Faculty Status

Faculty are defined as those academic personnel engaged in the delivery of academic instruction, research and creative activity, academic advisement, and supervision of students in field placements, including internships, fieldwork, clinical placements, co-op experiences, research and student teaching. In addition, faculty and those with faculty status participate in the maintenance of the pedagogical integrity of the University by their involvement in curricular development, the articulation of academic standards, the assessment of student learning outcomes, the supervision of students in curricular activities and external studies and the teaching and modeling of professional behavior. Teaching faculty are defined as faculty engaged in teaching which results in credit generation as their primary assignment. Selected administrators and staff may have faculty status as a condition of their employment; these administrators with faculty status may have a defined academic rank and an appointment to a specific academic department.

  • Full-time Faculty Member: An individual contracted to teach, advise students, assess learning and/or perform other assigned responsibilities on a full-time assignment.
  • Administrator or Staff Member with Faculty Status: An individual contracted to fulfill an administrative or staff appointment who has faculty status and may have an assigned rank and an appointment to an academic department.
  • Adjunct Faculty Member: An individual contracted to teach, to participate in curricular development and evaluation, to participate in the assessment of student learning and/or undertake other academic responsibilities on a per-course or course equivalency basis.
  • Clinical Adjunct Faculty Member: An individual contracted to serve in an adjunct faculty position within the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.
  • Limited Contract Faculty Member, Practitioner, or Visiting Assistant, Associate, or Professor: An individual employed to teach or undertake certain defined responsibilities for a specified period of time on a full-time basis. Such employment will be conditional upon university need and funding. Responsibilities are the same as a full-time faculty member. Renewal of contracts for individuals in this category is determined on an annual basis depending upon university and program need and available funding. Renewal of contracts is never guaranteed.
  • Professor of Practice:  An individual employed to typically teach 10 courses (30 credits) annually and who is not eligible for promotion in rank or other faculty benefits such as educational loans and professional development funding. Professors of Practice are exempt from faculty standing committee assignments, faculty scholarly and creative activity and University service requirements. Additionally, faculty holding this status are not eligible for overloads.  Minimum of a Master’s degree with significant professional experience in the field.