School of Journalism, Professor of the Practice Promotion and Evaluation Procedures

Overview

Professors of the practice make a crucial contribution to the excellence, culture and reputation of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Their experience from the profession informs classroom instruction and curriculum development; their established networks within the profession keep them connected with the state of the constantly changing mass communications industry, provide a wide range of potential speakers and class clients, and create opportunities for students to join these networks. Their professional abilities and, in some cases, independent research and creative activities complement and may equal those of the research faculty. 

The accrediting body for journalism and mass communication programs, ACEJMC, highlights the importance of professional faculty, stating in one of the standards it uses to evaluate programs: “The unit hires, supports and evaluates a capable faculty with a balance of academic and professional credentials appropriate for the unit’s mission. It supports faculty as they contribute to the advancement of scholarly and professional knowledge and engage in scholarship (research, creative and professional activity) that benefits the disciplines and society.” 

Promotion is among the most important decisions made by the School, for both tenure-track and professional faculty, because an excellent faculty is an essential component of the School. Recommendations for promotion must be based on a thorough and fair evaluation of the candidate’s achievements and competencies. These evaluative criteria should be clearly communicated to prospective and current faculty.

What are Professors of the Practice? 

Broadly speaking, professors of the practice, clinical professors and other related titles commonly exist in professional schools such as engineering, journalism, and medicine. They are sometimes described as those who “teach what they used to do” and are sought after to bridge the school’s connection between fields of study and practice. 

The roles and purposes of such professors are commonly described as distinguished professionals with significant experience in their field who promote the integration of academic scholarship and practical applications. They teach courses, advise students and collaborate in areas related to their expertise; they cultivate industry partnerships to expand student opportunities through course design, internships or other collaborations. 

Professors of the practice are assessed on criteria relative to their allocation of effort. These criteria may include professional competence and activity, teaching, creative work or research, and service. Teaching is presumed to be the primary allocation, but may not be the majority of allocation, for professors of the practice.

At the University of Kansas, set forth in the official policy, the role of professor of the practice may be used by an academic program that requires instruction by experienced practitioners, normally for purposes of accreditation. The University defines these faculty members as those who “possess the expertise and achievements to provide professional instruction in a manner that brings distinction” to the appointing School and the University. Responsibilities include teaching, service, maintaining professional credentials and/or other duties the dean determines. The policy explicitly says, “Research responsibilities are not included in the expectations.”

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to promote the rigorous and fair evaluation of the performance of a professor of the practice during the promotion process by (a) establishing criteria that express the department’s expectations for meeting University standards in terms of disciplinary practices; (b) providing procedures for the initial evaluation of teaching, service and other criteria; (c) preserving and enhancing the participatory rights of candidates for promotion, including the basic right to be informed about critical stages of the process and to have an opportunity to respond to negative evaluations; and (d) clarifying the responsibilities, roles, and relationships of the participants in the promotion review process.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications adheres to the University’s Professor of the Practice policy. The School Professor of the Practice Reappointment/Promotion Review Committee conducts an independent evaluation of a candidate’s record of performance and makes independent recommendations to the Dean. It is the responsibility of each person involved in the review process to exercise their own judgment to evaluate a professor of the practice’s performance based upon the entirety of the data and information in the record. No single source of information shall be considered a conclusive indicator of quality.

Academic Freedom

All professors of the practice, regardless of rank, are entitled to academic freedom and the right as citizens to speak on matters of public concern. Likewise, all professors of the practice bear the obligation to exercise their academic freedom responsibly and in accordance with the accepted standards of their professions and their academic disciplines. In the words of the AAUP, “Academic freedom is essential for the protection of the rights of the teacher” as well as the researcher. As such, the exercise of academic freedom and appropriate public comment shall not be used to determine retention or promotion decisions for professors of the practice.

Promotion Standards

General Principles. A professor of the practice’s full allocation of duties must equal 100%, and it may be configured to include teaching, service, professional activity, creative work and/or research, administration/ management, and/or other duties as allocated in the job description. Examples of current professor of the practice allocations include:

• 80% teaching + 20% service
• 70% teaching + 20% creative/research + 10% service
• 50% teaching + 40% creative/research + 10% service
• 40% teaching + 40% service + 20% creative/research

Candidates shall not be evaluated on categories not listed in their allocation.

Timeline for Promotion in Rank and Title. An initial appointment or reappointment of a professor of the practice will not exceed a period of three years, and a reappointment will depend on a satisfactory comprehensive evaluation at the end of each appointment period. The second reappointment review of an assistant or associate professor of the practice may be conducted as a comprehensive review for consideration of promotion. If unsuccessful, an individual may request another review for promotion in subsequent years. An assistant professor of the practice is not eligible to be promoted directly to the rank of professor of the practice.

If a candidate is not recommended for retention, or has employment terminated for a non-cause reason set forth in the KU Professor of the Practice policy, their employment shall terminate effective at the end of the next academic year.

Evaluation Standards

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications encourages all faculty members to continue developing as teachers, creative practitioners and scholars, and continue to serve the School, the University and the profession throughout their academic careers. The School abides by University policy in all promotion decisions.

Teaching. Excellence in teaching is serious intellectual work, grounded in a deep knowledge and understanding, and includes the ability to clearly convey that knowledge and engage learners. Teaching classes is the core of teaching responsibilities, but these responsibilities also include curriculum and assessment work, supervising student research, mentoring and advising students, and other teaching-related activities outside of the classroom.

The evaluation of teaching includes consideration of syllabi, course materials, and other information related to a professor of the practice’s courses; peer evaluations and student surveys of teaching; a statement of teaching philosophy and goals; public representations of teaching; other accepted methods of evaluation, which may include external evaluations; and contributions to course or curriculum development and assessment. (See the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Benchmarks for Teaching Effectiveness Framework).

Under the University standards for promotion to associate professor of the practice, the record must demonstrate effective teaching, as reflected in such factors as command of the subject matter, the ability to communicate effectively in the classroom, a demonstrated commitment to student learning, and involvement in providing advice and support for students outside the classroom. As appropriate, growth as an educator could be judged through implementation and testing of teaching methods considered innovative in the field.

In the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the candidate must meet the following standard for promotion to the rank of associate professor of the practice:

• Demonstration of best practices in the application of evidence-based teaching practices in the classroom.

In addition, the candidate should meet one or more of the following teaching expectations for promotion to the rank of associate professor of the practice:

• Engage in the building or redesign of online or in-person courses 
• Demonstrated effectiveness in supervising, mentoring and/or advising students, related to their teaching duties and/or scholarship.
• Participation in broader teaching activities (e.g., participation in CTE activities, developing curriculum designed with goals, better assessment practices) 
• Provide professional development opportunities to the department and/or wider campus community (e.g., share teaching innovations, techniques, experiences, etc.)
• Participate in or lead activities that impact teaching and learning at the University and/or at the national level.

Under the University standards for promotion to the rank of full professor of the practice, the record must demonstrate continued effectiveness and growth as a teacher, an ongoing commitment to student learning, and active involvement in providing advice and support for students and fellow educators outside the classroom.

In the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the candidate must meet the following University standard for promotion to the rank of full professor of the practice:

• Demonstration of effectiveness in the application of evidence-based teaching practices in the classroom and demonstration of positive contributions to teaching and learning beyond the School, that is, at the University and/or national level.

Additionally, the candidate should meet two or more of the following teaching expectations for the promotion to the rank of full professor of the practice:

• Engage in the building or redesign of online or in-person courses 
• Demonstrated effectiveness in supervising, mentoring and/or advising students, related to their teaching duties and/or scholarship.
• Participation in broader teaching activities (e.g., participation in CTE activities, developing curriculum designed with goals, better assessment practices) 
• Provide professional development opportunities to the department and/or wider campus community (e.g., share teaching innovations, techniques, experiences, etc.)
• Participate in or lead activities that impact teaching and learning at the University and/or at the national level.

Creative work and/or professional activity and/or research. Creative work, professional activity and scholarship should be evaluated according to an individual professor of the practice’s workload requirements. The concept of “creative work” encompasses professional work products and activities relevant to the discipline. The concept of “professional activity” reflects the value of professional connections, which are crucial for informing an up-to-date curriculum. Professors of the practice may also perform traditional scholarly research. The candidate may submit an explanation of the nature and value of their activities.

In the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, if a candidate has an allocation for creative/professional/research work, the candidate should meet one or more of the following University standards for promotion to the rank of associate professor of the practice and two or more of the following for promotion to the rank of full professor of the practice:

• Create content published professionally for a mass audience, such as (but not limited to)
  • A portfolio of articles for a professional news outlet or professional organization  
  • White paper/report on an industry topic
  • Creative project such as a documentary film, advertising materials, rebranding 
  • Audio and video broadcasts
  • General-audience books, textbooks, or published simulations or case studies
  • Editorials, broadcast appearances and media commentary on industry topics.
• Participate in leadership (board or committee) of one or more professional organizations
• Achieve or maintain professional certifications appropriate for the field
• Outreach and presentations of material to professional audiences or to the public at large, including professional development seminars, webinars and other forms of training.
• Consultation in a professional or expert capacity
• Grant funding from public or private funding organizations
• Peer-reviewed publication related to the field
• Activities of a scholarly or professional nature that involve students and/or professionals from outside the University.

Service. Service contributing to the School, the University and the profession is an important responsibility for professors of the practice. Although the nature of service activities depends on a candidate’s interests and abilities, service is an essential part of being a good citizen of the University. The School accepts and values service to the discipline or profession, service within the School and the University, and public service at the local, state, national, or international level.

Under the University standards for the award of promotion, the candidate’s record must demonstrate a pattern of service to the School and the University at one or more levels, to the discipline or profession, and/or to local, state, national, or international communities.

In the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the candidate should meet one or more of the following service expectations to meet University standards for promotion to the rank of associate professor of the practice and two or more of the following for promotion to the rank of full professor of the practice:

• Regular service to the School through attendance of department meetings

• Participation in School committees (standing or ad hoc committees, faculty search committees, etc.)

• Participation in committees or working groups at other levels (such as at CTE or other offices around campus)

• Record of service to the University through membership on University committees or through University Governance

• Evidence of service to the community and the profession (local, state, national or international)

Administrative/management: Some professors of the practice may have an allocation that includes an administrative or management component that requires a commitment exceeding typical service, such as directing a center, program, student media or similar entity. Candidates with or without such an allocation are eligible to serve as concentration chairs. 

In the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, if the candidate has administrative responsibilities, they should describe their duties and achievements in the administrative role(s) as part of their application for promotion. 

Ratings for Performance. Using the above criteria, a candidate’s performance in each applicable area will be rated using the terms “excellent,” “very good,” “good,” “marginal,” or “poor,” defined as follows:

• “Excellent” means that the candidate substantially exceeds expectations for promotion to this rank.
• “Very Good” means the candidate exceeds expectations for promotion to this rank.
• “Good” means the candidate meets expectations for promotion to this rank.
• “Marginal” means the candidate falls below expectations for promotion to this rank.
• “Poor” means the candidate falls significantly below expectations for promotion to this rank.

Absent exceptional circumstances, no candidate may be recommended for promotion without meeting standards – that is, a “good” rating – in all applicable areas of performance.

Promotion Procedure

Review committee: The committee for review should be made up of an associate dean, the chair of the concentration most closely aligned with the candidate’s teaching responsibilities, and two professors of the practice who have attained the rank petitioned for or higher.

The retention/promotion file: The candidate will submit a dossier to the Associate Dean for Faculty Development that includes:

• Current CV
• Annual evaluations since the beginning of the current appointment
• Copy of position description 
• List of courses taught and enrollments in courses
• Demonstration of teaching effectiveness 
• Summary of accomplishments in service, creative/professional activity, and administrative duties, as applicable.
• Candidate statements on creative/scholarship work, teaching and service

Timeline for the review process: Because professors of the practice have varying contract dates, the review process should take place during the full semester before the candidate’s contract is up. The process is as follows:

• At the start of the semester, the Associate Dean for Faculty Development shall email any candidates eligible for promotion to notify them and provide a timeline and guidance on the process, with the option for a personal meeting to answer questions. The candidate responds with notification of a desire to pursue promotion review.
• Then, within two weeks, the Associate Dean responds to the candidate with the committee members and specific timelines and guidance on where required documents (see above) are to be submitted. 
• The candidate provides the committee chair with the documents by the noted date.
• The committee reviews candidate documents, provides written performance evaluations, and votes on a recommended rating (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Marginal, Poor) and on reappointment/promotion (Yes/No). 
• The committee’s evaluation results are then transmitted to the Dean for their review and comments. For negative recommendations, the candidate will have a chance to submit a written response.
• After the Dean’s review, the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development submits the final evaluation form to the Office of the Provost. 
• Promotion shall be effective at the start of the new contract.

Some language in this document was adapted from other KU departments, other universities and AAUP.