Faculty Appointments

Brief Description

This administrative policy statement identifies and defines the different types of faculty appointments and the terms and conditions associated with them. The campuses have until January 1, 2024, to implement the changes approved effective July 1, 2023.

Reason for Policy

Identifies types of faculty appointments and approved faculty titles.

Policy Profile

I. Introduction

II. Policy Statement

All faculty appointments shall adhere to the provisions of this APS.

Faculty Appointment Classifications
1. Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty: Tenured and tenure-track faculty generally support multiple missions of the university, with activities in each of three areas of teaching, scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service, and where relevant, other activities relative to their specific units (e.g., clinical activity, librarianship). Tenure may be awarded only to faculty members with demonstrated excellence in either teaching or scholarly/creative work and at least meritorious performance in the other areas. Tenure standards are further specified in APS 1022 (including additional considerations for the Colorado Springs campus and additional requirements for specific schools on the Anschutz Medical Campus).
2. Instructional, Research, and Clinical (IRC) Faculty¹: IRC faculty generally focus their activities on one primary mission of the university. Appointment of faculty members to a specific series and track is based on their primary area of responsibility. For promotion within a track, faculty members must demonstrate excellence in their primary area of responsibility.
  1. Instructional Series: Teaching (and where appropriate, librarianship) is the primary activity of faculty members in the Instructional Series. This series includes the Teaching Professor Track and the Instructor Track. Each school or college with Instructional faculty may have additional requirements for faculty holding these titles.
  2. Research Series: Research is the primary activity for faculty members in the Research Series. This series includes the Research Professor Track and the Professional Research Assistant/Research Associate Track. Each school or college with research faculty may have additional requirements for faculty holding these titles.
  3. Clinical Series: Depending upon the track, faculty members in the Clinical Series have their primary activity in healthcare education, clinical or public health practice, or work in a healthcare or health sciences setting. This series includes the Clinical Teaching (C/T) Track, the Clinical Practice Track, and the Clinical Track. Each school or college with clinical faculty titles may have additional requirements for faculty holding those titles.
    
    ¹Due to differences in academic career paths on the Anschutz Medical Campus, IRC faculty may have a broader range of responsibilities than is described in section II.A.2 of this policy, and which is reflected in workload assignments and promotion standards. Faculty should consult campus policy.
3. Supplemental Faculty: Includes contingent teaching faculty (lecturers and senior lecturers), faculty-in-residence, and museum faculty.
Faculty Titles
1. Appendix A provides a list of faculty titles that have been approved for use by all campuses.
2. Campuses may develop working titles. Working titles do not replace an individual’s official faculty job title (as provided in Appendix A). If a campus elects to use working titles, the campus shall have a policy for approving and assigning working titles and definitions of working titles shall be publicly available. An individual’s working title shall be noted in the personnel record.
Terms of Appointment

The terms of a faculty appointment shall either be continuous, limited, indeterminate, or at-will and shall be specified in the contract or employment agreement.
1. Continuous appointments are provided only to faculty upon award of tenure and shall only be terminated by resignation, retirement, or revocation through applicable regent laws and policies.
2. Limited appointments are for a specified period. Conditions for termination before the end of the specified period are stated in the letter of offer. Limited appointments may be renewed but renewal is not guaranteed. Notice of nonrenewal shall be provided according to campus policy.
3. Indeterminate appointments are for an unspecified period of time and their continuance is dependent upon inclusion in the approved budget and available funding as stated in the letter of offer. Additional conditions for termination are stated in the letter of offer.
4. At-will aappointments are those where an employee does not have a contractual right, express or implied, to remain in the university’s employ and where either the university or employee may lawfully terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause.
Reappointment and Promotion
1. Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty
  
  Policies governing the reappointment and promotion of tenured and tenure-track faculty are provided in regent law and policy and elaborated in a separate APS. See Regent Policy 5.C: Faculty Appointments, Regent Policy 5.D: Reappointment (to a tenure-track position), Tenure, and Promotion, and APS 1022 – Standards, Processes and Procedures for Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion, and Post-Tenure Review.
2. Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty
  
  Per section II.A.2 of this APS, for promotion within a track, IRC faculty must demonstrate excellence in their primary area of responsibility.
  1. As specified in Article 5.C.3: Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty of the Laws of the Regents, each campus shall have appropriate policies on the appointment, reappointment, promotion, and termination of IRC faculty.
  2. Article 5.C.3: Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty of the Laws of the Regents further states that campus policies shall include rights of appeal and associated procedures for IRC faculty. Further, all campuses must adhere to state law, regent law and policy, and any associated administrative policy statements. Campus policies and the employment agreement/contract shall:
    1. Provide any applicable process for an individual to appeal a decision related to reappointment, promotion, or termination.
  3. APS 5053 - Multi-Year Contracts for Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty describes state of Colorado statutory provisions which allow multi-year contracts for IRC faculty. Subsection (C) of Regent Policy 5.C.3: Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty Appointments encourages campuses to award multi-year contracts to high performing faculty members in accordance with applicable state law and available financial resources.
  4. As stated in Regent Policy 5.C.3: Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty Appointments, the terms or a link to the terms for promotion, reappointment, and termination of IRC appointments shall be established in a letter of offer or employment agreement/contract.
  5. Campuses are encouraged to provide mentoring opportunities for IRC faculty as resources allow.

III. Related Policies

IV. History

Appendix A: Faculty Titles

Faculty titles serve several purposes:

Define a range or series of titles in promotional tracks
Broadly characterize the requirements for hiring into a particular title and being promoted from one level to another
Are associated with specific benefits in the HR system
Are associated with certain rights and privileges in shared governance
Are often an outward facing statement to the CU community and the general public of positions
Are used in compliance settings, such as the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty

Tenured and tenure-track faculty will generally support multiple missions of the university, with activities in each of the three areas of teaching, scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service, and where relevant, other activities relative to their specific units (e.g., clinical activity, librarianship). Tenure may be awarded only to faculty members with demonstrated excellence in either teaching or scholarly/creative work and at least meritorious performance in the other areas. Tenure standards are further specified in APS 1022 - Standards, Processes and Procedures for Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion, and Post-Tenure Review (including additional considerations for the Colorado Springs campus and additional requirements for specific schools on the Anschutz Medical Campus).

Only faculty members in this series are eligible for tenure. Tenured faculty members hold continuous appointments. Faculty members in the tenure-track typically have limited term appointments (see Regent Policy 5.D.1 – Tenure Probationary Period); however, in some schools and colleges, tenure-track faculty may have indeterminate or at-will appointments.
1. Assistant Professor: should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent qualifications. They should be well-qualified to teach at the undergraduate or graduate levels, participate in scholarly/creative work, and if applicable, clinical activities.
2. Associate Professor: should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent qualifications, a record of successful teaching experience, accomplishment and promise for significant contributions in scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service experience. If applicable, they will also have a record of successful clinical activity. In most cases, the award of tenure accompanies appointment or promotion to associate professor, with the exception of some schools and colleges on the Anschutz Medical Campus, and the University of Colorado Law School, where promotion and tenure can be separate processes.
3. Professor (also called “Full Professor”): should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent qualifications, and: (a) a record since earning the terminal degree or equivalent qualifications that, taken as a whole, may be judged to be excellent; (b) a record of significant contribution to graduate and undergraduate education, unless individual or departmental circumstances can be shown to require a stronger emphasis, or singular focus, on one or the other; and (c) a record since receiving tenure or promotion to Associate Professor that indicates substantial, significant, continued growth, development, and accomplishment in teaching, scholarly/creative work, leadership and service, and if applicable, clinical activities.
4. Distinguished Professor: This title is extended by the Board of Regents to recognize the outstanding contributions of tenured full professors to their academic disciplines (see subsection (J) of Regent Policy 5.C(2) – Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Appointments and APS 1017 – Procedures for Implementing Regent Actions on Distinguished Professorships). The faculty awarded this title must demonstrate accomplishments in accordance with the following criteria: (a) excellence in the promotion of learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills; (b) distinguished performance in scholarly/creative work; and (c) outstanding leadership and service to the profession and to CU and/or affiliate institutions. It is reserved for a select group of faculty members who are leaders in their respective fields as attested to by national or international recognition and/or their significant public service achievements.
Instructional, Research, and Clinical (IRC) Faculty²

IRC faculty will generally focus their activities on one primary mission of the university. Appointment of faculty members to a specific series and track is based on their primary area of responsibility. For promotion within a track, faculty members must demonstrate excellence in their primary area of responsibility.

IRC faculty members are either employees at-will, or per state statute, may qualify for alternative contracts (see APS 5053-Multi-Year Contracts for Instructional, Research, and Clinical Faculty). If the IRC faculty member is:
- engaged in at least 50% teaching or librarianship, then they may qualify for a multi-year contract for up to five years, which constitutes a limited appointment (See C.R.S. 24-19-104(1.5)(d)).
- performing research in a university setting, then they may qualify for a multi-year contract for up to five years, which may be a limited appointment (See C.R.S. 24-19-104(1.5)(c)).
- engaged in at least 50% clinical activity, then they may qualify for a limited or indeterminate appointment. (See C.R.S. 24-19-108.1.b).
  1. Instructional Series
    
    Teaching (and where appropriate, librarianship) is the primary activity of Instructional Series faculty members. Instructional faculty are expected to demonstrate continued professional growth in their fields. Each school or college with Instructional faculty may have additional requirements for faculty holding these titles. Teaching professor track faculty may have a differential workload including teaching, and to a limited degree, scholarly/creative work and service. Instructor track faculty may have a differential workload including teaching and to a limited degree, service. Campuses can choose whether to use the teaching professor track, the instructor track, or both.
    1. Teaching Professor Track
      1. Assistant Teaching Professor: should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent experience and should be well-qualified to teach at the level of instruction to which they are assigned.
      2. Associate Teaching Professor: should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent experience, and a record of successful teaching experience.
      3. Teaching Professor: should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent experience, and a consistent record of excellent teaching and pedagogical development since being appointed as Associate Teaching Professor.
    2. Instructor Track
      1. Instructor: should have at least their master’s degree or equivalent experience and should be well-qualified to teach at the level of instruction to which they are assigned.
      2. Senior Instructor: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience and a record of successful teaching experience.
      3. Principal Instructor: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience, and a consistent record of excellent teaching and pedagogical development since being appointed as Senior Instructor.
  2. Research Series
    
    Research faculty will focus their primary activities on the research mission of the university. The Research Professor Track is intended for those who, while advancing through the track, will have increasing responsibility for generating independent research funding, conducting research, and supervising graduate students. These faculty may also have a role in the instructional mission beyond supervising graduate students. Faculty members on the Professional Research Associate/Assistant track are not involved in the instructional mission and, except for the highest rank, are not expected to generate research funding or have independent responsibility for research projects.
    1. Research Professor Track
      
      The primary duty of faculty members in the Research Professor track is to conduct research, but they are also involved, to a limited degree, in the instructional mission of the university, especially in the advising of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, or other trainees. Schools/colleges may establish minimum qualifications that exceed those stated in this APS. Faculty appointments to the Research Professor track must be sponsored by an academic primary unit or by a research institute. Appointments sponsored by research institutes must be co-sponsored by an academic primary unit. For promotion within a track, faculty members must demonstrate excellence in their area of research.
      1. Research Scientist: should have at least a master’s degree in their field or equivalent experience. They should have evidence of abilities in research.
      2. Senior Research Scientist: should have at least a master’s degree and may have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically may have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have evidence of participation and beginning leadership in research.
      3. Assistant Research Professor: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have a record of progressive research expertise and collaborative research activities that contribute to the discovery of knowledge.
      4. Associate Research Professor: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have a sustained and consistent record demonstrating research expertise, leadership in advancing knowledge, and research collaboration that contributes to the development of knowledge.
      5. Research Professor: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have a sustained and consistent record demonstrating research expertise, leadership in advancing knowledge, and research collaboration that is recognized as contributing to the development of knowledge. They should also have demonstrated substantial, significant, and continued growth and development since being appointed as Associate Research Professor.
    2. Professional Research Assistant/Research Associate Track
      
      The primary duty of individuals in the Professional Research Assistant (PRA)/Research Associate series is to conduct research. Individuals in this series are not involved in an instructional program of the university.
      1. Professional Research Assistant (PRA): should have a bachelor’s degree. This title is held by individuals competent to carry out research for which they are hired. A PRA works in a collaborative role with the principal investigator and contributes substantively to the investigation and analysis of the project. As a collaborator on the project, the PRA may receive full credit as co-author of publications and technical reports, and shares responsibilities in the research setting. Ph.D. students pursuing research for their dissertation should not be appointed as PRAs for that work. Ph.D. students who would be working outside their direct area of study may be hired as PRAs.
      2. Senior Professional Research Assistant: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience. Appointment to this title is regarded as a promotion above the rank of PRA. This title is held by individuals competent to carry out research. Ph.D. students pursuing their dissertation should not be appointed as Senior PRAs for that work. Ph.D. students who would be working outside their direct area of study may be hired as Senior PRAs.
      3. Research Associate: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience. Research Associates generally participate as a team scientist and may lead independent research. This title is not intended for those who are continuing their training as a researcher and should not be used in lieu of a post-doctoral appointment.
      4. Senior Research Associate: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience. Senior Research Associates collaborate or lead research teams or lead independent research. This title is not intended for those who are continuing their training as a researcher and should not be used in lieu of a post-doctoral fellowship appointment.
      5. Faculty Research Associate: Faculty members in the university who are temporarily assigned as “Research Associates” are given this title.
  3. Clinical Series
    
    Clinical faculty titles are meant for faculty working in healthcare education, clinical or public health practice, or a healthcare or health sciences setting.
    1. Clinical Teaching (C/T) Track
      
      Faculty on the Clinical Teaching Track have primary responsibility for teaching, and/or supervising or mentoring students in a healthcare/health sciences setting, and/or direct engagement in healthcare/health sciences activities or public health practice. Clinical Teaching Track faculty are expected to demonstrate continued professional growth in their fields. Each school/college with Clinical Teaching Track faculty titles may have additional requirements for faculty holding these titles.
      1. Instructor, Clinical Teaching Track: should have a master’s degree in their field or equivalent experience and should be well qualified in their primary area(s) of responsibility.
      2. Senior Instructor, Clinical Teaching Track: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience and a record of successful experience in their primary area(s) of responsibility.
      3. Principal Instructor, Clinical Teaching Track: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience and a consistent record of excellence in their primary area(s) of responsibility.
      4. Assistant Professor, Clinical Teaching Track: should have the terminal degree in their field or equivalent experience and demonstrated success in their primary area(s) of responsibility.
      5. Associate Professor, Clinical Teaching Track: should have the terminal degree in their field or equivalent experience, considerable evidence of success in their primary area(s) of responsibility and demonstrated leadership and service.
      6. Professor, Clinical Teaching Track: should have the terminal degree in their field or equivalent experience, and a record of excellence in their primary area(s) of responsibility that indicates substantial, significant, and continued growth and accomplishment.
    2. Clinical Practice Track
      
      Clinical Practice faculty members are practitioners or other professionals whose duties are focused in direct clinical care and/or leadership of clinical programs, and who may also teach. They hold appointments that are at least 0.5 FTE. Each school or college may define additional requirements for appointment or promotion to each rank.
      1. Instructor of Clinical Practice: should have at least a master’s degree in their field or equivalent experience and should be otherwise well qualified as clinicians in their area of specialization and if applicable, qualified to teach.
      2. Senior Instructor of Clinical Practice: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience and a record of successful experience as clinicians in their area of specialization and, if applicable, in teaching.
      3. Principal Instructor of Clinical Practice: should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience and a record of excellence as clinicians in their area of specialization and if applicable, in teaching.
      4. Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice: should have the terminal degree or equivalent experience, significant clinical experience, and if applicable, successful teaching.
      5. Associate Professor of Clinical Practice: should have the terminal degree or equivalent experience and demonstrated excellence in clinical practice and if applicable, successful teaching.
      6. Professor of Clinical Practice: should have the terminal degree or equivalent experience and a record that, taken as a whole, is judged to be excellent and that indicates substantial, significant, and continued growth and development in clinical practice, program leadership, and if applicable, teaching.
    3. Clinical Track
      
      Clinical faculty members are practitioners or other professionals who provide clinical care or engage in public health practice, teaching, or research on a part-time (less than 0.5 FTE) or volunteer basis. Those who provide clinical care and maintain an independent healthcare practice must carry their own malpractice insurance, which covers both their university work as well as their private practice. Clinical faculty are expected to demonstrate continued professional growth in their fields. Each school with clinical faculty titles may have additional requirements for faculty holding those titles.
      1. Clinical Instructor: should have at least their master’s degree or equivalent experience and have experience in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research.
      2. Clinical Senior Instructor: should have a master’s degree or equivalent experience. They have significant experience and a record of accomplishment in their assigned duties in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research.
      3. Clinical Principal Instructor: should have a master’s degree or equivalent experience. They have a record of excellence in their assigned duties in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research.
      4. Clinical Assistant Professor: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience. They have demonstrated potential to substantially contribute to the clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research activities of a unit.
      5. Clinical Associate Professor: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and have a record of accomplishment in their assigned duties in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research activities of a unit.
      6. Clinical Professor: should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and a record of excellence in their assigned duties and sustained contributions, and continued growth and development that contribute to the clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research activities of a unit.

²Due to differences in academic career paths on the Anschutz Medical Campus, IRC faculty may have a broader range of responsibilities than is described in section B, and which is reflected in workload assignments and promotion standards. Faculty should consult campus policy.

Supplemental Faculty
1. Contingent (Temporary) Teaching Faculty
  1. Lecturer: should have a graduate degree and/or advanced experience in their profession or field of expertise. Lecturer is the title given to an individual hired to teach only on a course-by-course and part-time basis. Lecturers are qualified to teach the particular course or courses for which they have been hired. These appointments are non-voting, not tenure-eligible, and are at-will.
  2. Senior Lecturer: a title for Lecturers with greater professional expertise and/or professional experience. They are considered more experienced in their professional field for which they have been hired to teach than a Lecturer. They may have graduate degrees and/or advanced experience in their profession or field of expertise. These appointments are non-voting, not tenure-eligible, and are at-will. Note that Senior Lecturer is not a promotional title for Lecturers.
    
    If the expertise of either a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer is needed on a long-term basis, they shall be considered for an appointment in one of the instructor track titles, at an appropriate percent appointment.
2. Faculty in Residence
  1. Scholar in Residence: should hold the terminal degree in their discipline or equivalent experience but have spent much or all of their careers outside academia. This title is given to individuals whose combination of academic background and career expertise in areas of business, industry, law, K-12 education, the arts, or government makes them valuable contributors to the undergraduate or graduate academic program of their primary unit. These appointments are at-will.
  2. Artist in Residence: should hold the terminal degree in their discipline or equivalent experience but have spent much or all of their careers outside academia. This title is given to individuals whose career experience as an artist makes them valuable contributors to the undergraduate or graduate academic program of their primary unit. These appointments are at-will.
3. Museum Faculty
  1. Museum Curator: This title refers to regular faculty rostered in the museum, serving as heads of sections or subsections to oversee collections about which they have scholarly expertise. A Museum Curator is jointly appointed by the museum and an academic unit. This title is considered a secondary appointment associated with another faculty title. These appointments are at-will.
  2. Museum Associate Curator: This title is used for regularly appointed members of the University of Colorado faculty in a department (other than the museum) whose research interests would normally associate them with the museum or who have expertise necessary for the proper identification of collections. This title is considered a secondary appointment associated with another faculty title and provides no remuneration. These appointments are at-will.
  3. Museum Curator Adjoint: This title is granted to individuals not employed by the University of Colorado. Holders of this title should have a terminal degree or experience that provides equivalent proficiency. Retired faculty from other universities or professionals in industry with competence in areas relevant to the museum may be appointed. Holders of this title must be involved in instruction and may be involved in other museum functions. Per the definition of adjoint, these positions are at-will. This title provides no remuneration.
  4. Museum Associate: This title is granted to individuals who have developed competence in some area of the museum’s interest and who are not eligible for other university titles. Museum Associates have the competence sufficient to be at the instructor rank. This title provides no
    remuneration. These appointments are at-will.
Title Modifiers
1. Emeritus/Emerita: Emeritus/Emerita is an honorary designation awarded upon retirement to faculty with a record of strong contributions to the university. Faculty are nominated for emeritus/emerita status by their department and approved by the dean, provost, and chancellor. The emeritus/emerita designation is added to the title/rank held by the faculty member at the time of retirement.
2. Adjoint: The “adjoint” designation, applied at the end of a faculty title, is used for individuals, such as employees of national research institutes or other agencies or institutions, who offer courses or supervise academic programs with or without compensation from the University of Colorado. Their academic qualifications should be similar to those of faculty in the Tenured and Tenure-Track series. These appointments are at-will.
3. Visiting: The designation “visiting” before an academic title indicates that the faculty member has a temporary appointment for a defined period such as an academic year, semester, or summer term. The visiting title should indicate the faculty member’s rank at their home institution or planned for at the University of Colorado. The award of this title does not guarantee future hiring at the University of Colorado or hiring at this rank. Visiting titles may also be offered to newly-hired faculty members who are awaiting formal review of their credentials for appointment as associate or full professor. In these cases, visiting appointments will not usually extend beyond one year. The visiting position is non-voting and at-will.
4. Special Visiting Professor: This title may be recommended for distinguished persons who are not regular faculty members but who serve the university in some academic capacity. Faculty holding this title are non-voting and at-will.
5. Courtesy: A “courtesy” appointment is a non-voting, unranked, unpaid designation given to a faculty member in one unit (the “home” unit) within the CU System (i.e., another department, school, or college on any CU campus), who has substantial interaction with the courtesy unit. Faculty with courtesy appointments are typically CU regular faculty external to the department/school/college/campus, who have scholarly and creative work, collaborations, or teaching relevant to the courtesy unit. Courtesy appointees may teach or cross-list courses or co-supervise graduate students in the courtesy unit but would not otherwise participate in the courtesy unit’s governance or activities. Teaching or cross-listing across campuses is subject to separate MOU with at least dean-level approval on each campus. The basic procedures for approval of courtesy faculty are governed by the dean’s offices. These appointments are at-will.

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