4.27 / Promotion for Non-Tenure Track Faculty: Guidelines and Criteria

Effective: December 11, 2017

  1. Policy

    1. Non-tenure track faculty are significant members of the university who are critical department members broadly engaged in an academic program's curriculum, evolution, and impact. Non-tenure track faculty need to demonstrate effectiveness in teaching/librarianship and service, as defined in the role statement. Although there is no research expectation for non-tenure track faculty, the faculty member's appropriate mix and extent of responsibilities is defined within their department by a role statement.

    2. A terminal degree in a field appropriate to the discipline in which the candidate teaches is normally required for appointment or promotion for the following advancement levels: Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, and Teaching Professor; and Assistant Clinical Professor, Associate Clinical Professor, and Clinical Professor. Candidates may be hired to the following levels in the absence of a terminal degree: Assistant Educator, Associate Educator, and Senior Educator. Exceptions to this guideline will require careful documentation based upon an adequate rationale.

    3. Under normal circumstances, a faculty member should not expect to be considered for promotion with less than six years in advancement levels. For each level of promotion, successively higher levels of achievement are expected.

    4. The standards for teaching/librarianship and service, as defined in the role statement, for each level are indicated below. The relative significance of teaching/librarianship and service, as defined in the role statement, may vary from case to case. Consideration, in context of the candidate's entire career, will be given to teaching/librarianship and service, as defined in the role statement, conducted while the candidate has been employed at the University.

      1. Assistant Teaching Professor / Assistant Clinical Professor / Assistant Educator

        Evidence is normally expected of the following:

        1. demonstrated adequacy in teaching/librarianship; and
        2. some University service, as defined in the role statement, appropriate to the mission of the department and college/school/University Libraries.

      2. Associate Teaching Professor / Associate Clinical Professor / Associate Educator

        Evidence is normally expected of the following:

        1. documented effectiveness of teaching/librarianship; and
        2. some professional or University service, as defined in the role statement.

      3. Teaching Professor / Clinical Professor / Senior Educator

        Evidence is normally expected of the following:

        1. sustained effectiveness in teaching/librarianship; and
        2. demonstrated academic leadership in the form of service, as defined in the role statement, to the University and the profession.