Handbook of Operating Procedures > Series 300 Faculty and Academic Policies > 3.1.3 Academic Titles

3.1.3 Academic Titles

A. Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to describe the academic titles approved for use at The University of Texas at Tyler.

B. Persons Affected

This policy applies to faculty.

C. Definitions

For complete information of the following categories of faculty refer to University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 31001

D. Policy and Procedures

1. Tenure and Tenure-Track Titles

Except for the titles Regental Professor and Regents' Research Scholar, the only titles to be used in which faculty members may hold tenure or be on the tenure track are as follows:

1. Professor
2. Associate Professor
3. Assistant Professor

The only titles in which a person may hold tenure are Professor and Associate Professor. The only titles in which a person may accrue time toward satisfaction of the probationary period required before consideration of the award of tenure are Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor. These titles are normally used only for continuing, full-time members of the faculty.  The procedures to be followed in the tenure and promotion processes are presented in 3.3.4 and 3.4.5, respectively.

2. Non Tenure-Track Titles

The following academic titles may be used for persons appointed to non-tenure-track positions. Except as specified, these titles may be used for both full- and part-time appointments, shall not exceed three academic years and shall expire at the end of the stated period without a requirement of advance notice. The University of Texas at Tyler, at its discretion, may offer subsequent reappointments to these titles. Descriptions of the following titles are provided in University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 31001.

1. Assistant Professor of Instruction, Associate Professor of Instruction, and Professor of Instruction.  These titles designate nontenure-track faculty with a Terminal Degree primarily engaged in instruction. Appointments to the faculty with a Professor of Instruction title track may be with or without pay and shall be for a period not to exceed three academic years with the possibility of renewal.  If the appointment is not renewed, it shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment.
2. Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, and Clinical Professor. These designate regular part-time or full-time service by the faculty with a Terminal Degree while involved in a professional clinical experience program. Appointments to the faculty with a clinical title may be with or without pay and shall be for a period not to exceed three academic years with the possibility of renewal.  If the appointment is not renewed, it shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment.
3. Patient Care or Research titles: Professor of (title of specialty), Associate Professor of (title of specialty), Assistant Professor of (title of specialty), Instructor in (department). These titles are for persons with a Terminal Degree appointed to positions for the primary purposes of patient care and other service activities or to positions for the primary purposes of research activities. These individuals may be assigned teaching responsibilities.
4. Assistant Professor of Practice, Associate Professor of Practice, and Professor of Practice.  These titles designate faculty with or without a terminal degree who qualified to teach by virtue of professional experience in lieu of typical academic credentials. Appointments to the faculty with a Professor of Practice title track may be with or without pay and shall be for a period not to exceed three academic years with the possibility of renewal.  If the appointment is not renewed, it shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment.
5. Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Distinguished Lecturer. These titles designate nontenure-track faculty without a terminal degree primarily engaged in teaching. Appointments to the faculty with these titles may be with or without pay and shall be for a period not to exceed three academic years with the possibility of renewal.  If the appointment is not renewed, it shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment.
6. Clinical Instructor, Clinical Senior Instructor, and Clinical Distinguished Instructor. These titles designate nontenure-track faculty without a terminal degree primarily involved in a professional clinical experience program. Appointments to the faculty with a clinical title may be with or without pay and shall be for a period not to exceed three academic years with the possibility of renewal.  If the appointment is not renewed, it shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment.
7. Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Visiting Assistant Professor. These titles are used only for the temporary appointment of persons with a Terminal Degree who are either visiting from other institutions where they hold similar ranks or are appointed by the University on a trial basis. Such appointments are subject to annual review and are limited to two (2) years.
8. Faculty Associate.  This title may be applied to a person assigned to a research or nonteaching center, institute, or other unit or interdisciplinary program of an institution.
9. Specialist.  This title may be used for professional individuals who will serve as practitioners in specific areas of instruction, training, or supervision. In accordance with institutional policy, the title may carry appropriate descriptive prefixes so as to indicate the specific areas of proficiency, such as Practice Teaching Specialist, Physical Activity Specialist, or Social Work Field Training Specialist.
10. Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, and Adjunct Assistant Professor.  One of these titles may be used when a qualified person from business, industry, government, private practice, or another institution of higher education may be teaching a course or participating in the teaching of a course at one of the institutions. Appointments to the faculty with an adjunct title may be with or without pay and shall be for a stated period of time not to exceed one academic year. Such appointments shall terminate upon expiration of the stated period of appointment without notification of nonrenewal.
11. Adjoint Professor, Adjoint Associate Professor, and Adjoint Assistant Professor.  These titles may be used by the institutions of the U. T. System to designate faculty who serve the institution in cooperative or joint programs pursuant to a memorandum of understanding, cooperative research and development agreement, or similar partnership instrument. Persons holding these titles will be employees of and compensated by the partnership organization. They will not be deemed employees of the institution. They will, however, have the same obligations, responsibilities, and authority as regular faculty employed directly by the institution when performing faculty functions pursuant to the agreement. Appointments will usually be part-time for the purpose of supervising theses and dissertations or for the teaching of highly specialized courses. The term of the appointment shall be specified in the agreement with the partner organization.

 

3. Honorific Titles

Distinguished Teaching Professor

1. Purpose: In recognition of their significant contributions to the University’s teaching and learning environment, active Fellows of the UT Tyler Academy of Distinguished Teachers (“ADT”) may use the honorific title Distinguished Teaching Professor upon approval of the Provost.
2. Conferral Process: To be eligible for this title, the nominee must be a UT Tyler faculty member and an active Fellow of the UT Tyler Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

   Nominees must have a distinguished record of teaching excellence, as well as a record of promoting continuous development of teaching excellence and improvement among their colleagues.

   The ADT Executive Committee by way of the ADT President, shall request the approval of the Provost for each active ADT Fellow to be conferred the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor.

3. Removal Process: Any member of the UT Tyler faculty may request that a review be conducted for the potential removal of the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor. Requests for a review shall be made to the Provost in writing with a detailed description of the reason(s) the title should be removed.

   In conducting the review, the Provost or designee shall give the subject of the review an opportunity to respond to the allegations in the request for review. After analyzing the materials provided, the Provost or designee shall determine in their sole discretion, whether the title should be removed. Determinations by the Provost or designee are final.

4. ADT Associate Fellows: The title of Distinguished Teaching Professor may not be used by ADT Associate Fellows.

E. Responsibilities

The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs is responsible for the administration of this policy. 

F. Review

The Divisional Head for this policy is the Provost.  This policy shall be reviewed every five years or sooner if necessary by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the Faculty Senate.