4.30 / Teaching Professor Incentive Review Program

Effective: December 11, 2017

  1. Purpose

    Establish a voluntary incentive review program for non-tenure track faculty holding the level of Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator.

  2. Preamble

    The voluntary incentive review program is intended to provide an opportunity for a (1.0 EFT) non-tenure track faculty member holding the level of Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator at Wichita State University for six (6) years to be eligible for salary supplements based on the faculty member's continuing professional work. Any Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator, including those holding administrative positions, may apply for the merit award if they feel that they meet the criteria provided in paragraph five below.

  3. Policy

    1. The voluntary incentive review program is available to all faculty members who have held the level of Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator at Wichita State University for a minimum of six (6) years (whose appointment is 1.0 EFT) and who have not received an incentive supplement under this policy in the last six years.

    2. Eligible faculty members interested in participating in the voluntary incentive review program shall submit their names to the Chair of the department by the appropriate Spring deadline of their fifth (5th) year as a Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator at WSU, at the same time as faculty seeking promotion to Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator as noted in the Tenure and Promotion Calendar. The candidate for the voluntary incentive review will present a primary dossier comparable to a promotion dossier to the department, highlighting work completed since the last review; the candidate may prepare a secondary dossier.

    3. Chairs interested in participating in the voluntary incentive review submit their dossiers to the Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator of the department for review. Chairs who are candidates for the Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator Incentive Review Program do not participate in their own evaluation or in evaluations of candidates in the Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator Incentive Review Program, or when the Chair has a conflict of interest. Such cases automatically go forward without prejudice for review at the next level.

    4. Salary supplements under this policy are part of the merit pay system, not the tenure and promotion process. The criteria for award of a salary supplement are the same as the criteria for promotion to Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator (in effect at the time the candidate files an application for full professor incentive review). In the interests of fairness and to assure comparable standards across campus, the process for review is the same as for promotion to Full Professor, and will process through the stages of the tenure and promotion review process.

      The process of review involves these steps:

      1. Nomination for review.
      2. Departmental review of nominees by the departmental committee* and by the Chair.
      3. In favorable or appealed** cases, college/school/University Libraries review of departmental nominations by the college/school/University Libraries tenure and promotion committee and by the college/schools/University Libraries dean.
      4. In favorable or appealed** cases, University review of college/school/University Libraries nominations by the tenure and promotion committee and by the Provost.
      5. In favorable or appealed** cases, approval by the president of the University.

      *In departments having fewer than three faculty members with appropriate rank, the college/school/University Libraries faculty will develop appropriate review procedures subject to the approval of the college/school/University Libraries dean.

      **Procedures have been established for appeal in the case of an adverse promotion recommendation at the department, college/school/University Libraries and University levels.

      Note: The applicable policies and procedures may be found in the WSU Policies and Procedures Manual, Chapter 4.

    5. The requirements for a successful Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator incentive review merit award require that a candidate demonstrate sustained, successful performance in the areas of responsibility as defined in their role statement. This might include teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate level, as well as service to the University and to the profession commensurate with the level of Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator. It is the responsibility of the candidate to supply clear and convincing evidence in each area.

    6. Satisfactory completion of the voluntary incentive review program will result in payment of a salary supplement to the participating faculty member that equals the salary supplement paid to a person promoted to Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor or Senior Educator at the same time.

  4. Implementation

    This policy shall be included in the WSU Policies and Procedures Manual and shared with appropriate constituencies of the University.

    The Provost shall have primary responsibility for publication and implementation of this University Policy.