Professional Development

Guidelines for Instructional Faculty Promotion 2022

Guidelines for Instructional Faculty Promotion 2023 (Goes into effect no later than May 26, 2023) 

In order to demonstrate appreciation for their many contributions to the University of South Florida (hereafter also referred to as 鈥渢he University鈥� or 鈥淯SF鈥�) and to encourage continued career development, the University provides a promotional career path for individuals who hold full-time, non-tenure track teaching positions. This document sets forth the promotion process guidelines for full-time, non-tenure track instructional faculty at the University.

Please note:
These guidelines are in the process of being revised to reflect the range of instructional faculty titles at the University, including the Professor of Instruction series and Instructor series listed below. 

Professor of Instruction Series: Assistant Professor of Instruction, Associate Professor of Instruction, Professor of Instruction

Instructor Series: Assistant Instructor, Associate Instructor or Senior Instructor 

ELIGIBILITY

These guidelines apply to full-time faculty with the job titles of Instructor I, Instructor II, and Instructor II and can be applied to the new Instructor and Professor of Instructor series until the new guidelines are finalized and approved. 

At the discretion of the academic unit in which the applicant鈥檚 appointment resides, up to three years of full-time employment at USF as a Visiting Instructor or prior appointment comparable to that of Instructor may count toward the number of years required for promotion eligibility. Years employed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant or Adjunct do not count toward the number of years required for promotion eligibility, even if the teaching assignment was similar to the assignment of an Instructor. Individuals must have been awarded the appropriate degree associated with the primary duties as defined by the academic unit in which the appointment resides.

The decision to apply for promotion rests with the individual, and there is no penalty for one鈥檚 choice not to apply nor for failure to be granted promotion after applying.

The candidate may withdraw their application for promotion at any stage in the process prior to the dean鈥檚 review.

Instructors who have been conferred a rank (e.g., Instructor II, Instructor III) within any academic unit at USF will maintain that rank upon transfer to another academic unit. Subsequent promotion (e.g., from Instructor II to Instructor III) will be subject to the criteria and processes of the new academic unit to which they are assigned.

In some cases, Instructors may be asked or elect to assume significant alternative assignments. In such cases, all areas of assigned duty will be considered in the evaluation for promotion, but in all cases, excellence in teaching must be demonstrated.

REQUIREMENTS OF PROMOTION LEVELS

Promotion to Instructor II

  1. Five (5) consecutive years of experience at Instructor I is typically required prior to consideration for promotion to Instructor II. Earlier eligibility may be considered for outstanding candidates.
  2. Instructors will be considered for promotion to Instructor II on the basis of meritorious performance. Excellence in the principal assigned duty is required. If the applicant has multiple areas of assignment, substantive contributions are also required in proportion to the assignment(s). If an individual has equal primary FTE assignments, one area must be designated as the primary area and ratings assigned accordingly.
  3. This evaluation should be comprehensive and consistent with, but not solely determined by annual evaluations. General procedures for this evaluation are set out below.

Promotion to Instructor III

  1. Five (5) years of experience at Instructor II is typically required prior to consideration for promotion to Instructor III. Earlier eligibility may be considered for outstanding candidates.
  2. Instructors will be considered for promotion to Instructor III on the basis of meritorious performance. Promotion to Level III recognizes not only continuing progress as an Instructor, but may also consider leadership, innovation, and contribution to teaching, scholarship, community engagement, or institutional success and acclaim. It is required that at the end of the promotion review process, the conclusion is that Excellence was demonstrated in the principal assigned duty. If the applicant has multiple areas of assignment, substantive contributions are also required in proportion to the assignment(s). If the applicant has equal primary FTE assignments, one area must be designated as the primary area and ratings assigned accordingly. In assigning ratings for Level III, evaluating units should assess whether the individual has demonstrated continuous professional development and has achieved significant accomplishments in their primary area of assignment beyond that considered at the Level II review, based on criteria established by the college/department/unit. Promotion to Level III recognizes not only continuing progress as an Instructor, but may also consider leadership and contribution to teaching, scholarship, community engagement, or institutional success and acclaim. However, for purposes of promotion, the primary focus of the review must be the contributions made by the candidate in the area of teaching.
  3. This evaluation should be comprehensive and consistent with, but not solely determined by, the annual evaluations obtained after reaching Instructor II. General procedures for this evaluation are set out below.

UNIT-LEVEL CRITERIA AND PROCESSES

Academic units with faculty holding the position of Instructor will maintain procedures for processing applications and criteria for promotion within that unit. Criteria for promotion, specifying documented and measurable performance outcomes, must be developed by the units and reviewed every five (5) years. The standards should, at a minimum, include (i) definitions of Excellence of performance, (ii) a list of all supplementary documentation required for submission, and (iii) criteria to be used in determining requests for early promotion. Academic unit criteria shall be approved by a majority of the full-time instructors (at all ranks), tenured and tenure-earning faculty in the unit, the unit head (for departments and schools), the dean, and the provost or designee.

Each academic unit shall ensure that the criteria and procedures are shared annually with all Instructors at Level I and Level II. The general process is as follows (and can be found along with the promotion application form):

REVIEW PROCESS

Sequence of Review

Specific levels of review are determined by the College. The general sequence of review for relevant levels and unit heads is as follows: The department (or equivalent) promotion committee, followed by review by the head of that unit, then the college committee. If relevant to the Instructor鈥檚 home campus (St. Petersburg or Sarasota-Manatee), the Regional Chancellor will provide a formal review prior to the review by the College Dean. Finally, the College Dean reviews all materials and provides a final decision.

Notification

The Dean鈥檚 Office will publish a list of Instructors in the college who are eligible to apply for promotion within the typical timeframe. This list should be provided annually by mid-September to all Instructors currently at Level I and Level II.

Application

Applications for promotion shall be initiated by candidates in consultation with their immediate unit head (e.g., department chair) during the fall preceding the promotion process that occurs during the following spring semester. The unit head will inform candidates of the materials they will be expected to provide in support of their applications and provide guidance regarding additional supplementary documents to be submitted with the application. The Dean鈥檚 office will be responsible for adding student assessment of instruction to the application. Specific contact information for this person will be provided in detail to all candidates. Instructors are encouraged to submit documentation demonstrating other forms of teaching effectiveness including but not limited to peer review of teaching, midcourse student evaluations and subsequent adjustments, development or revision of curriculum and course structure, and innovative practices.

Academic Unit (e.g., department and/or college) Review Committees

Academic unit review committees within the Instructor鈥檚 academic unit review the application. The committees consist of at least three faculty from the Instructor鈥檚 academic unit. Instructor representation should be included on each committee. At least one member of each committee should be a faculty member at the same campus as the candidate (i.e., Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee).

Level II and Level III Instructors as well as Associate and Full Professors may review applications for promotion to Level II. Only Level III Instructors, Associate Professors, or Full Professors may review applications for promotion to Level III.

The committees evaluate the application, vote, assign overall ratings for each relevant area of assigned duties, and provide a recommendation concerning promotion along with a narrative that justifies the assigned ratings. A written evaluation
and the results of the vote will be recorded as a part of the packet and forwarded to the next reviewing entity. Where a split evaluation exists, a minority report may accompany the majority recommendation. The applicant shall have the right to review the file following the committee review and attach a brief response to any materials contained therein, including the evaluation section(s) prior to the next stage of review.

Dean Review

The College Dean reviews all materials and provides a final decision and supporting narrative. A narrative only needs to be provided in cases where promotion is not recommended. The narrative should specify the reasons for that decision and make suggestions for improvement that might result in a positive decision at a later date. 

Disputes

In the event that the applicant disagrees with the decision made by the College Dean, a grievance may be sought as detailed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but such grievances are restricted to violations of that Agreement.

Timeline

At the college鈥檚 discretion, Instructor promotion reviews may be conducted as part of the regular tenure and promotion cycle, or may be conducted at a separate time. However, final decisions regarding promotion must be completed before the end of the Spring semester each academic year.

Instructors should notify their chair of their desire to submit an application for promotion by September 30 and submit an application in February. Initial committee (e.g., departmental) review will occur by March 1, where applicable; College Committee review by March 15. All recommendations and reviews will be circulated to the College Dean for a response by April 1.

Decision and Notification

A list of Instructor promotion decisions are to be provided by the College to the Office of the Provost by no later than April 15th each year. The Provost鈥檚 office will notify the instructor of the decision and the associated salary increase before the end of the contract year. The Chair/Director, Dean and Human Resources are included in this communication.

Application Here