New Jersey law on tenure and
multi-year contractsRelevant parts of New Jersey Statutes affecting tenure and multi-year contracts are:
TENURE
18A: 60-7. Definitions.
As used in this act, the following words and phrases shall have the following meaning:
“Academic rank” means instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and professor.
“Faculty member” means any full-time member of the teaching staff appointed with academic rank. Other full-time professional persons shall be considered faculty members if they concurrently hold academic rank.
18A: 60-8 tenure in academic rank: conditions
Faculty members shall be under tenure in their academic rank, but not in any administrative position, during good behavior, efficiency and satisfactory professional performance, as evidenced by formal evaluation and shall not be dismissed or reduced in compensation except for inefficiency, unsatisfactory professional performance, incapacity or other just cause and then only in the manner prescribed in subarticle B of article 2 of Chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, after employment in such college or by such board of trustees for
a. 5 consecutive calendar years; or
b. 5 consecutive academic years, together with employment at the beginning of the next academic year; or
c. the equivalent of more than 5 academic years within a period of any 6 consecutive academic years.
18A: 60-9 Tenure by exceptional action after 2 years service
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3 [8] of this act a board of trustees may, as an exceptional action and upon the recorded two-thirds majority roll call vote of all its members and upon the recommendation of the president, grant tenure to an individual faculty member after employment in such college or by such board of trustees for 2 consecutive academic years. The provisions of this section shall not be negotiable as a term and condition of employment under the “New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act, P.L. 1968, c. 303
MULTI-YEAR CONTRACTS FOR PROFESSIONAL STAFF
18A: 60-14 Professional staff without faculty rank; contracts
Members of the professional staff not holding faculty rank may be appointed by a board of trustees for 1-year terms; provided, however, that after employment in a college for 5 consecutive academic years or for the equivalent of 5 academic years within a period of any 6 consecutive academic years, such employees may be offered contracts of no more than 5 years in length. During the period of such contracts, such employees shall be subject to dismissal only in the manner prescribed by subarticle B of article 2 of chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and must be notified by the president not later than l year prior to the expiration of such contracts of the renewal or nonrenewal of the contract.
