NCFR has added its endorsement to a statement calling on institutions of higher education to pause their normal procedures for faculty review and appointment in light of academic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The letter to higher education administrators was penned by the American Sociological Association (ASA) and has been endorsed by numerous other U.S. scientific organizations. It recognizes the excessive burden placed on faculty who are restructuring their in-person classes to an online format, reassuring students during this stressful period, and may have increased caretaking responsibilities in their families.

The ASA statement encourages all institutions of higher education to consider appropriate temporary adjustments to their review and reappointment processes for tenure line and contingent faculty during this pandemic. Specifically, the letter recommends limiting the use of student evaluations for instructors, adjusting expectations for scholarship, and clearly articulating to faculty how criteria and expectations for review and reappointment will be modified to reflect these unprecedented circumstances.

Read the full statement on the ASA website.