Academic Professionalsat University of Wyoming

David JonesTami Benham DealAcademic Affairs

Acknowledgement: Nicole Ballenger

What’s on your mind?

• As an AP, am I a member of the “faculty”?• Can I move into a tenure track?• Do I have the right to vote on faculty

cases?• Will I succeed at UW?

Are you an AP?

Academic Professionals comprise a category of University academic personnel, distinct from classified and professional staff and faculty, dedicated to the academic mission of the University (UW Regulation 5-408)• Lecturer • Research Scientist• Extension Educator• Postdoctoral Associate

AP and faculty numbersAY 14-15 (November snapshot)

Extended-term track Extended-term contract

Lecturer 65 38Research Scientist 15 14Extension Educator 25 20Total AP-ETT 120 92Archivist 3 6Librarian 12 14Tenure-track faculty Tenure track 180 Tenured 363

Why have an AP category?• Some jobs require or benefit from a primary

focus on one dimension of the academic mission– directing a core laboratory facility (research scientist) – delivering science-based information to external clientele full-

time (extension educator) – teaching a panoply of lower-division required or service courses

such as composition, algebra, Spanish I (lecturer)

• AP’s fill a critical niche. – We didn’t hire you as an AP because “you were cheaper,” “easier

to get,” “are married to a faculty member, “or haven’t finished your Ph.D.”

You can’t be transferred into a tenure-track position although you may apply for open faculty positions.

Are there rules and regulations just for APs?

UW Regulation 5-408 governs the establishment of Academic Professional positions– Defines AP categories and general duties of each– Describes appointment types

• Non-extended term (short-term, part-time, often soft-money, many are renewable)

• Extended term-track (stable fiscal support is a necessary condition, may result in 6-year contracts, renewable)

– Defines ranks (assistant, associate, senior)– And describes review procedures for appointment renewals,

extended term contracts, and promotions

UW Regulation 5-408 also addresses

– Academic freedom (see UW Regulation 5-1)– Freedom from discrimination and harassment (see UW

Regulation 1-5)– Dispute resolution (see UW Regulation 5-35)– Representation in Faculty Senate– Ongoing professional development (akin to sabbatical

leaves)– And describes your role in reviewing your peers’ cases

• What about your role in reviewing faculty cases? See UW regulation 5-803 regarding voting protocols.

Do APs have academic freedom?

• “Academic freedom (and tenure) do not exist because of a peculiar solicitude for the human beings who staff our academic institutions. They exist, instead, in order that society may have the benefit of honest judgment and independent criticism which otherwise might be withheld because of fear of offending a dominant social group or transient social attitude.” Clark Byse and Louis Joughin, Tenure in American Higher Education: Plans, Practices, and the Law (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1959), p.4.

• UW guarantees academic freedom for APs too and expects “honest judgment and independent criticism”.

How do I get an extended-term contract?

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Probationary PeriodIf not granted ET, you may

resign; In some cases Year 7 (grace year) is granted

If ET granted

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Review for renewal of

ET6-year Extended Terms

To establish mastery of major job duties and to demonstrate the promise of continuing professional growth and development

How does the review process work?

• Department level– Peers (may include external peers, e.g. extension educators in your region) and

faculty (comments and “votes”)– Department head’s recommendation

• College level– College level committee (structure may differ by college, AP type)– Dean’s recommendation (and Extension Director’s if Extension Educator)

• University level– University T&P committee (selected cases only, augmented with AP rep for AP

cases)– Academic Affairs’ recommendation– Review by President (on appeal only)

TRUSTEE ACTION

Replicates process for tenure-track faculty

review

And how do I earn a promotion in rank?

• Promotion in rank requires a thorough performance review by peers, faculty, and administrators at the department, college, and university levels– See UW Reg 5-408 for qualifications and skills required at each rank

• Promotion reviews may occur concurrently with reviews for extended term appointments or renewals, but need not be simultaneous

• A level of accomplishment commensurate with a rank higher than assistant is normally a necessary condition for an extended-term appointment.

Promotion criteria

• Will differ for type of AP and possibly among units

• Tied to elements of job description• Criteria may be qualitative rather than

quantitative and should describe a “trajectory” or progressive path of professional growth

Promotion Criteria

• Example for an Associate Lecturer:oMust have a record of demonstrated, significant

contributions to teaching, not only through superior performance in the classroom but also through the broader support of the University’s teaching mission

Sample indicators• a record of predominantly positive teaching evaluations (from

students, peers, administrators), • ongoing record of teaching and learning (e.g., student work samples

over time that show improvement in the achievement of learning outcomes)

• evidence of planning and application of evidence-base best practices from course materials such as syllabi, exams, and assignments and professional resources associated with academic programs,

• solicited or unsolicited letters from students, peers, professional associates, and others about effective teaching, advising, service and/or administration, and/or leadership in any of these areas,

• consistent and sustained attendance at ECTL workshops and professional conferences/meetings

Promotion criteria

• Example for Associate Research Scientisto Must have a record of demonstrated, significant

contributions to research and scholarshipo A convincing record of substantial support to the

research enterprise might include:o demonstrated development of expertise, o significant contributions to the preparation of successful grant

proposals and refereed papers, o evidence of effective mentorship or supervision of students or

employees whose work is essential to the research enterprise.

What is your academic unit’s expectation for promotion?

Does “collegiality” count?

• Not a separate evaluation criteria, but most AP responsibilities are inherently collaborative activities (e.g. teaching, curriculum development, mentoring, grant preparation, working with external clientele)

• If lack of collegiality impairs the department’s ability to conduct its mission effectively, it CAN be the basis for a non-reappointment recommendation

• It matters….for tenure track faculty too!

How do I prepare for the review?

How do I prepare for the review?You will compile a packet that includes:• Appointment history and offer letter• Job description• Complete curriculum vitae• Summary of accomplishments (courses taught, syllabi, information on

tests, assignments, student learning assessment)• Assessments of teaching (self, peer, administrator, student evals)• Documentation of service activities• Documentation of professional development activities• Where appropriate, internal or external letters of reference• Documentation of recommendations at all levels• Responses (optional) to evaluations by peers, department head, and dean

Faculty Essay/Narrative

1. Provide evidence that connects elements of job description to outcomes

2. Lead the reviewer through the maze

Have you addressed these questions about scholarship?

• Scholarship plan

• How does my research/creative activity contribute to the body of knowledge in my discipline?

• What is the impact of my research/creative activity?• How is my research/creative product novel?• What makes my research/creative product relevant

and meaningful?

Where am I now?Where am I going?How will the reviewer know I got there?

Have you addressed these questions about scholarship?

• Research plan• Where am I now?• Where am I going?• How will the reviewer know I got there?

• How does my research contribute to the body of knowledge in my discipline?

• What is the impact of my research?• How is my research novel?• What makes my research relevant and meaningful?

Does your reflection on teaching do this?

• Explain why you choose teaching strategies and methods?

• Illustrate how you use feedback (i.e., student, peer, self) to modify and/or retain teaching strategies and methods?

• Show connections to research- or evidence-based best practice?

• Show a trajectory of improvement and/or sustained excellence?

Does your reflection on service/extension?

• Provide evidence of contributing to the service mission of the university?

• Reflect public engagement beyond the university community?

• Provide evidence of your leadership role in service activities?

• Illustrate how scholarship, teaching, professional practice, extension, service overlap?

When do you get the news?• Positive cases are forwarded from Academic Affairs

to the Board of Trustees• March for first-year cases; May for all others• Only the Trustees can confer tenure and extended-

term contracts• Academic Affairs will notify you by letter of the

Trustees’ decision immediately following the May (or March) meeting

• UW does not recognize “de facto” tenure or extended terms

Thank you for joining us!• Did we answer all

your questions?• For more

information, please visit our Academic Personnel Resources page on the Academic Affairs website:

http://www.uwyo.edu/acadaffairs/faculty-resources