Academic Titles in the Brooks School

Download the Brooks Faculty Handbook: Academic Titles pdf 

1.1 Tenure/Tenure-Track: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor

The titles of professor, associate professor, and assistant professor are the only ranks eligible for tenure consideration. Faculty with these titles are either tenure eligible (“tenure-track”) or tenured. The determination of tenure track status is made at the time a search is authorized by the Dean. All other ranks are not on a tenure track and are not eligible for tenure consideration.

1.2 Non-Tenure-Track:Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, Assistant Teaching Professor, Professor of Practice, Senior Research Associate, Research Associate, and Senior Extension Associate.

The title of professor of practice is further limited to faculty with appointments of at least 80% effort. These policies hold unless the faculty member was granted the title of senior lecturer, teaching professor (any rank), or professor of practice from another college and has adopted a part-time role in the Brooks School.

1.3 Emeritus Faculty

The title of Emeritus may be granted by the Brooks School Dean upon retirement from full-time service to the School and University in recognition of past accomplishments and a continuing relationship with the Brooks School. The emeritus title is most often granted to faculty members at the rank of Professor, although appointment from other senior ranks is also possible upon justification. Promotions in faculty rank are not granted once emeritus status is achieved. Faculty members with tenure granted by the University who transition to an Emeritus appointment relinquish tenure but retain their faculty title and may continue to engage in academic activities as mutually agreed upon by the faculty member and the Brooks School or relevant Departmental Chair.

Faculty members with emeritus appointments remain eligible to advise graduate students, maintain committee appointments, and serve as investigators on grants (including as Principal Investigator) and are subject to the same School and University policies applicable to other faculty. The title of Emeritus is ultimately granted by the University’s Board of Trustees, following nomination by the School.

1.4 Visiting Faculty

An individual from another academic institution is given the title of “visiting professor,” “visiting associate professor,” etc., as appropriate. In order to be considered for such a title, he/she must hold an active faculty rank at another academic institution, hold a doctoral or master’s degree, and be in residence at the Brooks School as a full-time member of the faculty for the duration of the visit. Visiting faculty appointments are for a minimum of 1 month and typically limited to 1 year. In certain cases, the visitor may be reappointed for 1 additional year with written permission of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research.

A letter of recommendation requesting the appointment is to be submitted to the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development, supported with a current curriculum vitae. The individual must provide documentation from their home academic institution that they may resume their faculty position following completion of their visit. Visiting Faculty should meet the further criteria specified in the University Visiting Professorships Policy.

1.5 Other Faculty Titles

Other titles that were assigned before the establishment of the Brooks School can be grandfathered in for continued use under rare circumstances on a case-by-case basis.