Policy 210: Appointment and Promotion for Full Time Faculty

Policy Number: 210

Date Approved: 12/19/2024

Executive Responsibility: Faculty Assembly

References: Wright State University Policy 2035, Wright State University Policy 2120

210.1 Introduction

The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (BSOM) seeks to recruit and sustain a faculty that supports the goals and mission of BSOM:

A high level of creative/scholarly activity in the form of research is encouraged. However, because of the emphasis on teaching and practice, the creative output of individual faculty members may vary, and the balance of teaching, research, and service is a departmental but not necessarily an individual faculty member's responsibility.
The teaching of clinical medicine and the structure and nature of the practice of medicine are emphasized. Accordingly, a scholarly educator (clinicians and non-clinicians) model will be essential for many faculty positions. In order to develop, evaluate and improve innovative and relevant curricula, there are certain faculty who work primarily as medical educators.
The academic reward system must be flexible and reflect that medical education requires faculty members with academic (e.g., Ph.D.) and clinical (e.g., M.D.) degrees who bring different backgrounds, philosophies, skills, opportunities, and needs into an academic setting.

BSOM holds the academic standards established by Wright State University in high esteem. Because BSOM programs and the composition of its faculty differ in many details from those of the university, BSOM has established the following guidelines for appointment and promotion. These guidelines are consistent with those of the University and with the goals of BSOM.

210.2 Definition of Full Time Faculty

Full time faculty are defined by BSOM as those who are employed at 0.75 FTE or greater combined among Wright State University / BSOM and BSOM’s institutional partners.

210.3 Appointment and Promotion of Full Time Faculty

BSOM sustains a faculty that supports the unique mission of BSOM. University faculty members have the responsibility to achieve academic growth and development in the areas of teaching, scholarly and research activity, and service. Any one of these areas may be the primary area of achievement. Each faculty member can accomplish this in a unique way that fits the mission of their department(s). Each department is responsible for a balance of teaching, scholarly and research activity, and professional service.

Promotion in academic rank is a mark of distinction and recognition among the academic community of BSOM. Academic scholarly/creative activity is the hallmark of the University. Time in rank alone, without evidence of academic scholarly/creative activity, does not merit promotion to the next academic rank. Furthermore, BSOM considers the rank of associate professor a respected and honored academic rank that will be the highest rank achieved by many valuable faculty members.

Faculty seeking promotion to the rank of associate professor or professor will be expected to meet the following guidelines. The annual evaluation of faculty members should include review of these promotion guidelines as well as those of the department. The faculty member, together with the department chair, should discuss the faculty member's progress toward promotion.

Departments may have their own guidelines for promotion, which may be more specific and extensive. Faculty with appointments solely within BSOM will be expected to meet department guidelines as well as those of BSOM. In the case of conflict between the department bylaws in departments that are matrixed with the College of Science and Mathematics, the department’s bylaws will supersede this policy.

210.4 Tracks

There are two tracks for promotion with distinct guidelines: the Investigator track and the Educator track. Faculty should be annually measuring their progress to promotion against the appropriate track. Faculty must declare the track on which they are seeking promotion at the time of their request for consideration.

Faculty members seeking promotion as Investigators should have superior and sustained accomplishments in research and in the scholarship of discovery. The majority of their professional achievements will be found within Research and Scholarly Activity.

Faculty members seeking promotion as Educators, should have superior and sustained accomplishments in medical education and the scholarship of the integration of knowledge with significant contributions to medical education or BSOM’s medical education mission.

Outstanding accomplishments in health services, such as innovative clinical programs and regional and national recognition for excellence in health care delivery, also will be considered as supporting promotion. The majority of these faculty members' professional achievements will be found within Education and Service.

210.5 Ranks

210.5.1 Instructor

For physicians this is an initial rank, pending the completion of training or board certification. Other candidates must hold at least a master's degree.

210.5.2 Assistant Professor

The academic rank of assistant professor is ordinarily an entry rank for faculty members. Candidates should hold the terminal degree in their fields, have completed training in their disciplines, and demonstrated effective performance in their disciplines that is recognized by their peers.

If the department so stipulates, board certification or postdoctoral training/experience may be required.

210.5.3 Associate Professor

The following criteria are those ordinarily expected for appointment or promotion to associate professor in BSOM.

For the academic rank of associate professor, the candidate must have documented evidence of sustained and high quality performance that is recognized by peers in their field within the local community of scholars as well as at the state and regional levels.

The value of professional achievements may be documented by support letters from peers.

210.5.3.1 Associate Professor Criteria

Degree. Candidates must hold the terminal degree in their fields.
Certification. Physician faculty must have board certification in their specialties or sub-specialties. Other faculty members shall be certified in their fields if such certification is available or applicable.
Time in previous rank. A minimum of five years at the assistant professor level is ordinarily required to demonstrate the sustained superior performance expected for appointment or advancement to associate professor.
Academic activity.
1. Investigators. Sustained and superior performance in research. Performance will be documented by having developed an independent research program, playing a leadership role in the development of a collaborative research effort, or having a sustained clinical research effort. This will combine activities in the middle and upper tiers of research and scholarship (see 210.6) including:
  1. a minimum of 5 articles in peer-reviewed journals or equivalent peer-reviewed repository from work done at WSU while at the rank of assistant professor. For publications on which the candidate is not the first author or senior author, the publications must represent reports of work in which the faculty member is the primary author or played a major role in the inception, design, and implementation of the research.
  2. designation as principal investigator on extramural research grants, contracts or training grants.
  3. evidence of activity in education and service at least at the middle tier is also expected.
2. Educators. Sustained and superior performance in education and service. Performance will be documented through demonstrating major responsibility for education and service as well as significant impact from the nominee's efforts. This will be demonstrated through activity at the upper tiers of education and service including:
  1. a minimum of 5 articles in peer-reviewed journals or equivalent peer-reviewed repository from work done at WSU while at the rank of assistant professor. For publications on which the candidate is not the first author or senior author, the publications must represent reports of work in which the faculty member is the primary author or played a major role in the inception, design, and implementation of the research.
  2. outstanding teaching performance as documented by learner and peer evaluations and awards.
  3. development of innovative educational and health care programs.
  4. the candidate must have achieved broad recognition and respect by peers as a superior practitioner in the field.
Recognition by peers at the state, and regional level. External letters of support from at least three peers should evaluate whether the candidate meets the BSOM and department’s criteria for promotion. The external evaluators should be experts in the field of the candidate and should hold at least the rank of associate professor, if they have an academic appointment. These letters should not be testimonial in character and they should not be based on promotion criteria at the writers’ institutions. The writers should not be current or past collaborators, mentors, or students of the candidate. Educators should solicit letters from individuals who could speak toward competency and excellence in their health care discipline.

210.5.4 Professor

The following criteria are those ordinarily expected in BSOM for appointment or promotion to professor.

For the academic rank of professor, the candidate must have documented evidence of sustained and high performance that is recognized by peers in their field at the national level.

The value of professional achievements may be documented by support letters from peers.

210.5.4.1 Professor Criteria

Degree. Candidates must hold the terminal degree in their fields.
Certification. Physician faculty must have board certification in their specialties or sub-specialties. Other faculty members shall be certified in their fields if such certification is available or applicable.
Time in previous rank. A minimum of five years at the associate professor level is ordinarily required to demonstrate the sustained superior performance expected for appointment or advancement to professor.
Academic activity.
1. Investigators. Sustained and superior performance in research. Performance will be documented by having major responsibility for an independent research program, playing a leadership role in a collaborative research effort, or having a sustained clinical research effort. This will combine activities in the upper tier of research and scholarship including:
  1. a minimum of 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals or equivalent peer-reviewed repository, the majority published while at the rank of associate professor and reflecting ongoing and significant contribution to scholarly efforts. For publications on which the candidate is not the first author or senior author, the publications must represent reports of work in which the faculty member is the primary author or played a major role in the inception, design, and implementation of the research.
  2. a sustained record of extramural funding through research grants, contracts or training grants.
  3. evidence of activity in education and service at least at the middle tier is expected.
2. Educators. Sustained and superior performance in education and service. Performance will be documented through demonstrating major responsibility for education and service as well as significant impact from the nominee's efforts. This will combine activities at the upper tiers of education and service including:
  1. a minimum of 15 articles from peer-reviewed journals or equivalent peer-reviewed repository, the majority published while at the rank of associate professor and reflecting ongoing scholarly efforts. For publications on which the candidate is not the first author or senior author, the publications must represent reports of work in which the faculty member is the primary author or played a major role in the inception, design, and implementation of the research.
  2. outstanding teaching performance as documented by learner and peer evaluations and awards.
  3. development, implementation and evaluation of innovative educational and clinical programs.
  4. the candidate must have achieved broad recognition and respect by peers as providing superior education and service in the field. The candidate must have achieved broad recognition and respect by peers as a superior clinician, when applicable.
Recognition by peers at the national level. External letters of support from at least three peers should evaluate whether the candidate meets the BSOM and department’s criteria for promotion. The external evaluators should be experts in the field of the candidate and should hold at least the rank of professor, if they have an academic appointment. These letters should not be testimonial in character and they should not be based on promotion criteria at the writers’ institutions. The writers should not be current or past collaborators, mentors, or students of the candidate. Educators should solicit letters from individuals who could speak toward competency and excellence in their health care discipline.

210.6 Tiers of Activities

It is difficult to place specific value or weights on contributions to teaching, service or research/scholarly activities. Nevertheless, the following activities in the areas of teaching, service and scholarship have been arranged in tiers of significance. Achievements in the upper tiers will weigh more heavily than those in the lower.

210.6.1 Education

Upper

Principal investigator or co-investigator of a funded educational grant
Leadership (e.g. residency/fellowship program director, course director, clerkship director, educational committee chair)
Development of education aids (e.g., computer programs, videos, CDs, etc.)
Curriculum design (for example: course development or redesign)
Development of innovative teaching programs

Middle

Structured medical student, graduate student, or resident/fellow teaching
Recipient of teaching excellence award
Structured clinical teaching (e.g. lecture, grand rounds, CME presentation)
Chair of thesis committee (e.g., MD MPH, MD MBA programs, etc.)

Lower

Unstructured medical student, graduate student, or resident/fellow teaching (for example: teaching during rounds or in clinic)
Other teaching activities (for example: case conference, journal club, department seminars)

210.6.2 Service

Upper

Chair of a WSU or BSOM committee
Development of innovative clinical program
Chair or officer for regional or national medical, scientific, or public health organizations
Development of innovative programs or policies broadly impacting medical education or public health
Community service (major leadership position)

Middle

Member of a BSOM or WSU committee
Membership on committees or boards of regional or national medical, scientific, or public health organizations
Participation in multi-center clinical and educational trials/studies
Organizing a local or regional scholarly or research symposium
Membership on hospital or health department committees (uncompensated)
Community service (service on a board or steering committee or an organization)

Lower

Community service (occasional volunteer participation)
Membership of a department committee

210.6.3 Research and Scholarly Activity

Upper

Principal investigator or co-principal investigator of a funded research grant
Grants reviewer at a national level
Original publication in refereed journal
Invited Visiting Professor
Publication of a book
Journal and/or book editor
Member of national consensus panel or study section
Invited chair of an international or national scientific/educational/clinical symposium
Member of an editorial board of a peer-reviewed journal

Middle

Presentation at national meeting
Writing an invited editorial in refereed journal
Guest lecturer outside own institution
Publication of a book chapter or a review article

Lower

Journal reviewer for a refereed journal
Case report in a refereed journal
Consultant to externally funded grant, medical or scientific organization or site or departmental review
Contributing investigator in a multi-center clinical trial or study
Presentation at regional meeting