PTS Recommendation for Special Charge Regarding Promotion for Faculty with PartTime or Reassigned Time Appointments – February 2011
The 2010-2011 Faculty Senate Executive Committee charged the Promotion, Tenure, and
Salary (PTS) Committee with the following task “Work with existing part-time faculty, faculty with
reassigned time (of various types) and with human resources staff members to consider
possible revisions to the promotion policies and procedures as related to these categories of
faculty.” This charge stemmed from a report compiled by Dr. Bob Hoar when he served on the
2009-2010 Joint Promotion Committee in the role of Faculty Assistant to the Provost.
Multiple members of the current PTS Committee have personally held a reduced appointment or
an appointment with reassigned time, so we could consider those experiences. In addition,
several members have served as Chair of their respective department and/or as a member of
JPC which provided them with extensive knowledge of the promotion process. As we reflected
on the JPC report and the charge, it was obvious that there are specific issues with regard to
each situation (part-time vs. reassigned time). Therefore, our recommendation for each
scenario is listed below along with a short justification.
RELATING TO PART-TIME APPOINTMENTS:
Recommendation: The existing JPC guidelines should remain unchanged, regarding the
number of calendar years to be completed in rank to qualify for promotion or the general
description of the activities under Teaching, Scholarship, or Service. However, the following
statement should be added to the promotion guidelines: “A part-time faculty member is
responsible for uploading a document in their promotion report that describes the details of their
appointment including expectations for Teaching, Scholarship, and Service as approved by their
department and consistent with their departmental bylaws”. With regard to the productivity of
the candidate, we recommend that the percentage of the appointment should not affect the
expected quality or total quantity of the work in each of the three areas of Teaching,
Scholarship, and Service.
Justification: There were two factors that the PTS Committee considered strongly. The first
had to do with the number of years to be completed in rank to be able to qualify for promotion.
Individuals with a part-time appointment do not have to apply for promotion when the minimal
number of years in rank is achieved, however, we did not want to prevent any individual from
applying at this time if they met the other criteria for promotion. Therefore, we were not in favor
of changing the wording to reflect a time period that was equivalent to 100% appointment for the
current number of years required in rank (e.g. three (3) years completed in rank at 100%
appointment or six (6) years in rank at 50% appointment). In reality, it might take a part-time
faculty member additional time to clearly demonstrate “excellence in teaching”, or an
involvement in “improving the level of instruction” within the department, or an “established
scholarly program”. However, that should be determined by the candidate in consultation with
the department chair and/or other mentors. Second, we discussed how the productivity level of
a part-time faculty member should be evaluated when considering a promotion application. The
committee agreed that a promotion is recognition of past accomplishments and the expectations
1
should be the same for all faculty members. Therefore, we do not recommend a change in the
total quality or quantity of work needed to achieve promotion to associate or full professor.
RELATING TO FULL-TIME FACULTY WITH REASSIGNED TIME:
Recommendation: There should not be a fourth category (beyond teaching, scholarship, and
service) added for any faculty members with reassigned time. However, the following statement
should be added to the promotion guidelines: “A full-time faculty member with reassigned time
to fulfill a position outside the expectations of a standard faculty member (e.g. department chair,
director of a center or program, etc.) must provide two related documents in their promotion
report – (1) a letter(s) from their supervisor(s) (e.g. department chair, Dean, etc.) that outlines
their job description with respect to their reassigned time appointment and (2) documentation
that illustrates their success in the role fulfilled by the appointment, such as performance
reviews or other data that show how the aims of the appointment are being met. The candidate
is responsible for uploading these documents in their promotion report.”
Justification: The PTS Committee recognized that there are always a number of full-time
faculty members with reassigned time to focus on officially recognized duties that are outside
the expectations for a standard faculty member. Furthermore, these activities are highly diverse
in nature, making it impossible to institute a policy regarding promotion that would be easily
applicable to all situations. In general, the committee agreed that although the “other” duties
that are completed with reassigned time appointments are important, they should not redefine
the expectations for promotion to associate or full professor. Therefore, the PTS Committee
does not recommend that a fourth category be added to represent duties beyond Teaching,
Scholarship, or Service. Rather, the PTS Committee concluded that activities completed with
reassigned time can and should be listed as activity under one or more of the three standing
categories.
2