According to the faculty handbook, professors can only be laid off if the college declares that there is a “financial emergency” and contract lecturers must receive six months notice before being let go.
Under the terms of the non-binding contract, a financial emergency must be announced college-wide by the board of trustees and may only be declared to “reorder the college’s financial obligations” to preserve the institution’s economic stability.
Professors on contracts must be given six months notice if their contracts will not be renewed. Since the contracts for professors at Mills start in July, professors who would be laid off by fall semester of next year must be notified by early January.
The plan on how to deal with the budget cut must be turned into the President’s office by Dec. 15, so administration officials would have about 16 days after school is let out to make their decisions.
The handbook goes on to state that lay offs must be done in a manner that treats all staff equally and that if cuts to faculty are made, equal cuts must be made in non-faculty areas.
No one may be hired to fill a laid off professor’s position for at least three years, and faculty have the right to appeal a termination decision to the provost and dean of faculty.
