Preamble
The University at Albany community is growing in its understanding and appreciation for the value and importance of the contribution of lecturers in the delivery of high-quality instruction at all levels of the academic curriculum. There are presently more than 100 full-time lecturers at UAlbany. Full-time lecturers may also be appointed to other qualified campus titles (e.g., visiting professors, clinical professors, research professors and professors of practice). This corps of academic faculty is essential to the success of our students enrolled in all the institution’s schools, colleges and programs.
As part of a concerted effort to address the professional environment for contingent faculty, a career path has been charted that recognizes and rewards the contribution of individuals appointed in full-time non-tenure-track positions based on their experience and the quality and impact of their performance. The University inaugurated this program in the 2019-2020 academic year with an initial cohort of ten candidates. That process was delayed by the COVID 19 pandemic and was paused in Fall 2020. In updating and republishing these guidelines, we have resumed the program in 2023 and plan to continue it.
Proposed Career Path
Following review of their academic credentials, contingent academic faculty are normally initially appointed for a semester or a year as Lecturer to teach three or more courses each semester and to contribute to the service needs of their department, school or program. Appointments may be renewed based on department/school/program needs and evidence documenting the performance of the faculty member, to include, at a minimum: peer review of course syllabi, sample course materials, grade distributions, student commentary and course evaluations. Peer observation and a conversation with the appointee about their teaching experience with the Department Chair/Program Director or their designee are also expected.
Based on years of service, Lecturers will be eligible to apply for promotion to Lecturer II and Senior Lecturer.
Promotion to Lecturer II
Following six years of continuous uninterrupted service (twelve semesters), a Lecturer will be eligible to apply for promotion to Lecturer II. The criteria for promotion are excellence in teaching and institutional service. Each academic unit will be responsible for articulating the promotion standards for each criterion.
The review is to be rigorous and based on a dossier of evidence assembled by an assigned faculty case manager that includes the following:
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- Statement of Teaching Philosophy
- Listing of Courses Taught (by semester, with enrollment)
- Course Syllabi
- Course Materials
- Grade Distributions
- Student Course Evaluations (both raw data and compiled averages with comparisons to departmental averages)
- Peer Course Observation (at least three)
- Teaching Awards
- Statement of Service
- Documentation of Service
- Documentation of Scholarship Pertaining to the Appointment
The dossier will be available for review for two weeks by faculty in the department or school appointed at the rank of Lecturer II or higher, and by all faculty appointed in tenured or tenure- track ranks. The faculty will meet to discuss and vote on the case, and a written record of the discussion and recommendation will be created and added to the file. A copy of the department faculty recommendation will be given to the candidate, and the case will be advanced to the Chair, Dean or Director, as appropriate.
Where applicable, the Chair/Director will prepare a recommendation for or against promotion, based on the dossier and the comments and vote from the faculty. A copy will be added to the file and provided to the candidate.
Following the Chair/Director’s recommendation, the case will be advanced to the applicable Dean, who will prepare a recommendation. A copy will be added to the file and provided to the candidate.
Cases advanced to the Provost will be reviewed by a committee composed of senior faculty members appointed by the Provost. This committee will review the file and add a recommendation. A copy will be provided to the candidate.
As required by the Agreement, the candidate will have five business days to review and comment on the dossier before it is presented to the Provost who will review the dossier and approve or deny the promotion on behalf of the President. Incomplete dossiers will not be reviewed.
Once underway, the review shall normally take no more than one academic year to complete.
Appointment as Lecturer II will be accompanied by a $2,500 base salary increase. Lecturer II faculty will also be listed and recognized among the faculty on the department’s, school’s or program’s webpage.
Promotion to Senior Lecturer
Review for promotion to Senior Lecturer will follow the same procedure as for promotion to Lecturer II. Candidates for promotion to Senior Lecturer will normally have completed six years of continuous uninterrupted service (twelve semesters) as Lecturer II. The criteria for promotion to Senior Lecturer are excellence in teaching and institutional service. While each academic unit will be responsible for articulating the promotion standards for each criterion, it is expected that the Senior Lecturer rank will be reserved for truly exceptional exemplars of teaching achievement. A $3,500 base salary increase will accompany the promotion to Senior Lecturer.
Timeline
The timeline for each academic year will be announced to Lecturers by their Deans at the beginning of the academic year. Here is a general timeline to facilitate the planning:
- Mid-August: Guidelines are distributed to Deans
- Late August: Eligible candidates notify Department Chair or Program Director of their request to be considered for promotion, copying the appropriate Dean
- Early September: The Dean’s Office provides the Provost’s Office with a list of eligible candidates who plan to apply for promotion
- Mid-September: The Provost’s Office will confirm eligibility and notify the Dean’s Office
- Early November: Deadline for posting dossiers for review by unit faculty
- Mid/Late November: Deadline for faculty recommendation
- Mid-December: Deadline for department chair/director recommendation; where applicable, deadline for dean recommendation
- Late January: Deadline for submission of complete file to Provost’s office
- Mid/late March: Deadline for campus review committee recommendation
- Early April: Deadline for candidate to review the file per the Career Pathway procedures
- Early/Mid- May: Anticipated notification of Provost’s decision
- September 1: Effective date of promotion and salary increment for successful cases