Teaching Stream Appointments

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1 Policy

• Policy and Procedures on Academic Appointments (PPAA), June 26, 2015
• Policy and Procedures Governing Promotions in the Teaching Stream, (PPPTS), December 16, 2016

2 Applicability

• This section applies only to faculty in full-time (more than 75% FTE) continuing teaching stream appointments.
• Professorial rank for appointed faculty in the teaching stream was first approved by Governing Council on June 26, 2015. The new ranks were implemented effective January 1, 2016.

3 Description

• “The ranks of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (Conditional); Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream; Associate Professor, Teaching Stream; and Professor, Teaching Stream are to be held by faculty members whose duties normally consist of teaching students who are in degree programs or the Transitional Year Programme, and other professional and administrative activities related to teaching.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section 30, i, a — emphasis added)
• “The expectation of faculty members in the teaching stream is that they bring a dimension of teaching excellence and educational innovation that enhances undergraduate or graduate education and adds significantly to the quality of the student experience.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section 30, i, a)

4 Appointments

• “All teaching stream appointments require Provostial approval.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section 30, ii — emphasis added. Note: this refers only to full-time continuing teaching stream appointments.)

• Appointment procedures:
  • “The appointment procedures for members of the teaching stream should follow the policies and procedures set out in Section 5 above except that the phrase at the end of Section 5.ii should be “scholarship as evidenced in teaching and related pedagogical/professional activities.” (PPAA, Part Vii, Section 30, ii — emphasis added)
  • See also the AAPM section on Recruitment.

• Variable start dates:
  • The PPAA assumes a July 1 start date for all faculty.
  • Other start dates may be negotiated as required by immigration considerations and the circumstances of the candidate.
  • Regardless of when an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream starts, their initial contract will end June 30 four years from July 1 of the calendar year they were appointed. For example:
    • Appointed January 1, 2019 will have an initial contract end date of June 30, 2023.
    • Appointed September 1, 2019 will also have an initial contract end date of June 30, 2023.

5 Cross-Appointments

• Teaching stream faculty may hold both budgetary and non-budgetary cross-appointments as appropriate. “Other cross-appointments to departments on other campuses may also be made, with or without salary, where appropriate.” (PPAA, Part Vii, Section 30, i, a)

6 Graduate Membership

• Teaching stream faculty do not necessarily have graduate appointments.
• “Where the position requires graduate teaching, an appointment to a University graduate department will also be made.” (PPAA, Part Vii, Section 30, i, a)
• This appointment takes the form of graduate faculty membership as Associate Membership (Restricted).
• Teaching stream faculty are not normally eligible for Associate or Full graduate faculty membership.

7 Ranks

• Faculty appointed to the teaching stream normally require a PhD.
• “To qualify for appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, or above, the candidate should normally be required to show evidence as to the successful completion of a doctoral programme or other scholarly or creative professional work regarded by the division or department as equivalent.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section iii)
• With approval of the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life, an advertisement for a teaching stream position may not require a PhD if a doctorate is not normally the terminal degree in the field.
• Approval to appoint a candidate without a PhD at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream will only be granted in cases where: i.) the ad has not required a PhD, and also, ii.) a request to waive the requirement of a PhD is made at the time of appointment and supported by a strong academic rationale.

7.1 Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (Conditional)

• “Any member of the teaching stream enrolled in a doctoral programme at any university and appointed with the expectation that the Ph.D. degree or its equivalent will be conferred must remain at the Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (Conditional) rank until the degree is conferred or until he or she indicates that the formal doctoral programme has been abandoned and is able to show evidence of satisfactory scholarly work.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section iii — emphasis added)
• A faculty member cannot hold a conditional appointment for more than 4 years. “When a candidate enters the teaching stream, he or she should not serve more than four years, including a terminal year, at the Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (Conditional) rank. (PPAA, Part VII, Section iii — emphasis added)
• Faculty holding conditional appoints should receive annual contracts.
• “Assistant Professor[s], Teaching Stream (Conditional) should receive annual contracts terminable on not less than six months written notice.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section iii)
• Renewals of annual contracts for such appointments require Provostial approval.
• Clearing the condition: Once the faculty member has cleared the condition on their appointment, they are eligible for an appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. (PPAA, Part VII, Section iii)
• “Those raised from Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream (Conditional) rank to Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream after the beginning of the regular appointment year, and who are in the continuing status stream, shall be deemed to have received a four-year contract from the following July 1.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section vii – emphasis added)
• The faculty member must receive a new letter of offer at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. A signed copy must be provided to the Provost’s Office.
• The time to continuing status review does not include the time spent in a conditional appointment.

7.2 Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream

• All continuing teaching stream searches are at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream.
• Initial appointments at this rank should be for four years (see Variable Start Dates).
• “On initial appointment to a position in the continuing status stream, an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream should receive a four year contract and it should be clearly understood that the University is under no obligation to renew the contract when it expires, unless the candidate has a successful interim [probationary] review.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section vii)
• Probationary Review: Faculty appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream “should be reviewed no earlier than May 1 of the third year of the contract.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section vii — emphasis added)
• Renewal of contract: “If an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream is granted a renewal of his or her contract, that renewal should be for a period of two years.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section viii — emphasis added)
• Continuing Status review: The Continuing Status Review normally occurs in the 6th year of the faculty member’s appointment: “he or she must be considered for continuing status in the terminal year of this contract.” (PPAA, Part VII, Section viii – emphasis added)
• There is no provision in the PPAA for early consideration for Probationary Review or for Continuing Status Review. There is provision for requests for delay. (PPAA, Part VII, Section ix)

7.3 Associate Professor, Teaching Stream

• This rank is normally only attained following an initial appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream.
• Promotion and continuing status are normally treated as one process.
• “Because the criteria for the granting of continuing status and the promotion to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream are so similar, and because the two decisions are usually made so closely in time, the granting of continuing status should be accompanied by promotion to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream.” (PPPTS, Section 7)

7.4 Professor, Teaching Stream

• This rank is attained following a period of appointment at the rank of Associate Professor, Teaching Stream.
• Promotion to the rank of Professor, Teaching Stream was first possible following the approval by Governing Council of the Policy and Procedures Governing Promotions in the Teaching Stream on December 16, 2016.
• “Promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream will be granted on the basis of excellent teaching, educational leadership and/or achievement, and ongoing pedagogical/professional development, sustained over many years.” (PPPTS, Section 6.) See the section on Promotion for Teaching Stream Faculty.