This page contains answers to the most commonly asked questions from university administrators, news and information, and tools and templates to help keep you efficient and compliant with the current Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) agreement. There is also detailed information about the LEO Professional Development Fund.
The Office of Academic Human Resources negotiates and administers the University’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO). We provide guidance to and advise academic units regarding application and interpretation of the Agreement.
This page is designed for general information and does not constitute advice or guidance. Please refer to the consult the U-M|LEO Lecturers Collective Bargaining Agreement and consult your HR representative with specific questions.
To ensure most efficient responses to questions about the topics below, please contact the following offices:
Below are a set of helpful tools and resources for academic unit partners regarding the LEO Lecturers contract, including template letters, model job postings, and other documents that support daily operations, performance management, and contract compliance.
Contact Academic HR, Dearborn HR, or Flint HR with the pertinent contract language and relevant facts.
What faculty titles are covered by the UM|LEO Lecturers Collective Bargaining Agreement?
All non-tenure-track instructional staff are covered by the agreement.
This does not include, however:
If a Lecturer has supervisory duties over other Lecturers, should they be excluded from the bargaining unit?
Determinations as to whether or not specific non-tenure-track instructional positions are subject to, or would legitimately be excluded from, the terms of the UM/LEO Agreement can be complex and nuanced. Contact Academic Human Resources, or the Offices of Human Resources in Dearborn and Flint, with specific questions about whether an individual should be excluded from the bargaining unit.
Please contact Academic Human Resources, or the Offices of Human Resources in Dearborn and Flint, with specific questions about whether an individual should be included or excluded from the bargaining unit.
What are the Lecturer classifications?
The classifications for Lecturer appointments are specifically described in Article XI Appointments, Reviews, and Renewal. The classifications are:
What Workload Standards for Lecturers?
Schools/Colleges are required to publish workload standards for full-time equivalent employment and course credit equivalencies for all Lecturers. Please see Article XXVIII Workload of the U-M|LEO Lecturers’ Agreement for more information.
What are the Posting, Hiring and Notification requirements for Lecturer positions?
Article XXVII Posting, Hiring and Notification addresses posting, hiring and notification for LEO Lecturers.
All Lecturer positions must be posted on the U-M Careers website via the eRecruit system. The contract provides for circumstances when the posting requirement may be waived, subject to advance approval. Please email [email protected] for Ann Arbor posting waiver requests or the Offices of Human Resources in Dearborn or Flint.
Additionally, Article XXVII addresses the elements that must be included in all Lecturer appointment letters. Units are strongly encouraged to use the appointment letter templates in the LEO Unit Resources Dropbox to ensure contractual compliance.
Please review Article XXVII in the UM/LEO Agreement for more information.
LEO representatives want to meet with new Lecturers in our department, school, or college. Is this permitted?
Article V Union Rights allows a one-hour time period for LEO to make a presentation at any orientation session that a department, school, or college may provide for new Lecturers at the beginning of each academic year. If LEO’s representatives are interested in presenting, they must contact the academic unit’s designated contact person to arrange for the presentation. If you have questions about a request by LEO to meet with new Lecturers, please contact Academic Human Resources or the Offices of Human Resources in Dearborn or Flint.
What are Special Case Appointments?
Article XIV Provisions for Special Case Appointments defines categories of Lecturer appointments that fall within the purview of the contract, but have distinct characteristics associated with them. The “Special Cases” are: Endowed Positions, Dual-Career Appointments, Program to Hire Recent University Graduates, Exchange Programs, Noted Professionals, and Post-Retirement Lecturer.
These appointments must be approved in advance by Academic Human Resources. Please see Article XIV in the U-M|LEO Lecturers’ Agreement for more information.
When may a working title be used for Lecturer appointments?
Working titles for LEO Lecturers may be used only in limited circumstances. The limited use of a working title does not distinguish, enhance, or otherwise alter the appointment title.
Please review Articles XI.B.8., XIV., and Memorandum of Understating #4 in the U-M|LEO Agreement for more information.
What constitutes a layoff?
Layoffs are specifically described in Article XII Layoff, Reduction in Appointment Effort, and Recall.
An involuntary separation, due to lack of work, programmatic change or budgetary considerations, that occurs during the term of an appointment or between appointments is a full layoff.
An involuntary reduction in effort, due to lack of work, programmatic change or budgetary considerations, that occurs during the term of an appointment, between appointments or during a multi-year appointment is a partial layoff.
Layoffs may not be used for:
What are Layoff/Recall Lists?
HRRIS provides an updated seniority list to each school or college on August 15, November 15, and March 15 of each academic year. However, it is the responsibility of the unit to maintain the layoff/recall list. The HRRIS seniority list should be used, if needed pursuant to the language in Article XII, in conjunction with the unit’s own data to provide the most accurate information.
What are Recall Rights and Interviews?
Employees on full layoff with recall rights who apply for an open position within the bargaining unit and meet the required qualifications will be guaranteed an interview. This guarantee will last for the duration of the employee’s full layoff as defined in Article XII.
Employees on partial layoff must contact the HR representative from the area in which they received their layoff in order to guarantee an interview if the Employee meets the required qualifications.
Please review Article XII.E.1-7 for more additional information regarding layoff and recall. You may also consult the LEO Unit Resources Dropbox for the “Calendar of Important Dates” and the “Layoff and Recall Rights for LEO Lecturers” chart.
What are the requirements for Lecturers’ performance evaluations?
There are four (4) types of performance evaluations:
Performance revaluations MUST conform to Article XIX Performance Evaluation in the U-M|LEO Agreement. There are 19 general provisions in Section A.
Please review Article XIX in the UM/LEO Agreement for more information.
Are Intermittent and Adjunct Lecturers entitled to performance reviews and the accompanying salary increase?
Intermittent and Adjunct Lecturers may request a review after five and nine years of service in rank, respectively. Please see Article XI.B.5-6. in the U-M|LEO Agreement for more information.
This information is for the LEO Inclusive Teaching Professional Development Fund on the Ann Arbor Campus only.
The 2024-2028 collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) provides for a designated fund called the Inclusive Teaching Professional Development Fund (the “Fund”) for LEO Lecturers on the Ann Arbor campus. This program will offer awards of up to $1,500 to eligible Lecturers each academic year, beginning Winter 2025*. The purpose of the Fund is to provide professional development funds for lecturers seeking to develop and enhance skills to better engage in inclusive teaching practices at the University of Michigan. It is funded by the Provost’s Office and applications are due May 15 of each year.
Sally Clegg, Stamps School of Art & Design
In the summer of 2023, I was awarded funding to attend a workshop for women and non-binary individuals at the SamBeauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian Michigan. As a LEO lecturer in the Stamps School of Art & Design, I have the privilege of guiding diverse groups of students through their first experiences in our woodshop. Unfortunately, bias and access challenges have resulted in unequal representation in many shop spaces, something that I experienced in my own education, and something I want to contribute to correcting. This professional development opportunity allowed me to deepen my own skill set for the benefit of all my future students.
Diane Aretz, Marsal Family School of Education
As a two-time LEO Inclusive Teaching Grant recipient, I am extremely grateful for the ways in which this grant impacted my teaching, and my students’ experiences in my classroom. With these funds, I was able to receive training in restorative justice practices in the classroom, and to develop a workshop on restorative classroom practices to my first-year interns, who are learning about (and learning to problematize) the notion of classroom management.
The beauty of what this award facilitated is that it helped me in my own work with students (I use restorative practices in my work as a teacher educator) and it gave my interns tools for building relationships and creating just and equitable classrooms in their work with students all over the world. Many of my students shared that the workshop of restorative justice was one of the most impactful experiences at UM, and it wouldn’t have been possible for me to provide this opportunity without the LEO Inclusive Teaching Grant.
This information is for the LEO Professional Development Fund on the Ann Arbor Campus only. View information for the Dearborn and Flint campuses:
The Professional Development Fund for LEO Lecturers began in September 2008. It is funded by the Provost’s office and calls for applications to be submitted four times per academic year, provided that all available funding has not yet been disbursed. Additional committee meetings will be scheduled if necessary. This program is separate and distinct from the CRLT program. Download a Word document of the application.
The 2024-2028 collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) provides a Professional Development Fund (the “Fund”) for LEO Lecturers on the Ann Arbor campus. Awards of up to $2,500 are available to eligible Lecturers each academic year. Eligible Lecturers may apply more than once per year if they initially apply for less than $2,500, and until they reach the $2,500 ceiling.
The purpose of the Fund is to promote teaching excellence and creativity through the support of Lecturer professional development. The Fund provides funding in support of activities that enhance Lecturers’ teaching at the University of Michigan. The Fund is not intended to provide a salary supplement to the Lecturer.
Please ensure your proposal adequately addresses these criteria and is tied directly to the courses you teach.
Please note that the committee will consider funding material transportation costs and exhibition-related expenses if the proposal adequately demonstrates how these items conform to the selection criteria described above.
*Due to the increased frequency of funding, funds may be exhausted prior to the deadline dates listed above.
Each academic year, the university awards up to four Collegiate Lecturer titles to lecturer IIs and lecturer IVs who demonstrate a sustained record of excellence in teaching and learning, or in service or other contributions to the university. Specifically, up to two in the lecturer II classification and up to two in the lecturer IV classification may be awarded. For more information on the program, please see Article XXV of the UM|LEO Collective Bargaining Agreement.
On or around December of each academic year, Academic Human Resources will notify academic units of the selection procedures and guidelines. Units will select lecturers who they believe meet the criteria provided below, and are encouraged to provide supporting materials, such as letters of support, that demonstrate the criteria. Nomination materials are typically due at the end of March/April and will be emailed to Academic Human Resources.
A committee of university faculty is convened to present recommendations to the Provost’s Office for final selection. Collegiate Lecturer Awardees are typically announced in May/June of each academic year.
Nominees must meet the following criteria;
The university will award a Collegiate Lecturer title to those lecturers who demonstrated a sustained record of excellence in teaching and learning and/or in service or other contribution to the university. The lecturer shall be evaluated using one or more of the following criteria as applicable:
Note: Applications may not exceed 20 pages
Questions regarding the Collegiate Lecturer Program can be sent to [email protected]
Each academic year, the university awards the Lecturer Excellence in Inclusive-Teaching (LEIT) Award to one lecturer who has demonstrated a sustained record of excellence in inclusive teaching and learning practices and/or in service or other contribution to the inclusive teaching goals of the university.
For more information on the program, please see MoU #6 Inclusive Teaching Related Initiatives for Lecturers, in the UM|LEO Collective Bargaining Agreement.
This nomination and selection process is distributed along with the nomination and selection procedures for the Collegiate Lecturer Program.
Near December of each academic year, Academic Human Resources will notify academic units of the selection guidelines and procedures. Units will select lecturers who they believe meet the criteria provided below, and are encouraged to provide supporting materials, such as letters of support, that demonstrate the criteria. Nomination materials are typically due at the end of March/April, and will be emailed to Academic Human Resources.
A committee of university faculty is convened to present a recommendation to the Provost’s Office for final selection. LEIT Awardees are typically announced in May/June of each academic year.
The LEIT Award is open to all lecturer classifications covered under the UM|LEO Agreement, regardless of title or appointment effort.
The university will award a lecturer who has a demonstrated sustained record of excellence in inclusive teaching and learning practices and/or in service or other contribution to the inclusive teaching goals of the University. The nominated lecturers shall be evaluated using the following criteria:
Questions regarding the LEIT Award can be sent to [email protected]