4.1.1 Teaching Faculty
The primary responsibility of NTT teaching faculty is teaching. They generally are not expected to conduct research or perform public, institutional, or disciplinary service as a condition of their employment. However, research or service activities may be included as part of their effort depending on the needs of the department and the skills and desires of the faculty member.
Departments should have consistent criteria for deciding teaching assignments. Departments should consider the views of NTTF when making decisions that directly impact their role (e.g., for teaching schedules, teaching assignments, and other issues that impact quality of teaching and working conditions in various NTTF roles). The expected maximum teaching responsibility of a full-time faculty member engaged only in classroom teaching is 12 credit hours each semester. The precise teaching responsibility of an individual will be based on such things as class size and the number of examinations, papers, and other assignments that require grading and evaluation. In addition, the number of different courses taught and other appropriate considerations will be used to determine teaching responsibility. Classroom teaching responsibility may be reduced by the department head for other justifiable reasons including, without limitation, student advising, active involvement in research and/or creative activities (with publications or other suitable outcomes), direction of graduate theses or dissertations, teaching non-credit courses or workshops, administrative duties, and institutional and/or public service.
Teaching faculty may be appointed under either the lecturer title series or the teaching professor title series:
- Lecturer Series: Faculty appointed to this title series hold a degree (or its professional equivalent) appropriate to their disciplines.
- Lecturer: Individuals holding this rank have shown promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
- Senior lecturer: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
- Distinguished lecturer: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated and maintained a consistent record of excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
- Teaching Professor Series: Faculty appointed under this title series hold the terminal degree appropriate to their disciplines. The following ranks or titles may be assigned: teaching assistant professor, teaching associate professor, and teaching professor.
- Teaching assistant professor: Individuals holding this rank have shown promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
- Teaching associate professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
- Teaching professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated a consistent record of excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
- Instructor: In addition, the instructor title is available for faculty members who are appointed through a search for a tenure-track faculty position but do not hold the appropriate terminal degree at the time of appointment.
Instructors are expected to have all qualifications listed for appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor, except for completion of the appropriate terminal degree. Upon certification that the requirements for the terminal degree have been completed, promotion to the rank of assistant professor will generally follow, at which time the tenure-track probationary period, typically six years, begins. Clear expectations for completion of the appropriate terminal degree shall be included in the letter of appointment. Instructors who do not complete their degree requirements within 12 months of their appointment will be terminated.
4.1.2 Research Faculty
The primary responsibility of NTT research faculty is to conduct research. They generally are not expected to engage in teaching or perform public, institutional, or disciplinary service as a condition of their employment. However, teaching or service activities may be included as part of their effort, depending on the needs of the department and the skills and desires of the faculty member.
The following ranks or titles may be assigned to research faculty: research assistant professor, research associate professor, and research professor. Faculty appointed to this title series should have completed a doctoral degree or terminal degree appropriate to the field.
Research assistant professor: Individuals holding this rank have shown promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Research associate professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Research professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated and maintained a consistent record of excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
4.1.3 Clinical Faculty
The primary responsibility of NTT clinical faculty is to provide instruction to students in a clinical setting and provide professional services to the hiring unit. Research or service activities may be included as part of their effort, depending on the needs of the department and the skills and desires of the faculty member.
The following ranks or titles may be assigned to clinical faculty: clinical instructor, clinical assistant professor, clinical associate professor, and clinical professor.
Clinical instructor: This rank is for those who have completed a degree appropriate to the field or who are licensed or certified to practice the profession where appropriate. Individuals holding this rank show promise in their ability to teach students in a clinical setting or in courses related to clinical practice.
Clinical assistant professor: This rank is for those who have completed a doctoral degree or terminal degree appropriate to the field and who are licensed or certified to practice the profession where appropriate. Individuals holding this rank have shown promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Clinical associate professor: This rank is for those who have completed a doctoral degree or terminal degree appropriate to the field and who are licensed or certified to practice the profession where appropriate. Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Clinical professor: This rank is for those who have completed a doctoral degree or terminal degree appropriate to the field and who are licensed or certified to practice the profession where appropriate. Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated a consistent record of excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
4.1.4 Faculty of Practice
NTTF of practice are typically appointed to meet instructional and research needs. Service activities may be included as part of their effort, depending on the needs of the department and the skills and desires of the faculty member. Appointment to the faculty of practice title series is for those who have achieved distinction in their chosen field of practice, and who bring to the university unique practical experiences and talents that will benefit students. Recommendations for faculty of practice appointments must contain a description of the appointee’s professional experience, especially if it is to be used in lieu of typical academic credentials. The expectation is that those appointed to a faculty of practice position have professional experience in the field. Other faculty titles should be used for appointees without professional experience. The hiring unit must also complete an alternative credentialing request based on the courses the appointee will teach if they do not hold a terminal degree.
The following ranks or titles may be assigned to faculty of practice: assistant professor of practice, associate professor of practice, and professor of practice. Faculty appointed to this title series should hold the terminal degree in the field and/or have equivalent capabilities by virtue of professional experience, professional licensure, and/or certification.
Assistant professor of practice: Individuals holding this rank have shown promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Associate professor of practice: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Professor of practice: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated and maintained a consistent record of excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
4.1.5 Extension Faculty
NTT extension faculty are appointed to meet outreach and engagement needs in UT Extension. The primary responsibility of NTT extension faculty is to conduct outreach and engagement assignments for UT Extension. They generally are not expected to conduct traditional academic research or engage in for-credit, classroom teaching as a condition of their employment. Extension faculty are expected to conduct externally funded work and to publish the results of that work. Faculty appointed to this title series should have completed a doctoral degree or terminal degree appropriate to the field.
The following ranks or titles may be assigned to NTT extension faculty: extension assistant professor, extension associate professor, and extension professor.
Extension assistant professor: Individuals holding this rank demonstrate an ability to initiate and implement outreach and engagement programs or projects, publish, and obtain external funding. They show promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Extension associate professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated continuous improvement and contribution in Extension and outreach education supported through grants and contracts over a period of years. Individuals holding this rank will have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Extension professor: Individuals holding this rank have a record of outstanding outreach and engagement impacts with a strong record of publications as well as support by grants and contracts over a period of years. Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated and maintained excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
4.1.6 Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty provide intermittent service, compensated or volunteer, to a hiring unit, depending on need and mutual agreement regarding the terms of the service. The qualification “adjunct” is appropriate for faculty appointments of individuals whose career paths lie primarily in another position or employment. That is, the appointment is “adjunct” or ancillary to the career of the appointee and auxiliary to the faculty of the unit. Adjunct appointments, therefore, are necessarily part-time and temporary, although it is acknowledged that some appointees teach or provide service on a predictable, but intermittent or episodic basis.
Adjunct faculty originate from one of two sources. The first source is university staff exempt employees with appropriate expertise who, on occasion, provide instruction or participate in research. The second source is individuals external to the university who have special expertise useful for the accomplishment of the unit’s mission. Because an adjunct appointment is necessarily part-time, adjunct faculty do not participate in faculty governance in the unit in which the appointment is held.
Appointees should hold the terminal degree in the field and/or have equivalent capabilities by virtue of professional experience. Recommendations for adjunct faculty appointments must contain a description of the appointee’s professional experience, especially if it is to be used in lieu of typical academic credentials. The hiring unit must also complete an alternative credentialing request based on the courses the appointee will teach if they do not hold a terminal degree. Departments and colleges are expected to have processes in place to periodically review and consider for reappointment all adjunct faculty appointments, including for those who hold the title as a courtesy, those who have little to no service responsibilities, and those who have infrequent interactions with the unit.
The following ranks or titles may be assigned to adjunct faculty: adjunct assistant professor, adjunct associate professor, and adjunct professor. In addition, the “adjunct” qualifier can be combined with other titles in this chapter, especially to designate part-time, temporary, and/or intermittent appointments.
Adjunct assistant professor: Individuals holding this rank have shown promise for excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Adjunct associate professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Adjunct professor: Individuals holding this rank have demonstrated and maintained a consistent record of excellence in areas of responsibility assigned to them.
Although uncompensated adjunct faculty members are not employees of the university of Tennessee, they are subject to certain university policies as a condition of receiving and retaining this honorary title.
4.1.7 Visiting Faculty
Visiting faculty carry out instructional and/or research responsibilities within an academic department. Professional credentials and/or the terminal degree required for the university’s professorial ranks are also required for appointments as visiting faculty. Normally, the rank of appointment will be the professorial rank that the individual holds at their home institution; however, the standards of scholarship for holding visiting faculty rank will be the same as required for the university’s own faculty. Visiting faculty do not participate in the governance of the department and are not subject to annual performance reviews. Typically, a visiting faculty appointment is made for a maximum of 12 months. The qualifier “visiting” can be combined with other titles in this chapter.
4.1.8 Joint and Intercampus Appointments
Joint faculty appointments typically involve participation in the teaching or research of two or more departments or research units within the university or under the terms of a Joint Faculty Agreement between the university and another entity, such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The primary department with which the faculty member is affiliated, through which all matters of promotion, salary, and review are processed, is the “home” department. On all matters, the home department should consult with the department head and faculty of the other unit. Where joint appointments involve equal time in two or more units or service primarily within an interdisciplinary program, it is the shared responsibility of the heads, deans, or other administrative officers to make appropriate recommendations; and in such cases, one of the two units should be designated as the home department. The initial appointment letter must specify the faculty member’s home department, administrative reporting relationships, and the peer group(s) to be consulted in promotion recommendations. The university recognizes that as the shape of knowledge changes, new disciplinary and interdisciplinary needs may emerge which do not precisely correspond to existing administrative or departmental lines.
Joint faculty appointments may also be authorized for faculty members in one department who have expertise that qualifies them for participation in the work of another department on the same or another campus, and when the department has need of their services. The nature and extent of such interdepartmental or intercampus NTT joint faculty appointments is determined by mutual agreement between the faculty member and the department heads in consultation with appropriate faculty of the academic units involved, and the respective deans, vice chancellors, or other campus officers. In these cases, the following principles are observed:
- The appointment may be with or without salary in the cooperating or second department (i.e., the unit awarding the interdepartmental or intercampus joint faculty appointment); salary, if any, continues to be linked with the home department;
- The head of the home or primary department recommends the interdepartmental or intercampus joint faculty appointment to the head of the cooperating department, following informal discussion or negotiation;
- The joint faculty appointment is made by the cooperating department with approvals by the dean and chief academic officer;
- The specific joint faculty title in the cooperating department is determined by mutual agreement between the head and the faculty member, subject to approval by the dean and chief academic officer.
4.1.9 Emeritus or Emerita
Upon the recommendation of the department head and dean, faculty members who are at the rank of distinguished lecturer, research professor, clinical professor, professor of practice, or extension professor at the time of retirement may be awarded the title of emeritus or emerita by the chief academic officer on behalf of the chancellor.