As reported in the media, a settlement has been reached between Collin College and Dr. Suzanne Jones, a former faculty member who filed a lawsuit in federal court following the non-renewal of her term contract.
In this matter, Jones was represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression (FIRE) which, in its zeal to claim “victory” and promote its own interests, may have created confusion regarding what this settlement includes. Notably, Dr. Jones has not been reinstated to her former job or position. As the negotiated joint statement makes clear, Dr. Jones will return to teaching at the college only online through iCollin and only until her resignation or February 1, 2025, whichever date is earlier.
National special interest groups such as FIRE have their own objectives which may diverge from those of the individual faculty they purport to represent. In this case, look no further than FIRE’s decision not to redact Dr. Jones’ home address from the copy of the settlement agreement FIRE chose to disclose – a clear violation of her personal privacy – and unwillingness to allow her seven-day revocation period to pass before the settlement agreement became effective, rushing instead to release their media advisory.
Consequently, Collin College is compelled to underscore important details of the negotiated settlement agreement starting on page 13 of the agreement. As communicated in the statement approved by both parties, Dr. Jones is happy to return to the college and its culture of excellence. Dr. Jones will teach 2-3 classes per term exclusively through iCollin, the college’s virtual campus. Her faculty contract is non-renewable, and the settlement stipulates that Dr. Jones is ineligible for re-hire with the college after her resignation or February 1, 2025. In fact, Dr. Jones’ irrevocable resignation letter was an exhibit to the settlement agreement.
Dr. Jones will office off-campus, will have no committee assignments, and may not attend any Faculty Council meetings, but may attend meetings related to her assigned department or any conferences approved by the college. Dr. Jones agreed “to comply with the college’s Board policies, Core Values, rules, procedures, all applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and administrative directives.”
Dr. Jones’ salary for this two-year period is consistent with her full load compensation prior to her contract non-renewal, not an increase as erroneously claimed in media coverage. The salary for this contract constitutes the full amount of compensation Dr. Jones will receive as part of this settlement. The college, through its insurer, agreed to pay the legal fees since its deductible has been met.
All parties named in Dr. Jones’ lawsuit are released as part of this settlement and there was no finding or admission of liability on behalf of any party at all. As stated before, the college affirms that its policies and procedures regarding the non-renewal of a faculty term contract were appropriately followed.