ASU charts path for instructional faculty pay, promotions

Arizona State University has established new university-wide guidance for more than 1,200 instructors, lecturers, clinical faculty and faculty associates. The new directions provide a clear path for security and advancement for lecturers and clinical faculty members, and establishes salary minimums for all fixed-term faculty members.

“We want to tell people that, if you’re an excellent teacher, you have a career here,” said University Provost Robert E. Page Jr. “We’re reaffirming our commitment to the value of performance.”

The guidelines, developed over the past 12 months, identify the titles and requirements for achieving each rank, such as advancing from lecturer to senior lecturer. Promotions must be linked to excellence in teaching, followed by institutional needs and the availability of funds. Criteria for advancement include an expectation of five years of excellent teaching performance at the entry rank of lecturer or clinical assistant professor before moving up.

The new guidelines outline how instructional faculty with substantial experience and sustained records of teaching excellence may be eligible for renewable or multiple-year contracts instead of the year-to-year contracts generally given to entry rank instructors.

“Without a doubt, we have some of the best teachers in the nation within the ranks of our fixed-term instructional faculty,” Page said. “We want to establish fairness and transparency through a common set of rewards and expectations so that these outstanding teachers may pursue careers boosting the success of our students.”

Page established new, university-wide salary minimums in January that raised the pay for many instructional faculty members. The minimum pay for entry rank will range from $36,000 to $45,000. The minimums take full effect in August 2016. The new guidelines also require that an instructional faculty member receiving a promotion receives the greater of either a $3,000 raise or an increase to the minimum salary for the next rank.

The changes in criteria and paychecks come after the great recession disrupted the university’s ability to hire and retain faculty who work on fixed contracts. ASU’s recovery from that downturn through renewed hiring of instructional faculty members has varied by college and department. The new policies will provide consistency and professional continuity through a common platform of expectations for the years to come.

Click here for full details on the guidelines for hiring and advancing instructional faculty.