Candidates may also name up to two (2) professional colleagues whom they do not wish to be approached for reviews. The Dean will review this roster of potential recommenders and will then solicit up to six (6) external letters of review from a pool of professionals chosen from the names provided by the candidate and others provided by the chair, Dean, and/or the Office of the Provost.

11.5.3.4.3.1. External reviewers should be in or closely aligned with the field or discipline of the candidate. They should have the necessary professional credentials to provide an authoritative assessment of the quality of the candidate’s work and be able to relate it to that of other colleagues in their field at a similar career juncture. Reviewers should be at or above the rank to which the candidate is seeking promotion and should hold positions at academic or comparable professional institutions or organizations. Reviewers should not be selected if they are unable to provide an objective assessment or have an overly close tie to the candidate (e.g., as recent mentors, instructors, supervisors, or close collaborators).

11.5.3.4.4. The candidate will meet with the Dean of the appropriate division. At this meeting, the Dean will inform the candidate about the ensuing process, including recommendations for how the candidate may best prepare their materials for committee review and for the required presentation. The candidate may express concerns regarding the areas to be evaluated and inquire about any other matters. The candidate may also express concerns about the potential membership of the Initial Review Committee (IRC), specifically with regard to possible conflicts of interest. Based on this conversation with the Dean, the candidate may request to postpone the review, if such a delay accords with the procedures set forth in this Article.

11.5.3.4.5. Reviews of Applications for Tenure (Following steps set forth in sections 11.5.3.4.1 through 11.5.3.4.4 above):

11.5.3.4.5.1. If it is agreed between the candidate and Dean that the tenure review should be delayed, and the adjustment in tenure timeline is approved by the Provost, a new date will be set for the tenure review to take place. Tenure-track faculty who delay their tenure reviews do not accrue sabbatical eligibility during the period of extension.

11.5.3.4.5.2. Following the meeting, the Dean, noting any candidate concerns, will recommend to the Provost the membership of the IRC and justify that recommendation. With the Provost’s approval, the Dean will appoint the IRC, and serve as the IRC chair. Under normal circumstances the IRC will consist of at least four (4) tenured faculty members who represent the candidate’s program as well as other areas of the college. Ideally those who served on a candidate’s Pretenure IRC will serve on the candidate’s Tenure IRC as well. If there are not four (4) suitable tenured faculty members in the candidate’s program or area of expertise/discipline, the Dean will appoint other faculty with relevant qualifications and experience. No current APT member may serve on the IRC. The APT committee will, however, send a delegate to the IRC meeting in order to have a firsthand report of the candidate’s verbal presentation.

11.5.3.4.5.3. The IRC members will individually review the candidate’s application materials in advance of the review date.

11.5.3.4.5.4. The candidate will give a presentation of their professional activity, teaching, and service to members of the IRC. Guidelines for this presentation will be available from Academic Affairs and will be provided to both the candidate and all IRC members in advance.

11.5.3.4.5.5. The IRC will meet to discuss the candidate’s qualifications for promotion to rank and tenure in light of the criteria set forth in this Article.

11.5.3.4.5.6. Each committee member will be solicited by Academic Affairs to provide a written evaluation/recommendation for the Dean about the candidate’s submitted materials and presentation. The Dean, as committee chair, will then be solicited by Academic Affairs to write a summary of the meeting and the committee’s observations and recommendations. The IRC member letters and IRC chair summary letter will be placed in the candidate’s application.

11.5.3.4.5.7. APT will consider the candidate’s application for promotion and tenure. APT members will individually review the application and supplemental materials before meeting as a committee. APT will discuss the candidate’s qualifications for the rank in question. Members will vote on the candidate’s performance, relying on their respective academic judgment of the candidate’s merit as to each criterion. APT will record confidential member votes and will forward to the Provost a collective recommendation for or against promotion.

11.5.3.4.5.8. Within forty five (45) calendar days of receipt of the application materials, the Provost will review the application, consider the recommendation of APT, and reach an academic judgment based upon the relevant criteria.

11.5.3.4.5.9. The Provost will prepare a written recommendation for or against tenure that will be submitted to the President.

11.5.3.4.5.10. The President will consider the application by reviewing the application and supplemental materials and decide whether tenure is or is not awarded. If the President’s academic judgment is contrary to that of APT, the President will explain the differences in their decision. 

11.5.3.4.5.11. The President’s decision regarding tenure, as well as the material reviewed, will then be made available to the Academic Committee of the Board of Trustees for its review. This review will be solely to determine if procedures have been followed. Unless the Academic Committee determines that procedures were not followed in a material way, the President’s decision will be final.

11.5.3.4.5.12. If tenure is granted, the candidate will give a public presentation of their work. Members of the entire college community will be encouraged to attend.

11.5.3.4.6. Reviews of Applications for Promotion to Full Professor (Following steps set forth in sections 11.5.3.4.1 through 11.5.3.4.4 above):

11.5.3.4.6.1. If it is agreed between the candidate and Dean that the full professor review should not be pursued, candidates still undergo review within rank and may elect to initiate the promotion to rank process at the time of their next review cycle (every three (3) years).

11.5.3.4.6.2. Following the meeting referenced in 11.5.3.4.4, the Dean, noting any candidate concerns, will recommend to the Provost the membership of the IRC and justify that recommendation. With the Provost’s approval, the Dean will appoint the IRC, and serve as the IRC chair. The IRC will consist of at least four (4) faculty members who hold the rank of full professor, and ideally have experience or qualifications in the candidate’s discipline. No current APT member may serve on the IRC. The APT committee will, however, send a delegate to the IRC meeting in order to have a firsthand report of the candidate’s verbal presentation.

11.5.3.4.6.3. The IRC members will individually review the candidate’s application materials in advance of the review date.

11.5.3.4.6.4. The candidate will give a presentation of their professional activity, teaching, and service to members of the IRC. Guidelines for this presentation will be available from Academic Affairs and will be provided to both the candidate and all IRC members in advance.

11.5.3.4.6.5. The IRC will meet to discuss the candidate’s qualifications for promotion to rank in light of criteria set forth in this Article.

11.5.3.4.6.6. Each committee member will be solicited by Academic Affairs to provide a written evaluation/recommendation for the Dean about the candidate’s submitted materials and presentation. The Dean, as committee chair, will then be solicited by Academic Affairs to write a summary of the meeting and the committee’s observations and recommendations. The IRC member letters and IRC chair summary letter will be placed in the candidate’s application.

11.5.3.4.6.7. APT will consider the candidate’s application for promotion. APT members will individually review the application and supplemental materials before meeting as a committee. APT will discuss the candidate’s qualifications for the rank in question. Members will vote on the candidate’s performance, relying on their respective academic judgment of the candidate’s merit as to each criterion. APT will record confidential member votes and will forward to the Provost a collective recommendation for or against promotion.

11.5.3.4.6.8. Within forty five (45) calendar days of receipt of the application materials, the Provost will review the application, consider the recommendation of APT, and reach an academic judgment based upon the relevant criteria. The Provost’s letter will summarize the assessment and recommendations from APT. If the Provost’s judgment is contrary to that of APT, the Provost will explain the differences in their letter.

11.5.3.4.6.9. The Provost will make the final determination regarding promotion to the rank of full professor, and prepare a written assessment of the faculty’s performance which will then be shared with the faculty member as well as their program chair and divisional Dean.

11.6. Unsuccessful Promotion

11.6.1. Promotion between ranks is not automatic. A tenure-track assistant professor who is not granted tenure will be offered a final one-year contract.

11.6.2. Faculty who fail to be promoted from associate professor to professor may reapply three (3) years later, or earlier at the discretion of the Provost. A ranked renewable assistant professor who is not successfully promoted to associate professor after nine (9) years at the assistant professor level will not be reappointed or renewed.

11.7. Use of Student Evaluations

11.7.1. APT recognizes that course evaluations can reflect student biases and acknowledges research that offers evidence of bias against women and people of color in evaluations of faculty performance. APT is committed to identifying potential biases based on gender, racial, ethnic, and other differences. Additionally, APT recognizes that course evaluations reflect the student experience in the classroom, which is not the same thing as teaching effectiveness. Student evaluations may be used to guide a faculty member’s future professional development. The contents of student evaluations will not be used as the sole grounds for discipline.

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12.1. By the start of the semester following ratification of this Agreement, the parties will establish a Peer Teaching Observation Committee consisting of five (5) unit members, including at least one (1) faculty member appointed by the Union, to develop protocols for a peer teaching observation process in support of teaching effectiveness and excellence. Participation in the Peer Teaching Observation Committee will be considered collegewide service.

12.2. Protocols will include:

12.2.1. Definition of the aspects of teaching to focus on during observation based on the shared values and desired teaching practices of the program.

12.2.2. A clear protocol for conducting classroom observations, including the number and timing of observations, that aligns with shared values and desired teaching practices of the program.

12.2.3. Factors and process for selecting observers.

12.2.4. Training for observers on how to conduct peer teaching observations to ensure that the observations are conducted in a consistent, reliable, and unbiased manner.

12.2.5. A structure for meetings between the faculty member and other participants in the observation process. 

12.2.6. A formal report to the faculty member, program chair, and Dean, addressing specific criteria relevant to teaching performance. 

12.3. Beginning the academic year following development of the protocols listed in section 12.2 above, unit members undergoing evaluation for promotion or review within rank may elect to include the peer teaching observation report as additional evidence of teaching effectiveness in their application materials.

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13.1. General

13.1.1. Faculty of record who are unable to attend class for any reason must notify the program chair of their absence. If the faculty member who will be absent has a substitute in mind that they can recommend to their program chair, they should do so. For unanticipated absences such as illness or bereavement, this notification should take place ideally within twenty-four (24) hours of the absence. For planned absences such as jury duty, personal or professional leave, faculty should notify their chair of the upcoming absence as early as possible ahead of the absence.

13.2. Sick Time

13.2.1. All faculty receive eighty (80) hours total of sick time per academic year (August 16 through August 15), which carries over and is replenished each year on August 16th. This sick time is reduced by the number of instructional hours missed for each illness-related absence. Faculty are required to follow any policies set forth by Human Resources with regard to reporting and tracking their sick time.  A faculty’s sick time balance returns to eighty (80) hours total at the start of each academic year. Individual unused time does not accrue from year to year. 

13.2.2. It is the responsibility of the Employer to find a substitute for a faculty member who is absent due to illness or other disability. Certification of illness by a licensed physician may be required for absence beyond three (3) working days, and in any case the faculty member must notify Academic Affairs in addition to their academic chair and director as soon as possible, ideally a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours in advance to ensure an appropriate faculty substitute. Abuse of sick leave privileges may lead to progressive discipline.

13.2.3. Sick time may be used in connection with the care or treatment of an illness or off-the-job injury, or the preventative health care, including mental health, of the faculty member or the faculty member’s immediate family (as defined in the California Family Rights Act), which includes time off for medical or mental health appointments. Sick time can also be taken for other reasons identified in federal or state law, and/or local ordinances. Sick leave is not for personal absences or planned vacations. Faculty may use sick time for gender affirming surgery. Per the California Reproductive Loss Leave requirement, eligible faculty may use sick time for reproductive loss, which includes a miscarriage, failed surrogacy, stillbirth, unsuccessful “assisted reproduction” (such as artificial insemination or embryo transfer), or failed adoption. A faculty member is permitted to take the leave on nonconsecutive days and the leave must be completed within three (3) months of the reproductive loss. The leave time can also be unpaid.

13.2.4. Leave under this policy may also be used for faculty who are the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, and may run currently with leave taken under other applicable policies as well as under local, state or federal law, including the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) or the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Faculty on an unpaid leave of absence do not accrue sick leave.

13.3. Sick Time Bank

13.3.1. Ranked faculty are eligible to participate in the Sick Bank Program, as outlined in Appendix B of this Agreement. At the end of each academic year during the term of this Agreement, the parties will meet to review the usage of the Sick Time Bank and to discuss whether they would like to make any modifications to the program.

13.3.2. In order to minimize the potential impact of faculty participation in the College’s Sick Bank Program on time that has been donated by staff, the College will add two hundred (200) hours to the Bank upon the ratification of this agreement. Any subsequent additions to the Bank must be made via donation by individual staff and faculty.

13.4. Professional Absences

13.4.1. Faculty are expected to attend all class meeting sessions.

13.4.2. Faculty who receive a Faculty Development Grant from CCA whose approved grant proposal includes specified dates during the semester when they will be unavailable to teach will be excused from their courses for the duration of these approved dates. It is the faculty grant recipient’s responsibility to communicate these dates with their program chair as soon as they are notified of receipt of the grant. Ideally, faculty will notify their chair of the possibility of absence when they submit their grant proposal, and will confirm their availability once grant notifications have been sent out. The chair will then coordinate substitute coverage for the class(es) missed.

13.4.3. A faculty member must request approval from the appropriate chair in writing at least two (2) weeks in advance if they need to be absent from class for professional reasons. The chair will notify the faculty member if the absence is approved or not approved for any reason. It is ultimately the responsibility of the faculty requesting time off to make a good faith effort to receive approval in writing from the chair or dean before missing a scheduled class session. 

13.4.4. Unapproved full-day absences may result in an adjustment to the faculty member’s pay for the missed day.

13.5. Extended Absences

13.5.1. Any faculty member who misses more than two (2) consecutive weeks of class must contact Human Resources (in addition to their program chair) to discuss the duration of their absence and whether a formal leave is necessary/required. If the absence is planned, the faculty must contact Human Resources a minimum of four (4) weeks in advance. Otherwise the faculty must contact Human Resources as soon as possible.

13.6. Personal Leave

13.6.1. The Provost may grant personal leaves of absence without pay to faculty, for one (1) semester, two (2) semesters, or twelve (12) months. Permission for such leaves depends on the needs of the school or the division and program and on the faculty member’s length of service in a position, in a particular program in a school or division and in the college as a whole. Faculty may request a leave for professional activities, for personal reasons, or to extend a time-limited leave of absence, such as Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave.

13.6.2. A faculty’s position is protected for the duration of an approved personal leave. However, they are not eligible for continuation of benefits or to return to CCA for any paid engagements for the duration of the personal leave. Faculty should discuss these leaves with the program chair, dean, and the Provost before making a formal request to the Provost in writing. The faculty must respond to inquiries regarding their intent to return to CCA and any other relevant information by a deadline established in their leave approval letter.

13.6.3. Faculty are entitled to one (1) year of leave without pay at least once every five (5) years. They may request a leave in writing from the dean no later than four (4) weeks before the semester when leave time begins. Faculty do not accrue time towards promotion review or sabbatical while on a personal leave lasting one (1) or more semesters.

13.6.4. Leaves of any kind or combinations of sabbaticals and leaves may not exceed twenty-four (24) months of continuous absence from the college except by mutual agreement between the faculty member and the Employer.

13.7. Jury Duty

13.7.1. Faculty are eligible to receive time off with pay for jury duty. The Employer in this case will engage a teaching substitute. The benefit has a limit of thirty (30) calendar days or until the end of the contract, whichever comes first. If the jury is held longer than thirty (30) days, faculty may petition the president for an extension of the leave. Faculty required in court as witnesses are also given time off with pay. Faculty must notify their program chair of jury duty absences.

13.8. Bereavement

13.8.1. The Employer recognizes that there may be a need for a faculty member to take a personal leave in order to grieve the loss of an immediate family member (such as a spouse or domestic partner, siblings, parents or parents-in-law, children or reproductive loss, grandparents or grandchildren or other persons as allowed by state law or an approved designated person). In these cases the Employer will grant a two (2)week leave with full pay to the bereaved faculty member. The Employer will also provide a paid substitute for this two (2)week period. Faculty must notify their program chair of bereavement absences.

13.9. Substitutes

13.9.1. Substitutes must be current CCA faculty members. Guests, alumni, other staff, or other non-faculty may not deliver or supervise instruction at any time without the presence of a CCA current faculty member. In the event that a faculty of record is unable to attend class during its regularly scheduled time, and a faculty trade is not possible, it is the responsibility of the program chair to identify and coordinate coverage of the class by a substitute. The faculty member taking the leave may recommend a substitute to the chair.

13.9.2. If the faculty of record is able to trade coverage with another current faculty member, and the program chair is notified of and approves of the coverage, no substitution fee will be paid. Neither faculty will have their time off (sick time, personal/professional days) reduced as a result of the trade. “Trading coverage” means that Faculty A covers a meeting session of Faculty B’s class, and Faculty B in return covers a meeting session of Faculty A’s class within the same academic year.

13.9.3. It is the responsibility of the faculty of record to provide any necessary course materials, instructions, and/or other preparatory resources or information either to the chair of the program in which the course is offered or directly to the substitute in order for the substitute to successfully deliver course content. 

13.9.4. Ranked faculty may be asked to substitute for faculty absences. Short-term (fewer than three (3) consecutive weeks) teaching substitutions by ranked faculty are compensated as service.

13.9.5. If a single substitute covers three (3) or more consecutive weeks of a specific course section, they will be added as a co-faculty of record. The substitute will then be paid a prorated portion of their base salary based on the total number of weeks of instruction covered. There is an expectation that the substitute will coordinate with the other faculty of record on grading and any other responsibilities associated with their role as co-faculty of record.

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14.1. Course Cancellation

14.1.1. “Cancellation” of a course for the purpose of this Article is defined as an instance when a course(s) is scheduled, assigned to a specific faculty member, and subsequently removed from the course schedule after the end of priority registration for each semester. Course cancellation is not a planned change in course offerings from semester to semester or academic year to academic year.

14.1.2. Courses assigned to a ranked faculty member are subject to cancellation at the discretion of the Employer if they do not meet minimum course enrollment standards or for other exigent circumstances, provided that the Employer shall not cancel courses required for student matriculation. Minimum course enrollment standards are determined by the Provost based on considerations such as student learning experience, pedagogical requirements, the curriculum, an assessment of overall enrollment conditions, and the economic health of the institution. The process by which the Provost consults with faculty governance and leadership around these standards will be defined in the Faculty Handbook. The Employer shall adhere to the course section default capacities as set forth in Appendix C (Course Section Default Capacity per Instructional Format) The Employer may run a course below the minimums set forth in Appendix C. The Employer shall notify the Union of any proposed changes to the capacities and bargain with the Union over the impacts to terms and conditions of employment prior to implementation.

14.1.3. In the event of a cancellation, the faculty member has the option of voluntarily reducing their contract load or accepting an alternative assignment that matches the faculty member’s qualifications and expertise, equivalent in workload to the canceled course(s), determined by the Provost in consultation with the Dean, program chair, and the affected faculty member. The alternative assignment may include a course or non-teaching assignment in the same academic year that is mutually agreed upon between the faculty member and the Provost. If the alternative assignment is a course, the faculty member will be notified of the course at least two (2) weeks before the start of the course. Should the faculty member choose not to accept the alternative assignment, their workload and percentage of full-time employment will be reduced accordingly. If an alternative assignment is not offered, the faculty member will not be subject to a reduction in compensation or a reduction in percentage of full-time employment. 

14.1.4. The college will make every effort to restore course assignments to faculty whose course assignments were altered in previous academic years due to cancellations whenever possible. Ownership of course materials shall be governed by the Intellectual Property Tenets as set forth in Appendix D. 

14.2. Low Enrollment

14.2.1. A faculty member’s contracted teaching load shall not be reduced due to low enrollment in an assigned course that is not canceled.

14.2.2. The compensation for a course shall not be reduced due to low enrollment (e.g., a course originally counted as one line on a faculty member’s teaching load shall not be counted as a half line due to low enrollment, etc.).

14.3. Impact of Load Reduction on Benefits

14.3.1. A faculty member whose annual contract is for three (3) or more lines shall not lose their eligibility for benefits or pay an increased share of premiums for insurance if their contract load is reduced below three (3) lines, except for the circumstance in which the faculty member is offered an alternative assignment, equivalent in workload to the canceled course(s) and subject to the same requirements for alternative assignments as set forth in section 14.1.3 for a canceled course, and declines that assignment.

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15.1. Hiring of Ranked Renewable Faculty for Tenure-Track Positions

15.1.1. Ranked renewable faculty who apply for a tenure-track position and meet the minimum qualifications shall be granted a first-round interview.

15.1.2. Ranked renewable faculty who are appointed to a tenure-track position may choose to have their years of employment as a ranked renewable faculty member at CCA counted toward their eligibility for review for tenure, up to a maximum of three (3) years. For example, a ranked renewable faculty member with three (3) years of ranked faculty employment who is appointed to a tenure-track position would be eligible for review for tenure as early as their third (3rd) year in the position. 

15.2. Non-Teaching Positions

15.2.1. For the purposes of this section, a non-teaching position is a position that is appointed by the Employer, excluding governance and other faculty leadership roles defined elsewhere in this contract, and entitles the faculty member to lines of release on their annual contract or stipended compensation. It does not include work for which faculty are compensated with a one time payment of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or less, or from a restricted fund or grant.

15.2.2. The Employer will create a Portal page for all non-teaching positions online via portal.cca.edu, and will include a position announcement (including a job description, contact information, compensation information, application process, and a closing date for applications) for each available position. This Portal page will be updated, as position vacancies arise. A list of open positions and a link to the Portal page will be included in the weekly Faculty HR newsletter email. If a position is announced less than five (5) calendar days before the closing date for applications, the announcement will be emailed to faculty when the position is announced. Final decisions regarding non-teaching assignments are made by the manager of the role, which will be communicated to applicants in writing.

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16.1.1. Ranked Renewable Appointments

16.1.1.1. Faculty are appointed to ranked renewable positions at the assistant and associate rank for three (3) year terms, with renewal upon successful evaluation as a result of the process set forth in Article 11 of this Agreement (Evaluations and Promotions). The faculty member holding the position will be reviewed by APT for renewal during the third (3rd) year of each three (3) year appointment.

16.1.1.2. Faculty are appointed to ranked renewable positions at the rank of full professor for five (5) year terms, with renewal upon successful evaluation as a result of the process set forth in Article 11 of this Agreement (Evaluations and Promotions). The faculty member holding the position will be reviewed by APT for renewal during the fifth (5th) year of each five (5) year appointment.

16.1.2. Tenure-Track Appointments

16.1.2.1. Faculty are appointed to tenure-track positions at the rank of assistant professor for one (1) six (6) year term with a midpoint pre-tenure review as defined in Section 11.4 of this Agreement. If tenure review is delayed pursuant to Section 11.5.3.4.5.1 of this Agreement, the term of appointment will be extended by the same amount.

16.1.2.2. Tenured positions at the rank of associate or full professor are not term-limited appointments and therefore not subject to nonreappointment.

16.2. Nonreappointment

16.2.1. The term “nonreappointment” means a decision by the Employer not to renew or continue the appointment of a nontenured tenure-track faculty member as a result of their pre-tenure or tenure review, or not to renew the appointment of ranked renewable faculty member at the conclusion of its term. Nonreappointment will be based on the evaluation and promotion process outlined in Article 11 of this Agreement (Evaluations and Promotions). Nevertheless, every nontenured tenure-track faculty member and ranked renewable faculty member is entitled to know the reasons for nonreappointment and may request these reasons in writing.

16.2.2. A decision by the Employer to end the appointment of a tenure-track or ranked renewable faculty member before the conclusion of its term shall be as the result of a dismissal for just cause as set forth in Section 24.1 of this Agreement (Discipline), or as the result of a layoff or retrenchment as set forth in Article 27 of this Agreement (Layoffs and Retrenchment). Nonreappointment is not a dismissal for just cause.

16.2.3. Notice of nonreappointment to faculty members will be given in writing by May 31 of the person’s final academic year of appointment, effective with the end of the next academic year.

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17.1. Faculty Senate

17.1.1. Faculty Senate Leadership Compensation

17.1.1.1. Two (2) lines of release shall be granted to a faculty member each academic year for the purpose of enabling the faculty member to serve as Faculty Senate President.

17.1.1.2. One (1) line of release shall be granted to a faculty member each academic year for the purpose of enabling the faculty member to serve as Faculty Senate Vice President.

17.1.1.3. Two (2) lines of release shall be granted to a faculty member each academic year for the purpose of enabling the faculty member to serve as the chair of the Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure Committee (APT).

17.1.1.4. One (1) line of release shall be granted to a faculty member each academic year for the purpose of enabling the faculty member to serve as chair of the Curriculum Committee.

17.1.1.5. Service as Faculty Senate President or Vice President, or as a standing committee chair, shall fulfill the faculty member’s service expectations.

17.1.2. Recommendations

17.1.2.1. The Employer shall notify the Union of any changes in policies or programs stemming from recommendations from the Faculty Senate or a standing committee, task force, or special committee, and bargain with the Union over the impact of changes to terms and conditions of employment. 

17.1.3. Committees

17.1.3.1. The method for the selection of standing committee members shall be determined by the Faculty Senate.

17.1.3.2. When a task force or special committee is formed that includes representatives of ranked faculty to work on matters that may affect terms and conditions of employment, the Union shall be given the opportunity to appoint at least one (1) faculty member to the committee.

17.2. Faculty Handbook

17.2.1. The Employer shall notify the Union in writing of any proposed changes to the Faculty Handbook that affect working conditions and bargain over the impact of changes to terms and conditions of employment prior to implementation.

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18.1. Recording

18.1.1. Faculty shall not be recorded or have a transcript made of their spoken communication at any time without their consent, unless by a student with an accommodation approved by Access/Disability Services under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Such recordings and transcripts will be solely for the student’s use and not be copied, posted, distributed, published, used to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) data sets, or quoted in whole or part without the faculty member’s written consent and without properly identifying and crediting the speaker. Evidence obtained as a result of recording or transcribing a faculty member’s spoken communication shall not be relied upon for discipline or other adverse action against the faculty member.

18.2. Use of Faculty Voice or Likeness

18.2.1. The Employer shall not license a faculty member’s voice or likeness for any reason without the written consent of the faculty member. The Employer may use photographs of faculty members taken either with the faculty member’s consent or when there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.

18.2.2. If the Employer uses a faculty member’s voice or likeness to deliver content for any CCA course that is not assigned to the faculty member, the faculty member shall be paid for the course at their line rate.

18.3. Use of Artificial Intelligence

18.3.1. The Employer will provide the Union with written notice of any proposed policy directly relating to terms and conditions of faculty employment regarding the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bargain over effects.

18.3.2. The Employer will not replace faculty positions with regards to the delivery of course instruction with artificial intelligence. 

18.3.3. No faculty member shall be required to use AI in their teaching without their consent. 

18.3.4. No faculty member shall be laid off, have their contracted teaching load reduced, or suffer any other adverse impact as a result of the use of AI.

18.3.5. Policies for the ethical and appropriate use of AI in teaching and learning shall be subject to review l by and consultation with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.

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19.1. The Employer shall respect every faculty member’s right to academic freedom and freedom of research and expression, including the right to be free from institutional censorship or discipline when expressing themselves as individuals, as set forth in the American Association of University Professors’ (AAUP) Statement on Academic Freedom (Appendix E) and the AAUP Statement on Professional Ethics (Appendix F).

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20.1. General

20.1.1. The sabbatical is a benefit designed to provide ranked faculty with an opportunity for professional growth through a leave of absence with full or partial compensation following a designated number of consecutive years of service. Professional growth through sabbatical may include a focus on research and scholarship, professional practice, enhancing skills in teaching and developing professional relationships nationally and internationally. Sabbaticals are intended to benefit not only the individual but also the college by providing time away to enhance the professional status and capacity of the faculty member. 

20.1.2. All ranked faculty are eligible to apply for sabbatical consideration.

20.1.3. Faculty must undergo promotion review at least every six (6) years in order to be eligible to apply for sabbatical leave. If more than six (6) years have elapsed due to a leave or other unexpected circumstances, the faculty member may not apply for sabbatical until after completing a promotion review.

20.1.4. Teaching at CCA preceding appointment to a sabbatical-eligible position for at least the equivalent of one (1) year FTE may count for one (1) year of credit toward sabbatical eligibility.

20.1.5. Faculty accrue one (1) year towards sabbatical for each academic year in which they are contracted for sixty percent (60%) FTE or more. Credit toward sabbatical eligibility does not accrue in academic years when the faculty member is voluntarily contracted at an annual load of less than sixty percent (60%) FTE or in which they are awarded a sabbatical leave. 

20.1.6. Faculty members who choose to defer their sabbatical express such decision by not submitting an application upon notification of eligibility, and do not accrue credit toward subsequent sabbaticals during the period of their deferment; however, a faculty member whose sabbatical is deferred in order to fulfill a specific need approved by a program chair or dean shall accrue sabbatical credit during the period of deferment.

20.1.7. Once a full sabbatical leave is taken, the faculty member’s accrual count resets at the start of the following full academic year, with the exception of continued accrual as described in 20.1.6.

20.1.8. Applicants must have a satisfactory teaching and service record as well as professional accomplishments, which may include creative, research, and performance accomplishments, in order to be considered eligible to apply for sabbatical.

20.1.9. Eligible tenure track faculty, and ranked renewable faculty appointed to a ranked position prior to the 2011-12 academic year, may be awarded one (1) or two (2) semester’s leave based on the semesters accrued. Eligible ranked renewable faculty whose initial regular ranked faculty appointment began in academic year 2011-12 or later may be awarded a one (1) semester’s leave.

20.1.10. Periods of unpaid leave during the three (3) year period used to calculate average total annual line load will not reduce the average and will be counted at the faculty member’s normal line load.

20.2. Sabbatical Timelines for Newly Eligible Ranked Renewable Faculty 

20.2.1. Current ranked renewable faculty who were eligible for sabbatical leave prior to the ratification of this Agreement will maintain their eligibility and accrued qualifying academic years. Ranked renewable faculty who were not eligible for sabbatical leave prior to the ratification of this Agreement will become eligible for sabbatical leave, and will begin accruing qualifying academic years.  Such faculty will have priority to take a sabbatical leave in the following order: 

20.2.1.1. In academic year 2027-28, faculty with ten (10) or more years in a regular ranked position as of the ratification of this contract will be eligible to take a sabbatical leave.

20.2.1.2. In academic year 2028-29, faculty with seven (7) or more years in a regular ranked position as of the ratification of this contract will be eligible to take a sabbatical leave.

20.2.1.3. In academic year 2029-30, faculty with six (6) years in a regular ranked position as of the ratification of this contract will be eligible to take a sabbatical leave.

20.2.2. Subsequent accrual follows the guidelines in 20.1.

20.2.3. New hires follow the accrual and eligibility criteria defined in 20.1.

20.3. Half Sabbaticals

20.3.1. Tenure-track faculty and ranked renewable faculty whose initial ranked appointment began prior to the 2011-12 academic year accrue sabbatical eligibility on the following basis:

20.3.1.1. Once a sabbatical-eligible faculty has accrued three (3) qualifying academic years as defined above, they are eligible to apply for a one (1) semester leave, referred to as a “half sabbatical.” The three (3) qualifying academic years must be contiguous, with the exception of breaks due to non-sabbatical leaves of absence.

20.3.2. Ranked renewable faculty whose initial ranked appointment began in academic year 2011-12 or later accrue sabbatical eligibility on the following basis:

20.3.2.1. Once a sabbatical eligible ranked renewable faculty has accrued four (4) qualifying academic years as defined above, they are eligible to apply for a one (1) semester leave, referred to as a “half sabbatical.” The four (4) qualifying academic years must be contiguous, with the exception of breaks due to non-sabbatical leaves of absence. 

20.3.3. In an academic year when a faculty member is awarded a half sabbatical, no accrual towards qualifying academic years occurs.

20.3.4. If a faculty member is awarded a half sabbatical, and in the future is awarded an additional half sabbatical, these two (2) sabbatical terms are considered paired. Even if a full sabbatical occurs between these two (2) half sabbaticals, they are still considered paired.

20.3.5. No two (2) paired half sabbaticals may total a higher percentage of full time employment (FTE) in release than the faculty’s three (3) year percentage of FTE average. For example, a full-time tenured faculty member whose annual average is one hundred percent (100%) FTE may not be awarded two (2) half sabbaticals of 60% FTE each, totaling one hundred and twenty (120%) FTE in release. 

20.3.6. Half sabbaticals are compensated with full pay based on half of the average total annual percentage of full time employment over the preceding three (3) year period. Awarded sabbaticals are issued as release on a faculty member’s annual contract. 

20.3.7. Decisions regarding the number of lines taught in the non-sabbatical semester(s) are at the discretion of the program chair, based on the needs of the program and the college. The sabbatical release may be rounded to the next highest or lowest full number of lines based on the faculty’s three (3)  year average to accommodate teaching assignments in the non-sabbatical term(s) of that academic year.

20.3.8. When a faculty member’s half sabbatical is rounded down by a half line from their average, their next half sabbatical will be rounded up by a half line, unless the needs of the program and the college make this accommodation unreasonable.

20.3.9. When a faculty member’s half sabbatical is rounded up by a half line from their average, their next half sabbatical may only be rounded down by a half line in order to accommodate teaching assignments in the non-sabbatical term(s) of that academic year.

20.3.10. In rare instances, two paired sabbaticals may not reach the total three (3) year average. 

20.4. Full Sabbaticals

20.4.1. Tenure-track faculty and ranked renewable faculty whose initial regular ranked faculty appointment began prior to the 2011-12 academic year are eligible for full sabbaticals. 

20.4.2. Once a sabbatical-eligible faculty member has accrued six (6) qualifying academic years as defined above, they are eligible to apply for two (2) semesters’ leave, referred to as a “full sabbatical.” The six (6) qualifying academic years must be contiguous, with the exception of breaks due to non-sabbatical leaves of absence. By mutual agreement between the Employer and the faculty member, the two (2) semesters’ leave may be taken as a “split sabbatical” over two (2) consecutive academic years. During the two (2) academic years for the split sabbatical, the faculty member accrues one (1) qualifying academic year toward their next sabbatical.

20.4.3. Full sabbaticals are compensated with full pay based on an average total annual percentage of full time employment over the preceding three (3) year period. Awarded sabbaticals are issued as release on a faculty member’s annual contract.

20.5. Sabbatical Eligibility Notifications

20.5.1. Academic Affairs will notify faculty of eligibility for half or full sabbatical in the fall term of the academic year preceding a faculty member’s qualifying academic year.

20.5.2. Faculty may contact Academic Affairs at any time to confirm the total number of academic years they have accrued.

20.6. Sabbatical Requirements and Process

20.6.1. The faculty member is expected to pursue studio or professional work, research, study, publication, travel, or other activities that will benefit both the college and the member.

20.6.2. The applicant shall submit a plan demonstrating how the proposed sabbatical will benefit them as a teacher, scholar, or artist. Upon acceptance of the plan, sabbatical leaves will be awarded to eligible faculty.

20.6.3. Written proposals are generally due to Academic Affairs by early November of the year prior to the proposed sabbatical. 

20.6.4. Approval or denial of the sabbatical will be sent to the faculty by March 31.

20.6.5. Sabbatical applications may be denied or deferred for the following reasons:

20.6.5.1. Sabbatical application does not sufficiently demonstrate that the proposed sabbatical activities will benefit the faculty’s teaching or professional practices as assessed by the chair, dean, and Provost.

20.6.5.2. To maintain a balance of faculty leaves across programs and divisions in a given academic year.

20.6.5.3. Financial exigency declared by the Board of Trustees.

20.6.6. If a sabbatical application is denied or deferred for any of the reasons set forth in section 20.6.5 above, the faculty member shall continue to accrue credit toward subsequent sabbaticals.

20.6.7. If sabbatical applications are denied or deferred for either of the reasons set forth in section 20.6.5.2 or 20.6.5.3 above, applications will be prioritized in the subsequent academic year in the following order:

20.6.7.1. Faculty who are between pre-tenure and tenure review

20.6.7.2. Faculty whose sabbatical applications were previously denied or deferred for either of the reasons set forth in section 20.6.5.2 or 20.6.5.3 above

20.6.7.3. Greatest length of time in a ranked position at CCA

20.6.7.4. Greatest length of time elapsed since their last sabbatical leave

20.6.7.5. Balance of faculty leaves across programs and divisions to ensure adequate ranked faculty engagement in a given academic year

20.6.7.6. Quality of sabbatical proposal as assessed by the chair, dean, and Provost

20.6.8. Full-time faculty may not teach full-time at another institution during a sabbatical leave without prior written approval from the provost. This restriction does not include scholarships, fellowships, short-term guest-artist scholarly positions, and grants-in-aid for advanced study. 

20.6.9. The recipient of a half or full sabbatical shall return to the college for at least one (1) academic year following the sabbatical. If the faculty member does not return, they may be asked to repay the sabbatical compensation.

20.6.10. A summary report must be delivered to Academic Affairs for the file of record within three (3) months of return. In addition, faculty members may be expected to present their sabbatical activity in an informal lecture series to be organized by the divisional deans in collaboration with their program of locus.

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21.1. Eligibility

21.1.1. Faculty and their eligible dependents may participate in the Employer’s benefits program if they possess an annual teaching contract for three (3) or more lines, or at least sixty percent (60%) FTE, per academic year.

21.1.2. Faculty are not eligible to participate in benefits during periods when they are on approved personal leave as defined in 9.6.2.

21.1.3. Eligible dependents include:

21.1.3.1. Legally married spouse or qualified domestic partner.

21.1.3.2. Children under age twenty six (26) regardless of student or marital status or employment. Children include biological children, stepchildren, children covered under a child support order, your adopted children, children placed with you for adoption and your domestic partner’s children.

21.1.3.3. Disabled unmarried children who have reached the maximum age and who are (or become) physically or mentally incapable of self-support and rely on the faculty members for support and maintenance (medical certification required).

21.2. Medical Benefits

21.2.1. There will not be material reductions to the level of medical, dental, or vision benefits (e.g., deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, etc.) provided under this Article during the term of the Agreement except by mutual agreement between the parties. 

21.2.2. The College will continue to provide third party health care enrollment options for its eligible faculty covered by the Agreement for medical, vision, and dental benefits. Each year the particular levels and types of benefits and the coverage, premium rates and eligibility rules for the coming year are announced at open enrollment. When the health care package as provided to administrators and non-bargaining unit staff and faculty contains improvements, the same overall package will be offered to the faculty covered by this Agreement. The Employer shall make minimum monthly premium contributions for each medical plan or its successor plan, at least as follows:

21.3. Health Savings Account

21.3.1. The Employer shall contribute to a health savings account (HSA) for faculty enrolled in a qualified high deductible health plan as follows:

21.3.2. The Employer shall contribute fifty percent (50%) of the amount coinciding with a faculty member’s first pay period of the plan year with the remainder in July. If a faculty member is hired or enrolls in the plan mid-year, they will receive a pro-rated deposit with their first pay period following benefit elections.

21.3.3. Faculty may contribute to the HSA, provided that total HSA contributions (the faculty member’s and the Employer’s) cannot exceed the annual maximum amount set by the IRS.

21.4. Dental Benefits

21.4.1. The Employer shall make minimum monthly premium contributions for each dental plan or its successor plan at least as follows:

21.5. Vision Benefits

21.5.1. The Employer shall make minimum monthly premium contributions for the vision plan at least as follows:

21.6. Maintenance of Benefits

21.6.1. The Employer will not make any change to insurance carriers during the term of this Agreement without notice to and bargaining with the Union prior to implementation.

21.6.2. The Employer shall notify the Union and bargain over any impacts to terms and conditions of employment as a result of changes to the following benefits prior to implementation:

21.6.2.1. Employee assistance benefits

21.6.2.2. Wellbeing services

21.6.2.3. Flexible spending account

21.6.2.4. Commuter benefits

21.6.2.5. Life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance

21.6.2.6. Long term disability

21.7. Tuition Remission

21.7.1. Faculty shall be eligible for tuition remission benefits as set forth in Appendix G.

21.8. Visa and Green Card Assistance

21.8.1. The Employer shall assist international tenure track faculty with their visa and employment-based green card applications by:

21.8.1.1. sponsoring their applications;

21.8.1.2. assisting them with filing the necessary forms; 

21.8.1.3. providing an attorney at the Employer’s expense for costs associated with regular the processing that is necessary for the faculty member to begin work on the agreed upon start date; 

21.8.1.4. paying any filing fees, and advertising costs;

21.8.1.5. paying regular processing fees if expedited or premium processing is not necessary for the faculty member to begin work on the agreed upon start date; and

21.8.1.6. paying fees for expedited or premium processing if such processing is necessary for the faculty member to begin work on the agreed upon start date.

21.8.2. Legal support at the Employer’s expense is only available during the tenure track faculty’s employment at CCA.

21.8.3. The Employer does not cover expenses related to expedited or premium processing, or visa and/or green card applications for family members of the tenure track faculty member, unless agreed upon by the Employer and the faculty member at the time of hire.

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22.1. Professional Development Grants

22.1.1. Effective August 16, 2025, the Employer will provide a minimum of forty thousand dollars ($40,000) each academic year for ranked faculty development grants. Effective August 16, 2026, the Employer will provide a minimum of fifty five thousand dollars ($55,000) each academic year for ranked faculty development grants. Effective August 16, 2027, the Employer will provide a minimum of seventy thousand dollars ($70,000) each academic year for ranked faculty development grants.

22.1.2. Any active faculty member may submit an application for a faculty development grant. These grants are competitive; no faculty is guaranteed an award through one or many applications over one or many grant periods. 

22.1.3. A Faculty Development Grant Committee consisting of five (5) ranked faculty, including at least one (1) faculty member appointed by the Union, will review and approve faculty development grant applications for each semester, including summer. Participation in the Faculty Development Grant Committee will be considered collegewide service. Members of the Committee will recuse themselves from reviewing and approving their own applications. Faculty development grant applications for the Fall 2025 semester may be reviewed and approved retroactively during the Spring 2026 grant cycle.

22.1.3.1. The Committee members are responsible for the administration of the grant program, including but not limited to establishing application criteria, setting grant cycles and deadlines in alignment with Business Office policies which will be shared with the Committee, creating and updating an application form, soliciting applications, communicating with applicants and awardees, establishing assessment criteria and rubrics, and communicating all final award details to Academic Affairs.

22.1.4. At the conclusion of each grant cycle, the Committee will share with all ranked faculty members the names of the awardees and Committee members.

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23.1. 403(b) Matching Contribution

23.1.1. Effective with the first full pay period following ratification of the Agreement, the Employer shall contribute an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the faculty member’s contribution, up to a maximum of three and a half percent (3.5%) of the faculty member’s salary.

23.1.2. Effective August 16, 2026, the Employer shall contribute an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the faculty member’s contribution, up to a maximum of four percent (4%) of the faculty member’s salary.

23.1.3. Effective August 16, 2027, the Employer shall contribute an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the faculty member’s contribution, up to a maximum of five percent (5%) of the faculty member’s salary.

23.2. Retirement Incentive

23.2.1. Faculty who are age sixty (60) or older and have ten (10) or more years of ranked service at CCA, and who submit an irrevocable notice of retirement by February 1 for the following academic year, shall be granted retirement release. For each year elapsed since the faculty member’s last paid sabbatical leave, the faculty member will receive retirement release during their final academic year of employment of up to sixteen and seven tenths percent (16.7%) of their average FTE over the preceding three (3) year period. Combinations of retirement release and other assignments, including instructional assignments, may not exceed the faculty member’s three (3) year average workload.

23.2.2. Faculty who have never received a paid sabbatical leave and who meet the eligibility requirements defined in 23.2.1 above shall be deemed to have accrued the maximum retirement release commensurate with their average FTE over the three (3) year period preceding their final academic year or employment

23.2.3. Retirement agreements mutually signed by the College and the faculty prior to the effective date of this Agreement will be honored.

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24.1. Just Cause

24.1.1. The Employer and the Union agree that faculty members may be disciplined only for just cause. Nothing in this Agreement shall prohibit the Employer from placing a faculty member on paid administrative leave pending investigation of misconduct.

24.2. Investigations

24.2.1. Before answering questions that could lead to discipline the faculty member may request the assistance of a Union representative.

24.3. Progressive Discipline

24.3.1. Except for gross misconduct, the Employer shall follow the steps of progressive discipline. The Parties agree that clear and ongoing communication about expectations and performance is beneficial. Coaching, counseling, and informal feedback are non-disciplinary and are not subject to the grievance process. The Employer will, wherever feasible and appropriate, provide non-disciplinary coaching, counseling, and/or feedback before initiating formal discipline. The progressive system is intended to give employees advance notice to the extent possible of problems with their performance or conduct, providing an opportunity for improvement or correction.

24.3.2. Discipline shall consist of:

24.3.2.1. a written warning and/or performance improvement plan;

24.3.2.2. a suspension without pay for up to fourteen (14) calendar days;

24.3.2.3. dismissal.

24.3.3. The act or contents of written or oral evaluations, such as those provided in the APT process, or an oral warning, are not discipline.

24.4. Notice of Discipline

24.4.1. The Employer shall notify faculty of discipline in writing. The notice shall include:

24.4.1.1. The grounds for the discipline, including the charges against the faculty member, the specific policy or rule violated, and a statement of relevant facts;

24.4.1.2. A statement that the faculty member has the right to appeal the discipline using the grievance procedure in this Agreement.

24.4.2. Because dismissal may result from different circumstances, there can be no fixed period of advance notice before the dismissal of employment takes effect; however, notice of termination (except for misconduct) of tenured faculty does not ordinarily become effective before the expiration of the academic year in which notice is given, and, if so, the College will provide continued salary until the scheduled end of the academic year. Notice of termination (except for misconduct) of nontenured faculty members ordinarily is issued at least six (6) months before its effective date.

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25.1. Definition 

25.1.1. A “grievance” is defined as an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of this Agreement or past practice. A grievance may be filed by one (1) or more unit members or the Union against the Employer, or by the Employer against the Union. 

25.1.2. A “day” is defined as a day of regular College business operation for the purposes of this Article, unless specified otherwise.

25.2. Procedures for Grievances Filed by Unit Members or the Union

25.2.1. The Union President or designee shall be notified in writing of any scheduled meetings with the faculty member with regard to a grievance filed under this Article. A Union representative shall be allowed to participate in any such meetings. Grievances in which the Union has declined to provide representation shall not set precedent.

25.2.2. A grievance should contain the name(s) of the affected unit member(s), a brief description of the alleged violation, the provision(s) of this Agreement or practice that was allegedly violated, and the remedy sought.

25.2.3. Grievances shall be submitted and responded to within the applicable time frame. In all cases the grievance shall be submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the grievant or the Union was aware that the violation occurred. Failure to respond to the grievance within the time limit set forth herein shall entitle the grievant to proceed to the next step, and the grievance shall be deemed to have been rejected as of the last day of the period for response. Any time limits set forth in this Article may be extended by mutual agreement. Should the Union submit a request for information relevant to a particular grievance, the days falling between the request and the Employer’s response to that request will not be counted against the time limits for the grievant or the Union to submit the grievance or appeal it to the next step.

25.2.4. The grievant and the Employer should make an effort to resolve grievances through informal discussion. If a problem cannot be resolved through informal discussion with an immediate supervisor, or if the grievant does not wish to have an informal discussion, a grievance shall be processed as provided in section 25.3 below, except that grievances based upon a suspension or discharge, or those initiated by the Union shall start directly at 25.3.2 Step Two below.

25.2.5. There shall be no retaliation against faculty who exercise the grievance process regardless of the outcome.

25.3. Unit Member and Union Grievance Steps and Process

25.3.1. Step One – Program Chair or Dean

25.3.1.1. A unit member or Union grievance will be filed with either the program chair or dean, in an email with the subject line “Step One Grievance” no later than thirty (30) days after the grievant or the Union was aware that the violation occurred. The program chair or dean will investigate the complaint and respond in writing within ten (10) days after the grievance was filed.

25.3.2. Step Two – Grievance Committee

25.3.2.1. If the grievance is not settled at Step One, the grievant or the Union may advance the grievance to Step Two within ten (10) days of receipt, or due date, of the Step One response, whichever is earlier. The Step Two notice will be filed with the President of the Union or designee and the Senior Director of Faculty Affairs & Records or designee via an email with the subject line “Step Two Grievance.” The President of the Union or designee and the Senior Director of Faculty Affairs & Records or designee will call a grievance committee. The grievance committee will hold an informal hearing on the grievance with the grievant, the grievant’s representative, and representatives of the Employer within ten (10) days after the Step Two grievance has been filed. At the hearing, either side may present witnesses or evidence for the committee’s consideration. The grievance committee will render a decision in writing including a joint summary of findings, or a statement in writing that a majority of the committee was unable to agree on a decision, which decision or statement shall be communicated to all parties within ten (10) days after the hearing. 

25.3.2.2. The grievance committee shall be comprised of two (2) faculty chosen by the Union and two (2) administrators chosen by the Employer. No one named or otherwise directly involved in a grievance may serve on the committee while that grievance is being heard. The grievance committee exists only for the duration of the particular grievance, and a new grievance committee shall be called for each grievance presented; however, faculty may serve on more than one (1) successive committee if requested. Participating in a grievance committee constitutes collegewide service.

25.3.3. Step Three – Provost 

25.3.3.1. If the grievance is not settled at Step Two, the grievant or the Union may advance the grievance to Step Three within ten (10) days. The Step Three notice will be filed with the Provost via an email with the subject line “Step Three Grievance.” The Provost will schedule a meeting with the grievant and the grievant’s representative, if any, to discuss the grievance within fifteen (15) days after the Step Three grievance has been filed. The Provost will respond to the grievance in writing within fifteen (15) days after the meeting.

25.3.4. Step Four – Arbitration

25.3.4.1. If the grievance is not settled at Step Three, within fifteen (15) days after the Step Three response, the Union may advance the grievance to arbitration with written notice to the VP of Human Resources and the Senior Director of Faculty Affairs & Records.

25.3.4.2. When the Union has requested arbitration in a timely manner, the Union shall request a list of seven (7) arbitrators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Within ten (10) days of receipt of the list, the parties shall select an arbitrator by alternately striking names from the list, with the party to strike first determined by a coin toss, until one (1) name remains. Prior to striking names from the list, the parties may select an arbitrator by mutual agreement. Upon selection of an arbitrator, the parties shall contact the arbitrator to schedule a hearing date. The parties shall respond to requests for hearing dates in a timely manner and be cooperative in scheduling the earliest practicable date.

25.3.4.3. The Arbitrator shall be requested to render a decision within thirty (30) days of receipt of the briefs.

25.3.4.4. Prior to the hearing, the parties shall attempt to reach agreement on a joint submission of the issue to be presented to the arbitrator.

25.3.4.5. The decision of the Arbitrator shall be final and binding on the parties and the affected faculty member(s).

25.3.4.6. The faculty member(s) shall be released from work duties without a loss of compensation to attend any arbitration where they are a grievant, witness or steward.

25.3.4.7. Each party shall bear the expense of preparing and presenting its own case. Cancellation and postponement fees shall be paid by the party requesting the cancellation or postponement. All other costs of the arbitration proceedings, including compensation, fees and expenses of the Arbitrator, and the cost of any hearing transcript, shall be borne equally by the College and the Union. The hearing transcript shall be ordered at the request of either party or the Arbitrator.

25.3.4.8. The Arbitrator shall have no power to add to, subtract from, alter, modify or amend any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

25.3.4.9. Prior to arbitration, the parties may mutually agree to attempt to mediate the grievance using Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services.

25.4. Procedures for Grievances Filed by the Employer

25.4.1. A grievance should contain a brief description of the alleged violation, the provision(s) of this Agreement or practice that was allegedly violated, and the remedy sought.

25.4.2. Grievances shall be submitted and responded to within the applicable time frame. In all cases the grievance shall be submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the Employer was aware that the violation occurred. Failure to respond to the grievance within the time limit set forth herein shall entitle the Employer to proceed to the next step, and the grievance shall be deemed to have been rejected as of the last day of the period for response. Any time limits set forth in this Article may be extended by mutual agreement. Should the Employer submit a request for information relevant to a particular grievance, the days falling between the Employer’s request and the Union’s response to that request will not be counted against the time limits for the Employer to submit the grievance or appeal it to the next step.

25.4.3. The Employer and the Union should make an effort to resolve grievances through informal discussion. If a problem cannot be resolved through informal discussion, or if the Employer does not wish to have an informal discussion, a grievance shall be processed as provided in section 25.5 below.

25.5. Employer Grievance Steps and Process

25.5.1. Step One – Union President

25.5.1.1. An Employer grievance will be filed with the Union President or designee in an email with the subject line “Step One Grievance” no later than thirty (30) days after the Employer was aware that the violation occurred. The Union President or designee will schedule a meeting with the Employer to discuss the grievance within ten (10) days after the Step One grievance has been filed. The Union President or designee will respond to the grievance in writing within ten (10) days after the meeting.

25.5.2. Step Two – Grievance Committee

25.5.2.1. If the grievance is not settled at Step One, the Employer may advance the grievance to Step Two within ten (10) days of receipt, or due date, of the Step One response, whichever is earlier. The Step Two notice will be filed with the Union President or designee and the Senior Director of Faculty Affairs and Records via an email with the subject line “Step Two Grievance.” The Union President or designee and Senior Director of Faculty Affairs & Records will call a grievance committee. The grievance committee will hold an informal hearing on the grievance with the grievant, the grievant’s representative, and representatives of the Union within ten (10) days after the Step Two grievance has been filed.  At the hearing, either side may present witnesses or evidence for the committee’s consideration. The grievance committee will render a decision in writing including a joint summary of findings, or a statement in writing that a majority of the committee was unable to agree on a decision, which decision or statement shall be communicated to all parties within ten (10) days after the hearing. 

25.5.2.2. The grievance committee shall operate in accordance with section 25.3.2.2 of this Article.

25.5.3. Step Three – Union Executive Board

25.5.3.1. If the grievance is not settled at Step Two, the Employer may advance the grievance to Step Three within ten (10) days of receipt, or due date, of the Step Two response, whichever is earlier. The Step Three notice will be filed with the Union President via an email with the subject line “Step Three Grievance.” The Union President will schedule a meeting with the Union Executive Board or designee to review the grievance within thirty (30) days after the Step Three grievance has been filed. The Union Executive Board or designee will respond to the grievance in writing within ten (10) days after the meeting.

25.5.4. Step Four – Arbitration

25.5.4.1. If the grievance is not settled at Step Three, within fifteen (15) days after the Step Three response, the Employer may advance the grievance to arbitration with written notice to the Union President.

25.5.4.2. When the Employer has requested arbitration in a timely manner, the Employer shall request a list of seven (7) arbitrators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Within ten (10) days of receipt of the list, the parties shall select an arbitrator by alternately striking names from the list, with the party to strike first determined by a coin toss, until one (1) name remains. Prior to striking names from the list, the parties may select an arbitrator by mutual agreement. Upon selection of an arbitrator, the parties shall contact the arbitrator to schedule a hearing date. The parties shall respond to requests for hearing dates in a timely manner and be cooperative in scheduling the earliest practicable date.

25.5.4.3. The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with sections 25.3.4.3 through 25.3.4.9 of this Article.

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26.1. Faculty may resign at any time. Faculty should give notice in writing at the earliest opportunity.

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27.1. Definitions

27.1.1. For the purposes of this Article, the following definitions shall apply:

27.1.1.1. “Seniority” is calculated as follows:

27.1.1.1.1. Number of academic years prior to Fall 2016 when a ranked faculty member was actively appointed and contracted in a ranked faculty position, and

27.1.1.1.1.1. Beginning with the Fall 2016 semester, for tenure-track faculty, “seniority” means the number of courses taught by the faculty member (including courses taught as a tenure-track, ranked renewable, or adjunct faculty member), plus the number of release lines for service as a program chair or assistant or associate chair and for a sabbatical leave of absence, divided by five (5).

27.1.1.1.1.2. Beginning with the Fall 2016 semester, for ranked renewable faculty, “seniority” means the number of courses taught by the faculty member (including courses taught as a tenure-track, ranked renewable, or adjunct faculty member), plus the number of release lines for service as a program chair or assistant or associate chair and for a sabbatical leave of absence, divided by four (4).

27.1.1.2. “Qualified to teach” means the faculty member has previously taught the course or a substantially similar course, or has experience from another institution or from professional practice and/or academic training that is relevant to the course. The program chair determines if the faculty has the necessary skills or experience to successfully deliver the course content.

27.1.1.3. “Retrenchment” means the termination or reduction of a ranked faculty appointment due to financial exigency.

27.1.1.4. “Layoff” means the termination or involuntary reduction of a faculty FTE due to program or division reduction, reorganization, or discontinuance.

27.1.1.5. “Financial exigency” refers to a severe financial crisis that threatens the College's ability to fulfill its core functions.

27.2. Retraining

27.2.1. The Employer will minimize the termination or reduction of appointments as the result of reduction, reorganization, or discontinuance of a program or division or financial exigency by providing retraining to faculty on a tuition-free basis through courses available through the College for up to one (1) semester if space is available in the course and if the faculty member will thereby become qualified to teach in other programs at the College as determined by the Provost.

27.3. Layoff and Retrenchment Process

27.3.1. The College has the right to retrench bargaining unit members for reason of financial exigency or lay off bargaining unit members due to reduction, reorganization, or discontinuance of an academic program or division, in accordance with this Article.

27.4. Financial Exigency

27.4.1. The Board of Trustees has the sole authority to declare that a state of financial exigency exists if a financial crisis affects the college’s ability to meet its immediate financial obligations during the current fiscal year. Evidence of the financial exigency shall be presented to the faculty through the Senate Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall also have the opportunity to make formal recommendations in all decisions relating to the elimination or reduction of programs.

27.4.2. A state of financial exigency may be declared effective for a period of one fiscal year only; should the board find it necessary to extend the state of financial exigency beyond the fiscal year following the initial declaration, a further declaration shall be made and a further revised and updated presentation made to the Executive Committee for each year of the extension.

27.4.3. Retention of a viable academic program is the primary goal of the college, and it is understood that the faculty shall not bear an undue proportion of the necessary economies.

27.5. Order of Layoff or Retrenchment

27.5.1. Before retrenching or laying off faculty involuntarily, the Employer will solicit volunteers from the affected program(s) or division(s). Faculty who volunteer to be retrenched or laid off in full shall receive severance as set forth in Section 27.7.

27.5.2. Retrenchment and layoff of faculty shall occur in the following order:

27.5.2.1. Non-tenured tenure-track faculty, and ranked renewable faculty who hold the rank of assistant or associate professor, in reverse seniority order, as defined in Sections 27.1.1.1 through 27.1.1.1.1.2.

27.5.2.2. Ranked renewable faculty who hold the rank of full professor, in reverse seniority order, as defined in Sections 27.1.1.1 through 27.1.1.1.1.2.

27.5.2.3. Tenured associate professor faculty in reverse seniority order, as defined in Sections 27.1.1.1 through 27.1.1.1.1.2.

27.5.2.4. Tenured full professor faculty in reverse seniority order, as defined in Sections 27.1.1.1 through 27.1.1.1.1.2.

27.5.3. Within each category set forth in Section 27.5.2, no faculty member who is qualified to teach a course or courses shall be retrenched or laid off in order to retain adjunct faculty, or ranked faculty with less seniority who are teaching those courses.

27.5.4. Within the retrenched division or program, non-ranked faculty will be laid off or reduced prior to bargaining unit faculty members unless, in the judgment of the Provost, in consultation with the Dean, program chair, and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, irreparable harm would result to the academic division or program.

27.6. Reduction, Reorganization, or Discontinuance of a Program

27.6.1. The Provost may formally recommend the reduction, reorganization, or discontinuance of programs or divisions in consultation with the Senate Executive Committee, for approval by the president and the Board of Trustees. Such decisions require judgment that the ongoing mission of the college will be strengthened by the changes.

27.6.1.1. The Provost will inform faculty members in writing when the Provost has made the recommendation to reduce, reorganize, or discontinue their program. The Board of Trustees may invite further comment before making a decision. The Board of Trustees’ decision will be final.

27.6.2. The locus of tenure/program of locus for faculty who are displaced from their program of locus as the result of reduction, reorganization, or discontinuance of a program shall automatically be changed to another program in which they teach or a new program in which they are qualified to teach in consultation with the faculty member. Such changes to program of locus may result in layoff or retrenchment of less senior ranked faculty in the program to which a displaced faculty member is transferred.

27.6.3. Faculty will be notified in writing by April 15 of any intent to terminate or reduce their appointment as the result of reduction, reorganization, or discontinuance of a program or division with such action to take effect at the start of the following academic year.

27.7. Severance

27.7.1. Faculty who are laid off in full or retrenched in full will receive severance salary and benefits as follows:

27.7.1.1. Faculty who have been employed for more than one academic year will be entitled to receive a severance allowance on the date of permanent layoff in the amount of one (1) week of their salary on the salary schedule for each completed year of service up to a maximum of twenty six (26) weeks, in addition to one (1) month of continued eligibility for health plan coverage.

27.8. Recall

27.8.1. Retrenched or laid off ranked faculty members shall be placed on a recall list for three (3) years succeeding the date retrenchment or layoff became effective. No outside faculty will be hired until all retrenched and laid off faculty qualified to teach on the recall list have been offered recall rights in reverse order of termination or reduction of appointment, reinstatement at the same FTE, rank, seniority, and salary step (or rate of pay if the faculty member was Y-rated at the time of layoff or retrenchment). When an offer of re-employment is made, the retrenched or laid off faculty must accept or reject such an offer within thirty (30) days after it is made. Offers of re-employment shall be sent via certified mail. A copy of the offer will be provided to the Union at the same time that it is mailed to the faculty member. If an offer of re-employment is rejected by the faculty member or there is no response to the notification, their name shall be removed from the recall list. Retrenched and laid off faculty shall be responsible for notifying the College of their current mailing address.

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The Employer shall notify any prospective purchaser, transferee, structural affiliate, or successor in interest of the existence of all of the Employer’s agreements with the Union, including, but not limited to, this Agreement, and provide them with a copy of such agreements.

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29.1. Equal Employment Opportunity & Disability Accommodation

29.1.1. The Employer shall not discriminate based on sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), race (including hairstyle and hair texture), ancestry, citizenship, color, religion, religious creed, age (over forty (40) years), mental or physical disability, medical condition as defined by law, exercising the right to family care and medical leave, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, national origin, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, reproductive health decisions, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws, including participation or non-participation in union activities. The Employer shall take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment.

29.1.2. In accordance with applicable law, the Employer shall prohibit unlawful discrimination or/and retaliation against any faculty member by another employee or by the Employer for reporting, filing, testifying, assisting, or participating in any manner in any investigation, proceeding, or hearing conducted by the college or a federal or state enforcement agency or other activity protected by law.

29.1.3. If an employee believes that they have been subjected to any form of unlawful discrimination or retaliation, they should submit a written complaint to Human Resources at hr@cca.edu and/or file a grievance. The complaint should be specific and include the names of the individuals involved as well as the names of any witnesses. Human Resources (HR) will undertake an assessment. HR will maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved as much as possible. If a policy violation is determined to have occurred, effective remedial action will be taken including discipline, commensurate with the severity of the offense, up to and including termination. Appropriate action will also be taken to deter any future discrimination. Whatever action is taken will be made known to the complaining employee. 

29.1.4. The Employer will not retaliate against a faculty member for using this reporting procedure or for filing a good-faith complaint or grievance, testifying, assisting, or participating in any manner in any investigation, proceeding, or hearing conducted by the college or by a federal or state enforcement agency and will not knowingly permit retaliation by management, coworkers, or other employees.

29.1.5. Any retaliation should be reported immediately to any college supervisor or Human Resources at: hr@cca.edu. Reports of retaliatory conduct will be immediately, objectively, and thoroughly investigated in accordance with the procedures outlined above. Faculty should report any retaliation to a Union representative immediately. 

29.1.6. CCA is an art and design college and, as part of its curriculum and functions, nude models and artistic renderings of nude figures, in appropriate context, may be exhibited on campus. 

29.1.7. Physical contact in the course of artistic work may take place only when minors are not involved and voluntary consent is clearly established, and is not a condition of continuing employment or education.

29.2. Disability Accommodation

29.2.1. To comply with applicable laws ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities, upon written request, the Employer will assess the request and if the accommodation is reasonable, and will offer reasonable accommodations or propose alternative accommodation(s) for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual who is an applicant or an employee, unless undue hardship for the Employer would result. Any faculty member who requires an accommodation should contact Human Resources at hr@cca.edu and request such an accommodation.

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30.1. This Agreement represents the entire agreement between the parties, sets forth the obligations owed by and the rights possessed by the respective parties, and supersedes all past practices and prior or contemporaneous agreements, understandings or promises between the parties hereto. No agent or representative of either party has the authority to make any representation, promise, inducement, or agreement that is different than the terms set forth in this Agreement and neither party shall be bound by such actions. No amendment, change, modification or addition to this Agreement shall be binding upon either party hereto, unless reduced to writing and signed by both of the parties.

30.2. Savings Clause

30.2.1. It is hereby declared to be the intention of the parties to this Agreement that sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of this Agreement are subject to applicable law, and are separable. To the best knowledge and belief of the parties, this contract contains no provision, which is contrary to Federal or State Law or regulation. Should however, any provision of this Agreement at any time during the period provided for in this Agreement be in conflict with Federal or State Law or regulations, the parties will meet promptly to negotiate a substitute provision that complies with applicable law and reflects, as closely as possible, the intent of the original provision. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is held inoperative, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect.

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1. Effective September 16, 2025 (1.5% increase between steps)

2. Effective August 16, 2026 (1.5% increase between steps, 2% increase to each step)

3. Effective August 16, 2027 (1.5% increase between steps, 2% increase to each step)

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The college has a leave donation program that is meant to provide assistance to staff employees and ranked faculty employees who are unable to work their regular scheduled time and are in a need for additional time off in excess of their available sick leave or other paid time off. The program allows eligible staff employees and ranked faculty employees to voluntarily donate time from their available sick leave to their co-workers in accordance with the policy.

This policy is strictly voluntary. The policy does not guarantee any employee the right to extended leave beyond what is required for by the college’s stated policy and its legal operations. Final approval of receipt of any sick leave donation and of the ability to donate accrued leave rests with Human Resources.

A staff employee can donate accumulated sick leave hours up to a maximum of thirty seven and a half (37.5) hours to the bank a semester. A ranked faculty employee can donate accumulated sick leave hours up to a maximum of sixty (60) hours per academic year, provided however that ranked faculty may donate the full balance of their sick time at the end of the academic year. Donations will be reflected as a day for day (or hour for hour for ranked faculty employees) deduction from the balance of the donating employee and a day for day (or hour for hour, not to exceed a faculty employee’s weekly percentage of FTE) credit to the recipient employee, regardless of the respective job classification or rates of pay of the two parties. All donations are irrevocable.

For purposes of eligibility for donation and receipt of granted time, the employee must be otherwise eligible to accrue and receive sick leave, and for staff, vacation leave. Temporary, non-benefit eligible employees and non-ranked faculty employees are not eligible to participate in this plan.

Eligibility to Donate

In order for you to donate sick leave to another employee, you must:

● Be employed by the college for one (1) year

● Maintain a minimum of twenty (20) hours in your current leave balance after donation

● Not be currently on an approved leave of absence

● Not have given notice and voluntarily separating from the college

Employees may not solicit sick leave donations. Unions may inform employees of their right to donate sick leave under this policy. Donations under this program are voluntary and no employee will be subject to intimidation or disparate treatment for participating in or declining to participate in the leave donation program. Employees may not make “designated/directed” donations; all donations become part of the bank, to be distributed per the procedures outlined below.

Guidelines for Receipt of Leave Donation

Employees who are sick and unable to work a regular schedule due to a physician’s documented illness, injury or on a FMLA, CFRA or disability leave, and have exhausted their own accrued paid sick leave and in the case of staff employees, have less than thirty seven and a half (37.5) accrued vacation hours, may access the Sick Leave Donation Bank. Human Resources will evaluate the eligibility of the applicant for donated time off based on college leave criteria. These include time away from work due to an employee’s own documented illness or off-the-job injury, or to care for a family member as outlined in the Sick Leave Policy with a documented illness or off-the-job injury. The reason may also include reproductive loss and gender affirming surgery.

Based on the request, donated time off will be provided to the applicant on a week to week basis for a maximum of two (2) weeks or as such time as the applicant’s physician allows return to work within the two week period. Additional weeks may be requested and approved on a case by case basis up through but not exceeding the end of the academic year in which the absence originated.

In the case that an employee is incapacitated and unable to personally make an application to the bank, the employee’s supervisor (or co-worker, through the supervisor) may make such an application on their behalf.

In the event that multiple requests for donations are received, the VP of Human Resources will consider them in the order they are received. Additionally, the VP of Human Resources reserves the right to decline applications if, in their judgment, an individual is abusing the policy or has exceeded a reasonable amount of requests and thus depriving others of the benefit. Misrepresenting or falsifying the need to receive donated leave under this program is grounds for discipline, up to and including termination.

Out of consideration for the college, it is expected that employees will first pursue other legally available sources of income replacement such as State Disability Insurance (SDI). For those employees receiving state benefits, CCA will allow donated time to be used on a “coordination of benefits” basis.

Any donated sick time awarded from the bank that is in excess of the time used by the recipient for the approved crisis event will be returned to the bank balance. There is no “cash” value to the recipient of the donated sick time.

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- Multiple low enrolled sections should be consolidated whenever possible to avoid approaching the “minimum to run at twenty percent (20%) FTE” in more than one (1) section. Most courses must run as a full line or be canceled. 

- Enrollment in a section needs to be at least Default Capacity plus thirty percent (+30%) before there can be a conversation about splitting into two (2) sections. 

- The following standard course types are designed to only be run as ten percent (10%) FTE or a half line. With the exception of ISC these courses can only be taught by ranked faculty because the CBA does not allow for adjuncts to be assigned to half-lines unless it is due to co-teaching. 

● Tutorials 

● Senior Projects 

● Individual Studio Critique 

● Studio Research Laboratory 

● Individualized Mentorship 

● Mentorship 

- Tutorials and Senior Projects: 

Courses for small numbers of students, generally seniors or grad students, that meet for half the typical number of hours during the semester. 

- Mentorships and Individualized Studio Courses: 

Independent Studio Critique, Graduate Studio Practice, Studio Research Laboratory, Individualized Mentorship, Mentorship and Mentored Study are course sections used for students to register to meet individually with faculty for a fixed number of hours. 

- Other course types may be offered as a half-line with approval and may only be taught by ranked faculty.

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PURPOSE STATEMENT

The purpose of these Intellectual Property Tenets is to maximize the development and open exchange of ideas and the generation of creative work product in the educational environment of California College of the Arts (“CCA”), to provide guidance to the CCA community in the development and disposition of works created in connection with CCA, to provide a method for resolving potential ambiguities and/or conflicts regarding the ownership and disposition of such works, and to facilitate the development, distribution and use of works created with CCA facilities by its students and faculty for the benefit of the public, and the benefit of CCA and its students and faculty. Some of the programs at CCA may give rise to exceptions to these Tenets.

These Tenets are intended to evolve as the result of feedback from the CCA Community and will therefore change from time to time.

1. OWNERSHIP OF WORKS
   1. Students
      1. Students own the original work they create in or for a class, although they may not own the part of their works that contain any third party copyrighted materials or materials that contain the trademarks, confidential materials or names and likenesses of third parties.
      2. Students are advised and required to obtain third party consents where required by law or by best ethical practices.
      3. A Team of Students that create an original work in or for a class jointly and equally own that work.
      4. Faculty do not own original works created by students in or for a class. Faculty do, however, have the right to use student work for educational purposes and to include student work in their teaching portfolio but must recognize and identify the author of the work. 
      5. Students may request in writing that faculty not use, except for CCA educational purposes, their original works created in or for a class. Faculty will honor the request.
   2. Faculty
      1. CURRICULUM: Curriculum refers to the organization of academic classes and requirements and goals for departments and CCA as a whole. 
      2. Faculty do not own curriculum prepared with or for their applicable academic department or CCA as a whole. CCA owns it.
      3. SYLLABI: CCA owns the course syllabi prepared for any course The faculty member who developed the syllabus has a royalty-free perpetual right to use it to teach at other non-profit colleges and universities.
      4. FACULTY OWNERSHIP: Faculty own the original works, meaning the copyrightable parts of the course materials they create for classes that they teach in person, online, or in a hybrid format. 
         1. Course materials include materials prepared for use in, or in connection with, teaching a class and include such materials as: syllabi, readers, assignments, articles, recorded lectures, recorded demonstrations, etc. 
         2. Faculty own original works, meaning the copyrightable parts of the course materials they create in a class for purposes of demonstrating the course materials or other practices or concepts to students in the class, including but not limited to original works of art and design, etc.
         3. CCA has a royalty free perpetual right to use faculty-owned materials for internal educational and administrative purposes including course and curriculum development, program review, and accreditation. 
         4. CCA may not utilize faculty-owned materials for courses not taught by the creator without the creator’s expressed written consent. 
         5. CCA does not have the right to license or sell faculty-owned materials to third party schools or companies.
         6. CCA retains the right to use faculty owned materials for the completion of any course for which the original instructor is unable (due to illness, necessary family leave, or other reasons) to complete their teaching duties for the specific course within the designated semester.
      5. CONTRACTED CONTENT: CCA may contract directly with faculty for the development of content to be shared, in which case the intellectual property rights would be separately determined and agreed upon by both parties prior to the production of the work.
   3. CCA
      1. CCA does not own original works created by students in or for a class, but has a royalty free perpetual right to use that work in connection with publicity and promotion of CCA.
      2. Students may request in writing that CCA does not use original works created in or for a class for a period of one year after the end of the class.
   4. Internships
      1. Works created in or for internships where students are receiving School credit or payment are owned and controlled by the Company or Organization (“Company”) sponsoring the internship.
      2. Students should be informed of this before starting the internship.
      3. Students should request the right to include works created in connection with the internship in their portfolios, and note that some works may not be suitable for such use because the Company may deem the work confidential.
      4. Students should be permitted to reference the internship in their resumes and portfolios.
   5. Sponsored Research and Courses
      1. Sponsors (Businesses and Organizations) do not own original research, artistic or design materials created by faculty or students in or for a class that they sponsor unless a written license or other transfer of rights to those works is executed by the author(s) and acknowledged in writing by CCA.
      2. Some sponsored classes are designed to be inherently collaborative, and therefore ownership of the works created in the class may not be subject to individual or student team ownership. The intended nature of the works and ownership of them must be communicated at the time of class registration, and students must have the ability to “Opt Out” of the class and take an alternative class that meets the same curricular requirements. Note that this option does not apply to ENGAGE at CCA classes or advanced architectural studios and seminars. 
      3. Students cannot be required to sign confidentiality agreements with Sponsors.
      4. Faculty and students may be restricted from using the brands, logos, trademarks or copyrighted materials of a sponsor in original works that the faculty or student does or intends to use outside of the class. These restrictions should be communicated to the students and faculty before any sponsored class.
   6. ENGAGE at CCA Organizations
      1. ENGAGE at CCA Organizations (community service and other organizations selected by CCA in its discretion for project works in connection with CCA educational offerings) do not own original works created by students in or for a class that they sponsor, but will have a perpetual, royalty free, worldwide non‐exclusive right to use the works. 
      2. Faculty and students should be told at the outset of a class whether the ENGAGE at CCA organization will have all rights or a license to use original research, artistic, or design materials created by faculty or student works created in or for the class that the ENGAGE at CCA organization is sponsoring.
      3. Faculty and Students will have a right to reference their work for the ENGAGE at CCA class, and to include copies of the works in their portfolios and personal websites with appropriate credits included. However, the ENGAGE at CCA organization will have the right to require the student to wait until the work is made public by the ENGAGE at CCA organization before the student includes it in any public forum or exhibit, etc.
      4. Faculty and Students will have the right to Use their work however they please if they exclude any proprietary content, trademarks, logos, copyrighted material (“ENGAGE at CCA Materials”) from the work.
   7. Contest Sponsors 
      1. Contest Sponsors should not own the rights in all original entries in their contests, but only a right to display and distribute them in connection with the Contest. Contest Sponsors should be able to take ownership of winning entries provided the contest prize awarded to winning entrants is equal to or greater than the market value of the entry if it were to be used commercially. 
2. CREDITS
   1. When student or faculty works are copied and/or distributed and/or displayed, credit should be given in writing (as applicable) to each of the faculty and student authors and/or members of the team of students that created the work.
   2. Students and faculty may request in writing to the applicable authors of works that their name(s) be excluded from the credits.
   3. The credits should also include the name of the faculty and the class in which or for which the work was created, the program or collaborating CCA programs, CCA and approximate date of completion.
      1. For example: “Artwork by Student 1 & Student 2 & Student 3, Fine Art III, Instructor A & Instructor B, Undergraduate Graphic Design Program, California College of the Arts, May 2009.”
3. USE OF WORKS
   1. Students
      1. Students are free to sell, license or exhibit/display/distribute (“Use”) their individual original works and to enter contests, festivals and calls for entry without the authorization or consent of CCA.
         1. Students are requested to notify CCA when they do so.
         2. Students should include the applicable Credits in any Use of their Works.
   2. A Team of Students
      1. A team of students must have the consent of each member of the team before making use of the works. If there is no consensus among the team, a vote of the majority of the team will prevail. However, if a team member does not agree with the outcome, they may require that their name and credit are omitted from use of the work.
         1. CCA provides a process for notifying the Team Members.
         2. If the applicable Team Members comply with that process they may make use of the works.
   3. Faculty
      1. Faculty may make Use of student works provided they use the applicable credits and the use is not commercial Use. 
         1. Students may request in writing to the applicable faculty that their work not be used by the faculty. Students may reference the larger work of a Faculty Member or collaborative projects only after obtaining permission, and provided the student specifies his or her contribution to the larger project.
   4. CCA
      1. CCA may exhibit/display/distribute student works. CCA must obtain prior written consent to license or sell any rights to student works. Students may request in writing to their Program chair that their work not be used by CCA.
   5. Sponsors
      1. A Sponsor may only license or purchase the rights to student (including also student team) works with the prior written consent of both the student author(s) and the written acknowledgement of CCA.
         1. Internship Sponsors should credit students’ contributions as feasible and appropriate.
   6. ENGAGE at CCA Organizations
      1. An ENGAGE at CCA organization may Use student works pursuant to the agreement with CCA and the applicable students at the outset of the Community project. Changes to that agreement must be agreed to in writing by the students and CCA. ENGAGE at CCA organizations should credit students’ contributions as feasible and appropriate.
   7. Press
      1. The Press may make use of student works subject to the permission of the students as long as CCA is also referenced in the Credit) Students are strongly urged to request and require the press to include the correct Credit.
4. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
   1. Please note that the Architecture and Interior Design Programs are designed to encourage and incorporate faculty/student collaborations as part of the program, and therefore this Conflicts of Interest Section is superseded by the Architecture Division Exceptions in the Appendix to these Tenets.
   2. Because it is a conflict of interest, faculty may not:
      1. Employ a student that is currently enrolled in such faculty member’s Class, or to request that such a student enter into a collaboration with the faculty member while the student is currently enrolled in such faculty member’s Class, or to request that a student share ownership of the student’s work created in that faculty member’s Class, or to request that a student take an independent study under the auspices of that faculty member with the intent to produce any project or work that is co‐owned by such faculty;
      2. Request or require students to work on faculty member's personal or outside professional projects as part of Class work, unless specific authorization has been granted in advance by CCA;
      3. Request or require students currently enrolled in a faculty member's Class to work on that faculty member's personal or outside professional projects or those of that faculty member's business, corporation or agency;
      4. Request or accept a personal stipend from a third party in return for access to, input into, or participation in a Class or ongoing project at CCA without the prior written consent of the Provost;
      5. Work on outside professional projects as part of Classes they are currently teaching, unless pre‐approved by the Division Head.
      6. Employ a student or be employed by a student while that student is enrolled in the faculty member’s class or if that faculty member is an advisor or department chair of the student’s department, unless pre‐approved by the office of the Provost.
      7. Require a student to receive supplemental educational assistance from any business or program in which they have a financial stake. Faculty may recommend such assistance only if CCA does not already provide it, and should disclose their relationship to the student before making the recommendation.
      8. It is not a conflict of interest for faculty to assign to their classes books written or contributed to by the faculty member.
      9. Accept any money or gifts in return for using or endorsing specific products or services to CCA students, or for allowing any third party to come into a CCA class or event.
   3. Faculty members should disclose to their Program Chair when any third party company or individual is going to visit a class, whether to make a presentation, observe or provide feedback to faculty or students. CCA desires to monitor such visits for the protection of faculty and student IP and other rights. CCA understands that professional feedback is a useful educational tool. 
   4. Faculty members and students that want to collaborate on projects other than those for which the student is receiving a grade or credit, should disclose the collaboration to their Program Chair and execute a written collaboration agreement.
   5. Because it is a conflict of interest that may interfere with the educational mission of CCA, students may not:
      1. Grant a third party company or individual right in the works they intend to produce at CCA. Students must disclose to CCA any money or barter value they accept in connection with their work at CCA.
      2. Students must disclose any third party scholarships they receive for tuition that are not processed through CCA.
5. INFRINGEMENTS
   1. Students and faculty members may not knowingly infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. This is an essential term of enrollment and employment at CCA.
   2. Students and faculty must report suspected infringements of their work by a Sponsor or ENGAGE at CCA organization. The applicable Program Chair will investigate and mediate as appropriate and its sole discretion. Such actions by the Chair should not be construed as legal review or advice. Students and faculty may not seek external legal or other remedies without first complying with CCA procedures.
   3. Students and faculty who suspect that a third party (other than a CCA student, faculty member, Sponsor, ENGAGE at CCA or other affiliate or associate of CCA) has infringed that student’s original work created at or in connection with CCA should consult with his or her Program Chair on appropriate actions to take. Such consultation should not be construed as legal advice.
   4. Any member of the CCA community that suspects an infringement should notify the original author so that they can choose the appropriate next steps to take.
6. APPENDIX: ARCHITECTURE DIVISION EXCEPTIONS
   1. Project‐based Advanced Research and Design classes are those that integrate original faculty scholarly, artistic, or design work for the purposes of furthering research and project‐based learning. These classes may involve a larger participatory network of sponsors, institutions, organizations, professionals and/or government agencies.
   2. In connection with these classes, faculty shall retain shared ownership rights of the research and design products of these classes, when these are created, developed and chiefly directed by the faculty, and where the work involves the collaborative participation of students.
   3. Students may retain individual or team‐ownership of individual works created for such classes, and retain portfolio rights for those portions of a project to which they directly contributed, but do not have ownership rights in relation to the larger products of such classes. However, in some cases, where project‐based classes are designed to be inherently collaborative, the ownership of the works created in the class may not be subject to individual or student team ownership. Students will be notified in advance if the project‐based classes will be “opensource,” or not specifically owned by anyone in the class.
   4. Participating third party networks of individuals, organizations and agencies do not own research, artistic or design materials created by faculty or works created by students in or for a class with which they are collaborating.
      1. CCA acknowledges a faculty member’s ownership rights and unconditionally waives and releases any claim that it might have to ownership with respect to any copyrightable scholarly, artistic or design work owned by faculty that is integrated with courseware for the purposes of furthering project‐based learning. Faculty will retain shared ownership rights (with students) of the research and design products of this courseware when these are developed and chiefly directed by the faculty, and where the work involves the collaborative participation of students.

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Academic freedom is a special freedom, necessary to the mission of professors in a university. Professional responsibility is its logical correlative. As individuals, professors have the responsibility to conduct themselves in ways that will promote the achievement of the purposes for which academic freedom exists. And as members of a profession possessed of certain rights of self-government, university professors as a group have an obligation to keep their house in order and to take such steps as may be necessary to the fulfillment of their professional mission.

The responsibilities of a faculty member fall into the following four main areas:

1. their subjects
2. their students
3. the institution of which they are a part
4. their profession and the community at large

The professor’s primary responsibility is to their subject—to seek and to state the truth in that subject as they see it. In carrying out this responsibility, it is the professor’s duty to guard their freedom to inquire, not only against overt assault, but against any personal commitments on their part that are incompatible with that freedom. The preservation of the integrity and vitality of their subjects also requires professors to comment on the work of their colleagues and to advise their own or other universities about the appointment, retention, or promotion of individual scholars. It is self-evident that the scholar and teacher will best fulfill this responsibility by attempting, as far as it is humanly possible, to base their professional judgments of their colleagues exclusively upon their work and upon their contributions, actual or potential, to teaching and inquiry.

The professor’s central responsibility to the students is to teach them their subject and to do so in accordance with the best standards of scholarship in their discipline. A primary duty of the professor with regard to their students, accordingly, is to keep abreast of developments in their field. A further obligation is to see that the process of teaching and learning is conducted in an atmosphere of free and unhampered inquiry. The professor has a responsibility to their students to entertain all relevant questions and to guard the classroom against external pressures, including the student’s fear that what they do or say in the honest pursuit of intellectual inquiries will affect their rating within a course, future chances of employment, or later standing in the community. 

The relationship between teacher and student also has dimensions that reach beyond the classroom. It is clearly incompatible with elementary standards of professional or personal behavior for the professor to use their relationship to their students to exploit them for their own private purposes. Beyond this, the professor is obviously one agent among others in the personal development of their students. They influence them not only through their subject but through their own personal deportment and intellectual style, and it is their responsibility to keep this consideration in mind. It cannot be a requirement of membership in the scholarly community, however, that the scholar give up legal rights or personal liberties normally enjoyed by other citizens. Any attempt to impose a uniform code of personal behavior on all members of the university faculties endangers the foundations of free scholarship.

It may be assumed that colleges and universities exist for the same purposes that professors exist—namely, the advancement of learning. Accordingly, the primary responsibility of a professor to the institution that employs them is that they fulfill their responsibilities to their own field of knowledge and to their students. Administrative work, curriculum studies, committee service, and the like are, however, reasonable parts of a professor’s duties. It is a responsibility of the institution to see that these burdens do not fall so heavily on particular individuals that they find it difficult to meet their immediate obligations to their subjects or their students. It is equally a responsibility of the individual professor to see that they do not sacrifice any one major area of responsibility in an excessive concern with the others. In activities in which the professor engages outside the college or university, it is plainly their responsibility to make it plain, when circumstances require, that they are acting as an individual and not as a representative of their institution or of the scholarly profession. It is also their responsibility to measure the amount and character of such work as they may do outside the university in terms of their primary responsibility to their parent institution.

The professor’s obligations to the community, like the professor’s rights within the community, cannot be less than those of any responsible citizen. Their responsibility both to their profession and to the outside community is plainly the fulfillment of their responsibilities to their subject, to their students, and to their parent institution. As a citizen and as a member of a profession that depends upon freedom for its health and integrity, furthermore, the individual scholar also has an obligation to maintain and advance the conditions of free inquiry. This obligation reaches beyond the classroom or laboratory.

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Professors, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. Their primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. To this end, professors devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly competence. They accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty. Although professors may follow subsidiary interests, these interests must never seriously hamper or compromise their freedom of inquiry.

As teachers, professors encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. They hold before them the best scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Professors demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors. Professors make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to ensure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’s true merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student. They avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students. They acknowledge significant academic or scholarly assistance from them. They protect their academic freedom.

As colleagues, professors have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. Professors do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and defend the free inquiry of associates, even when it leads to findings and conclusions that differ from their own. Professors acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues. Professors accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their institution.

As members of an academic institution, professors seek above all to be effective teachers and scholars. Although professors observe the stated regulations of the institution, provided the regulations do not contravene academic freedom, they maintain their right to criticize and seek revision. Professors give due regard to their paramount responsibilities within their institution in determining the amount and character of work done outside it. When considering the interruption or termination of their service, professors recognize the effect of their decision upon the program of the institution and give due notice of their intentions.

As members of their community, professors have the rights and obligations of other citizens. Professors measure the urgency of these obligations in the light of their responsibilities to their subject, to their students, to their profession, and to their institution. When they speak or act as private persons, they avoid creating the impression of speaking or acting for their college or university. As citizens engaged in a profession that depends upon freedom for its health and integrity, professors have a particular obligation to promote conditions of free inquiry and to further public understanding of academic freedom.

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Who This Policy Applies To

Regular staff and benefits eligible faculty

Policy Statement

Regular staff and benefits eligible faculty (hereby referred to as employees) and their spouse, domestic partner, and dependent children are eligible to take regular CCA academic courses free of charge, and CCA Youth Programs & Continuing Education either free of charge or at a reduced rate.

This policy neither extends to courses taken on a by-arrangement or on a special-tutoring basis, or both, nor does it extend to any graduate programs or courses.

Staff members may not take courses that conflict with their work schedules unless specific arrangements are approved in advance by their supervisors and by Human Resources.

Eligible employees are entitled to tuition-free undergraduate studies on a space-available basis after priority registration, with the permission of the course instructor, at the convenience of the college, and at the discretion of the appropriate administrator.

With the exception of employees who are affected by a reduction in CCA workforce, end of employment occurring while an employee is enrolled in a course for which the employee is receiving tuition remission will result in the forfeiture of all tuition remission benefits from the start of that semester, and the tuition is fully due and payable.

Any balance due to Student Accounts will be determined by proration. A hold will be placed on the student record until all remaining balances are paid in full.

REGULAR SEMESTER COURSES (fall, spring, and summer)

Eligible employees may take undergraduate courses on a tuition-free basis as follows:

• Regular full-time employees may take twelve (12) units per academic year on a tuition-free basis. This is limited to six (6) units per semester.
• Regular part-time employees may take six (6) units per academic year on a tuition-free basis. This is limited to three (3) units per semester.
• An eligible employee's spouse, domestic partner, or dependent children may take tuition-free courses on the same basis as the employee. This benefit is limited to twelve (12) units per family (including the employee) for full-time employees and six (6) units per family (including the staff or faculty member) for part-time employees.

Employees and their family members may only enroll in courses for which they have completed the prerequisites and/or have appropriate experience (documentation of relevant professional and educational experience may be required). For any academic year, the combination of tuition remission and CCA scholarship/grant cannot exceed the student's total cumulative tuition for that academic year.

SPECIAL DEPENDENT BENEFIT

Spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children of full-time, regular employees may be admitted as regular, full-time undergraduate students, one hundred percent (100%) tuition free, provided that the employee has been a full-time regular staff or faculty member for a minimum of five (5) continuous years and the student meets regular CCA admissions standards. This benefit is limited to one (1) dependent per family (including the employee) at any one (1) time. For any academic year, the combination of tuition remission and CCA scholarship and grant monies cannot exceed the student’s total cumulative tuition.

CCA EXTENSION

cca.edu/extension

Non-credit classes for adults, usually scheduled in the evenings and on weekends.

Regular full-time employees may take up to seven (7) CCA Extension courses per year, not to exceed two (2) in the fall, two (2) in the spring, and three (3) in the summer.

Regular part-time employees may take up to three (3) CCA Extension courses per year, limited to one (1) in the fall, one (1) in the spring, and one (1) in the summer.

There are two (2) registration options:

1) At the start of registration, eligible employees may guarantee their seat in a CCA Extension course by paying for the course with a twenty percent (20%) discount. The Employer shall notify the Union of any change to the discount, and bargain with the Union over the impact to terms and conditions of employment, prior to implementation. If you are an educator at an institution outside of CCA, you may be eligible for an additional discount.

2) Alternatively, employees may wait until the weekday before the start of the CCA Extension course to register with a one hundred percent (100%) tuition remission, but only if there are empty seats available (as determined by the Office of Youth Programs and Continuing Education).

On occasion, a seat may not be available until just before the second class meeting, in which case the employee will not know until then that they are authorized to join the course. If there are multiple one hundred percent (100%) tuition-remission applicants for the same course, enrollment will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

An eligible employee’s spouse, domestic partner, or dependent children may take tuition-free CCA Extension courses on the same basis as the employee. This benefit is limited to seven (7) courses per family (including the employee) for full-time employees and three (3) courses per family (including the employee) for part-time employee.

“Tuition remission” applies only to tuition costs and registration fees; participants are responsible for material and lab fees when applicable. They are also responsible for any extra expenses and special charges.

SUMMER STUDY-ABROAD

Summer study-abroad programs are not eligible for tuition remission.

PRE-COLLEGE

cca.edu/precollege

Regular employees may register their child for CCA’s Pre-College program (open to high school students who have just completed the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade). There are two (2) registration options:

1) Register with a thirty percent (30%) discount (program fee) early in the registration process to be guaranteed that your student is in a specific studio.

2) Wait until one (1) week before the Pre-College program begins, choose from the studios in which there is still space available, pay three hundred and fifty dollars ($350). (Covers CCA for the cost of art supplies provided, etc.)

In both cases, students must go through the regular application process.

If there are multiple tuition remission applicants, admission will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference given to first-time enrollees.

SUMMER ATELIER

cca.edu/atelier

Regular employees may register their child for CCA's Summer Atelier program (open to students who have just completed the 8th, 9th or 10th grade before the summer). There are two (2) registration options:

1) Register with a discount of one hundred and twenty five dollars ($125) for any Summer Atelier class, regardless of program length.

2) Wait until one (1) week before a particular Summer Atelier class begins, enroll if there is space available, pay three hundred and fifty ($350).

In both cases, students must go through the regular application process.

If there are multiple tuition-remission applicants, admission will be determined on a first- come, first-served basis, with preference given to first-time enrollees.

YOUNG ARTIST STUDIO PROGRAM (YASP)

cca.edu/yasp

Regular employees may register one child per summer in CCA's Young Artist Studio Program (YASP), with a discount of one hundred dollars ($100) for the one (1) week YASP.

YASP is open to students who have just completed the 5th, 6th, or 7th grade before the summer.

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