by the UFWW Contract Team
Senior Instructor is a new position for non-tenure-track faculty (see relevant Contract sections). However, the contract does not specify that the new position comes with new responsibilities. From the union’s perspective, here are the salient issues:
- Promotion to Senior Instructor is a recognition and reward for excellent contributions to the university. For most non-tenure-track faculty, that contribution is exclusively teaching and the associated duties, such as advising students enrolled in their classes. For others, such as Program Directors in Woodring, the contribution includes paid administrative duties. The reward includes a higher base salary and the opportunity for greater job predictability with multi-year contracts.
- Multi-year contracts are possible but not assured.
- Programmatic needs remain primary in the assignment of non-tenure track faculty to courses. The contract does not guarantee that Senior Instructors will be reappointed if they are not qualified to teach the courses that a department needs to offer.
- Promotion is based on an evaluation of responsibilities that are compensated. Other unpaid activities, such as scholarship, service, or professional development, may be included in the evaluation materials because they may enhance a candidate’s case for promotion. Their absence, however, cannot reflect negatively on the candidate’s evaluation.
- Promotion is based solely on the merits of the candidate. The current budget situation is not a factor.
- Department plans need clear standards and a transparent process for potential candidates. As stated in 8.2.2, the decision to promote is made by the department, dean, and Provost. It is important that departments devise a process that involves at least some tenure-line department members in a predictable way. The recommendation does not rest solely with the department chair in spite of the chair’s primary role in other non-tenure track evaluations.
- If a non-tenure track faculty member has assignments in more than one department and the combined FTE is at least .5 FTE for 5 years, they are eligible to apply for Senior Instructor (though it is possible that a dean may not realize that a person is eligible when the work occurs in two different colleges). Candidates must apply to each department with materials that reflect the work provided in that department. To prevent confusion, a CV or cover letter should clarify that additional work is performed elsewhere.
- Promotion does not affect the demands on Senior Instructors. Like other non-tenure track faculty, they cannot be required to participate in activities for which they are not compensated. They are expected to continue to provide high-quality teaching (and paid administrative duties in some cases).