English Department Procedures for Promoting Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Department of English
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Approved by the faculty 1 May 2007
According to the Collected Rules and Regulations of the Curators of the University of Missouri (Section 310.035), non-regular faculty are divided into three groups:
full-time ranked, non-tenure track faculty (NTT); (2) full-time unranked non-regular faculty, and (3) part-time, non-regular faculty. The following rules for promotion
of non-tenure track faculty in the Department of English are consistent with the definitive regulations, as described by the Collected Rules and Regulations.
These guidelines apply both to newly hired NTT faculty members and current non-regular faculty members who are reappointed into NTT positions. These guidelines,
moreover, shall be used with titles of teaching faculty (Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, Assistant Teaching Professor). If, in the future, the English
department makes use of other available NTT titles (Research faculty, Clinical faculty, or Extension faculty), additional guidelines will be established.
As the titles suggest, the primary duties of NTT teaching faculty (all three ranks) are defined as teaching or the support of teaching (e.g., administration or supervision
of teaching). Any evaluation of NTT teaching faculty will focus on this primary responsibility as well as service and professional activities related to this primary
responsibility.
Assistant Teaching Professors candidates must have a PhD or a MA with an established record of successful college teaching in the discipline. This title can be used only
for full-time NTT faculty, with at least 9-month contracts.
Candidates for promotion to Associate Teaching Professor will normally be expected to have been full-time, ranked faculty members in the English department for at least six
years. (During the transition to these new NTT titles, however, employment in unranked positions will be considered toward this expectation.) Associate Teaching Professor
candidates should have, in addition to the qualifications of Assistant Teaching Professors, a record both of high quality teaching and of strong contributions to the curricular
needs of the department. These contributions to the department's curricular needs could be demonstrated, for example, by willingness to accept additional or unusual assignments,
active participation in curricular planning, or successful supervision and/or mentorship of other faculty or graduate students.
Candidates for promotion to Teaching Professor will normally be expected to have been full-time faculty members with a rank of Associate Teaching Professor in the English
department for at least six years. Teaching Professors should have, in addition to the qualifications of Associate Teaching Professors, demonstrated sustained excellence and
innovation in teaching and sustained enhancement of the teaching mission of the department, as demonstrated, for example, by outreach to the campus or community on behalf of
the department.
All NTT faculty members should receive an annual evaluation, written by an appropriate supervisor, the chair of the department, or someone appointed by the chair. These
annual reports will be part of the faculty member's personnel file; information from these annual evaluations will be factored into decisions regarding annual raises and
readiness for promotion.
Promotion for NTT faculty members is a voluntary process and is not required for reappointment. A candidate who applies unsuccessfully for promotion may re-apply in two
years. Successful or unsuccessful promotion reviews carry with them no automatic reward or penalty.
NTT faculty seeking promotion to either Associate Teaching Professor or Teaching Professor status are advised, though not required, to ask for an informal pre-promotion
review one or two years year before they begin the formal promotion review process. The review evaluates a candidate's progress toward promotion and identifies potential
weaknesses the candidate might address. A successful pre-promotion review does not guarantee approval in a formal promotion review. During this pre-promotion review, the
chair will appoint a mentoring committee, who will evaluate the candidate's potential for being promoted. The pre-promotion review will conclude with a report sent to the
candidate and written by the chair of the department or someone assigned by the chair. This report should assess the candidate's potential for promotion. Pre-promotion review
letters are intended to assist the candidate and do not automatically become part of his or her formal dossier for promotion.
NTT faculty are responsible for keeping records associated with their teaching performance (copies of student evaluations, syllabi, sample graded papers, writing
assignments, etc.).
A faculty committee selected by the chair will be responsible for making the departmental recommendation regarding promotion of NTT teaching faculty. This committee
will include NTT faculty members at the promotable rank or higher (if any such NTT faculty exist within the department at the time), tenure-track faculty members, and tenured
faculty members. Procedures for considering this recommendation will follow the guidelines as outlined by the Provost and/or the Dean of the College of Arts and Science.
Candidates wishing to be considered for promotion should consult the websites of the College of Arts and Science and the Provost's Office for specific information about
procedures and deadlines.
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