Promotion in the Teaching Professor Series

Lecturer

A lecturer is defined as any instructor who teaches courses for credit at UW-Green Bay and does not have a fixed renewable contract as defined in the Employee Handbook.

Compensation

From time to time, the university will need members of the community with special expertise to teach courses on an ad hoc basis (generally less than fourteen credits a year). A Dean of a College appoints this employee and has the discretion to determine compensation in accordance with the Compensation Guidelines. Semester-long fixed-term terminal lecturer appointments are for the term of the course only and provide no guarantee of future appointment.

See Payment Guidelines for Temporary Instructional Staff

Duration of Appointment

The title of Lecturer shall also be used to represent a fixed-term terminal one-year appointment which consists of 14 or more credits over a single academic year. This appointment is terminal at the completion of the year and provides no guarantee of future employment. However, lecturers may agree to a new one-year temporary appointment at the end of that year if offered by the Dean (and approved through the Position & Budget Control Process).

At the end of the second appointment period, the Dean and appropriate unit chair are expected to assess the long-term need for that unit. Should a continued need exist, the Dean may request funding and FTE allocation for an ongoing Assistant Teaching Professor or a tenure-track faculty line through the Provost Office and Position & Budget Control Process.

If available funding and allocation of positions warrant the ability to search for a fixed-term renewable AS or tenure track position, the lecturer may apply through competitive recruitment for an ongoing position. No waivers will be approved to appoint a person in a yearly position to the rank of Assistant Teaching Professor. UW-Green Bay will make the maximum feasible effort to invest in either a faculty line or a fixed renewable contract instead of continuing to employ lecturers on multiple consecutive fixed-term terminal one-year appointments

Assistant Teaching Professor

The title of Assistant Teaching Professor shall be used to represent a fixed renewable Instructional Academic Staff appointment which consists of 14 or more credits over a single academic year. An Assistant Teaching Professor is not obligated to seek a promotion to Associate Teaching Professor.

Read the UW Assistant Teaching Professor Standard Job Description

Job responsibilities, as outlined in the UW System standard job description for this title, include:

• Develops and designs curriculum and instructional material relevant to a course of instruction
• Advises students on academic and career direction within a specific field of study
• Facilitates classroom, online and/or laboratory instruction, including assessment of student performance
• Supervises student employees involved in development or delivery of instruction
• Collaborates with department faculty and staff to develop teaching strategies relevant to the discipline
• Contributes to the development of teaching and learning scholarly work including publications and presentations
• Contributes to the strategic development of curriculum and academic content through various mediums to ensure the integrity of the educational mission of the work unit 

Associate Teaching Professor

At any time, an Assistant Teaching Professors can seek to be promoted to Associate Teaching Professor. An Associate Teaching Professor is a title used as a promotion to designate excellent teaching and contribution to an academic unit’s curriculum at UWGB, as well as the likely potential for continued excellent teaching and curricular contribution.

Read the UW Associate Teaching Professor Standard Job Description

To be promoted to this title, you'll need to follow specific criteria outlined in the full job description, which is determined by and tracked within the Academic Unit (complexity of work, teaching evaluation, integration into the curriculum of the discipline). Promotion will occur following the recommendation of the academic unit, the Personnel Committee, the Dean, and all other appropriate institutional approvals as outlined in the Title Review Policy, using the following criteria:

• An impressive, sustained record of excellent teaching, as evidenced by student and peer evaluation, or other marks of achievement.
• Demonstrated instructional contributions to the department and college, and/or campus, and/or broader discipline.
• Demonstrated experience, beyond that of assistant teaching professor, in supporting student success
• 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
• Demonstrated experience in creating courses and contribute to the overall curricular mission of the unit
• Demonstrated record of consuming, implementing and/or producing creative activity or scholarship in teaching and learning

Teaching Professor

At any time after reaching the rank of Associate Teaching Professor, the ATP can seek promotion to Teaching Professor. This title recognizes meritorious service, departmental contribution or other factors which calls for recognition of the work of the employee and the potential for future exemplary work. 

Read the UW Teaching Professor Standard Job Description

To be promoted to this position, you'll need to align with the criteria aligned with the full job description, which is determined by and tracked within the Academic Unit (complexity of work, teaching evaluation, integration into the curriculum of the discipline). Promotion will occur following the recommendation of the academic unit, the Personnel Committee, and the Dean, and institutional approvals as outlined in the Title Review Policy, using the following criteria:

• 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
• Demonstrated instructional contributions to the department, college, campus, and/or broader discipline
• Demonstrated and recognized outstanding achievement in supporting student success
• 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
• Leadership in the creation of courses and in contributions to the overall curricular mission of the unit
• Representation of the unit on college or campus committees in support of the university’s instructional mission 

General Guidelines

For any teaching professor, no matter the rank, the following shall apply:

• A full-time workload consists of 27 credits per academic year.
• Teaching professors at any rank automatically has faculty status in their department.
• Teaching professors at any rank are considered fixed-term, renewable academic staff. Therefore, UW and UW-Green Bay Academic Staff policies as well as job security provisions, contract schedule and non-renewal notice rights as outlined in the Employee Handbook - Academic and University Staff apply to these appointments.
• Teaching professors at any rank are entitled to access to professional development funds through their academic unit.
• Upon recommendation from the unit’s Executive Committee and subject to the approval by the Dean of the College, a teaching professor with an ongoing appointment is eligible for a three-credit service reassignment for exceptional service to their unit, the University and/or the community. If the Dean declines to offer the three-credit reassignment, the Executive Committee of the department can appeal this decision to the Provost for the final decision.
• Compensation increases based upon promotion between Teaching Professor ranks is determined in accordance with the UW-Green Bay Title Review Policy and Compensation and Pay Plan Policy.
• Processes to appeal decisions related to promotion through Teaching Professor ranks are outlined in the UW-Green Bay Title Review Policy.
• Lecturers on fixed-term renewable contracts hired before the Total Title and Compensation project made the Teaching Professor title available are mapped into the Teaching Professor series based on a process defined by Human Resources. HR shall seek input on this decision from unit chairs and the college dean. Employees in this category can appeal this decision consistent with the appeal process outlined within the Title Review Policy.
• Though the UW-Green Bay Compensation and Pay Plan Policy prevents pay plan compensation increases for fixed-term terminal, temporary lecturers, administration shall make the maximum feasible effort to consider them for merit-based salary increases when the state legislature approves pay plan increases for state employees.
• As trained professionals who are experts in their field of study, all lecturers and teaching professors are entitled to the full expectation of academic freedom, as defined by the American Association of University Professors, in their classrooms, in their research and both in their intramural and extramural speech. At no time should the academic speech of any lecturer or teaching professor factor into the decision not to renew contracts or to any kind of disciplinary action.
• Consistent with AAUP standards for the professional development of non-tenure track faculty, any lecturer or teaching professor who teaches at least six credits in a semester shall receive an annual formative review by the Executive Committee of the unit with which the lecturer or teaching professor is associated. The Executive Committee can 16 designate the Chair to perform this review. The review shall include a professional activities report, teaching observation, and review of student evaluations. 

Promotion Process

An instructional academic staff member in an Assistant or Associate Teaching Professor rank is not obligated to seek promotion. It is not an “up or out” position. There is no “promotion clock” nor a standard number of years one must wait before seeking promotion. Rather, through regular communication with one’s Unit Chair regarding the criteria and responsibilities listed below, and at the advice of Unit members, the Teaching Professor may seek promotion at any time during their career. 

The point at which an employee in an Assistant or Associate Teaching Professor title is ready to be considered for promotion should be discussed during the candidate’s annual performance reviews. Through each annual review and evaluation of the employee’s PAR, the Unit’s Chair, Executive Committee, and Teaching Professors at a higher rank are to provide detailed and transparent feedback to the employee documenting their performance and progression toward promotion.

For details on promotion requirements, please see the Teaching Professor Series Promotion Guidelines.

Process and Timeline to submit paperwork for a Promotion Review/Decision:

• Early September: Assistant or Associate Teaching Professor informs the Unit Chair of their desire to seek promotion by submitting their portfolio through the Instructional Academic Staff Title Review Request. The portfolio should include:
  • A promotion narrative (including a statement/philosophy on teaching)
  • Current CV
  • Evidentiary File (evidence they are meeting the criteria required to promote to the next level title)
• Second Friday of November: Recommendation/approval from the Unit Chair for promotion is due to the appropriate Dean through BP Logix. If the committee supports the promotion, the chair will upload their written justification into BP Logix before submitting.
• Third Monday of November: Promotion recommendation requested by Dean from Personnel Council if applicable based upon the criteria below:
  • If the Unit Executive Committee’s recommendation is positive and the Dean agrees with the Unit’s recommendation, advice from the Personnel Council is not required.
  • If the Unit Executive Committee’s recommendation is positive, but the Dean does not agree with the Unit’s recommendation, advice from the Personnel Council must be sought.
• (If applicable) Friday before Spring semester begins: Recommendations for promotion to Associate or Full Teaching Professor from the Personnel Council are due in the Dean’s Office by the Friday before the Spring semester begins.
• February 28: Recommendation/approval for promotion is due from the Dean to the Provost through BP Logix.

The Provost reviews and approves the recommendation in BP Logix before forwarding it to HR/Budget for review. Following HR/Budget review, the promotion request proceeds to the Final Review Group. Decisions will be announced in March/April and promotion (title change and compensation adjustment) will be effective at the start of the following academic year or July 1st (depending on if the employee is on a 9-month or 12-month contract). 

This process is in line with what is outlined in the institutional Title Review Policy. At any time, the request can be denied in BP Logix. It is the responsibility of the party denying the request to provide written justification of the decision. The employee may appeal the denial decision by following the appeal process as outlined in the Title Review Policy.

Submit Promotion Materials