Instructional and Clinical Faculty

Eligibility for Promotion

Ohio University Instructional and Clinical Faculty who expect to be promoted must provide clear documentation of achievements supporting DSPH expectations of past and continued performance and growth. Promotion is reserved for candidates whose teaching and service have served the DSPH, CHSP, and Ohio University well in the past, and based on such accomplishments, can reasonably be expected to continue in the future. A majority vote of the DSPH Promotion and Tenure Committee decides on promotion.

Promotion (without tenure) through the ranks from Assistant Professor of Instruction, Associate Professor of Instruction, to Professor of Instruction, OR Assistant Clinical Professor, Associate Clinical Professor, to Clinical Professor, is in recognition of strong and continued performance and achievements of an individual faculty member. Although minimum periods in a given rank are specified below, promotion is based upon merit and it is not guaranteed or given simply due to the completion of a particular number of years of service.

Instructor to Assistant Professor of Instruction

A faculty member hired as an Instructor may be eligible for promotion to Assistant Professor of Instruction at such time as their qualifications and performance meet the DSPH criteria for Assistant Professor of Instruction. To be promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor of Instruction, an individual must have a degree beyond baccalaureate in the appropriate area(s).

Assistant Professor of Instruction to Associate Professor of Instruction AND Assistant Clinical Professor to Associate Clinical Professor

A faculty member who is appointed as an Assistant Professor of Instruction is eligible for promotion to Associate Professor of Instruction after 5 years of service at Ohio University. A faculty member who is appointed as an Assistant Clinical Professor is eligible for promotion to Associate Clinical Professor after 6 years of service at Ohio University. Expectations that differ will be specified in the letter of appointment from the CHSP Dean

To be considered for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor of Instruction or Associate Clinical Professor, an individual must meet the following criteria:

1. Earned degree beyond baccalaureate in the appropriate area(s). 
2. Minimum of five (5) years of employment as an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Ohio University and (6) years of employment as an Assistant Clinical Professor. 
3. A record of effectiveness as a teacher and/or advisor. 
4. For clinical faculty only – a record of the effectiveness of clinical activities, clinical partnerships, and preceptorships, as outlined in their appointment letter. 
5. Any stipulations or conditions communicated to the candidate in their appointment letter.
6. A record of service appropriate to the DSPH, the CHSP, and Ohio University. 
7. A simple majority vote of the eligible members of the PTC.

Associate Professor of Instruction to Professor of Instruction AND Associate Clinical Professor to Clinical Professor

To be considered for promotion from the rank of Associate Professor of Instruction to Professor of Instruction OR Associate Clinical Professor to Clinical Professor, an individual must meet the following criteria:

1. Minimum of five (5) years of employment as an Associate Professor of Instruction OR Associate Clinical Professor to Clinical Professor at Ohio University. 
2. A continued record of effectiveness as a teacher and/or advisor. 
3. A continued record of service appropriate to the DSPH, the CHSP, and Ohio University. 
4. For clinical faculty only – a continued record of effectiveness of clinical activities, clinical partnerships, and preceptorships, as outlined in their appointment letter. 
5. A simple majority vote of the eligible members of the PTC.

Evaluative Criteria for Instructional and Clinical Faculty

Teaching, Advising, and Mentoring

1. Instructional and Clinical Faculty members promoted within the DSPH and CHSP will demonstrate high-quality mentoring and teaching effectiveness. Teaching effectiveness is viewed as a measure of quality, not quantity, and is expected of all candidates, whether the teaching load consists of one or multiple courses.
2. An excellent teacher maintains a high level of knowledge and expertise in their respective discipline or area of specialization. An excellent teacher exhibits the knowledge, skills, and commitment necessary to assist students as they develop a growing understanding of the subject matter, the practices, and the competencies pertinent to their disciplines. An excellent teacher is committed to the guidance of students with varying strengths, needs, and capabilities to attain the necessary understanding of their discipline. An excellent teacher collaborates with others in the development and delivery of discipline-specific or interdisciplinary courses and is active in creating, revising, and reviewing curricula. An excellent teacher exhibits the following characteristics of effective teaching: (a) a commitment to students; (b) an ongoing interest in the craft of teaching; and (c) recognition that advising and mentoring is an important, albeit less formal, aspect of the faculty-student relationship. Candidates seeking promotion will strive to balance time and effort in addressing these three areas so that professional growth is demonstrated over time.
3. An excellent teacher demonstrates a continuing concern for instructional effectiveness through the collection and utilization of feedback from students, colleagues, and others regarding presentation strategies and evaluation of learning. It is expected that Instructional Faculty members will provide substantive evidence about their skill and effectiveness in teaching. It is the candidate's responsibility to present evidence of a consistent pattern of high-quality and effective teaching.
4. Evaluations based on a wide variety of instruments might be one form of documenting such a pattern. Strategies for the evaluation of teaching effectiveness may include, but are not limited to: self-evaluations, classroom visitations, student evaluations of teaching, Department Chair evaluations, peer evaluations, external reviews, and informal, unsolicited feedback from students.
5. Teaching portfolios are a meaningful way for candidates to demonstrate their teaching effectiveness. Candidates must have a teaching portfolio for promotion review which can be added to and revised in preparation for the full promotion review. The basic framework for the teaching portfolio can be found in Attachment A. Candidates must include relevant teaching benchmarks in their portfolio.
6. In all review cases, the weight given to teaching must be considered in light of other demands made on the Instructional Faculty member by hiring agreements or activities necessary to fulfill DSPH's mission. For example, a candidate may have been hired with the understanding that the workload would include administrative responsibilities or may have received resources for scholarly activities that include a reduced teaching workload. Specific teaching responsibilities will occur through dialogue between the Instructional Faculty member, the DSPH Chair, and the Chair of the PTC (other committee members also may be involved) and will reflect the goals and needs of the program (including interdisciplinary teaching, if applicable) and the professional goals of the individual faculty member. The candidate shall provide a written record of decisions that may later affect promotion decisions to the faculty member and copies retained in their permanent file. To this end, the Instructional or Clinical Faculty candidate must maintain accurate documentation (e.g., summary notes of conversations with the chair, email correspondences) of any changes in workload and expectations that may occur during the period to be evaluated. These documents may be used in the evaluative materials submitted by the candidate at the time of review.
7. It is the responsibility of the DSPH PTC to address the following questions: Is there clear and sufficient evidence to support the candidate's effectiveness as a teacher? Have the DSPH's expectations for effective teaching been met?

Clinical Activities and Benchmarks

1. Clinical faculty members promoted within the DSPH and CHSP will demonstrate high-quality clinical effectiveness.
2. Evidence of clinical practice considered for promotion may include, but is not limited to:
   1. Evidence of expanded clinical services and/or new service lines created in the practice area
   2. Evidence of clinical quality outcomes (e.g., indicators should be based on identified industry standards and best practices)
   3. Evidence of annual patient/client satisfaction data/ratings that illustrate performance trends over time (e.g., 3-5 years)
   4. Demonstrated timeliness/adequacy of completion of clinical records and other documentation
   5. Attainment of board certification or recertification
   6. Implemented patient/client safety and continuous quality improvement measures
   7. Development of clinical and/or community program(s) that increase access to community services
   8. Demonstrated ability to work in and/or lead Interprofessional teams of health care or community-based providers
   9. Developed patient/client education materials that reflect clinical expertise and evidence-based practices
   10. Leadership position within the practice, such as medical director or clinical practices consultant; sustained track record of exemplary clinical leadership
3. The candidate must be actively involved in clinical practice and/or the management of clinical education. It is also expected that the clinical activity will occur in clinical sites where DSPH students are assigned.

Service

1. Service is broadly defined as a contribution to a larger group and extends beyond mere membership. Depending on the terms of hire and the standards of the academic unit, Instructional and Clinical Faculty may be expected to have a record of service linked to citizenship within the University, College, and/or Department. Valued contributions should also include service to the faculty member's discipline or profession and the larger community that enfolds the University.
2. Faculty seeking promotion may have performed service that is documented and evaluated across the following categories:
   1. Institutional service that contributes to the growth and ongoing work and development of the Department/College/University (e.g., committee work at all levels, membership on external committees/task forces, activities that contribute to the achievement of specific goals). These activities may reflect both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary involvement.
   2. Disciplinary or interdisciplinary professional contributions that assist professional, scholarly, or disciplinary/interdisciplinary associations and organizations in accomplishing their work (e.g., serve as an accreditation visitor, serve as an officer, or assume a leadership role in a relevant organization, serve as a policy advisor).
   3. Private or community contributions that call upon the knowledge and expertise of the faculty member involved (e.g., serving on a board of directors of relevant agencies, teaching a class in a public [K-12] school, involved in professional practice).