Mid-cycle review

[fizzycist]

Is "teaching appointments" a typo for teaching assistants?

I took haven't read the fora enough to know what vid is talking about.

[Vid]

The way that faculty positions are coded in my institutions is weird.

My appointment is mostly Research and I have no teaching appointments. My department is a new department and the college is trying to enhance our grad programs. The college just provided funds to my department to hire around 10 Ph.D. students. This is the reason why my department chair said I am trying to give you some teaching appointments (5-10%).

RuralGuy: Also,  I do not over-interpreting people's reactions to my interview (I do not really have time for that) but the way they act and behave has changed. They seem upset and not interacting with me like before and behave differently which is understandable :)!

The position that I was hired for was a cluster hire and 3 out of 4 faculty left for good!

Thank you.

[Mobius]

Why would a teaching appointment improve your position? Are you soft funded? If you are bringing in money, what other issues are at play?

[Ruralguy]

It certainly sounds as if its a soft/hard money issue, as well as perhaps a tenure-line has to have a certain amount of base-line teaching issue.

[Mobius]

My general advice is if you want tenure, then do what your department, chair, and dean want. If you don't, still listen to them until you find something else.

A mid-cycle review is simple in that it is supposed to help determine if you're on track for tenure. I've heard of people thinking the direction they get is garbage and think they can continue on without changing anything. Good luck to those taking the route, since they are going to need it while on the market.

[Vid]

RuralGuy: I amnot on soft money. I am a TT faculty. My school is a strong R1 univ. So it is not uncommon to have high research appointments.

I have now 8 grad students and my request was to have a teaching appointment so that I can teach my own students the special topics/subjects in my research areas. Currently, my students take courses in other departments (since our grad program is not there yet) that are not in their areas of interest. They just take it to fulfill the credits courses. My department/college is planning to improve our grad program so the plan is to give teaching appointments to those faculty who have the potential to teach grad courses.

I hope I address your questions. Thank you, all.

[Hibush]

RuralGuy: I amnot on soft money. I am a TT faculty. My school is a strong R1 univ. So it is not uncommon to have high research appointments.

I have now 8 grad students and my request was to have a teaching appointment so that I can teach my own students the special topics/subjects in my research areas. Currently, my students take courses in other departments (since our grad program is not there yet) that are not in their areas of interest. They just take it to fulfill the credits courses. My department/college is planning to improve our grad program so the plan is to give teaching appointments to those faculty who have the potential to teach grad courses.

I hope I address your questions. Thank you, all.

Starting a class for the grad students is very good and should be recognized as a leadership move on your part. Having an official teaching appointment that corresponds to your effort is a good way to reflect it officially, which is helpful at tenure time. The reappointment review is an excellent time to get that sorted out.

[Ruralguy]

I'm asking question out of ignorance because I haven't been in an R1 environment for a long time, and I wasn't a faculty member, so only indirectly knew about matters such as contracts and teaching loads. About how common is it for a tenure track faculty member at a top R1 to have no teaching duties at all?
I seem to recall from my undergrad years at such a place that only the Nobel laureates had zero teaching, and even one of them volunteered to cover an undergraduate lab class. Of course, that was many years ago. I only now know well friends and colleagues at less competitive R1's and they all have regular teaching, actually have actively worked on pedagogy (some have published on it), and have won teaching awards.

[Hibush]

I'm asking question out of ignorance because I haven't been in an R1 environment for a long time, and I wasn't a faculty member, so only indirectly knew about matters such as contracts and teaching loads. About how common is it for a tenure track faculty member at a top R1 to have no teaching duties at all?

At the R1 land grants, faculty duties are split among research, teaching and extension. Usually >50% research because it is a research institution. The rest is usually either teaching or extension. Senior professors without administrative responsibilities might split three ways, eg to teach one course a year.

Extension is the work using one's research knowledge to engage with and benefit society. It is not limited to agriculture.

[Vid]

RuralGuy; we have several faculty with 100% research appointments in my department and the college (through the TPR committee) makes some expectations such as on average 5 (good-strong) publications/year, 1-2 good grants every 2 years, etc. These expectations are for TT faculty that I am aware of.

Also, it is not uncommon to let the faculty member go after the mid-cycle review. They just terminated a TT faculty in my department last year bc of low productivity (he was 80%R, 20% T). So the mid-cycle review is a time that they will tell TT faculty if he/she is on a good track or not.

Hibush: Yes, you are right, grad courses are recognized as a leadership move on but the point is how I make that request during the mid-cycle review. Any tips/strategies? How do I bring it up? The Dean and Associate Deans are good and supportive, the problem is my department chair--he doesn't want us to enter the teaching space in the department!

Thank you.

[Ruralguy]

Thanks for the information. I guess part of the problem is that terms such as "SLAC", "R1" and "R2" have a lot of dynamic range of teaching and research expectations.  But now I am a bit better calibrated for the range of R1's.

[mleok]

RuralGuy: I amnot on soft money. I am a TT faculty. My school is a strong R1 univ. So it is not uncommon to have high research appointments.

I have now 8 grad students and my request was to have a teaching appointment so that I can teach my own students the special topics/subjects in my research areas. Currently, my students take courses in other departments (since our grad program is not there yet) that are not in their areas of interest. They just take it to fulfill the credits courses. My department/college is planning to improve our grad program so the plan is to give teaching appointments to those faculty who have the potential to teach grad courses.

I hope I address your questions. Thank you, all.

I have never been at a R1 where a purely research appointment is tenure-track.

[Bbmaj7b5]

RuralGuy: I amnot on soft money. I am a TT faculty. My school is a strong R1 univ. So it is not uncommon to have high research appointments.

I have now 8 grad students and my request was to have a teaching appointment so that I can teach my own students the special topics/subjects in my research areas. Currently, my students take courses in other departments (since our grad program is not there yet) that are not in their areas of interest. They just take it to fulfill the credits courses. My department/college is planning to improve our grad program so the plan is to give teaching appointments to those faculty who have the potential to teach grad courses.

I hope I address your questions. Thank you, all.

I have never been at a R1 where a purely research appointment is tenure-track.

Exactly. I'm at a massive R1, and if you don't teach you are a research professor, which is not tenure track.

[Vid]

All; I talked with my department chair. The mid-cycle review seems to be an informal meeting to discuss if I am on track to get tenured.

being an informal meeting might make it ideal for discussing my needs :)

Thank you.