Title of "Teaching Professor"?

[ktmkwk]

I am trying to find out more about how titles using "teaching professor" are used at various institutions.  If you are at an institution that uses this title, I'd appreciate a bit more information about what it actually means.  Are they fixed term?  Do they have the possibility of indefinite appointment?  Are they eligible to be departmental chairs and such?

Feel free to pm me or post.  Thanks in advance for your consideration.

[Parasaurolophus]

We don't have them here (we're all 'instructors'), but at my postdoc institution we had a few, and I know of a few at some other major Canadian universities. These are TT positions but with a higher teaching load and different expectations for tenure. At my postdoc institution, the teaching assistant professors teach 2-3 more classes than regular faculty, have somewhat reduced publication expectations for tenure, and are expected to be involved in some kind of pedagogical project for the tenure file.

[mahagonny]

It's too late for that, as far our school goes. The administration has gone out of its way to identify 'adjunct faculty' as a non-intentional presence, and our union likes the term 'adjunct faculty' either because the stigma reflects poorly on the party (or parties) who assign(s) it, or just because that's how we've gotten a little publicity and wind in our sails, or both reasons. I suspect this is common.

[dismalist]

Here is a more general statement

https://www.aaup.org/report/professors-practice

Nor every detail is descriptive of all institutions, but the general drift corresponds to the handful of places I know about.

[lightning]

We don't have "Teaching Professor" titles at my uni, but every university that I know of that uses the "Teaching Professor" title are usually talking about what most places call NTT FT instructors with maximum possible teaching & service loads, with no research expectations and less governance.

[Wahoo Redux]

We don't have "Teaching Professor" titles at my uni, but every university that I know of that uses the "Teaching Professor" title are usually talking about what most places call NTT FT instructors with maximum possible teaching & service loads, with no research expectations and less governance.

This is my job, a 5/5; I'm called a "Lecturer."  We did have a "Clinical Professor" on the faculty with a 4/4 load whose position was eliminated and hu was rehired as a 5/5 "Lecturer."  There are now, I think, five of us lecturers in the department.  None of us are supposed to have service work, all of us do.  We could probably back out of our service, but none of us have yet.  We don't have the heavy-lifting service, however, for which I am thankful.  Some of the lecturers try to get in on the heavy-lifting, probably so they can feel like "Professors."

The "Professor" title sounds much cooler than "Lecturer," IMHO.

[dr_codex]

We don't have that rank. We do have "Senior Lecturer": renewable contracts, up to 5 years, with no research expectations and no  service obligation, which is one kind of equivalent.

Canadian institutions got on board the "Teaching Professor" earlier; it's helpful for faculty who aren't researchers (sometimes because they are active professionals). It can be a kind of parachute for faculty who no longer have active research agendas; they forego the course releases, and pick up 4/4 loads.

Berkeley spells out their policy on titles in ways that might be of interest: https://apo.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/teaching_professor_03-19-2015_policy.pdf

[Ruralguy]

We have the same thing as Codex, but you can't default into it from the tenure track (well, not since the first person tried!) .

At our school they *may*serve on committees, have a vote, and  I guess can be chair, but it would all have to be totally voluntary since there is no service requirement for the position, or research.

[whynotbc]

We have teaching professors. Contracts are terminal with set number of years though can be renewed if demonstrated need is there. Virtually all have been renewed. They can be promoted, though only one promotion level. Not required to take part in college service but they are welcome to. They are required to maintain professional growth - scholarship is not required. Only tenured faculty can be chairs thought teaching professors can direct programs.

[ktmkwk]

Thank you all for your replies.  This is really helpful!

[Puget]

We do not have this title, but we have full-time NTT faculty on renewable 3-5 year contracts who can be promoted through the ranks (assistant, associate, full)-- These are the titles they use on email, websites etc, so students are generally completely unaware of the distinction. They teach more than TT faculty, and also do service and some research with undergrads and masters students, but cannot take PhD students (but can and do serve on PhD committees). They are full voting members for everything except for T&P committees.

[fourhats]

A number of universities have this title for tenured/TT faculty. The teaching load is higher, but it comes without research obligations.

[MaterialIssue]

For those who have a "teaching faculty," are they full members of the faculty? That is, can they vote for the chair of their department? Are they on a tenure-track? Paid comparably to traditional TT faculty?

We are moving toward a "teaching faculty" designation but none of the details have been worked out. For the current full time NTT instructors, we are largely disempowered in shared governance and want to be made traditional stakeholders. I am hoping this is the case at some universities so we can point to them at examples.

[dr_codex]

For those who have a "teaching faculty," are they full members of the faculty? That is, can they vote for the chair of their department? Are they on a tenure-track? Paid comparably to traditional TT faculty?

We are moving toward a "teaching faculty" designation but none of the details have been worked out. For the current full time NTT instructors, we are largely disempowered in shared governance and want to be made traditional stakeholders. I am hoping this is the case at some universities so we can point to them at examples.

All full-time faculty are full members -- they can vote in all elections, including chair. They can, after a period of time, apply for a conversion to tenure track, with the customary caveat that if they don't earn tenure, they will not be renewed. Less customary, they cannot be renewed as NTT faculty. Pay is close, if not exactly comparable; contracts are highly variable across the campus, so this is tricky to answer.

We did, explicitly, disenfranchise P/T faculty from voting a few years ago. There were very specific reasons for doing it, and it was almost certainly a poor decision.

I should say that I teach at a campus with an unusual mix of faculty. Many of us do not have terminal degrees, and are qualified by virtue of holding valid licenses. (We aren't nursing, but the comparison is close enough.) Many are not career academics, and never want to be, but parts of our setup are designed to allow them to advance through traditional academic ranks if they so desire. We have come up with a number of local titles in order to facilitate this, and to aid retention.

PM me if you want to know more.

dc

[Porcupine]

My institution has this title for non-tenure-track yet full-time & permanent faculty who don't do research/only do minimal research to meet accreditation standards. They are on annual contracts but after promotion to associate level they don't have to be reviewed again.