Range Elevation Policy for Temporary Faculty

1.00 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish a means by which temporary faculty (full or part-time) may be granted range elevation consistent with the CSU-CFA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).  Temporary faculty can include instructional faculty, non-instructional faculty, librarians, and counselors.

This policy is intended to reflect the University's commitment to the principles, goals, and ideals described in the CSUMB Founding Vision Statement and to its core values.

2.00 Definition

Range elevation is the process by which a temporary faculty moves from one classification (salary range) to another. An applicant who merits a range elevation moves from their current salary range to the next higher range (for example, from A to B), receives a salary increase consistent with the CBA, and becomes eligible for Service Salary Increases (SSI) and any other salary increases in the new range.  Range elevation applies only to the Department in which range elevation is granted.

3.00 Eligibility for Range Elevation

Temporary faculty who are eligible for range elevation shall be limited to those who have served at least five academic years, not necessarily consecutive, in their current range and are not eligible for additional Service Salary Increases in their current range.

Eligibility for range elevation is set forth in Article 12 of the Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement.  If the CSU and CFA enter into any additional memorandums of understanding regarding range elevation not contained in the CBA, such memorandums shall be posted with the Range Elevation for Temporary Faculty materials maintained on the Academic Personnel webpage.

3.10 Notification of Eligibility

No later than December 1 each year, Human Resources shall notify those temporary faculty members who meet eligibility requirements as outlined in section 3.00 of this policy, and shall provide Departments and Deans with a list of eligible faculty.  In the notification to temporary faculty members, Human Resources shall inform each temporary faculty member that receipt of a previous Faculty Merit Increase will not affect their eligibility for range elevation, and that, if granted, range elevation will be accompanied by a salary increase in accordance with the CBA.  Human Resources will also ensure that eligible faculty are notified of the deadline to submit application materials.

4.00 Criteria

5.00 Application Requirements

Application materials shall be submitted to the Human Resources Office no later than the date specified on the Academic Personnel Calendar. Application materials should show that the applicant has performed their duties for which they are appointed in a satisfactory manner. Satisfactory performance can be shown through consistent satisfactory periodic evaluations and departmental reappointment. Additional commendations and/or peer evaluations may also be used to determine satisfactory performance.  Application materials shall consist of the following:

5.10 Materials Supplied by Applicant to Human Resources

A temporary faculty member who wishes to be considered for range elevation shall provide the following materials:

1. Completed Temporary Faculty Range Elevation application form;
2. Up-to-date curriculum vita;
3. The two most recent personnel evaluations;
4. Documentation shall include:

​Faculty with Teaching Assignments:
Documentation supporting quality of teaching, including the following:

• Narrative describing development as a teacher over the past 5 years, including supporting evidence that illustrate satisfactory teaching (2-4 pages) -OR- past 5 years of self-evaluations;
• Evidence of additional accreditation, professional experience, and/or professional development.

Faculty with Non-instructional Teaching Assignments:

• Assignment of responsibilities/Job description;
• Narrative describing development as a professional over the last 5 years, including supporting evidence that illustrates satisfactory performance in professional duties (2-4 pages) -OR- past 5 years of self-evaluations;
• Evidence of additional accreditation, professional experience, and/or professional development.

5.20 Materials Supplied by Human Resources to Evaluators

Human Resources shall provide evaluators with access to the application materials and to the applicant's Personnel Action File (PAF) in order to review any cumulative and/or annual evaluations, peer evaluations, or self-evaluations conducted during the period under consideration.  Evaluators shall sign the PAF access log.

6.00 Review Process

Applicants shall be reviewed by the Department Range Elevation Committee (dependent on department specific bylaws or processes) and the College Dean.  All unit 3 faculty are eligible to serve on a range elevation committee as long as they are in a range at least equal to the range being sought by the applicant.

6.10 Departmental Recommendations

The Department Range Elevation Committee shall prepare a written recommendation regarding range elevation for each eligible applicant. In cases where range elevation is denied, the committee’s recommendation must include a rationale for denial.

The committee shall forward this recommendation to Human Resources by the date specified on the Academic Personnel Calendar.

Human Resources shall provide a copy of the recommendation to the applicant. The applicant has
the opportunity to provide a written response to Human Resources within ten (10) days of receiving
the report in cases of denial. The response shall not introduce new evidence or documentation that
was missing from the initial application materials except as in accordance with the CBA. Human Resources shall add the committee recommendation and any applicant response to the application
file before it is submitted to the Dean.

6.20 The Dean's Decision

The Dean shall make the final decision regarding range elevation for each eligible applicant by the date noted in the Academic Personnel Calendar.

The written decision of the Dean shall be forwarded to Human Resources by the date noted in the Academic Personnel Calendar. Human Resources will send copies of the Dean’s decision to the applicant and the Department Committee. The applicant has the opportunity to provide a written response to Human Resources within ten (10) days of receiving the Dean’s decision. The response shall not introduce new evidence or documentation missing from the initial application materials,
except as in accordance with the CBA.

Human Resources will place materials in the applicant’s PAF.

7.00 Salary Increase and Effective Date

The range elevation salary increases shall be effective at the beginning of the first appointment in the academic year following the review.

A successful range elevation award shall be accompanied by a salary increase in accordance with the CBA.

8.00 No Impact on Temporary Status of Appointment

Range elevation does not imply any guarantee of future employment nor does it affect the conditional nature of the temporary appointment.

9.00 Denial

In the event an application for range elevation is denied, appeal of the decision shall be subject to the peer review process consistent with the CBA. The appeals hearing committee shall consist of three tenured or tenure-track faculty elected annually by the Academic Assembly, no two of whom may be from the same College, and will adhere to the process described in the CBA. The applicant must rely on the application materials and responses submitted and shall not introduce new evidence at the time of the appeal hearing except as in accordance with the CBA.

10.00 Continuous Renewal

This policy shall be reviewed ten years from its effective date to determine its utility and effectiveness. The policy may be revised before that time if necessary.

s/President Vanya Quiñones

Effective Date: 05/21/2026

Certification of Process

Reviewed by: Academic Senate Executive Committee, Academic Personnel, and Academic Leadership Team.