RUL 05.67.803 – Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies Standards and Procedures for Non-Tenure Track Faculty Appointments and Promotions

History: First Issued: August 26, 2019. Revised: October 29, 2026

Additional References:
Office of the Provost RPT Website

1. INTRODUCTION

This Rule describes the standards and procedures of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies for initial contracts, subsequent contracts, and promotion of professional track faculty. It supplements the NC State University Policies and Regulations and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Rule on professional track faculty appointments and promotions, which take precedence over this Rule to the extent that this Rule may be inconsistent with them. The Department Head is responsible for assuring that the procedures and standards set forth in REG 05.20.34 (Professional Faculty Ranks and Appointments) and RUL 05.67.413 (College of Humanities and Social Sciences Appointment and Promotion of Professional Faculty Standards and Procedures) are followed.

2. PROFESSIONAL TRACK FACULTY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

2.1 Professorially-ranked professional track faculty on the teaching track, and professional track faculty in the lecturer track are appointed as needed to help address the Department’s teaching responsibilities. Although these faculty are assigned effort primarily in the realm of Teaching and Mentoring of Undergraduate and Graduate Students (Teaching), to which at least 50% of their time and effort should be allocated, they may also have assigned effort in one or more additional realms of responsibility.

2.2 Professorially-ranked Professional track faculty on the research track may be appointed in special circumstances. Although these faculty are assigned effort primarily in the realm of Discovery of Knowledge through Discipline-Guided Inquiry (Research), to which at least 50% of their time and effort should be allocated, they may also have effort assigned in one or more additional realms of responsibility.

2.3 Visiting appointments, which may be made in special circumstances, are limited to faculty who are in residence at NC State but retain their status in a position in another institution of higher education and will generally be appointed at the rank held at their home institution.

2.4 Professional track faculty may have full-time (≥.75 FTE) or part-time (<.75 FTE) contracts. Only professional faculty appointed at 0.75 FTE and above are eligible for promotion.

2.5 Subject to RUL 05.67.413, the terms of the contracts of full-time (≥0.75 FTE) professional track faculty will typically be between two to three years. The contracts of part-time (<0.75 FTE) professional track faculty may vary between one semester and three years.

3. STANDARDS FOR INITIAL CONTRACT FOR PROFESSIONAL TRACK FACULTY

Candidates for initial professional track contracts must have the following qualifications in addition to all other qualifications specified in REG 05.20.34.

3.1 Lecturer

3.1.1 A master’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.1.2 Ability or potential in Teaching in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.2 Senior Lecturer

3.2.1 A master’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.2.2 At least five years of college-level teaching experience.

3.2.3 A high level of expertise and demonstrable excellence in Teaching in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.3 Assistant Teaching Professor

3.3.1 An earned doctor’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.3.2 Ability or potential in Teaching in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.4 Associate Teaching Professor

3.4.1 An earned doctor’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.4.2 Three or four sole-authored journal articles in reputable professional journals in the discipline or other equivalent publications.

3.4.3 A high level of expertise and demonstrable excellence in teaching in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.5 Teaching Professor

3.5.1 An earned doctor’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.5.2 Nine or ten sole-authored journal articles in reputable professional journals in the discipline or other equivalent publications.

3.5.3 Distinguished achievement in Teaching in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.6 Assistant Research Professor

3.6.1 An earned doctor’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.6.2 Ability or potential in Research in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.7 Associate Research Professor

3.7.1 An earned doctor’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.7.2 Seven or eight sole-authored journal articles in reputable professional journals in the discipline or other equivalent publications.

3.7.3 A high level of expertise and demonstrable excellence in Research in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

3.8 Research Professor

3.8.1 An earned doctor’s degree in the applicable discipline or a related discipline.

3.8.2 Fourteen or fifteen sole-authored journal articles in reputable professional journals in the discipline or other equivalent publications.

3.8.3 Distinguished achievement in Research in the applicable fields and in other assigned realms of responsibility.

4. PROCEDURES FOR PROFESSIONAL TRACK INITIAL AND SUBSEQUENT CONTRACTS

4.1 Subject to clauses 4.2 and 4.3 (as applicable), the Department Head will make recommendations to the Dean for the initial and subsequent contracts of all professional-track faculty.

4.2 In selecting Lecturers and Assistant Teaching Professors for an initial contract, the Department Head will be assisted by a search committee consisting of at least two members of the Department Voting Faculty (DVF) appointed by the Department Head.The Department Head may also serve on the search committee.

4.3 All initial and subsequent contracts for Visiting Faculty, Senior Lecturers, Associate Teaching Professors, Teaching Professors, and professional track research faculty of any rank require consultation with the DVF unless the DVF has approved departmental procedures to delegate decisions for initial and subsequent contracts of up to two (2) years to the Department Head, who then can recommend such contracts to the Dean without DVF consultation. The Department Head shall report to the DVF on such contracts issued to professional track faculty.

5. TITLE CHANGES

The title of a Lecturer or a Senior Lecturer who completes an earned doctor’s degree and who satisfies all the required qualifications for appointment as an Assistant Teaching Professor (as specified in clause 3.3 above and in REG 05.20.34) may be changed to Assistant Teaching Professor. The title will be changed on January 1 if the faculty member submits proof of degree completion to the Department Head by October 20 in the preceding year and on July 1 if the faculty member submits proof of degree completion by April 20 of the same year.

6. STANDARDS FOR PROMOTION OF PROFESSIONAL TRACK FACULTY

6.1 Full-time (>.75 FTE) professional track faculty may be promoted from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer, from Assistant Teaching Professor to Associate Teaching Professor, from Associate Teaching Professor to Teaching Professor, from Assistant Research Professor to Associate Research Professor and from Associate Research Professor to Research Professor.

6.2 In addition to the standards for particular promotions specified in clauses 6.3-6.7, the following general standards apply to all promotions of professional track faculty:

6.2.1 Candidates must have a record of active engagement in all of their realms of responsibility as set forth in the their SFR and have clearly satisfied expectations in all these realms.

6.2.2 Candidates’ performance in realms in which they are assigned no effort may be counted in favor of, but cannot be counted against, their promotion.

6.3 Particular standards for promotion from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer are as follows:

6.3.1 Candidates must satisfy the qualifications for appointment as Senior Lecturer as specified in REG 05.20.34.

6.3.2 Candidates must have a consistent record of high quality teaching as demonstrated by at least two peer teaching reviews conducted during the preceding five years, student evaluations and any other available evidence.

6.3.3 Candidates must have a record of engagement with course design or development.

6.3.4 Candidates must have displayed a willingness to help serve departmental teaching needs.

6.4 Particular standards for promotion from Assistant Teaching Professor to Associate Teaching Professor are as follows:

6.4.1 Candidates must satisfy the qualifications for appointment as professional track Associate Professor as specified in REG 05.20.34.

6.4.2 Candidates must have a consistent record of high quality teaching as demonstrated by at least two peer teaching reviews conducted during the preceding five years, student evaluations and any other available evidence.

6.4.3 Candidates must have a record of engagement with course design or development.

6.4.4 Candidates must have displayed a willingness to help serve departmental teaching needs.

6.5 Particular standards for promotion from Associate Teaching Professor to Teaching Professor are as follows:

6.5.1 Candidates must have a consistent record of high quality teaching as demonstrated by at least two peer teaching reviews conducted during the preceding five years, student evaluations and any other available evidence.

6.5.2 Candidates must have a record of engagement with course design or development.

6.5.3 Candidates must have displayed a willingness to help serve departmental teaching needs.

6.5.4 Clause 5.2.3 (c) of university REG 05.20.34 specifies that, for appointment as or promotion to Professor, “Established reputation in the individual’s profession or field of scholarly or germane creative activity” is required. Evidence that a candidate satisfies this requirement may include but is not limited to professional awards, service on committees in professional associations, inputs from other professionals and a well-established publication record.

6.6 Particular standards for promotion from Assistant Research Professor to Associate Research Professor are as follows:

6.6.1 Candidates must satisfy the qualifications for appointment as Associate Research Professor as specified in clause 3.7 above and for professional track Associate Professor as specified in REG 05.20.34.

6.6.2 Candidates must have a consistent record of high quality research and publication and a demonstrated commitment to serious ongoing scholarly work that is likely to result in further reputable publications.

6.6.3 Candidates whose SFR includesassigned effort in Research of 50% of a 1.0 FTE appointment must have a publication record that, taken as a whole, is at least equivalent to seven substantive sole-author articles published or unconditionally accepted for publication in respected refereed journals during the previous eight years. Substantive sole-author publications of comparable quality that appear in scholarly volumes or are forthcoming in scholarly volumes that are in press, with copy-editing complete, may be substituted for refereed journal articles. Such publications will be judged on their merits. Ordinarily, a sole-author scholarly book of sufficient quality that is published by a respected press or is in press, with copy-editing complete, may be counted as equivalent to five or six sole-author articles. Other scholarly work, including co-authored journal articles, invited papers and books, and edited or co-edited volumes, will also be taken into account on the basis of an evaluation of the extent and merit of the candidate’s contribution/s to such works. A reduced output of publications is acceptable if there is compelling evidence that the scholarly work under consideration is of an extraordinarily high quality or has had an exceptional impact.

For candidates with assigned effort in Research above or below 50% of a 1.0 FTE appointment, the above standards should be adjusted as required to accommodate the applicable assigned effort.

6.7 Particular standards for promotion from Associate Research Professor to Research Professor are as follows:

6.7.1 Candidates must satisfy the qualifications for appointment as Research Professors as specified in clause 3.8 above and for professional track Professors as specified in REG 05.20.34.

6.7.2 Candidates must have a consistent record of high quality research and publication and a demonstrated commitment to serious ongoing scholarly work that is likely to result in further reputable publications.

6.7.3 Candidates with a assigned effort in Research of 50% of a 1.0 FTE appointment must have a publication record that, taken as a whole, is at least equivalent to seven substantive sole-author articles published or unconditionally accepted for publication in respected refereed journals after being appointed at or promoted to the rank of Associate Research Professor and during the previous eight years. Substantive sole-author publications of comparable quality that appear in scholarly volumes or are forthcoming in scholarly volumes that are in press, with copy-editing complete, may be substituted for refereed journal articles. Such publications will be judged on their merits. Ordinarily, a sole-author scholarly book of sufficient quality that is published by a respected press or is in press, with copy-editing complete, may be counted as equivalent to five or six sole-author articles. Other scholarly work, including co-authored journal articles, invited papers and books, and edited and co-edited volumes, will also be taken into account on the basis of an evaluation of the extent and merit of the candidate’s contribution/s to such works. A reduced output of publications is acceptable if there is compelling evidence that the scholarly work under consideration is of an extraordinarily high quality or has had an exceptional impact.

For candidates with assigned effort in Research above or below 50% of a 1.0 FTE appointment, the above standards should be adjusted as required to accommodate the applicable workload.

7. PROCEDURES FOR PROMOTION

University and college procedures will apply. This section specifies additional departmental procedures.

7.1 Department procedures for promotion from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer are as follows:

7.1.1 Eligible Lecturers who would like to be considered for promotion must consult with the Department Head on their readiness for promotion by November 15 of the academic year in which they would like to be considered. The Department Head will provide feedback to the candidates regarding the merits of their case. Candidates will be given until December 1 to decide whether to put themselves forward for consideration for promotion during the spring semester. If they do, then the following procedures will apply.

7.1.2 Before January 30, the Department Head will schedule a meeting of the DVF to consider cases for promotion and will announce the date and time of the meeting to the DVF.

7.1.3 In consultation with the Department Head, each candidate will assemble a promotion file for inspection by the DVF. This file will contain the following:

a) A full and complete Curriculum Vitae, with all relevant dates, including degrees received, prior academic appointments, publications, presentations, grants, fellowships and awards.

b) Any and all Annual Activity Reports submitted since the candidate’s appointment or previous promotion (whichever is later).

c) The most recent syllabi of any and all courses that the candidate has taught at NC State.

d) Any and all NC State student teaching evaluations and peer teaching evaluations relevant to the candidate’s promotion.

e) Any and all published or forthcoming work that is relevant to the candidate’s promotion, as outlined in their Statement of Faculty Responsibilities (SFR), with the expected publication dates and venues of forthcoming work documented..

f) Any other pertinent material that the candidate possesses and wishes to have considered in the assessment of his/her candidacy, including course materials in addition to syllabi, providing that the inclusion of this material is consistent with college and university principles.

g) As stated in 6.2.2, a candidate’s performance in realms in which they are assigned no effort may be counted in favor of, but cannot be counted against, their promotion. Faculty members may submit evidence of performance in realms in which no effort has been assigned in their SFR but are not required to do so as a condition of subsequent contract or promotion.

7.1.4 Promotion files will be ready for review by all members of the DVF at least two weeks before their meeting to consider promotions.

7.1.5 The meeting to consider lecturer promotions will be held before March 30.

7.1.6 All members of the DVF who are not on leave or scholarly reassignment are required to attend meetings to consider promotions.

7.1.7 All members of the DVF, including those on scholarly reassignment or leave, are expected to vote on all cases, if necessary by proxy. The Department Head is required to explain all missing votes.

7.1.8 For each candidate, the DVF will select one member to prepare a report to the Department Head that summarizes the discussion, reports the vote on the candidate’s promotion, and makes a recommendation to the Department Head on the basis of the vote. In the event of a non-unanimous vote, a second member of the DVF will be selected to prepare a minority report to the Head that sets out the grounds for disagreement with the majority opinion, whether this disagreement takes the form of votes or abstentions.

7.1.9 The Department Head will prepare a written recommendation on each candidate’s promotion.

7.1.10 The Department Head will report the outcome of the Department’s deliberations to the Dean in the required format by May 1.

7.2 Department procedures for promotions of professional track faculty with professorial ranks are as follows:

7.2.1 Eligible faculty members who would like to be considered for promotion must consult with the Department Head on their readiness for promotion by January 15 of the calendar year in which they would like to be considered.

7.2.2 Before February 15, the Department Head will consult with the DVF and provide feedback to the candidates regarding the merits of their case. Candidates will be given until March 1 to decide whether to put themselves forward for consideration for promotion during the fall semester.

7.2.3 Early in the Fall semester, the Department Head will schedule a meeting of the DVF to consider promotion cases and will announce the date and time of the meeting to the DVF.

7.2.4 In consultation with the Department Head, each candidate for promotion will assemble a university promotion dossier that satisfies the dossier format requirements specified in REG 05.20.20. External evaluations for promotion are required for professional track faculty whose SFR includes 25% or greater responsibility in the realms of research, creative artistry and literature, engagement with external constituencies, or other activities that external reviewers can adequately and appropriately judge. Otherwise, the dossier will not include external evaluations.

7.2.5 In consultation with the Department Head, each candidate will assemble a department promotion file containing resources for the use of the DVF. This file will contain the following:

a) A full and complete Curriculum Vitae, with all relevant dates, including degrees received, prior academic appointments, publications, presentations, grants, fellowships and awards.

b) Any and all Annual Activity Reports submitted since the candidate’s appointment or previous promotion (whichever is later).

c) Any and all published or forthcoming work that is relevant to the candidate’s promotion, as outlined in their SFR, with the expected publication dates and venues of forthcoming work documented.

d) The most recent syllabi of any and all courses that the candidate has taught at NC State.

e) Any and all NC State student teaching evaluations and peer teaching evaluations relevant to the candidate’s promotion.

g) As stated in 6.2.2, a candidate’s performance in realms in which they are assigned no effort may be counted in favor of, but cannot be counted against, their promotion. Faculty members may submit evidence of performance in realms in which no effort has been assigned in their SFR, but are not required to do so as a condition of subsequent contract or promotion.

7.2.6 University promotion dossiers and the department promotion files will be ready for review by all members of the DVF at least two weeks before their meeting to consider promotions.

7.2.7 The meeting to consider promotions will be held before September 24.

7.2.8 All members of the DVF who are not on leave or scholarly reassignment are required to attend meetings to consider promotions.

7.2.9 All members of the DVF, including those on scholarly reassignment or leave, are expected to vote on all cases, if necessary by proxy. The Department Head is required to explain all missing votes.

7.2.10 For each candidate, the DVF will select one member to prepare a report to the Department Head summarizing the discussion, reporting the vote on the candidate’s promotion, and making a recommendation to the Department Head on the basis of the vote. In the event of a non-unanimous vote, a second member of the DVF will be selected to prepare a minority report to the Department Head that sets out the grounds for disagreement with the majority opinion, whether this disagreement takes the form of votes or abstentions. The DVF report or reports will be added to candidates’ promotion dossiers.

7.2.11 The Department Head will add a written recommendation to candidates’ promotion dossiers.

7.2.12 As provided by NC State Policies and Regulations, a candidate may write a response to the DVF and/or Department Head’s recommendation and add it to the university promotion dossier in the university’s online tool.

8. DEPARTMENT VOTING FACULTY

The DVF for professional track faculty appointments and promotions will be as required by RUL 05.67.413 and REG 05.20.34.

9. REVISION OF DEPARTMENTAL STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR PROFESSIONAL TRACK FACULTY

Any modification of this department rule shall be approved by a vote of all tenure-track faculty and all full-time professional track faculty, 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 the DVF.