Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion of Teaching Professor

Approved by the Executive Committee on May 11, 2021

Preamble

All faculty at UW–Madison, whether tenure track, Clinical Health Sciences (CHS), or clinical are expected to participate in appropriate teaching activities. By definition, however, tenure-track and CHS faculty members are also expected to devote considerable time toward the development of independent research programs. As a measure of success, it is expected that tenure-track and CHS faculty demonstrate a sustained record of scholarship as evidenced by extramural funding and scholarly publications. Given these realities, most tenure-track and CHS faculty, particularly assistant professors, are limited in the amount of time that can be devoted to teaching, and or teaching innovation unless that falls within their area of scholarship.

In addition to maintaining high-quality research programs, the School of Pharmacy (SoP) must also maintain a robust and comprehensive curriculum. This would include not only traditional didactic teaching, but teaching within the laboratory and in some cases, the clinic or health care setting. In order to maintain, and hopefully, evolve our diverse teaching programs, the SoP should consider appointing academic staff with specific skills and interest in teaching to the Teaching Professor track. These individuals would be expected to focus the majority of their time in pedagogical activities. Unlike tenure-track or CHS colleagues, evidence of scholarship while certainly encouraged, would not be required for promotion.

The Teaching Professor track is not intended to replace faculty teaching, much as the Research Professor track would not be expected to replace tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty lines. Rather, the Teaching Professor position should be thought of in a strategic sense, as one approach to improve the quality of our curriculum, both internal and external to the School of Pharmacy. Selective use of these positions within each division also may facilitate increased output in other scholarly areas.

INTRODUCTION

These guidelines provide criteria for appointments and promotions of Teaching Professor track colleagues in divisions within the UW–Madison SoP. In this track, excellence in classroom, clinical, and/or laboratory instruction is the primary focus for appointment or promotion. Teaching, in conjunction with instructional design and assessment of learner performance, is the primary role for Teaching Professor track appointments.

The Teaching Professor track, like the CHS Track and Research Professor track, is an academic staff track, not a University Faculty (tenure) track, with regard to UW–Madison policies and procedures (see Academic Staff Policies and Procedures, ASPP.) Teaching professor track positions do not have the protection of tenure. As such, employees in these positions can be laid off or non-renewed in a manner consistent with the ASPP. (See ASPP Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.) Teaching professor positions at the associate and full professor levels do not have voting rights in the SoP Executive Committee. They can participate in inter-divisional meetings at the discretion of the unit leader.

The teaching professor track should not be used as a substitute for CHS track, tenure track, or clinical adjunct faculty appointments. This track does not apply to zero-dollar appointments. The placement or hiring of an employee into the Teaching Professor track, and the review of a Teaching Professor for promotion, is a selective process that involves significant rigor. Current instructional staff must apply for appointment and their qualifications evaluated. Potential employees hired into the Teaching Professor track will have their qualifications reviewed. The SoP will have a limited number of staff with Teaching Professor track appointments.

Teaching Professor track appointees may use their titles in presentations, scientific publications, and in venues where they are contributing to the missions of the SoP as outlined in their appointment. In addition, teaching professor track appointees must comply with the provisions of Chapter 12 of Academic Staff Policies & Procedures (ASPP) regarding outside activities and conflicts of interest.

Teaching Professor Title Track Appointment Overview

Teaching professors collectively contribute to the SoP’s mission through significant contributions to our teaching mission, by advancing teaching and learning in their discipline, and/or using innovative strategies that produce course and/or curriculum improvement.

General expectations in the Teaching Professor track include excellence in classroom, clinical, and/or laboratory instruction, instructional design, and learner assessment. These colleagues may engage in the scholarship of learning and teaching and have an instructional and curricular impact through scholarly work or publications or sharing their creative and scholarly work through other media.

Teaching Professor appointments are full-time (no less than .5 FTE) and long-term (career-track) positions.  Appointments should ideally be multi-year and renewable; one-semester or one-year non-renewable appointments cannot be made in this job title.  At least 75% time should be devoted to activities encompassing independent teaching.  The expectations for a teaching professor should include division, school and/or university service where no more than 25% time can be devoted to service.

Teaching Professor track appointees should hold at a minimum, a PhD, PharmD or an equivalent highest degree, exhibited expertise in the relevant discipline (pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical sciences, or social and administrative sciences), and demonstrated pedagogical expertise/accomplishment in that discipline. Exceptions may be made only with the approval of the dean.

Appointment Responsibilities

Academic Staff in the Teaching Professor track advance the education missions of the SoP.

Teaching Professors are responsible for independent classroom, clinic, and/or laboratory instruction as well as assessment of learner performance. In addition, they may have some of the following roles and responsibilities:

1. Develops instructional tools and curricula relevant to a course of instruction
2. Advises students on academic and career direction
3. Supervises student employees involved in development or delivery of instruction
4. Collaborates with other SoP faculty and staff to develop teaching strategies
5. Contributes to the development of teaching and learning scholarly work including publications and presentations at local, regional or national meetings.
6. Teaching Professors hired in the Practice Division may be able to participate in clinical teaching (i.e. experiential) as approved by the dean and division chair.

Appointment

Instructional academic staff holding lecturer, instructor, or other titles may ask to be considered for appointment to the Teaching Professor track. Appointment to the Teaching Professor track should include documentation of a plan (Assistant Teaching Professor) or history and plan (Associate Teaching Professor or full Teaching Professor) for scholarly achievement in teaching.  The plan must include the courses that will be taught by the candidate as well as a contingency plan for teaching. Recommendations for Teaching Professor appointments also must clearly indicate the rationale based on the candidate’s potential or prior performance relevant to the Teaching Professor track. Emphasis will be placed on documented excellence in classroom, clinic, and/or laboratory teaching in the candidate’s assigned area of focus.

Divisions or units also may hire candidates directly into the Teaching Professor track via posting of PVL’s for Teaching Professors at different ranks. A rationale must be provided to the dean and the SoP’s Executive Committee for the appointment based on curricular needs in the requesting division.

Requests for teaching professor (all levels) appointments may be initiated for individual candidates by division chairs (or unit leader) or the dean and should include a teaching dossier developed by the candidate.  The teaching dossier must include a current CV, supporting documentation for excellence in teaching, a teaching chronology, and a candidate statement.  The teaching dossier should include evidence of teaching effectiveness, the successful development of pedagogical materials, engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning in their discipline, and contribution to the teaching and learning mission of the unit. (Teaching dossier resources available at https://teachlearn.provost.wisc.edu/). Teaching Professor track appointees may enter at the Assistant Teaching Professor level, or any other level consistent with their experience and credentials.

The dean will charge the division chair or unit leader to coordinate an initial review of the candidate’s credentials for appointment at all Teaching Professor levels. The division chair will appoint an evaluation committee to create the candidate’s appointment packet. The evaluation committee shall consist of no more than four members of the division to evaluate the effectiveness of the candidate, coordinate the process for soliciting letters of evaluation from internal and external reviewers, assess internal and external letters of evaluation, and, based on those evaluations and assessments, make a recommendation to the Executive Committee on appointment.  The evaluation committee will include at least one instructional academic staff member, ideally from the division or school, or, from a related discipline in another department within the university.  The assignment of members to the evaluation committee should reflect parity between tenure-track faculty, CHS faculty, clinical faculty, and instructional academic staff members as much as possible. The format and content of the appointment packet are described below. The chair of the evaluation committee will submit the appointment packet to the SoP’s executive committee, provide a report to the executive committee, and make a recommendation to the executive committee on appointment into the Teaching Professor track and the level of appointment (i.e. assistant, associate, or full professor) considering criteria for appointment.

Final review and approval of all Teaching Professor appointments are provided by the executive committee and Dean after all appropriate criteria have been met. The dean has the final authority to approve appointments within the Teaching Professor track. All letters of appointment will be approved using standard school HR practices, and will have content that follows existing university academic staff policies.

The necessary criteria for appointment/promotion for each Teaching Professor level are described below. In general, appointees in the Teaching Professor track at all levels must demonstrate: (1) a solid record of teaching and pedagogical accomplishment that is highly regarded by individuals in their fields; and, (2) promise of continued, outstanding contributions to teaching.

Assistant Teaching Professors should demonstrate the criteria that follow:

1. An impressive emerging record of teaching, and evidence of successful management and completion of prior teaching-related activities.
2. Demonstrated experience in creating and designing courses/course materials in the field of expertise.
3. Strong potential for development as an outstanding teacher through, and demonstrated interest in, the scholarship of teaching and learning and in pedagogy.
4. Experience in assessing student performance and supporting student success.
5. Demonstrated ability, if not experience, in the supervision of student employees delivering instruction, when appropriate.
6. Demonstrated ability in collaborating with faculty and staff in the development of teaching strategies and the use of different teaching modalities, including the use of technology in teaching.
7. A willingness to support the overall instructional mission of the respective unit.

Associate Teaching Professors should demonstrate the criteria that follow:

1. An impressive, sustained record of excellent teaching, as evidenced by student and peer evaluation; departmental recognition through awards or other marks of achievement.
2. Demonstrated instructional contributions to the department and college, and/or campus, and/or broader discipline.
3. Demonstrated experience – beyond that of assistant teaching professor – in successful supervision of student employees, when relevant, and supporting student success.
4. Demonstrated excellence in the supervision of student employees delivering instruction, when appropriate.
5. Excellence in collaboration with faculty and staff in the development of teaching strategies, including participation in department, unit, or campus-level faculty/staff instructional development activities/programs, and the use of different modalities including the use of technology in teaching.
6. Demonstrated experience in creating courses and contribute to the overall curricular mission of the unit.
7. Demonstrated record of consuming, implementing and/or producing creative activity or scholarship in teaching and learning.
8. Service on educationally related committees (e.g. assessment, curriculum, IPE).

Full or no-prefix Teaching Professors should demonstrate the criteria that follow:

1. An impressive and sustained record of outstanding teaching, as evidenced by student and peer evaluation; departmental, school/college, and national/international recognition through awards and other marks of achievement such as producing scholarship/creative activity in teaching and learning.
2. Demonstrated instructional contributions to the department, college, campus, and/or broader discipline.
3. Demonstrated and recognized outstanding achievement in the successful supervision of student employees delivering instruction, when relevant.
4. Demonstrated and recognized outstanding achievement in supporting student success.
5. Leadership in collaboration with faculty and staff in the development of teaching strategies, including designing, organizing, and/or leading department, unit, or campus-level faculty/staff instructional development programs.
6. Leadership in the creation of courses and in contributions to the overall curricular mission of the unit.
7. Representation of the division or school on college or campus committees in support of the university’s instructional mission.

The title of Teaching Professor should be granted to instructional staff whose contributions can be characterized by excellence, distinction, and innovation in the instructional enterprise within their division and, at the associate and full level, beyond.  These qualities can be assessed by a range of relevant contributions, including but not limited to, a strong record of teaching, classroom innovation, student interactions, scholarly accomplishments in the scholarship of teaching and learning, independently creating and designing a range of courses in the field of expertise, assessing student performance, providing formal or informal advising on students’ academic and career directions, supervising student employees delivering instruction, and collaborating with faculty and staff in the development of teaching strategies.   A case for a strong record of teaching will involve more than an assessment of student course evaluations, given their limitations.

Guidance/Oversight Committee

A departmental guidance/oversight committee shall be established for each assistant teaching professor when they are appointed. The function of the guidance/oversight committee is to encourage the professional development of the assistant teaching professor, to suggest resources when needed to further teaching and other pedagogical aims, to assist in removing barriers when they are encountered, to advocate for the assistant teaching professor when needed, and to ensure that reasonable progress is made in their emerging career. The composition (i.e., chair and additional members) of a guidance/oversight committee chair will be determined by the established guidelines within the SoP for guidance and oversight committees. The committee should strive to include faculty representatives of all tracks at the level of Associate or above, as appropriate.  If beneficial to the assistant teaching professor and/or the committee, UW faculty/staff outside of the school who have appropriate expertise in the assistant teaching professor’s teaching interests may also be recruited to serve on the committee. The guidance/oversight committee is responsible for ensuring, guiding, and evaluating progress of the assistant teaching professor. The division chair or unit leader is responsible for recommending members of the guidance/oversight committee and its chair to the dean who will officially appoint the committee.

Performance reviews of Teaching Professor track employees must be completed annually in accordance with policies applicable to UW Academic Staff, and in conjunction with SoP annual faculty activity reviews. Performance reviews for assistant teaching professors will be performed by the Guidance/Oversight Committee and reported to the SoP Executive Committee and the dean.  This process should be managed in conjunction with the Faculty Activities Review process, similar to the annual merit pay review processes for faculty. Actions regarding non-renewal, layoff, or termination follow UW–Madison Academic Staff Policies and Procedures.

Teaching Professor Track Promotion Overview

A clock for promotion through the Teaching Professor track series will not be prescribed, however, a minimum of three years is expected to establish a record of achievement and dossier for promotion. Appointees may progress from assistant to associate to Full at a pace commensurate with their goals, achievements, and specific SoP division metrics. Teaching professors at the assistant or associate levels may put themselves forward for promotion with consultation with the mentoring/oversight committee (assistant) and/or division chair (associate). Proposals for promotion may be submitted when the unit’s leadership determine that the candidate’s contributions justify such action. Assistant or associate teaching professors may remain in those ranks indefinitely (i.e. no maximum number of years in a rank), as appropriate for a given employee.

Promotion

Once a decision has been made to evaluate a teaching professor for promotion, the division will create an evaluation committee. For assistant teaching professors the evaluation committee can be the Guidance/Oversight Committee. For associate teaching professors the evaluation committee shall consist of no more than four members to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching professor, coordinate the process for soliciting letters of evaluation from internal and external reviewers, assess internal and external letters of evaluation and based on those evaluations and assessments, make a recommendation to the Executive Committee on promotion.  The evaluation committee will include at least one instructional academic staff member, ideally from the division or school, or, from a related discipline in another department within the university.  The assignment of members to the evaluation committee should reflect parity between tenure-track faculty, CHS faculty and instructional academic staff members as much as possible.

A teaching dossier should be compiled by the candidate and must include a current CV, supporting documentation for excellence in teaching, a teaching chronology, and a candidate statement. The teaching dossier should include evidence of teaching effectiveness, the successful development of pedagogical materials, engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning in their discipline, and contribution to the teaching and learning mission of the unit. Teaching evaluations should reflect both content expertise and effective teaching strategies.

The teaching dossier will be sent to internal and external reviewers for a letter of review. The Evaluation Committee will solicit up to 5 names of internal or external reviewers from the candidate. Candidates must not talk with potential letter-writers about the letter. The committee will generate a list of internal or external reviewers as well. The committee will invite internal and external reviewers from both lists to review the dossier and provide a letter of evaluation of the candidate. At least four letters of evaluation must be obtained from internal or external reviewers.

The evaluation committee will meet to review all submitted materials and make a recommendation for promotion. The evaluation committee will create a promotion packet for the candidate (see format and content of promotion packet below) and submit the promotion packet and their recommendation for promotion to the executive committee. A member of the evaluation committee will provide an oral report about the recommendation for promotion to the Executive Committee. Once the Executive Committee has voted on whether to recommend promotion, based on the report of the evaluation committee, the division chair will send the promotion packet to the dean, who will make the final decision on the promotion. 

Appointment/Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor

Promotion or appointment at the rank of associate teaching professor requires a candidate to demonstrate a local reputation for excellence in teaching.

The candidate should have been in a primarily teaching role (not limited to the Teaching Professor track) a minimum of five years and displayed excellent performance.

APPOINTMENT/PROMOTION TO TEACHING PROFESSOR

Promotion or appointment at the rank of Teaching Professor requires a more extensive and higher level of achievement compared to the expectations at the associate teaching professor rank. The application should document the candidate’s contributions during their service as an associate teaching professor. Evidence should demonstrate continued growth in stature and promise for continued future professional growth and achievement.

The candidate should have been primarily in a teaching role for a minimum of ten years (not limited to the Teaching Professor track) and displayed exceptional performance.

APPEAL PROCESS

If the Executive Committee recommends against promotion, the basis for the recommendation will be provided in writing to the candidate’s division chair and the dean within two weeks of the meeting. The division chair may appeal the decision in writing to the Executive Committee within 60 calendar days of receiving a written explanation of the recommendation. In exceptional circumstances, e.g., when strategic recruitment or retention concerns prevail, the Executive Committee may recommend that the appeal be made directly to the dean. Appeals should provide new or additional information and a response to the issues raised by the committee.

After submitting a written appeal, the division chair will meet with the Executive Committee to discuss the appeal. If the Executive Committee upholds their decision to recommend against promotion, an explanation will be provided in writing by the Executive Committee to the candidate’s division chair and the dean within two weeks of the meeting. The division chair can submit a final written appeal to the dean within 60 calendar days of receiving the Executive Committee’s recommendation. The dean may seek the advice of an ad hoc committee before making a final determination.

REINSTATEMENT POLICY

Reinstatement to a senior level on the teaching professor track after an absence from the institution of two years’ duration or more requires the normal review process.

FORMAT FOR THE APPOINTMENT OR PROMOTION PACKET

All submissions to the Executive Committee for Teaching Professor appointment or promotion will use the following format. Although all categories may not apply to all candidates, the document should follow the outline and headings below.

I.  Cover Letter from the requesting Unit

(Limit letter to no more than 3 pages.)

The cover letter from the division chair should include:

1. Clearly state the candidate’s contributions in the teaching arena
2. The total number of years the candidate has been in a teaching role and at rank (e., Assistant Teaching Professor for _ years; Associate Teaching Professor for years) at the time of submission of the appointment/promotion document.
3. Information about candidate’s current or anticipated responsibilities.
4. Documentation of the quality and quantity of teaching activities, as well as confirmation of excellence of the candidate’s level of performance in the teaching arena and in other related missions/services, if applicable. (Potential areas: curriculum development, strategic educational planning, teaching and learning scholarly output, etc.)

II.  Letter of Appointment

As Assistant Teaching Professor or Associate Teaching Professor, including statement of duties. Remove salary information.

III.  Curriculum Vitae

IV. Statement by the Candidate (Limit statement to 2 pages)

A description of the candidate’s achievements in teaching roles or the Teaching Professor title track, major accomplishments to date, and goals for the future.

V.  Letters of Evaluation

1. Provide a copy of the letter sent by the evaluation committee chair requesting evaluations. Utilize template used for soliciting letters from external reviewers for tenure and promotion for tenure-track and CHS-track faculty.
2. Provide a list of evaluators and include:
   1. A brief statement of their stature, qualifications, and relationship to the candidate.
   2. A sentence certifying that all letters of evaluation received are included in the dossier.
   3. The names and addresses of those who were invited to submit letters of evaluation but did not do so must be provided. The reason for the lack of response should be stated, if known, preferably in the form of a brief letter from the evaluator who declined.
3. Include four letters of evaluation.

VI. Supporting Documentation for Teaching Excellence (if not included elsewhere in dossier)

Examples include teaching evaluations, invitations to present material based on the candidate’s reputation, documentation of teaching awards, etc.

VII. Supporting Documentation for Other Areas of Accomplishment (if applicable) Bookmark each section and, within each section, each document.

1. Curriculum development
2. Strategic educational planning
3. Scholarly output (list of pending grants, grants and contracts awarded, research presentations, list of articles, etc.)

Submission of the Final Packet to the Executive Committee

Prepare one PDF file. The packet must contain bookmarks for each lettered and numbered section on the checklist. Ensure that each page is text searchable.