Term Faculty Advancement

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 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 judgements 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 promotion 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. 

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. Each candidate’s advancement portfolio will contain the following materials:

• The department/school completes the standard university cover sheet (PDF | DOC) for each case and forwards the cover sheet with the candidate’s materials.
• Resource Document: Guidelines for Completing the Cover Sheet for Term Faculty Advancement
• All Position Responsibility Statements (PRS) utilized during the review period. For affiliate faculty only: provide affiliation agreements utilized during the review period.
• Updated curriculum vita (CV)
• A narrative summary of candidate accomplishments. Each college has established a template and guidelines for the candidate’s summary of accomplishments. This narrative summary will list and provide detail and context regarding the candidate’s accomplishments during the review period. The candidate summary will be limited to 10 pages.
• Voting record (PDF | DOC)

See the following college-level templates and guidelines: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ivy College of Business (DOC), Design (PDF), Engineering (DOC), Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine

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 (PDF) 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. 

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.