4.2.5 Regular Faculty Rank

1. Except for librarians, regular faculty appointments within the University are made in one of the following ranks: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor. The nature of the accepted terminal degree for any given program is to be decided by the Dean in consultation with the unit offering that program. Refer to Section 4.2.9.1 for evaluation criteria for all full-and part-time faculty as defined in Section 4.2.1 and above.
   
   Instructor. A person who does not possess a terminal degree and has limited teaching experience.
   
   Assistant Professor. This is the usual entry-level appointment for a person with a terminal degree and little teaching experience or others without a terminal degree but with appropriate teaching or professional experience. To be considered for promotion to Assistant Professor, an Instructor should have appropriate credentials and prove to be an effective teacher.
   
   Associate Professor. Appointment at the Associate level is ordinarily contingent upon a terminal degree, demonstrated competence and experience in teaching at the University level, and recognized scholarly achievements. To be promoted to Associate, an Assistant Professor must display consistent teaching effectiveness, and should have earned the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree, except in extraordinary circumstances where the evidence demonstrates that the absence of the degree does not inhibit the faculty member's professional standing and performance. In addition, the person should have achieved professional recognition through scholarship or creative activity; show evidence of professional development; and have made appropriate service contributions as specified by the unit standards. The extent of participation in these areas will be affected by a variety of factors, including the stage of the faculty member's career and the program objectives of the unit, College, and University. Ordinarily, at least five full time equivalent years at the rank of Assistant Professor must be completed before an Assistant Professor may be considered for promotion to Associate Professor. The five-year requirement includes any allowance for prior service. (See Section 4.2.8.4 for early tenure/promotion criteria.)
   
   Professor. Only distinguished scholars and professionals will qualify for initial appointment as Professor. To be promoted to Professor, an Associate Professor must display consistent excellence in teaching and should have earned the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree except in extraordinary circumstances where the evidence demonstrates that the absence of the doctorate does not inhibit the faculty member's professional standing and performance. In addition, the person should have achieved acknowledged professional recognition through scholarship or creative activity; have demonstrated professional development; and have provided vital appropriate service contributions as specified by the unit standards. The extent of faculty member's contribution in these areas will be affected by a variety of factors, including the stage of the faculty member's career and the program objectives of the University, College and unit. Ordinarily, at least six (6) full-time equivalent years at the rank of Associate Professor must be completed before an Associate Professor may submit materials for review to be considered for promotion to Professor. The six-year requirement includes any allowance for prior service. (See Section 4.2.8.4 for early tenure/promotion criteria.) Seniority alone shall not be sufficient for promotion.
   
    
2. Librarian. Professional Librarians possessing the appropriate terminal degree. For librarians, regular faculty appointments within the University are made in one of the following ranks: Senior, Associate, Assistant, or Instructor. The terminal degree for librarians normally shall be the Master's Degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) or from a program in a country with a formal accreditation process as identified by ALA. Refer to Section 4.2.9.2 for evaluation criteria for all full-and part-time faculty as defined in Section 4.2.1 and above.
   
   Instructor Librarian. A person who possesses the terminal degree but has no professional experience in academic or research libraries.
   
   Assistant Librarian. This is the usual entry-level appointment for a person with the terminal degree and minimal professional experience in academic or research libraries. To be considered for promotion to Assistant Librarian, an Instructor Librarian should prove to be an effective academic librarian. Ordinarily, at least three full-time equivalent years at the rank of Instructor Librarian are required before an Instructor Librarian is considered for promotion to Assistant Librarian. The three-year requirement includes any allowance for prior service.
   
   Associate Librarian. Appointments to Associate Librarian are ordinarily contingent upon demonstrated competence and experience as a librarian at the University level and on professional achievement. To be promoted to Associate Librarian, an Assistant Librarian must display consistent professional effectiveness. In addition, the person should show evidence of professional development and have made appropriate service contributions as specified by the unit standards. The extent of the faculty member's contribution in these areas will be affected by a variety of factors, including the stage of the faculty member's career and the program objectives of the University. Ordinarily, at least five full-time equivalent years at the rank of Assistant Librarian are required before an Assistant Librarian is considered for promotion to Associate Librarian. The five-year requirement includes any allowance for prior service. (See Section 4.2.8.4 for early tenure/promotion criteria.)
   
   Senior Librarian. Only distinguished professional librarians will qualify for initial appointment as Senior Librarian. To be promoted to Senior Librarian, an Associate Librarian must display consistent excellence in academic librarianship. In addition, the person should have consistently demonstrated excellence in creative activity or scholarship in the profession, show professional development, and have made vital service contributions as specified by the unit standards. The extent of the faculty member's contribution in these areas will be affected by a variety of factors, including the stage of the faculty member's career and the program objectives of the University. Ordinarily, at least six (6) full-time equivalent years at the rank of Associate Librarian must be completed before an Associate Librarian is considered for promotion to Senior Librarian. The six-year requirement includes any allowance for prior service. (See Section 4.2.8.4 for early tenure/promotion criteria.) Seniority alone shall not be sufficient for promotion.