The Faculty Role

The USHE faculty member is a valued community participant, a member of a learned profession, a colleague, and a representative of the college. Faculty at Salt Lake Community College make a commitment to serve their students, their colleagues, their discipline, and the College in a manner befitting Salt Lake Community College’s mission. Faculty at Salt Lake Community College are selected, retained, and promoted primarily on the basis and evidence of effective teaching. Secondary criteria include scholarly, professional, creative achievements, and service that complement the teaching role (USHE R312-6.1.3).

Definitions and Evaluation of Academic Ranks at SLCC

Salt Lake Community College depends on and values a diversity of faculty appointments and ranks.

Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Rank

Lecturer: The rank of lecturer is an appointment for full time non-tenure track faculty whose exclusive duties are in teaching. Lecturers teach one additional class beyond normal full-time teaching load. Lecturers engage in professional development to the extent required to stay credentialed or current in their scholarship and pedagogy and to remain qualified to teach. They attend department meetings to the extent required to stay informed on issues and plans related to their teaching. Lecturers are evaluated each year through the Full-Time Faculty Evaluation Process and Instructions (Section 7). They are evaluated only in the area of teaching. Lecturers will receive Form 3 Non-Tenure Track Faculty Evaluation Summary.

Instructor: The rank of instructor is a soft-funded appointment for full time non-tenure track faculty. They exhibit evidence of effective teaching, engage in professional activities that permit them to increase their disciplinary competence and strengths, and they engage in service to the College. Instructors are evaluated each year through the Full-Time Faculty Evaluation Process and Instructions (Section 7) and will receive a Form 3 Non-Tenure Track Faculty Evaluation Summary.

Tenure-Track Faculty Ranks

Assistant Professor: Assistant Professors are tenure-track faculty. Tenure-track faculty are hired at the rank of Assistant Professor. They exhibit evidence of effective teaching, engage in professional activities that permit them to increase their disciplinary competence and strengths, and they engage in service to the College and community. Years served as an assistant professor prepare faculty to apply for tenure. Assistant Professors are evaluated each year during the Pre-Tenure Probationary Period through the Full-Time Faculty Evaluation Process and receive a formal Letter of Evaluation each year.

Associate Professor: Associate Professors are tenured faculty. Faculty are promoted to the rank of associate professor upon the award of tenure. Associate professors demonstrate consistent commitment to continued development in teaching, professional activity, and service. Associate professors develop, review, and revise programs and course curricula. They undertake department, school, college-wide, and community-wide responsibilities (when appropriate), including leadership and mentoring roles that contribute to the attainment of their department’s mission and goals, as well as those of the College. Associate Professors are reviewed according to the Full-Time Faculty Evaluation Process and Instructions.

The academic supervisor and tenured faculty of a department may request that the president recommend to the Board of Trustees granting of full tenure upon hiring. (e.g., a new faculty member with tenure and rank from another institution). If approved by the Board of Trustees, the faculty will be hired at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor.

Full Professor: Full Professor is the highest rank for faculty. Application for full professor is optional. In addition to exceeding the standards of professional performance of a tenured professor in teaching, full professors are expected to demonstrate a pattern of professional engagement in and beyond their home departments. Full professors are reviewed according to the Full-Time Faculty Evaluation Process. Full professors demonstrate a pattern of the following qualities:

• Leadership: Full professors are leaders. They voluntarily seek out opportunities to make positive differences not just for themselves, but for others.
• Deep Engagement: Full professors are deeply engaged with issues in teaching, their profession, and the institution. Full professors are notable for their contributions.
• Commitment to the College’s Vision, Mission, and Values: All faculty must adhere to SLCC’s Vision, Mission, and Values. Full professors demonstrate leadership and deep engagement with them.