Policy

Definition of Terms

1. “High-quality teaching and academic advising”is defined as meaning that the person has demonstrated the following:
   1. proficiency in classroom instruction
      1. through the discharge of such responsibilities as meeting scheduled classes on time; being prepared for each class; being able to present material clearly; integrating new developments in the field and new methods of instruction;
      2. and through continuing evidence of favorable teaching evaluation.
   2. maintenance of regularly scheduled office hours and an interest in students indicated by availability for conferences, or one-to-one contact, etc.
   3. commitment to good teaching and maintenance of a continuing effort to improve teaching ability, including multiple measures of teaching effectiveness that are administered on a consistent basis.
   4. participation in scholarly discussion on teaching problems.
   5. initiative and skill in the development and administration of teaching programs.
   6. satisfactory fulfillment of academic advising responsibilities.
2. “Research, scholarly and/or creative achievement of high quality and its prospective
   continuation” is defined as meaning that a person has developed and formally presented through publication, performance, or other appropriate means a sustainable body of research, scholarship and/or creative work that is judged to be substantive and of high quality by others in the discipline. The university values an inclusive view of scholarship in the recognition that knowledge is acquired and advanced through discovery, integration, and application.  Given this perspective, promotion and tenure reviews, as detailed in the criteria of individual departments and divisions, will recognize original research and creative/artistic contributions in peer-reviewed outlets as well as high quality integrative and applied forms of scholarship that involve collaborations with business and community partners, including translational research, commercialization of discoveries, technology transfer activities, and patents.
3. “Productive Professional Service”is defined as the effective engagement in structured activities which contribute to the operation and advancement of a person’s department, division, campus, the University, scholarly and professional associations, and/or the educational enterprise. Professional service includes the use of one’s professional expertise in community, state, national or international service.
4. “Professional collegiality”is not personal congeniality, but rather a quality manifested, for example, by behaviors such as willingness to serve on committees and perform work necessary to departmental operation, willingness to provide guidance and help to colleagues in their professional duties, adherence to professional ethics, respect for the ideas of others, and the conduct of one’s professional life without prejudice toward others.

While departments, divisions, or campuses may define these terms or elaborate these definitions in their Statements of Procedures and Policies, all elaborations must be consistent in spirit and content with the above and must be published. The department, the department chair, the program director (when appropriate), the divisional dean, the University Promotion and Tenure Committee, the Provost, and the President will consider these elaborative definitions when making tenure and promotion decisions.

Assistant Professor (tenure-eligible rank)

An Assistant Professor must hold an earned doctorate or other terminal degree, or the equivalent of such a degree, from an accredited college or university. (It is recognized that the equivalent of a doctor’s degree may involve specialized training, study or experience that does not culminate in a doctorate.)

For appointment to this rank, a candidate must demonstrate:

1. ability to achieve effectiveness as a teacher and academic adviser;
2. ability to do research, scholarly and/or creative achievement;
3. ability to perform productive professional service; and
4. ability to meet standards of professional collegiality.

Associate Professor (tenure-eligible rank)

An Associate Professor must hold an earned doctorate or other terminal degree, or the equivalent of such a degree, from an accredited college or university. (It is recognized that the equivalent of a doctor’s degree may involve specialized training, study, or experience that does not culminate in a doctorate.)

For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate must demonstrate:

1. high-quality teaching and academic advising;
2. research, scholarly and/or creative achievement of high quality and its prospective continuation;
3. productive professional service; and
4. professional collegiality within the department, division, campuses, and University community.

Professor (tenure-eligible rank)

Appointment or promotion to the rank of Professor at Miami University will ordinarily be recommended to the Board of Trustees only for those members of the instructional staff who will enhance the excellence of this group and the academic standard of the University.

A Professor must hold an earned doctorate or other terminal degree, or the equivalent of such a degree, from an accredited college or university. (It is recognized that the equivalent of a doctor’s degree may involve specialized training, study, or experience that does not culminate in a doctorate.)

For promotion to this rank, a candidate must demonstrate excellence in the first and second criteria listed below and must demonstrate strength in the third:

1. a cumulative record of high-quality teaching and academic advising;
2. a cumulative record of research, scholarly and/or creative achievement, including recent work produced while at Miami University or since promotion at Miami University which has resulted in an established reputation within the discipline;
3. performance of productive professional service;
4. Regional campus faculty may elect to demonstrate excellence in the first and third criteria and demonstrate strength in the second.

Related Form(s)

Not applicable.

Additional Resources and Procedures

Not applicable.

FAQ

Not applicable.

Policy Administration

Next Review Date

7/1/2023

Responsible Officers

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Legal Authority

Not Applicable.

Compliance Policy

No

Recent Revision History

 Amended July 2018; Amended July 2019

Reference ID(s)

• MUPIM 7.4
• OAC 3339-7-04
• ORC 3345.45

Reviewing Bodies

• Miami University Senate
• Miami University Board of Trustees
• Administrative