Bait & Switch (honest mistake)

[Corr786]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts.

My wife accepted an offer at a top university as a fully tenured professor. She negotiated the terms of her responsibilities and compensation via email directly with the chair of the department. One of the terms that was spelled out explicitly by the chair in the final negotiation email was a 2-1 teaching load. This is the detail that sealed the deal for my wife to leave another full Professor job across the country and take this job. She signed an annual employment contract with the university that made no reference to teaching load. We moved across country and she started the job in September, and in planning the course offerings for next year, it became clear that the department expects her to teach a 2-2 load next year. When my wife inquired to the chair privately, including the negotiation email trail, the chair admitted she made an "honest mistake," that she had been confused and that the teaching load is actually 2-2 for fully tenured professors. The chair simply offered an apology "for the confusion." What should we do?

 

[justalayman]

Just to be certain; this position has immediate tenured status with no probationary period?

Realize that there is no means to force the school to accept the 2-1 teaching load since it is not even addressed in her contract (and since it is an annual contract there doesn't appear to be, from what you have presented so far, a hindrance from making the 2-2 teaching load a part of next year's contract) but at best your wife may be able to void the contract. Is she willing to void the contract over this and be without employment or would she rather accept the 2-2 teaching load and remain in her position?

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts.

My wife accepted an offer at a top university as a fully tenured professor. She negotiated the terms of her responsibilities and compensation via email directly with the chair of the department. One of the terms that was spelled out explicitly by the chair in the final negotiation email was a 2-1 teaching load. This is the detail that sealed the deal for my wife to leave another full Professor job across the country and take this job. She signed an annual employment contract with the university that made no reference to teaching load. We moved across country and she started the job in September, and in planning the course offerings for next year, it became clear that the department expects her to teach a 2-2 load next year. When my wife inquired to the chair privately, including the negotiation email trail, the chair admitted she made an "honest mistake," that she had been confused and that the teaching load is actually 2-2 for fully tenured professors. The chair simply offered an apology "for the confusion." What should we do?

pardon me if I am not entirely familiar, but isn't a 2-2 course load pretty light?

 

[justalayman]

pardon me if I am not entirely familiar, but isn't a 2-2 course load pretty light?

It might be or it may not be but without the full terms of the contract it is not possible to make that determination.

Here Southern Methodist University does list even a 1-1 load as acceptable in some cases.
http://www.smu.edu/~/media/Site/Dedman/DedmanCollege/F%20and%20S%20Documents/Minutes/Committee%20and%20Task%20Force%20Reports/task%20force%20teaching%20load%202011-2012.ashx?la=en


But in the end whether it is a light load or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that it was stated in the inducement to enter the contract and the op's wife depended on that material fact in deciding whether to accept the contract.

 

[quincy]

pardon me if I am not entirely familiar, but isn't a 2-2 course load pretty light?

A 2-2 load is actually the most common load for faculty members at research universities (50% teaching, 50% time research and service). If a faculty member has a grant to work on a project, there might be even be less of a course load.

When there is no expectation of research, then the course loads tend to be greater.