The academic qualifications referred to below may be waived by the academic Deans in some instances in which a faculty member has achieved distinction in these criteria:
Teaching Faculty
Adjunct faculty members are non-tenure-track faculty who are employed on a per- course basis and by semester or term. Adjunct faculty are paid by the course and are employed only when there is sufficient enrollment for the course as determined by the appropriate academic Dean. Adjunct faculty are not assigned rank and are not eligible for tenure or promotion. Adjunct faculty must meet the qualifications for teaching the courses assigned to them. Those qualifications are determined by the appropriate academic Dean in consultation with the Provost.
Part-time faculty are non-tenure-track, salaried faculty who do not teach a full teaching load of 24 teaching load hours per year and normally teach no more than 12 teaching load hours per year. Part-time faculty are employed on an annual basis and are classified as Lecturers. Part-time faculty are not eligible for tenure or promotion. Part-time faculty must meet the qualifications for teaching the courses assigned to them. Those qualifications are determined by the appropriate academic Dean in consultation with the Provost.
Instructor (Junior Rank): Persons considered for this rank must have earned the appropriate master’s degree and ordinarily have completed additional work beyond the requirements for the master’s degree.
Assistant Professor (Junior Rank): A person considered for the rank of Assistant Professor must: (a) have the terminal degree in the discipline or appropriate professional certification as determined by the Provost and appropriate academic Dean at the time of employment. (This determination will remain in effect until employment is terminated. Professional certification must be maintained and be current throughout the term of employment.); (b) have completed work beyond the requirements of the master’s degree where that degree is not the appropriate terminal degree; and (c) have completed five years of full-time University teaching. (The Provost and appropriate academic Dean may substitute non-teaching professional experience.)
Associate Professor (Senior Rank): A person considered for this rank must: (a) have the terminal degree in the discipline or appropriate professional certification as determined by the Provost and appropriate academic Dean at the time of employment. (This determination will remain in effect until employment is terminated.* Professional certification must be maintained and be current throughout the term of employment.); (b) tenure or a term contract or be granted tenure with the promotion; (c) four years of full-time teaching at Converse at the rank of Assistant Professor; and (d) five years of full-time University teaching. (The Provost and appropriate academic Dean may substitute non-teaching professional experience.)
Professor (Senior Rank): A person considered for this rank must: (a) have the terminal degree or appropriate professional certification as determined by the appropriate academic Dean at the time of employment. (This determination will remain in effect until employment is terminated.* Professional certification must be maintained and be current throughout the term of employment.); (b) tenure or a term contract; and (c) four years of full-time teaching at Converse at the rank of Associate Professor (Persons hired at the rank of Professor are excepted).
Emeritus and Emerita Faculty
Nomenclature. The honorific title of emeritus faculty applies to individuals who identify as male. The honorific title of emerita faculty applies to individuals who identify as female.
Eligibility. In keeping with Converse’s Faculty Handbook, faculty may be nominated for emeritus or emerita faculty status upon retirement. Similarly, eligibility extends only to individuals who hold the rank of Associate Professor or Professor upon retirement. Nominations typically come from other faculty or from a Dean, i.e., colleagues who are intimately familiar with the nominee’s record of excellence in teaching, research, creative achievements, and/or service. The conferral of this honorific and distinctive title ultimately comes from the Board of Trustees. As such, the current Faculty Handbook reads as follows.
- On retirement, faculty members who have served the institution in exemplary fashion for an extended period of time (generally 10 years or more) may be recommended for emeritus or emerita status. This determination is made by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the President of the University, who makes that recommendation upon the advice of the Provost.
Nomination Timeline. Individuals are typically nominated at the end of their career at Converse University; however, nominations may be made for eligible colleagues even years after their retirement from the University, particularly as a way to acknowledge a retired faculty member’s contributions to the campus that may have been unrecognized during or at the end of their career.
Nominations and Procedures. Nominations for emeritus or emerita faculty status generally originate at the department level. Upon notification of retirement and confirmation of retirement eligibility, the Department Chair should notify the appropriate Dean of a colleague’s intent to retire. In the event that the retiring colleague is a Department Chair, the appropriate Dean will initiate this process. In the event that the retiring colleague is a more senior administrator, the supervising agent will initiate this process. A nomination or statement of support, along with any supporting documentation, will be provided to the Dean (or the appropriate, next level of administration). All nominations, statements of support, and/or supporting documentation should be forwarded to the Provost. The Provost will advise the President of the University, who may ultimately make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees.
Privileges. Former colleagues who hold the honorific title of emeritus or emerita faculty retain or are granted the following privileges.
- Converse University email account, identification card, and parking permit;
- use of University recreational facilities under the same regulations applied to Converse faculty;
- use of library facilities and equipment under the same regulations applied to Converse faculty, though no more than three library resources may be checked out at the same time;
- inclusion in the University’s ceremonial events, i.e., Commencement, Opening Convocation, and Founders Day;
- opportunities to attend the University’s cultural and athletic events at the same rate as Converse faculty; and
- receipt of Converse University and alumni publications.
Professional Librarians
Assistant Librarian I (Junior Rank): Library professionals with the appropriate master’s level degree and with less than three years of full-time experience in an academic library (University or university library or its equivalent) will be eligible to be considered for the rank of Assistant Librarian I, corresponding to the rank of Instructor.
Assistant Librarian (Junior Rank): Librarians with the appropriate master’s level degree and at least three years of full-time experience in an academic library will be eligible to be considered for the rank of Assistant Librarian, corresponding to the rank of Assistant Professor.
Associate Librarian (Senior Rank): Librarians with the appropriate master’s level degree and at least five years of experience in an academic library, at least four of them at Converse, will be eligible to be considered for the rank of Associate Librarian, corresponding to the rank of Associate Professor. Persons hired at the rank of Associate Librarian are excepted from the service requirement at Converse.
University Librarian (Senior Rank): Librarians with the appropriate master’s level degree and appropriate service qualifications will be eligible to be considered for the rank of University Librarian, corresponding to the rank of Full Professor. A person considered for the rank of University Librarian must have completed five years at the rank of Associate Librarian.
*Special Circumstances
In extraordinary instances, a person who does not have the terminal degree (usually the doctorate) or appropriate professional certification may request a waiver of the terminal degree or certification requirement for consideration for promotion to the next higher rank. Circumstances which might allow such possibility include appointments to the faculty in a teaching field where the terminal degree (1) is not necessarily appropriate for one’s professional responsibilities at Converse, or (2) where the terminal degree is rare, and it would be very difficult for Converse to recruit and retain persons with the terminal degree in this particular specialty. This provision is not intended to allow persons in disciplines where the terminal degree is common and normally expected for appointment to apply for a waiver; however, if a faculty member without the terminal degree has gained unique distinction in the areas of teaching, service, and scholarship, then application for a waiver could be deemed appropriate.
A waiver request must be submitted to the appropriate Dean and the TAP. The dean and the TAP in consultation will review the applicant’s petition and decide if the person merits waiver. The full burden of argumentation rests entirely upon the applicant. The request will be acted upon in time so that if a waiver is granted, the person can be considered with other candidates for promotion during that year’s tenure and promotion process.