CCN - Graduate Faculty Appointment, Advancement, and Reappointment Policy

Unit: Capstone College of Nursing
Contact: Dr. Patricia Carter
Title: Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs
Effective Date: 08/16/2011
Revision Date: 07/06/2021

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish criteria and documentation requirements for the appointment, advancement, and reappointment of graduate faculty for the Capstone College of Nursing and to define the responsibilities for each category of graduate faculty members.

Policy

The purpose of the graduate faculty in the College of Nursing is to set standards for graduate work and provide graduate instruction. As outlined in the Faculty Handbook, the categories of graduate faculty memberships are full, associate, and affiliate. Within the Capstone College of Nursing, the faculty member must be recommended by the graduate faculty (Graduate Faculty Review Committee), the assistant dean for graduate programs, and the dean of the College of Nursing. These nominations will then be acted upon by the chairperson of the Graduate Council and dean of the Graduate School.

Minimum Requirements

To qualify for full or associate membership in the graduate faculty, a faculty member must meet all the following requirements:

Hold a terminal degree in nursing or a related field.
Hold the rank of assistant professor or above.
Demonstrate ability and continuing interest in the graduate program and research, excellence in clinical practice, or creative activity.
Be tenured or in a full-time tenure-track position.

Full Members

Full members may teach graduate courses, chair thesis and dissertation committees, and guide Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) projects. Appointments are generally for a six-year term, at the end of which the faculty member may request reappointment.

To obtain appointment as a full member of the graduate faculty, in addition to the above criteria a faculty member must present evidence of each of the following:

Recent (within three years) effective development and/or effective teaching of one or more graduate courses (500 level course or above). Documentation can be provided through a variety of data sources including peer reviews, review of syllabi, grade distributions, student evaluations (objective or narrative) and/or other assessments of the quality of instructional efforts. At a minimum, syllabi and student course evaluations should be presented for review.
Ability and continuing interest in the graduate program. Faculty members must show strength in at least two of the following areas:
1. Quality supervision of graduate students in scholarly activities
2. Membership on thesis or dissertation committees
3. Other research supervision and mentoring
4. Quality supervision of graduate students in clinical practice and/or other professional activities
5. Collaboration with graduate students on publications
6. Conference presentations with graduate students
7. Advising graduate students
8. Formal mentoring activities with faculty or graduate students
A strong, continuing record of research, publication, and scholarly achievement appropriate to his/her field of specialization. It is desirable for research and scholarly activities to be relevant to concepts, content or clinical nursing problems addressed in the graduate programs.

In evaluating the totality of the faculty member's record, all current and/or recent (within the past 5 years) of appropriate types of original scholarship, creative effort, and professional activity relevant to the nursing profession is considered. The weight placed on each scholarly and professional activity necessarily varies according to the contribution to the discipline and to the professional stature of the candidate. The following are examples of the types of scholarly and professional contributions considered:

Articles published in refereed journals in the faculty member’s discipline
Books and book-length research monographs
Invited, juried, or reviewed exhibitions, presentations, or performances
Chapters in books and edited collections of readings
Research reports submitted in connection with research grants or contracts
Participation in research contract or grant activities (research, training or program)
Papers (not abstracts) published in the proceedings of meetings of professional associations
Articles in non-refereed periodicals related to professional expertise
Papers presented at professional meetings
Service as a referee, or as a member of an editorial board, or as an editor of a scholarly academic or professional journal
Other scholarly publications and creative efforts which contribute to the faculty member’s specialization
Important professional activities which contribute materially to the individual's professional stature and to the University's mission

Associate Members

Associate members may teach graduate courses, serve on thesis and dissertation committees, chair thesis committees, and serve as faculty advisors for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects. Appointments are generally for a six-year term, at the end of which the faculty member may request reappointment. Associate members are not required to wait until the end of the six-year associate member term in order to request a change to full member status.

To obtain appointment as an associate member of the graduate faculty, a faculty member must document each of the following:

Effective teaching. Documentation can be provided through a variety of data sources including peer reviews, review of syllabi, grade distributions, student evaluations (objective or narrative) and/or other assessments of the quality of instructional efforts. At a minimum, syllabi and student course evaluations should be presented for review.
All of the following criteria will be considered. Faculty members must show strength in at least one of the following areas:
1. Quality supervision of students in scholarly activities
2. Membership on thesis or dissertation committees
3. Other research supervision and mentoring
4. Quality supervision of graduate students in clinical practice and/or other professional activities
5. Collaboration with students on publications
6. Conference presentations with students
7. Advising students
8. Mentoring activities with faculty, students or other professionals.
9. Formal educational preparation in higher education
Show evidence of research activity in the form of publications or other scholarly activity appropriate to the field of specialization. It is desirable for current and/or recent ( within the past 5 years) research and scholarly activities to be relevant to the concepts, content or clinical problems addressed in the graduate programs.

In evaluating the totality of the faculty member's record, consideration is given to all appropriate types of original scholarship, creative effort, and professional activity relevant to the nursing profession. The weight placed on each scholarly and professional activity necessarily varies according to the contribution it makes to the discipline and to the professional stature of the candidate. The following are examples of the types of scholarly and professional contributions considered:

Articles published in refereed journals in the faculty member’s discipline
Books and book-length research monographs
Invited or juried or reviewed exhibitions, presentations, or performances
Chapters in books and edited collections of readings
Research reports submitted in connection with research grants or contracts
Participation in research contract or grant activities (research, training or program)
Papers (not abstracts) published in the proceedings of meetings of professional associations
Articles in non-refereed periodicals related to professional expertise
Papers presented at professional meetings
Service as a referee, or as a member of an editorial board, or as an editor of a scholarly academic or professional journal
Other scholarly publications and creative efforts which contribute to the faculty member’s specialization
Important professional activities which contribute materially to the individual’s professional stature and to the University's mission

Affiliate Members

Affiliate membership may be extended to well-qualified individuals who do not satisfy the above criteria, to perform specific functions for specific time periods not to exceed three calendar years. At the conclusion of each term, the faculty member may apply for an additional term.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty initially appointed as affiliate members of the graduate faculty may apply for associate or full graduate faculty status using the criteria and review process for advancement stated in this policy. The assistant dean for Graduate Programs will notify faculty by May 1st prior to the expiration of the affiliate appointment. Faculty members are not required to wait until the end of the affiliate appointment term in order to request an appointment at the associate or full level.

Clinical Track Graduate Faculty

Clinical track graduate faculty are recognized as affiliate members by the Graduate School based on their non-tenure/tenure-track status. They are expected to teach DNP and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) courses. They may serve as faculty advisors for DNP projects if they meet the following criteria, as outlined in the Faculty Handbook:

hold an appropriate doctoral degree; and
have the appropriate professional qualifications; and
hold the rank of at least assistant professor in a full-time position at The University of Alabama

To obtain appointment as a Clinical Track Graduate Faculty, a faculty member must document each of the following:

Effective teaching. Documentation can be provided through a variety of data sources including peer reviews, review of syllabi, grade distributions, student evaluations (objective or narrative) and/or other assessments of the quality of instructional efforts. At a minimum, syllabi and student course evaluations should be presented for review.
Effective clinical practice or administration. Documentation can be provided through a variety of data sources, such as annual practice evaluations, patient satisfaction reports, supervisor or collaborating physician evaluations.
All of the following criteria will be considered. Faculty members must show strength in at least one of the following areas:
1. Instruction and supervision/preceptorship of graduate nursing students in clinical practice, administration or other professional activities.
2. Collaboration with interprofessional healthcare teams in clinical practice, educational endeavors, research, grants, publications of manuscripts, and presentations at scholarly meetings
3. Collaboration with students on publications
4. Conference presentations with students
5. Advising students
6. Service as a mentor/preceptor/scholarly project advisor for graduate students, faculty or other professionals
7. Quality supervision of graduate students in scholarly projects or other scholarly endeavors
Show evidence of research and/or practice in the form of current or recent (within the past 5 years) publications or other scholarly activity appropriate to their degree or specialization. It is desirable for scholarly activities to be relevant to the concepts, content, or clinical problems addressed in the graduate programs.

Articles published in refereed journals in the faculty member’s discipline
Books and book-length research monographs
Invited or juried or reviewed exhibitions, presentations, or performances
Chapters in books and edited collections of readings
Research reports submitted in connection with research grants or contracts
Participation in research contract or grant activities (research, training or program)
Papers (not abstracts) published in the proceedings of meetings of professional associations
Articles in non-refereed periodicals related to professional expertise
Papers presented at professional meetings
Service as a referee, or as a member of an editorial board, or as an editor of a scholarly academic or professional journal
Other scholarly publications and creative efforts which contribute to the faculty member’s fields of specialization
Important professional activities which contribute materially to the individual's professional stature and to the University's mission

Special Circumstances

Appointment of Prospective Hires

The Graduate Faculty Review Committee will make recommendations, based on the candidate’s curriculum vitae, for the appropriate level of graduate faculty status at the request of the dean once a faculty candidate is offered a position in the College of Nursing. They should be recommended by the departmental graduate faculty, assistant dean for Graduate Programs, and dean. These nominations will then be acted upon by the chairperson of the Graduate Council and dean of the Graduate School.

Retirement of Graduate Faculty Member

Upon retirement, members of the graduate faculty will retain their graduate faculty status for three years. After that period, if they are still active in graduate work within the college, they may seek an additional appointment term as an affiliate member of the graduate faculty.

Administrative Appointments

Faculty members currently on administrative appointments, or returning to the faculty from such appointments, are eligible for full or associate membership on the graduate faculty. They should show, at a minimum, promise of satisfying the appropriate departmental as well as University membership criteria. The individual’s record of teaching and research before becoming an administrator should be considered. Contributions to the college and programs by faculty with administrative appointments may also be considered. Administrators who do not have graduate faculty status upon returning to a faculty appointment must be recommended by the Graduate Faculty Review Committee, the assistant dean for Graduate Programs, and the dean of the College of Nursing. These nominations will then be acted upon by the chairperson of the Graduate Council and the dean of the Graduate School once the administrative appointment ends.

Terms of Appointment

Full and associate members are appointed for six-year renewable terms. Affiliate faculty appointments shall not exceed three calendar years but may be renewed at the end of each term of appointment.

Application for Initial or Additional Appointment terms and Advancement

Candidates for initial or additional appointment terms or an advancement in graduate faculty status must submit applications by October 1st for spring semester or February 1st for fall semester appointment. All applications will be reviewed using the criteria as previously described in this policy.