Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion of Lecturer Track Faculty
fap-adm-0007
About This Policy
- Effective Date:
- 03-01-2002
- Date of Last Review/Update:
- 04-07-2023
- Responsible University Office:
- Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
- Responsible University Administrator:
- Executive Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
- Policy Contact:
- Assistant Director, Faculty Systems
- Policy Feedback:
- If you have comments or questions about this policy, let us know with the policy feedback form.
- Print or view a PDF of this policy
- Many policies are quite lengthy. Please check the page count before deciding whether to print.
Scope
Lecturer appointments are appropriate for individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and the scholarship of teaching. They are also expected to provide service that supports the academic mission of the School of Medicine (IUSM). The following policy applies to lecturer rank faculty. Other provisions governing part-time and volunteer appointments are covered in the IUSM adjunct faculty policy.
Policy Statement
- Ranks
- A three-rank system was created for those individuals who hold appropriate degrees and certifications (or equivalent in his or her discipline) and who are engaged by Indiana University primarily for teaching. The following titles are used:
- Lecturer in {Department Name}
- Senior Lecturer in {Department Name}
- Teaching Professor of {Department Name}
- The rank system is regarded as a career-ladder framework, with appropriate policies and procedures for appointment, annual review, and promotion.
- The creation of positions takes place under procedures administered through academic units by the Dean of the Faculties of each campus and is further subject to the policies, rules, and procedures of the campus Affirmative Action Plan as administered by the Office of Equal Opportunity.
- A three-rank system was created for those individuals who hold appropriate degrees and certifications (or equivalent in his or her discipline) and who are engaged by Indiana University primarily for teaching. The following titles are used:
- Qualifications for Rank
The qualifications of people hired for lecturer rank positions depends on the needs and standards of the hiring department.
- Minimum qualifications may be:
- an advanced degree in a relevant field
- experience and instruction in effective teaching within the discipline
- an enthusiasm for teaching medical and other students
- a commitment to developing as an educational professional
- Lecturer
- At the entry level, Lecturers will have completed an appropriate advanced degree or have the appropriate credentials as determined by the hiring department.
- Lecturers may have organizational and oversight responsibility for the courses in which they teach.
- They will also perform service for the department or school
- Senior members of the department will supervise and mentor lecturers, according to department policies.
- Senior Lecturer
- Senior Lecturers are ordinarily expected to provide leadership in teaching and to contribute to course and curriculum development.
- Senior Lecturers may have organizational and oversight responsibilities for a course, participate in course and curriculum development, and, where appropriate, provide workshops for colleagues.
- Senior Lecturers may oversee and provide mentoring for full- and part-time non-tenure track faculty.
- Senior Lecturers may also make school and campus contributions beyond the classroom, such as campus service or other professional activities.
- Teaching Professor
- Teaching Professors will demonstrate five or more years of excellence at the Senior Lecturer rank.
- Teaching Professors will have peer reviewed dissemination.
- Teaching Professors will have sustained excellence in teaching over time.
- Minimum qualifications may be:
- Appointment
- Initial lecturer appointments should be at the level appropriate to the experience and accomplishments of the individual.
- The process for appointment with probationary status or appointment with a long-term appointment will go through the ordinary procedures for faculty appointments.
- Lecturer rank faculty who, in addition to teaching and service, have a significant portion of their time allocated to doing research which does not derive from their primary teaching responsibilities should be in tenured/tenure-probationary positions.
- Lecturer ranks are not intended to be a means of retaining tenure-probationary faculty who have not been able to demonstrate the performance levels required for the granting of tenure.
- Probationary Period
- An individual appointed as a lecturer will be awarded a three-year long-term appointment after a probationary period of not more than seven years. The standard probationary period for IUSM clinical rank faculty is three years.
- At the time of initial appointment, the length of the probationary period will be stated.
- Initial appointments may be for one, two, or three years with subsequent reappointments dependent upon performance review and the teaching needs of the department.
- The probationary period may be waived or shortened if there has been full-time service with faculty rank at other institutions, or if similar service in Indiana University School of Medicine would have been countable as a basis for awarding of a long-term appointment.
- The review leading to a long-term appointment is to take place no later than the second year of probationary service.
- In case of failure to give notice of non-reappointment or termination prior to the beginning of the third year of probationary service, the review leading to a long-term appointment or termination decision should be conducted at the earliest possible time and, if necessary, the probationary period will be extended until the review is complete.
- When a probationary period expires during an academic year, the probationary period will be extended to the end of that academic year.
- Long-Term Appointment
- Lecturer rank faculty are not eligible for tenure; however, to protect their academic freedom, individuals appointed as lecturer rank faculty will be given a rolling three-year appointment after a probationary period of three years.
- This long-term appointment will be of three years duration and will be granted to those lecturer rank faculty whose professional characteristics indicate that they will continue to serve with distinction in their appointed roles.
- The procedure for granting a long-term appointment after a probationary period is:
- The department chair, regional campus dean, or designee will determine whether the individual has performed satisfactorily in teaching, service, and professionalism during their initial appointment, which is ordinarily 3 years.
- The annual faculty review can serve this purpose; no additional review is necessary unless the chair, regional campus dean or designee determines that an additional review is required.
- If performance is deemed satisfactory, the department chair, regional campus dean or designee shall indicate to the Dean’s office that the faculty member is approved for a long-term appointment.
- Promotion
- Promotion follows the criteria in the areas of teaching articulated in the IU School of Medicine Standards of Excellence in Teaching.
- Lecturer rank faculty are eligible for promotion upon being appointed to long-term appointment following a probationary period.
- Promotion recognizes past achievement and indicates confidence that the individual is capable of greater responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Promotion considerations must take into account the individual’s contribution to the school/campus mission as well as differences in mission between departments.
- Lecturer rank faculty are responsible primarily for teaching and the scholarship of teaching; they are also expected to provide service that supports the academic mission of the department and the School.
- Lecturer rank faculty are not evaluated in the area of research.
- A candidate for promotion must demonstrate excellence in teaching, with at least satisfactory performance in service.
- The procedure for granting promotion is:
- Review levels & committees
- Promotion in rank will go through the normal faculty procedures for the School of Medicine, including peer review by primary, School, and campus promotion committees. Please refer to the IUPUI Promotion & Tenure Guidelines for requirements and procedures.
- The primary and School committees will be the same committees which review the clinical rank faculty and will be designated as Lecturers and Clinical Rank Faculty Promotion Committees.
- Early review for readiness
- The Department Primary Committee would conduct this review to provide candidates with insight as to their progress toward promotion.
- This review is not mandatory; a lecturer can apply for promotion through the usual process whenever they are ready.
- Promotion with Long-Term Appointment
- Lecturer rank faculty can seek promotion and the awarding of the long-term appointment simultaneously or can undergo these reviews separately.
- When they are sought simultaneously, the procedures detailed above regarding promotion in rank are followed.
- When the long-term appointment is sought separately (without promotion), the process is outlined in the Long-Term Appointment above.
- Review levels & committees
Reason for Policy
See ACA-18, Regulation of Clinical and Lecturer Appointments for the university-wide policy.
Procedures
- Rights and Privileges
- Lecturer rank faculty must follow and are protected by university policies, including those pertaining to faculty hiring and faculty annual reviews.
- The faculty salary policies of the School of Medicine will apply to lecturer rank faculty.
- Lecturer rank faculty have the right to petition the School of Medicine Faculty Grievance Committee and the IUPUI campus Faculty Board of Review for redress of grievances concerning dismissal, non-reappointment, academic freedom, salary adjustment, or other conditions of work.
- The procedures applicable for grievances of lecturer rank faculty will be the same as for tenured/tenure-probationary faculty, including applicable periods for filing such grievances.
- Although ineligible for university sabbatical leave, lecturer rank faculty are eligible for departmental leaves for the purpose of professional learning and collaboration with colleagues. Please refer to the School’s policy on departmental leaves for lecturer rank faculty for more information.
- Lecturer rank faculty will be voting members of the School of Medicine faculty.
- Participation in university and campus faculty governance is governed by the Constitution of the Faculty of Indiana University and the IUPUI Faculty Constitution.
- Individuals holding lecturer rank are not recognized as voting members of the university faculty.
- Lecturer rank faculty are not eligible for academic administrative appointments at and above the department chair level.
- Fringe Benefits
- Retirement Plan
- Persons holding any of these full-time[1] lecturer ranks on a 12-month basis are eligible for enrollment in the University retirement plans, as with other faculty and librarians.
- Insurance
- Persons holding any of these full-time lecturer ranks on a 12-month basis are eligible to participate in the University life insurance plans, as with other faculty and librarians.
- Persons holding any these full-time lecturer ranks on a 12-month basis are eligible for enrollment in the University health & dental plans, as with other faculty and librarians.
- Leave of Absence
- Persons holding any of these full-time lecturer ranks on a 12-month basis are eligible for leaves of absence as detailed in school and university policies ACA-47 Leaves for Academic Appointees.
- Vacation
- Persons appointed to any of these full-time lecturer ranks on a 12-month basis are entitled to paid vacation as detailed in ACA-47 Leaves for Academic Appointees policy.
- Vacations are approved by the chair of the department or director of the unit or his/her designee as applicable for all 12-month appointees.
- Retirement Plan
- Personnel Policies
- Appointment
- The chair of the department, director of the division, or regional campus dean will initiate recommendations for the establishment of new positions.
- These recommendations will be reviewed and acted upon by the Dean of the School of Medicine and the Dean of the Faculties for the IUPUI campus or their designees.
- Should an individual holding a lecturer rank appointment seek transfer to a tenured or tenure track appointment, the transfer will be considered as a new appointment requiring the same review expected of other new tenure track appointees.
- A new search will not be required if the applicant for a transfer was initially appointed through an approved affirmative action search for a tenure track position.
- The School is not obligated to count service as a lecturer as credit toward tenure if the appointment is later changed to a full-time tenured/tenure track appointment.
- Persons holding tenure track rank are eligible for consideration for change in appointment to a lecturer rank provided such change is in the best interest of the missions of the department, the School and the University.
- Annual Review
- Lecturer rank faculty will be reviewed annually by the respective primary committees, and/or department chair, division director, regional campus dean or their designee.
- The annual review will be conducted per the IUSM Faculty Annual Review Guidelines.
- Non-Reappointment, Non-Renewal, or Dismissal
- For probationary lecturer rank faculty, 12-month or 10-month appointments, notice of non-reappointment or dismissal will be given under the same terms as apply to tenure-probationary faculty during the probationary period
- Three months’ notice if in the first year of appointment
- Six months’ notice if in the second year of appointment
- 12 months’ notice after two or more years of service
- The notice periods for dismissal of probationary lecturer rank faculty and lecturer rank faculty with a long-term appointment will be the same as for tenured/tenure-probationary faculty.
- Dismissal of a lecturer rank faculty holding a long-term appointment after the probationary period may occur because of closure or permanent down-sizing of the program in which the lecturer teaches and serves; otherwise, dismissal will occur only for reasons of professional incompetence, serious misconduct, or financial exigency.
- Non-reappointment of lecturer rank faculty may occur for the foregoing reasons or may occur as well for reason of changing staffing needs of the program.
- Non-renewal decisions regarding lecturer rank faculty holding a long-term appointment after the probationary period will be made with faculty consultation by involvement of the respective primary Lecturers and Clinical Rank Faculty Promotion Committee.
- The notice period for non-renewal of lecturer rank faculty with a long-term appointment will be at least one year.[2]
- Appeal of these decisions will be to the School’s Faculty Grievance Committee once all administrative levels of appeal within the School have been exhausted.
- Appeals beyond the level of the School of Medicine should follow the procedures for requesting a Faculty Board of Review described in current campus and university policies.
- For probationary lecturer rank faculty, 12-month or 10-month appointments, notice of non-reappointment or dismissal will be given under the same terms as apply to tenure-probationary faculty during the probationary period
- Appointment
[1] The University defines full-time as 0.75 FTE or greater for purposes of benefit eligibility.
[2] Notice periods for non-reappointment, contract non-renewal, and dismissal may be figured from the date the notice is given rather than the ending date of the current appointment period [Administrative Practice].
History
- fap-adm-0007 created on 06 March 2002.
- Revised 15 June 2005 (promotion section); 15 June 2005 (footnote added); 24 November 2009 (long-term contract); 31 July 2013 (non-renewal period revised to conform to IUPUI policy); 15 February 2019 (reformatted); 01 December 2021*.
- Policy updated on 07 April 2023 to reflect change in University Office title.
*Revisions approved by Faculty Steering Committee and School Executive Committee.