RUL 05.67.804 - Department of Communication Professional Faculty Contract and Promotion Standards and Procedures

RUL 05.67.804 – Department of Communication Professional Faculty Contract and Promotion Standards and Procedures

History: First Issued: August 26, 2019. Last Revised: November 14, 2025

Additional References:
Office of the Provost RPT Website

Contact: Head, Department of Communications (515-9737)

1. INTRODUCTION

This rule describes the Department of Communication’s, hereafter referred to as the Department, appointment and promotion standards and procedures for fixed term, non‐tenure track (NTT) faculty and is supplemental to and consistent with NCSU Regulation 05.20.34. The Department recognizes that the specific activities upon which NTT faculty are evaluated will vary.

2. AREAS OF FACULTY RESPONSIBILITY

North Carolina State University specifies contributions in six Realms of Faculty Responsibility as the principal standards for decisions about faculty contracts and promotion. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, hereafter referred to as the College, recognizes the importance attached to these realms of responsibility. Except as provided by NCSU REG 05.20.34, the College requires that promotion for PFPR be based on the faculty member’s assigned effort in the realms outlined in their Statement of Faculty Responsibilities (SFR). Only faculty with contracts of 0.75 FTE or greater are eligible for promotion. All PFPR of 0.75FTE or greater must have a SFR in place in addition to their contracts.

3. GENERAL STANDARDS

At the departmental level, the review of candidates will employ standards generally consonant with those of the college and university, while specifically suitable for faculty members in the Department. These standards are applied with the expectation that faculty under contract and promoted within the Department are highly qualified within their discipline, as demonstrated by their teaching, service, and other relevant areas of responsibility, and that these are in line with the needs and resources of the university. The merit of the faculty member’s performance, rather than time in rank, is the basic standard for all recommendations for promotion. However, the dossier for promotion must demonstrate that the faculty member has established a record of performance at NC State consistent with promotion criteria.

4. STANDARDS FOR INITIAL CONTRACT, SUBSEQUENT CONTRACTS AND PROMOTION OF TEACHING TRACK FACULTY

4.1 Standards for Initial Contract at the Rank of Assistant Professor.

4.1.1 All PFPR at the rank of Assistant Professor must hold an appropriate terminal degree.

4.1.2 All PFPR at the rank of Assistant Professor must show ability or definite promise in the mutually agreed upon realms of responsibility and ability and willingness to participate in department, college and university affairs.

4.2 Standards for Initial Contract or Promotion at Rank of Associate Professor

4.2.1 All PFPR at the rank of Associate Professor must hold an appropriate terminal degree.

4.2.2 All PFPR faculty at the rank of Associate Professor must show recognized ability and potential for distinction in the mutually agreed upon realms of responsibility and demonstrated ability and willingness to participate in department, college and university affairs.

4.2.3 Specifically, a candidate for Associate Teaching Professor must provide evidence of teaching excellence, including:

(a) Evidence of excellence in teaching undergraduate courses, as documented by consistently strong student (ClassEval) and peer evaluations of teaching, as well as any supervisory/departmental evaluations that have been conducted. Candidates may also cite awards or other sources of formal recognition of their excellence in teaching.

(b) Evidence of willingness and ability to work effectively with colleagues.

(c) Engagement with curriculum development and/or course design/revision, as evidenced by syllabi and pedagogical materials or student work presented in a teaching portfolio.

(d) Evidence of professional development, which may include but is not limited to: attending or presenting at regional, national or international meetings/conferences and/or attending or presenting at workshops in the discipline, on effective instructional practices, instructional technology use, critical thinking, collaborative learning, etc.

(e) A record of contributions to the candidate’s department beyond assigned teaching responsibilities and which are clearly articulated in the candidate’s SFR. These may include, but are not limited to, committee service, mentorship, advising, etc.

(f) A record of professional engagement in or related to the discipline, and which is clearly articulated in the candidate’s SFR, which may include but is not limited to: scholarly conference presentations and/or publications including textbooks and curriculum units, creative artistry related to the discipline, technological innovation, service in professional societies, etc.

4.3 Standards for Initial Contract or Promotion at the Rank of Professor.

4.3.1 All PFPR at the rank of Professor must hold an appropriate terminal degree.

4.3.2 All PFPR at the rank of Professor must show distinguished achievement in the mutually agreed upon realms of responsibility, demonstrated participation in department, college and university affairs, and established reputation in the individual’s discipline or field of scholarly or germane creative activity.

4.3.3 Specifically, a candidate for Professor must provide evidence of teaching excellence as specified in Section 4.2.3 and of a national reputation for contributions to teaching in the discipline.

4.4 Standards for Subsequent Contract at Rank. PFPR under consideration for subsequent contracts at the same rank must demonstrate continued excellence in the realms specified in their SFR.

4.5 Additional Standards for Promotion

4.5.1 PFPR seeking promotion must provide evidence of qualifying for promotion since their appointment to rank.

4.5.2 Only PFPR with appointments greater than or equal to 0.75 FTE will be considered for promotion.

5. PROCEDURES FOR INITIAL AND SUBSEQUENT CONTRACTS FOR TEACHING TRACK FACULTY

5.1 SFR. For an initial contract as PFPR Department Head shall prepare a draft SFR defining the realms of faculty responsibilities for the position.

5.2 Documentation. Initial contracts and subsequent contracts at the same rank are initiated by the Department Head based upon appropriate documentation. While a dossier meeting the standards of NCSU REG 05.20.20 – Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Dossier Requirements is not required, documentation should include a current curriculum vitae and materials that would be included in the dossier section(s) appropriate to the faculty member’s responsibilities as reflected in the SFR. Documentation shall be assembled by the Department Head in cases of initial contracts and by the candidate in consultation with the Department Head in cases of subsequent contracts.

5.3 DVF. The Departmental Voting Faculty (DVF) for initial and subsequent contracts of PFPR shall consist of all full-time (.75 FTE and higher) faculty who hold tenured or tenure-track positions at a rank equal to or higher than the rank being considered as well as full-time (.75 FTE and higher) professional faculty in the track that is under consideration who hold professorial rank equal to or higher than the rank under consideration.

5.4 DVF Consultation. The dossier and any supporting materials will be made available to the DVF at least two weeks before the meeting at which the initial or subsequent contract will be considered. At the meeting, the DVF will determine whether the candidate meets the applicable standards for the rank and a secret ballot vote will be taken recommending or not recommending the initial or subsequent contract.

5.5 Decision. Decisions for PFPR initial and subsequent contracts are dependent on recommendations by the DVF and Department Head to the Dean. The Dean is responsible for final decisions.

5.6 Contract Term. Contract terms for PFPR must be a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years. Exceptions to the three-year minimum appointment must be requested by the Department Head and approved by the Dean. Requests for exceptions should be justified in terms of short‐term (rather than recurring) personnel needs (e.g., a temporary increase in FTE to cover another faculty member on leave).

6. PROCEDURES FOR PROMOTION FOR TEACHING TRACK FACULTY

6.1 Timetable. The candidate should indicate to the Department Head the desire to be considered for promotion by May of the academic year preceding consideration. The candidate, in consultation with the Department Head, will assemble the dossier to be ready for departmental review by early September. Members of the DVF will be given at least two weeks to review files before departmental votes. Meetings to discuss candidates will thus generally be scheduled for late September or early to-mid-October, but no later than November 1, when completed dossiers (with departmental vote tallies and written assessments from the Head and from the DVF) are delivered to the Office of the Dean.

6.2 External Evaluations. External evaluations for promotion are required for professional track faculty whose SFR includes 25% or greater responsibility towards research, creative artistry, engagement with external constituencies, or other activities that external reviewers can adequately and appropriately judge. If solicited, letters from external evaluators must follow university regulations. As outlined in those regulations, names of external evaluators should be obtained through consultation with the candidate (who must be given the opportunity to suggest names of evaluators) and with other members of the DVF. In selecting external reviewers care must be taken to ensure that external evaluators are individuals who can fairly, conscientiously, and objectively judge the candidate’s qualifications and contributions (see NCSU REG 05.20.05– Consultation and Written Assessments, Recommendations and Responses in RPT Review).

6.3 Content and Assembly of the File. University regulations specify the material to be included in the candidate’s dossier, and must address the realms of faculty responsibilities in which the candidate’s effort is greater than zero (0). Additional material, beyond that called for in university regulations, should not be added to dossiers unless solicited by the Department Head or DVF. (If applicable, candidates with RED entries that include multiple investigators must include a brief, 1‐3 sentence, description of their role in each project within their dossier.) Once the department votes on a case (and adds the vote tally and written assessments from the head and the DVF to the file), the candidate’s dossier is considered closed.

6.4 Written Assessments by the Department Head and the Departmental Voting Faculty.

Procedures in this section must be consistent with university policies, rules, and regulations for consultation (see NCSU REG 05.20.05). Written assessments from the Department Head and the DVF must substantively explain how the candidate’s accomplishments, as documented in the dossier, meet (or fail to meet) the standards for promotion laid out in departmental rules. In the event of a split vote of the DVF, the assessment from the DVF must explain both positive and negative votes. The Department may specify procedures asking voting faculty to provide written explanations of their votes for the purpose of ensuring sufficient explanation. Missing votes and abstentions must also be explained.

6.5 Definition of the DVF: The DVF for promotion of professional faculty with professorial rank, is defined in university regulation, NCSU REG 05.20.34.

7. REVISION OF DEPARTMENTAL STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR TEACHING TRACK FACULTY

Any modification of this department RUL shall be approved by a vote of all tenure-track faculty and all full-time professional track faculty who are at the rank of associate and full, and requires a majority vote of support. A vote shall be taken either by secret ballot or open ballot, with the method of voting to be decided by a majority vote of these faculty.