Promotion of rank is available for non-tenure-track faculty under certain situations and at the discretion of the school/college.
Assistant and Associate Teaching Professors typically may request promotion after at least five years of service in rank. Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor is based on evidence of excellence in teaching and pedagogy and may include the record of service to the department, school, college, or University, as appropriate. Teaching excellence may be shown through classroom teaching, contributions to the design, syllabi, and organization of departmental course offerings, and applications or development of pedagogy in the field. Contributions to pedagogical advances will vary from field to field and may be demonstrated by, but not limited to, developing independent or team-taught courses, creating teaching materials and methodologies, administrating or maintaining laboratory or clinical settings used for pedagogy, training other instructors, or holding supervisory responsibilities for course offerings. Promotion to Teaching Professor is based on continued excellence in teaching and pedagogy, as well as leadership in the field of teaching, where such opportunities exist. The dean, with the concurrence of the faculty, is responsible for determining appropriate qualifications for each rank, which may vary by subfield or department.
Teaching Professors and Associate Teaching Professors may be hired at rank if they have appropriate qualifications and teaching experience. Appointments of Teaching Professors and Associate Teaching Professors are for periods of no more than five years and are renewable. Appointments of Assistant Teaching Professors are for periods of no more than three years and are renewable. Teaching professors will be evaluated on a regular basis, according to the policies of their school or college. Evaluation prior to contract renewal must be done in accordance with standard faculty renewal processes, including review by a committee drawn from the relevant faculty, and must cover all aspects of the assigned duties.
Promotion from Assistant to Associate and from Associate to Teaching Professor is subject to oversight by a committee formed by the department chair or college dean and drawn from the faculty. These committees should include at least one Teaching Professor, in addition to tenured members of the relevant department(s). The recommendations of the committee and relevant faculty will be transmitted to the dean of the school or college, who will make the final decision on promotion. Candidates for promotion have the right to review all materials, excluding confidential material like solicited letters, related to their promotion and to meet with the committee and the department chair as part of the review process. Promotion is neither necessary nor sufficient for contract renewal.
Updated April 17, 2024