Geography, Planning and Recreation

Teaching Load, Release Time, Teaching Buy-Out Policies

1. Normal Teaching Load within the department is 9 credit hours a semester.
   
   
   1. This load may be averaged over a three year period -- allowing some semesters with more teaching and others with less teaching.
   2. During a Sabbatical, the faculty members receives 9 credit hours per semester toward their average teaching load.
      
      
2. Administrative Release Time: Faculty can request release time for the following Administrative Duties:
   
   
   1. Geography Programs Coordinator: 3 credit hours of reassigned time per year.
   • responsible for the MA in Rural Geography degree and the Geography undergrad majors (BS, BS Extended, BS Ed)
   • click here for full description of duties
     
     
   2. GIS Programs Coordinator: 3 credit hours of reassigned time per year.
   • responsible for the MS in Applied GIS degree, the GIS Graduate Certificate program, and the BS in GIS major
   • click here for full description of duties
     
     
   3. Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator: 3 credit hours of reassigned time per year.
      • responsible for the BA in PRM (on campus and distance learning), the BAILS in PRM, and the undergraduate certificate in PRM (distance learning)
      • click here for full description of duties
        
        
   4. Public Planning Program Coordinator: 3 credit hours of reassigned time per year.
   • responsible for the Extended BS in PRM (on campus and distance learning), the Community Planning emphasis in the MA in Rural Geography program, and the proposed Public Planning emphasis in the Master of Administration program (distance learning)
   • click here for full description of duties
     
     
   5. Park Ranger Training Program Director: 15 credit hours of reassigned time per year
      • responsible for the Park Ranger Training Program
      • click here for full description of duties

• When calculating a faculty member's average teaching load, release time will be distributed over the time period that coordinator duties are required.   For the Coordinator positions above, this includes Fall, Spring and Summer (1 credit hour each).
• If funds are available, Coordinators can receive a stipend in place of release time.
• Coordinators can not use their release time to reduce their average normal teaching load (not overload) to below 15 credit hours per year (as stipulated by the Dean of SBS). Credit will be received for Coordinator overload work in the annual evaluation if neither release time nor a stipend is taken.

Buying Out of Teaching: A faculty member who wishes to buy out of teaching a class must:

1. Identify an acceptable and willing replacement instructor for the class.
2. If funded through a State Account: Pay for 110% of the replacement instructor's salary, as determined by the university's assessment of the replacement instructor's qualifications. The 110% covers salary and any additional expenses incurred by the department.
3. If funded through a Local Account: Pay for 150% of the replacement instructor's salary, as determined by the university's assessment of the replacement instructor's qualifications. The 150% covers salary, ERE, and any additional expenses incurred by the department.
4. The faculty member buying out of teaching is responsible if the replacement instructor is not able to complete the class.
5. When calculating a faculty member's average teaching load, credit hours bought out of teaching will count toward the faculty member's teaching load for the semester, so long as the course is not canceled.
   • The credit hours do not count if the replacement faculty member is funded by the University and not by the faculty member.
6. If the faculty member does not identify an acceptable and willing replacement, then the cost of the buyout shall be the smaller amount of either 10% of the faculty member's salary (for a 3 credit hour class) or 200% of the replacement instructor's salary.
   

NAU Policy of Salary Payments above Contract Amount

During the school year faculty can earn additional income teaching overloads and consulting/contract work (run through NAU), up to a maximum amount based on their salary.  That mount is approximately 20% of the academic year salary during the Academic Year, and 36.8% in the Summer months.

The actual formula for calculating this ammount is:

• For the academic year: First take the yearly salary, then divided by 19, then divided by 80, to get the hourly rate. Faculty can earn no more than 8 hours a week of pay based on your hourly rate. The maximum additional pay allowed would be the number of 8 hrs/week times the number of weeks during the regular academic year.
  
• During the summer the pay is the Academic Year salary divided by 190 (which brings to daily rate) x 70 days would be the maximum pay for the summer.