401-1 Faculty Qualifications
| Title: |
Faculty Qualifications |
| Owner: |
Office of the Provost |
| Last Update/Revised: |
11/05/2020 |
Policy: Faculty Qualifications In alignment with USU’s accreditation the university has clear policies on faculty qualifications, roles and responsibilities. Specifically, faculty are involved in teaching, program development and review, governance and other matters. As a graduate degree granting institution, the preponderance of faculty hold relevant terminal degrees and a sufficient number of faculty members to exert collective responsibility for the development and evaluation of the curricula, academic policies, and teaching and mentoring of students.
Core Faculty Academic Ranks and Qualifications
Instructor
An Instructor shall:
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Hold at least a Master's degree from a recognized graduate school with concentration in the appropriate specialty area.
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Have evident ability as a teacher in higher education with substantial promise for successful development as a faculty member and University community member.
Assistant Professor
An Assistant Professor shall:
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Hold an appropriate earned doctorate or other terminal professional degree from a recognized graduate school.
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Under exceptional circumstances, a Core Faculty member may be appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor without a terminal degree provided that the Core Faculty member under consideration has completed at least 75% of coursework toward a terminal degree and is actively engaged in completing the appropriate terminal degree.
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In such cases, the responsible College Dean, in consultation with the College faculty, will make a recommendation to the Provost. The Provost, in consultation with the Faculty Senate, will make the final 16 appointment determination.
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Demonstrate ability as a teacher and mentor in higher education.
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Provide substantial evidence of professional expertise in one's area of specialization, commitment to the basic mission and goals of the University, and the potential to function as an engaged University citizen.
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Demonstrate additional strength in one of the following areas:
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Involvement in scholarly or creative activities;
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Involvement in service to the profession;
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Involvement in service to the community.
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Has a minimum of five (5) years of teaching experience.
Associate Professor
An Associate Professor shall:
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Hold the appropriate earned doctorate or terminal professional degree from a recognized graduate school. Demonstrate established excellence in teaching and mentoring in higher education.
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Provide substantial evidence of contributions to and reputation in one's field of expertise, demonstrated translation of the University mission and goals into one's teaching and professional activities, and demonstrated contributions as a productive member of the academic community.
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Demonstrate additional strength in one of the following areas:
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Contributions in scholarly and creative activities (e.g., publications, performances);
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Contributions to the profession in service activities;
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Contributions to community service activities.
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Shall have a minimum of 5 years of full-time teaching at the rank of Assistant Professor, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Professor
A Professor shall:
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Hold the appropriate earned doctorate or terminal professional degree from a recognized graduate school.
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Demonstrate superior performance in teaching and mentoring in higher education.
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Provide substantial evidence of accomplishments and leadership in one's field of expertise, demonstrated accomplishments and leadership in translating the University mission and goals into one's teaching and professional activities, and demonstrated accomplishments and leadership as an exemplary citizen of the academic community.
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Demonstrate additional strength in one of the following areas:
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Accomplishments and leadership in scholarly and creative activities (e.g., publications, performances)
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Accomplishments and leadership to the profession in service activities;
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Accomplishments and leadership to the community in service activities.
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Have a minimum of 5 years of full-time teaching at the rank of Associate Professor, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Application of Qualifications for Academic Rank
No Core Faculty member previously hired by the University shall lose their appointed academic rank by application of the qualifications set forth in this Faculty Handbook. Rank will be awarded based on meeting the qualifications for the rank and must be awarded in sequence. A higher rank may be considered based on documentation of achievement of previous rank and meeting the qualifications for the applicable rank. Adjunct Faculty are not ranked at USU.
College of Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty Qualifications
The nursing faculty who teach the APRN courses will have current unencumbered RN license or multi-state privilege to practice registered nursing in California, a current unencumbered California APRN certificate, a graduate degree in nursing or a health related field in the population focus, two years of APRN clinical experience, current knowledge, competence and certification as an APRN in the role and population focus consistent with teaching responsibilities. For certain states, faculty may require further RN and APRN licensure.
Adjunct Faculty Academic Qualifications
Except in extraordinary circumstances, adjunct faculty must hold the following qualifications:
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Terminal degree appropriate for program from a regionally accredited or equivalent institution
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Three to five years relevant work experience; an appreciation of the vitality of the scholar-practitioner model of instruction
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Familiarity with higher education, curriculum planning, best teaching and administrative practices
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Dedication to the ongoing and systemic assessment of student learning
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Commitment to curriculum planning, the adoption of best teaching and administrative practices, and/or a record of teaching excellence
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LMS facility (whenever applicable); understanding of the various methods of learning
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Demonstrable commitment to student support
Purpose: United States University has a tradition and an ongoing intention of welcoming excellent practitioner scholars to the faculty. USU follows standards outlined by their institutional accreditation body for recruiting, hiring, and developing faculty. Deans must ensure that faculty also meet criteria established by accrediting bodies for programs particular to their colleges. All USU faculty must have completed their program of study at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the discipline in which they will teach or develop curricula.
Scope: The scope of this policy applies to all current faculty.
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