All Academic Staff (instructional and professional/administrative) at UW Oshkosh are on a fixed-term appointment. As a condition of appointment, an Academic Staff member will have one of three types of employment contracts, terminal, renewable (continuing), or rolling horizon.
Fixed-term appointment: a specific position for which an individual,
hired by the university as an Academic Staff member, is employed for a specific
length of time.
Contract: an agreement of certain conditions of employment
between the University of WI Oshkosh and Academic Staff member.
| Type of Contract | Duration | Eligibility | Clearly Stated Ending Date | Notice of Renewal or Nonrenewal | Evaluation Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal | 1-3 yrs | immediately | Yes | No | Yes |
| Renewable (continuing) | 1 yr | immediately | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2-3 yrs | 3-5 years of service | ||||
Rolling-horizon |
2-3 yrs | 3-5 years of service | Yes | No; automatically extended unless administrative action is taken. | Yes |
A terminal contract is for a fixed and limited period of time, not to exceed three calendar years. Usually, these are called “one year only” or “one semester only.” Those with a terminal contract are employed with a fixed and clearly stated starting and ending date. There is no expectation of continued appointment after the ending date stated in the contract. Therefore, there is no notice of contract nonrenewal and no formal notice of the contract ending date (other than in the original contract). The following language from section UWS 10.5(1)(b) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code is included in the letter of appointment: “When the letter of offer for a fixed-term appointment states that renewal is not intended, no further notice of nonrenewal is required.”
The vast majority of instructional academic staff at UW Oshkosh have terminal contracts.
A renewable contract, also known as a continuing contract, is for a stated period of time and subject to the university's contract renewal and nonrenewal policies and procedures. Most of these contracts are for one year, but may be for two or three years. To be eligible for a two or three year renewable contract, you must be in your fifth year at UW Oshkosh. However, those with two or more years of prior experience at another university become eligible in their third year of service at UW Oshkosh.
A continuing contract may lead to a rolling-horizon contract but but does not have to.
A rolling-horizon contract provides for the automatic extension of the contract’s ending date without going through the contract renewal process. A rolling horizon contract can be for either two years or three years. To be eligible a rolling horizon contract, you must be in your fifth year at UW Oshkosh. Those with two or more years of prior experience at another university become eligible in their third year at UW Oshkosh. No notice of renewal or non-renewal is sent unless administrative action is taken.
Each year, the contract ending date is automatically extended for a year. For example: John Oshkosh started working at the university July 1, 1995. He receives a two-year rolling horizon contract for July 1, 2001 - July 1, 2003. In 2001, his contract is automatically extended to July 1, 2004. In 2002, it extends to July 1, 2005. In [fall 2002 or spring 2003], he is sent a notice that he will be evalutated under the regular renewal procedures for 2005-2006. This results in a notice of non-renewal. However, since his contract has been automatically extended, he remains under contract until July 1, 2005. (Had the decision been to renew, he could have received either a renewable or a rolling horizon contract.)
In general, instructional academic staff at UW Oshkosh do not receive rolling-horizon contracts.