Faculty Appointment Guidelines

PREAMBLE

   In an attempt to bring more consistency to the appointment process and to improve the quality of our faculty, the Dental Branch Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee submits a proposal for guidelines in appointment considerations.

   This proposal arose out of concern that part-time faculty, especially less than 0.5 FTE, often are hired with little review and/or investigation of their clinical or teaching skills; and in many cases, those individuals move on to greater than 0.5 FTE or even 1.0 FTE in non-tenure track positions also undergo little review or evaluation and may be reappointed indefinitely or, in some instances, moved into tenure-tack positions without a competitive search occurring. At present, there are no policies or guidelines in place to aid in this process. The Committee, proposing such guidelines, does not presume to usurp the roles or rights of the department chairmen in selecting faculty, nor does it wish to "tie their hands" and cause delays when faculty positions must be filled quickly. The committee realizes the time and financial resources necessary to conduct searches. however, the Committee feels that the guidelines proposed would keep to a minimum the above while bringing some consistency to the way faculty are appointed and increasing the quality of the faculty that become a temporary or permanent part of the Dental Branch.

   The APT Committee feels that faculty to be appointed at 0.1 to 0.4 FTE should be selected after a local search but could be selected without one if the department chairmen can justify the need for haste. The Committee feels that faculty to be appointed 0.5 to 0.9 FTE should be selected after a local search to find the best qualified individuals. The Committee feels that any faculty to appointed to any 1.0 FTE faculty position should be selected through a national search.

   The APT Committee has included in this proposal a recommendation that any increase in FTE of faculty already hired or any move to a tenure-track position be reviewed first and that any promotion and tenure request go through the currently established procedures.

   Establishment of the appointment procedure should have a positive effect on the coming visitation by the ADA Accreditation Team. Furthermore, it will help avoid any perception of nepotism favoritism or non-compliance to EEOC regulations in faculty appointments by the department chairs.

   It is the sole intention of the APT Committee to improve the standards and quality of the Dental Branch faculty and to make the appointment process easier by making it more consistent. With this in mind, the Committee offers this proposal on appointment procedures for consideration and discussion.

Procedures for Faculty Appointment at the Dental Branch

A. 0.1 to 0.4 FTE Appointments

1. All positions will be advertised in the Dental Branch through e-mail and posting outside the Office of Professional Development.

2. Candidates identified by the department chair (preferably through an open process) will be reviewed by a standing "Departmental Faculty Review Committee" which is composed of at least three senior faculty members (Associate Professor or Professor). This committee will evaluate the qualification of the candidate and will make recommendation to the department chair.

3. Chair will submit letter of request for appointment to the Dean along with the recommendation from the "Departmental Faculty Review Committee."

4. Dean will forward the appointment request, along with all credentials of the candidate, to FAPT Committee for recommendation to appropriate appointment. The FAPT Committee will make a recommendation to the Dan within 3 working days after receiving the candidate’s credentials.

5. Dean will notify the department chair of his decision.

6. Change in FTE resulting in an appointment of 0.5 or higher FTE must follow the guidelines listed in Section B (0.5 to 0.9 FTE Appointments) Section C (1.0 FTE Appointments) of this document.

B.  0.5 to 0.9 FTE Appointments

1. The position must be advertised.

2. A search committee, complying with currently approved guidelines, must be formed to review candidates and make a recommendation to the department chair.

3. The department chair will send a letter of request for appointment to the Dean, along, with all credentials and references for the candidate.

4. The Dean will forward all materials to the FAPTC Committee for review and recommendation for appropriate appointment level.

5. Within five (5) working days after receiving the candidate’s credentials, the FAPT Committee will make a recommendation to the Dean.

6. The Dean will notify the department chair of his decision.
   
7. Any increase in FTE must be requested, with justification, by the department chair to the Dean and reviewed by the FAPT Committee for recommendation of action.

1. A nationally advertised search is required.

2. A search committee, complying with currently approved guidelines, must be formed to review candidates and make a recommendation to the department chair.

3. The department chair will send a letter of request for appointment, along with all credentials and references for the candidate, to the Dean.

4. The Dean will forward all materials to the FAPTC Committee for review and recommendation for appropriate appointment level.

5. The Dean will notify the department chair of his decision.

D.  Promotion and Tenure Considerations

1. Promotion from one academic rank to another, regardless of FTE, must follow currently approved guidelines, which include petition to the Dean with complete package of credentials, forwarding of information to the APT Committee for review and recommendation of action to the Dean, action of the Dean and/or HSC Administration

2. Consideration for tenure for full-time faculty on tenure track at any rank must follow currently approved guidelines.

3. A change from non-tenure track to tenure track, from tenure track to non-tenure track, from clinical track to tenure track or from tenure track to clinical track must come in the form of a justified request to the Dean from the department chair and must be reviewed by the FAPT Committee for recommendation of action.

E.  Other Recommendations

     All candidates for clinical faculty appointment, regardless of FTE, must be reviewed by the Credentialling  Subcommittee of the Quality Assurance and Risk Management Committee for recommendation of appropriate credentialling.