Upon receiving an appointment, whether regular or temporary, faculty shall be given the rank of Instructor, Professor of Practice, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, depending on academic preparation and experience (See Policy 2502 of the College’s Policies and Procedures). The Rank & Tenure Committee shall be informed of tenure-track appointments to the rank of Associate Professor from outside Stonehill College and must approve tenure or tenure-track appointments to the rank of Professor from outside the College. Appointments shall be of the following types:
Tenure and Tenure Track:
A tenure and tenure-track appointment is made with a person who devotes full time to duties at the College on a continuing basis. The comprehensive search procedures described in the Faculty Hiring Guide apply only to appointments of this type. Ordinarily, persons receiving tenure-track appointments must hold a terminal degree in their field.
Associate Professor Term Renewable:
An Associate Professor Term Renewable appointment is made with a person who devotes full time to duties at the College for a specified length of time, without the obligation to reappointment. Such appointments and the nature of the responsibilities shall be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs after consultation with the Dean and appropriate Department Chairpersons or Program Directors. For full-time Associate Professor term renewable faculty, the teaching load is specified in their terms of appointment letter. Beginning with the 2024 – 2025 academic year, term-renewable Associate Professors will receive five-year contracts.
Assistant Professor Term Renewable:
An Assistant Professor Term Renewable appointment is made with a person who devotes full time to duties at the College for a specified length of time, without the obligation to reappointment. Such appointments and the nature of the responsibilities shall be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs after consultation with the appropriate Dean and appropriate Department Chairpersons or Program Directors. For term-renewable faculty who held the rank Assistant Professor in Fall 2023, the teaching load is specified in their Fall 2023 terms-of-appointment letter with the College, so long as their contract is renewed. Beginning Fall 2023, Assistant Term-Renewable faculty have six years (12 semesters of full-time teaching) to apply for promotion to Associate. If after six years, a term-renewable Assistant Professor has not applied for promotion or the application is unsuccessful, their position will automatically convert to Professor of Practice. In such cases, these faculty will maintain the teaching load specified in their Fall 2023 terms-of-appointment letter with the College, so long as their contract is renewed, and they can apply for promotion to Senior Professor of Practice after six additional semesters of full-time employment.
Professor of Practice:
A Professor of Practice appointment is made with a person who devotes full time to teaching duties at the College, without the obligation to reappoint. For purposes of promotion, Professors of Practice applying for promotion to Senior Professor of Practice will be evaluated solely on the teaching and service criteria (and not departmental scholarship criteria) as described in Appendix C Tenure & Promotion – Criteria and Procedures of the Faculty Handbook. Professors of Practice with no previous teaching experience must teach sixteen semesters before they can apply for senior status. This time may be shortened for previous teaching or work experience outside of Stonehill and is determined by the School Dean, in consultation with the Vice President of Academic Affairs. If credit is awarded for previous teaching or work experience, a Professor of Practice must teach at Stonehill a minimum of six semesters before being eligible to apply for senior status. The teaching effectiveness of Professors of Practice shall be reviewed annually by the Dean and appropriate Chairpersons and Program Directors until successful promotion to Senior status. Job offer letters will be issued annually for the first five years of a Professor of Practice’s appointment to Stonehill. After five years of successful annual reviews, job offer letters will be issued every three years. Annual reviews will still occur. A faculty review must be completed before a second 3-year contract is issued. Upon promotion to Senior status, contracts will be issued for a five-year term, and faculty reviews will take place the year before issuing a new five-year job offer letter. Typically, Professors of Practice lines are not eligible for conversion to tenure track.
Visiting:
A Visiting Professor appointment is made with a person who devotes part or full time to duties at the College for a term of one year, without the obligation to reappoint. The appointment may be renewed for one additional year. Such appointments and the nature of the responsibilities shall be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs after consultation with the Dean and appropriate Department Chairpersons and Program Directors.
Adjuncts:
An Adjunct Professor appointment is made with a person who normally teaches no more than two courses per semester. Appointments of this kind shall be made by the Dean after consultation with the appropriate Department Chairpersons or Program Directors. Such appointments may be continued from semester to semester, but do not lead to tenure or obligation to reappoint. Adjuncts who teach for ten or more years at Stonehill receive the title Senior Adjunct.
Laboratory Instructor & Coordinator:
A Laboratory Instructor & Coordinator appointment is made with a person who normally teaches three laboratory sections each fall and spring semester as well as prepares and coordinates the support for designated labs, without the obligation to reappoint. Laboratory Instructor & Coordinators applying for promotion to Senior Laboratory Instructor & Coordinator will be evaluated solely on the teaching and service criteria (and not departmental scholarship criteria) as described in Appendix C Tenure & Promotion – Criteria and Procedures of the Faculty Handbook. One exception is that since advising students is not part of the job responsibilities, that criterion will be satisfied by the evaluation of their mentoring laboratory assistants to teach them laboratory skills and pedagogical skills for working with fellow students who are taking the labs they support. Laboratory Instructor & Coordinators with no previous teaching experience must teach sixteen semesters before they can apply for senior status. This time may be shortened for previous teaching or work experience outside of Stonehill and is determined by the School Dean, in consultation with the Vice President of Academic Affairs. If credit is awarded for previous teaching or work experience, a Laboratory Instructor & Coordinator must teach at Stonehill a minimum of six semesters before being eligible to apply for senior status. The teaching effectiveness of Laboratory Instructor & Coordinator shall be reviewed annually by the Dean and appropriate Chairpersons until successful promotion to Senior status. Job offer letters will be issued annually for the first five years of a Laboratory Instructor & Coordinator’s appointment to Stonehill. After five years of successful annual reviews, job offer letters will be issued every three years. Annual reviews will still occur. A faculty review must be completed before a second 3-year contract is issued. Upon promotion to Senior status, contracts will be issued for a five-year term, and faculty reviews will take place the year before issuing a new five-year job offer letter.