Term faculty are eligible for evaluation, renewal, and advancement in alignment with their appointments. Term tracks include: teaching, practice, clinical, research, adjunct, and affiliate. Professional and Scientific staff with faculty rank-only appointments may be eligible for advancement depending upon their faculty title.
Term faculty (full-time and part-time) shall receive an annual performance review by the department chair/school director (or designee). The review shall follow Faculty Handbook 5.1.1.2 Annual Reviews, college, and department/school guidelines.
Term faculty members, full-time and part-time, must be reviewed by an appropriate faculty committee periodically throughout their appointment.
While at the assistant professor rank, term faculty must be reviewed before the end of the third year after the initial appointment date. Subsequent peer reviews must occur every three years. The outcomes of the peer reviews must be reported to the department chair for consideration in annual review materials. Tenured and term faculty at the associate professor or professor ranks are eligible to serve on the review committee.
Term faculty at the associate professor or professor ranks must be reviewed at least every seven years. Tenured and term faculty at the professor ranks are eligible to serve on the review committee. (Faculty Handbook 5.4.1.2)
This peer review protects term faculty academic freedom by ensuring that disciplinary experts make judgments of quality of performance in areas of position responsibility.
Term faculty appointments are eligible for renewal based upon the quality of performance and the continuing need of the unit. Renewal of appointment for term faculty will be based on all annual performance evaluations and any periodic peer reviews completed since the initial appointment or previous renewal of appointment. When available, the outcomes of periodic peer reviews must inform appointment renewal decisions. (See Faculty Handbook 5.4.1.3)
All term faculty may be proposed for advancement to the next rank according to the schedule and current time at rank as specified in Faculty Handbook 3.3.2.3. Colleges and departments/schools specify procedures in their governance documents for advancing term faculty. Term faculty appointments at the assistant rank are eligible for advancement to the associate level after 5 years of employment as a faculty member at Iowa State University (full or part time) or equivalent experience. They must meet the standards for appointment identified in Faculty Handbook 3.3.2.3. Advancement reviews include both peer and administrative evaluation. For term research faculty, external letters must also be included in the review for advancement.
Recommendation materials for the advancement of term faculty are due from the colleges to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost on March 1. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or University holiday, nominations are due the next business day. Candidates are encouraged to check with their departments/schools to be aware of earlier department/school and college-level submission deadlines.
Advancement materials submitted by candidates to their departments/schools for review may vary by college and discipline. However, it is expected that candidates provide an advancement portfolio that aligns with their Position Responsibility Statement (PRS) and that demonstrates the quality and effectiveness of their work (e.g., student ratings of teaching, peer evaluation of teaching, sample course syllabi, advising accomplishments, list of publications or grants, clinical caseload, etc.). To strengthen the advancement materials, candidates are advised to have their materials reviewed at the department/school level, such as by faculty mentors. These individuals may share constructive feedback with the candidate.
The candidate is advised to prepare their documents in accordance with the college’s guidelines and/or advancement template. To strengthen the advancement materials, candidates are advised to have their materials reviewed at the department/school level, such as by faculty mentors, before submission. These individuals may share constructive feedback with the candidate that can be used to revise and strengthen the advancement portfolio. Each candidate’s advancement portfolio will contain the following materials:
The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost makes a selection of exemplary term faculty portfolios available for faculty review throughout the year. These portfolios are available via CyBox. If you are interested in reviewing these portfolios, please read the guidelines (DOC) and contact Mel Lee at mklee@iastate.edu or call 515-294-9591.
The advancement review process starts at the department/school level and is described in the department/school governance document. Information about advancement eligibility, criteria, process, and deadlines is available in the department/school governance document.
Once candidate advancement materials are submitted, a peer review by department/school faculty will take place and a vote recorded. In some departments/schools, there is a review committee that votes, in other departments/schools, all eligible faculty vote. These procedures are documented in the department/school governance document. The department chair/school director also reviews and votes on advancement before forwarding to the college dean for review and recommendation. The dean then forwards the portfolio and all votes to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost for a final decision. The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost will notify candidates of the final decision on advancement by May 1.
New faculty titles for term faculty approved for advancement are effective at the beginning of the fiscal year (July 1) for 12-month appointments and the academic year (August 16) for 9-month appointments. A standardized advancement increment will be added to the faculty member’s base salary according to institutional guidelines. The salary increment is in addition to, not a substitute for, any annual merit increase.
Please consult the Faculty Handbook Chapters 3 and 5 on term faculty appointment, evaluation, and advancement.
Key stakeholders in term faculty advancement, including committees, voting faculty, mentors, and academic leaders, examine information relevant to the evaluation of a candidate for advancement. The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost encourages those reviewers of term faculty advancement cases to complete an optional training before accessing a candidate's advancement materials.
Training is designed to provide stakeholders in the advancement process with information and resources to ensure they are well-informed about advancement policies, criteria, and expectations. The overall goal is to ensure stakeholders apply best practices throughout all phases of the advancement process.
Relevant resources in the advancement process include—
1. an 18-minute, narrated presentation titled, “Best Practices for Term Faculty Advancement.”
2. Term Faculty Advancement webpage, which includes information about evaluation; renewal; and advancement processes, expectations, and deadlines.
For questions about the advancement training and resources, contact your department advancement committee chair, department chair/school director, associate dean for academic personnel, or college Faculty Success Advisor.
