Faculty: Appointment, Re-Appointment and Promotion Policies and Procedures

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In accordance with NYIT personnel policies, all recommendations arising from the college are subject to approval by the Vice President of Health and Medical Affairs and the President with final approval by the NYIT Board of Trustees.

A. Types of Appointment/Categories of Faculty

The College maintains the following categories of faculty appointments:

1. Regular Full-time Faculty

Full-time faculty are appointed by written employment letters. Each appointment letter shall specify the term, compensation, academic rank (professional title – see Section C) and, when appropriate, administrative assignments (Course Director, Coordinator, DPC Director, DPC Academic Coordinator, etc.) within the college. Note: with regard to workload, such administrative assignments appointed by the dean or site dean shall be considered part of the faculty members overall effort. Effort allocation to teaching, research/scholarship, service and clinical practice are negotiated by the department chair or vice chair and the faculty member and must be approved by the dean or site dean and specified in the appointment letter.

Full-time faculty may hold any of the following professional/terminal degree(s): D.O., M.D., D.M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D., Pharm.D, D.P.M., O.D., D.V.M., or other equivalent terminal degree. Full-time faculty at the Instructor level may hold a terminal degree and/or hold a non-terminal degree plus have equivalent appropriate experience. Full-time faculty are employed with the understanding that NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine is their primary place of employment. Full-time faculty members are expected to fulfill their duties at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine sites, and/or at sites designated and approved by the College.

2. Regular Part-time Faculty

Part-time faculty are appointed by written employment letters. It is not required that NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine be the primary place of employment. Each appointment letter shall specify the term, compensation, academic rank (professional title), and work-effort distribution.

The part-time faculty of NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine consists of persons appointed and holding one of the faculty ranks listed in Section C. The "clinical" modifier may be used to designate the rank of physicians who teach in a clinical discipline. All part-time faculty should hold a professional/terminal degree as listed in the previous section. Part-time faculty will have responsibilities that are less than those of full-time faculty with regard to scope of activities, and percentage of effort devoted to employment at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. Such part-time faculty are expected to fulfill their duties at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and/or at sites designated and approved by the College.

3. Adjunct Faculty

There are two categories of Adjunct faculty: teaching and clinical preceptors.

Teaching adjunct faculty deliver identified lectures in the curriculum and are paid an hourly rate. These lecturers are identified based on their subject expertise and they may or may not hold Academic Rank. Such rank will be designated through a "letter of appointment" by the dean – following the recommendation of the relevant department chairperson and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Continued service for those faculty members who wish to hold an adjunct appointment and who deliver a specified number of lecture hours per year depends on involvement in faculty development, timeliness in meeting required curricular deadlines, dependability, student evaluations and coordinator evaluation of the quality of the delivered lecture(s).

Clinical Preceptor adjunct faculty provide supervision at the off-campus clinical and preceptor sites for students. Their services are provided in accordance with clinical affiliation agreements.

At the Long Island campus, initial appointments are made by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs based on the recommendation of the discipline chair.

At the Jonesboro, Arkansas campus recommendations for Adjunct Clinical Preceptor appointments go first to the vice chair of the appropriate department, then to the Assistant Dean of Clinical Education, then to the site dean before getting final approval of the Dean of NYITCOM.

Subsequent re-appointments and/or promotions to the appropriate Academic Rank are based on the candidate's curriculum vita and credentials, including student evaluations, involvement in faculty development programs, consistency of teaching involvement, and evidence of scholarship/added qualifications (additional certifications, degrees, fellowships, etc.). Initial appointments are normally for a period of two (2) years, and thereafter reviewed for re-appointment at two-year intervals. Individuals in this category are referred to as "Adjunct Clinical" incorporating the appropriate academic rank, e.g., Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, etc.

Note: Clinical Preceptors in good standing (i.e. attend faculty development programs and maintain good/excellent student evaluations) may earn tuition remission credits based on assigned hours of clinical clerkship supervision that can be applied towards graduate course credits offered by NYIT/NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic physicians are also eligible to receive AOA CME credit.

4. Administrators with Faculty Rank and Status

Faculty with administrative appointments are administrators with obligation to the College to lead in establishing, implementing, and managing the teaching, research, and service (including clinical services, as appropriate) functions of the College. These individuals are appointed by and serve at the discretion of the dean or site dean. His/her work effort allocation to administrative duties is assigned by the dean. His/her performance in carrying out the assigned administrative duties is to be evaluated by his/her direct supervisor and the dean or site dean.

Department chairs will also hold faculty rank and status. Assistant and associate deans may hold faculty rank and status. The faculty rank and status of such administrators will also be specified in an appointment letter. In the case of administrators with faculty rank and status, initial faculty appointments with academic rank and consideration for re-appointment and/or promotion will be based on criteria described in Section D.

5. Faculty Associates

Appointment as a faculty associate is extended to full-time and part-time faculty only for their formal involvement in approved NYIT Centers. A faculty associate appointment is complementary to the faculty work effort, and is assigned based on designated responsibilities in the Centers for research/scholarly activities and/or teaching. Appointment requires the recommendation of the department chair or vice chair and approval by the dean or site dean. Rank of faculty associates are consistent with the earned academic rank (assistant, associate, full professor) in the college of their origin (NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine). Appointments are for three (3) year periods. Contributions/productivity in research/scholarship and/or teaching must be included in re-appointment and promotion considerations. Center Directors are required to provide annual appraisals/assessments of the contributions and productivity of faculty associates to the faculty member with copies to the department chair.

6. Visiting Faculty

Visiting faculty status, in conjunction with the academic ranks, is a time-limited, temporary appointment in an academic department. This status is reserved for faculty who may be on temporary leave from their current full-time appointment elsewhere (e.g., sabbatical leaves), and may be assigned to any faculty appointee holding any terminal degree(s), who has assigned responsibilities at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and/or at sites designated and approved by the College. Visiting faculty appointments must be requested by the department chairperson and approved by the dean.

B. Work Effort Expectation

The faculty member's work-effort assignment will be stipulated in the individual's initial appointment letter and in subsequent re-appointment letters. After initial appointment, in consultation with the faculty member (full or part-time), the recommendation of the department chair or vice chair, and the approval of the dean or site dean, the faculty member's effort distribution—the level of teaching, research/scholarship, and service (clinical and/or non-clinical) effort will be based on the needs of the department and college, the effort expectation of funded external grants and the individual's expertise. As described below, the work-effort distribution of respective faculty may emphasize one of the areas of teaching, research/scholarship, or clinical service. However, all full time faculty are expected, without exception, to have effort distribution in each of the three categories: teaching, research, and service (clinical or non-clinical). RPC deliberations will only consider faculty performance in these three categories for reappointment and/or promotion decision. Any change in effort assignment will normally occur at the time of re-appointment, and must take into account department and institutional needs and must be approved by the dean or site dean prior to implementation.

In the case of administrators, the work effort allocation to the administration domain will be determined by the faculty member and the dean. The remaining allocation will be determined by the faculty member and his/her chair. The dean must approve the work effort distribution for each faculty member prior to implementation.

C. Academic Rank

All regular faculty, full-time and part-time, are appointed to one of the following academic ranks within an academic department:

• Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor

Dual appointments in more than one academic department are permissible and may be at different academic ranks. In such cases, one department will be designated as the faculty member's primary department, and academic rank in that department will take precedence in re-appointment and promotion considerations.

D. Procedure for Faculty Appointments, Re-appointments, and Promotion

Faculty appointments, re-appointments, and promotions are made according to the procedures set forth in this handbook. These procedures are designed to foster and sustain academic excellence.

Prior to appointment, a prospective faculty member must provide the department chair with the following documents:

1. A copy of the diploma of his/her highest earned degree(s);
2. For physicians, a copy of medical practice license, current registration, and documentation of board certification;
3. A notarized statement permitting NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine to obtain copies of documents necessary to evaluate academic and professional credentials as requested; and,
4. For appointments to the ranks of Professor and Associate Professor, three letters of recommendation with peer review from colleagues, at least two of whom are not members of the faculty at NYIT, whose rank is at the level, or higher than the level being sought;
5. For clinical faculty with designated clinical practice responsibilities, a signed Clinical Faculty contract.

Regular full-time and part-time faculty are appointed by written employment letters. Each appointment letter shall specify the term, compensation, academic rank (professional title), and work effort allocation (for full-time faculty). For part-time faculty, their duties and responsibilities will be stipulated in the appointment letter.

For clinicians, current Board Certification and license to practice without restriction or state action in their state(s) of licensure and in their respective profession are necessary in order to be appointed or re-appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor/Clinical Assistant Professor or higher. It is anticipated that applicants for appointment from non-medical disciplines will hold the degree of Ph.D., Ed.D., D.P.H., or equivalent and/or compatible terminal degree, in the area for which they apply for appointment.

1. Procedures specific to regular (non-adjunct) faculty, part-time or full-time, are as follows:

• The department chairperson or vice chair will make the initial recommendation for appointment. The recommendation will be forwarded to the dean or site dean for further review and action.
• Requests for faculty member reappointment/promotions originate from the department chairperson or vice chair. Faculty members also have the option of requesting consideration for promotion directly from the Faculty Re-appointment and Promotion Committee (RPC) where the department chairperson or vice chair does not endorse the candidate's request. In these instances, the RPC will consider the request and then forward its recommendation to the dean or site dean for review and appropriate action. The dean will then forward his/her recommendations to the Vice President for Health Sciences and Medical Affairs, who in turn will forward his/her recommendations to the President of NYIT for final action.
• In requesting re-appointment, faculty must submit a portfolio of accomplishments for the preceding appointment period. At a minimum, this portfolio must include the following:
  • Annual chairperson's evaluation including assessment of work effort assignment and productivity, departmental faculty peer assessment
  • An annual report submitted by the faculty member detailing efforts and accomplishments. This must include publications, grants submitted and awarded, research/scholarship completed and/or documentation of progress, community service, administrative assignments, student evaluations of teaching, and committee assignments at the departmental, college, and/or NYIT levels, and any other contributions, which are representative of faculty expectations.
  • Review and recommendation of the department chairperson.
• In requesting a promotion, the faculty member must submit the above portfolio of accomplishments, covering their years of service at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. See summary, below.

Table 1: Summary of Timetable of Events for Consideration for Promotion

Key event and dates to note (all dates are on or about dates. Where the date mentioned falls on a weekend or university recognized holiday the due date will be on the next applicable business day):

2. The procedures specific to adjunct faculty are as follows:

• Prospective faculty should forward an application for faculty appointment to the appropriate department chair or vice chair. This person then reviews their credentials, and may meet with the applicant, and forwards his/her recommendation as to rank and appointment to the appropriate associate sean or assistant sean. The associate dean/assistant dean forwards his/her recommendation to the dean or site dean for his/her final approval.
• For re-appointments and promotions, a similar sequence will be followed. However, the chair or vice chair will forward his/her recommendation to the appropriate associate dean/assistant dean and the Faculty Re-appointment and Promotion Committee for review. The Faculty Re-appointment and Promotion Committee will review the recommendations and credentials/portfolio and forward its recommendation to the dean for review and appropriate action. For a summary timetable of the events associated with Consideration for Promotion, see Table 1.

3. Letters of Recommendation

For appointment or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor or higher, the applicant must submit at least three letters of recommendation with peer review from colleagues, at least two of whom are not a member of the faculty at NYIT. These letters of recommendation must be from persons whose academic rank is at a level or higher than the level being sought.

4. Due Dates/Effective Dates

All requests for re-appointment and promotion must be received by the President of NYIT by April 1 annually. All approvals will take effect on the following September 1.

E. Term of Appointment

Terms for initial appointment will typically not exceed the following periods:

• Instructor – one year
• Assistant Professor – three years
• Associate Professor – three years
• Professor – five years

Exceptions can be made only upon special circumstances or exceptional individual faculty achievements at the discretion of the College. Re-appointments at the Associate Professor level may exceed three (3) years but must not exceed five (5) years, and at the Professor level may exceed five (5) years but must not exceed seven (7) years.

F. Time in Rank Requirement for Promotion

The following are the "time-in-rank" requirements for promotion:

• Associate Professor (or Adjunct Associate Professor) – at least 5 years of an academic appointment as Assistant Professor (or Adjunct Assistant Professor), at least 2 of which have been at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine.
• Professor (or Adjunct Professor) – at least 5 years of an academic appointment as Associate Professor (or Adjunct Associate Professor) or higher, at least 4 of which have been at NYIT college of Osteopathic Medicine at the rank of Associate Professor (or Adjunct Associate Professor).

G. Non-Renewal and Termination

Regular faculty whose performance is not satisfactory or whose services are no longer needed by the College may be terminated by non-renewal of his/her appointment term or, at the College's option, receive a 1-year terminal appointment at the expiration of their current appointment term. Upon the written request of the faculty member, the dean or site dean, a faculty member may be dismissed prior to the end of his/her appointment term for breach of the terms of the appointment letter or for cause, based on the recommendation of the dean or site dean and the Vice-President for Health Sciences and Medical Affairs, and approved by the President. "Cause" shall include, without limitation, substantially inadequate performance of duties, insubordination, material violation of NYIT or NYITCOM policy, or other conduct which falls below expected standards of professional integrity or harms the reputation of NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine.

A faculty member who decides that he/she will not accept re-appointment is expected to notify the department chair, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, and the Dean or Site Dean of NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine in writing not less than 90 days before the expiration of the term of his/her current appointment letter.

H. Criteria for Appointment / Promotion to Associate Professor or Professor

Academic Rank at initial appointment and subsequent consideration for promotion, will take into account the faculty member's level of accomplishment in each of the major domains of academic activity. In each domain – Teaching, Research/Scholarship, and Service – three levels of increasing accomplishment are delineated below. Clinicians practicing in the Academic Health Center will have an additional domain – Clinical Practice.

1. Teaching

• Meets Expectations: Participates in NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine's teaching programs; demonstrates commitment to developing teaching effectiveness; receives satisfactory and/or good student evaluations; and maintains a high level of professionalism.
  • Exceeds Expectations: Demonstrates an increasing and sustained involvement in NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine's teaching programs; utilizes state-of-the-art and innovative teaching and/or assessment methodologies; involved in planning, organization and implementation of courses and/or curricular areas; is recognized as an effective educator; and receives good and/or excellent student evaluations in all teaching activities.
• Exemplary: Has achieved status as a recognized leader, having a significant impact on the state-of-the-art of medical education.

Representative criteria demonstrating this level include the following:

1. A leadership role in NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine's curriculum development, planning, and implementation and/or in developing, and conducting faculty development programs;
2. Significant and sustained contributions to the medical education literature, such as peer-reviewed articles, authorship/editorship of significant books/mono-graphs, textbook chapters utilized in teaching or development of curricular and assessment materials.
3. Excellent student teaching evaluations and exhibits effective teaching innovations as measured by learning outcomes.

2. Research and Scholarship

• Meets Expectations: Participation in scholarly/research activities resulting in publications in peer-reviewed journals/books. Junior faculty members on initial term of appointment may meet expectations through completion of a research training program.
• Exceeds Expectations: Significant participation in the design and implementation of a focused scholarly/research program; increasing productivity, as evidenced by impact in the field and/or increasing number of publications in high quality, peer-reviewed journals; developing status as an independent scholar, as evidenced by senior author publications and submission of grant applications as Principal Investigator.
• Exemplary: Achieved status as a recognized independent investigator/scholar, having a major impact on the state of knowledge in the field.

Representative criteria demonstrating this level may include the following:

1. Receipt of substantial and ongoing, competitively awarded grant support from external funding agencies as PI or Co-PI;
2. Frequency of publication citations;
3. Invitations to deliver lectures, lead workshops, or chair symposia at national professional society meetings;
4. Invitations to serve as peer reviewer of research articles and/or as grant reviewer for funding agency study panels;
5. Authorship/editorship of significant books/monographs within discipline;
6. Invitations to collaborate with recognized scholars at prestigious external institutions;
7. Service as editor of scientific/scholarly journals, or as officer/board member in a professional society; and receipt of professional achievement awards by recognized scientific/professional societies.

3. Service

Service includes participation in the administration or governance of NYIT, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, home department, and/or NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine affiliated educational sites. For clinical faculty, service will also include providing healthcare. Faculty should demonstrate commitment to developing effectiveness in one or more service areas, while maintaining high levels of professionalism. Quality assurance and peer review of clinical care is an essential component in assessing clinical practice.

• Meets Expectations: Service activities, exclusive of teaching and research, that support departmental, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, and NYIT missions include activities such as: participating committees; interviewing prospective students; advising students and/or student organizations; and, participating in alumni and development functions.
• Exceeds Expectations: Demonstrates an increasing and sustained involvement in service through such activities as: chairing NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, NYIT, or regional organization committees/subcommittees; promoting the visibility of the College through participation in community events; and documented mentoring of junior faculty.
• Exemplary: Has achieved status as a recognized leader, demonstrated by: chairing national professional committees or service organizations; fulfilling leadership roles in committees of research organizations, funding agencies, clinical or discipline-specific service or study groups; holding a significant role in national or international education committees; assuming a leadership position in key hospital/affiliate committees; and/or serving on governing boards of professional health/education/ research organizations.

4. Clinical Practice

In the area of clinical practice, indices of quality care are commensurate with the level of expectation appropriate for each level.

Note: Clinical Practice activities may be sufficiently meritorious to also qualify as scholarly/research accomplishments.

• Meets Expectations: Provides current, competent, compassionate, and safe medical care, as evidenced by quality assurance and peer review assessment; implements a comprehensive approach to patient-centered care including working in multidisciplinary teams and applying quality improvement measures; maintains technical proficiency in the clinical skills relevant to evidence-based and cost-effective practice; growing practice volume and timely documentation of clinical efforts with appropriate attention to detail; and effective and consistent teaching in the clinical setting.
• Exceeds Expectations: Fulfills a key role in promoting NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and/or its affiliates as a leading service provider in the community through clinical care, community service, and/or outreach; develops and implements procedural or technical innovations that improve clinical efficiency and effectiveness; and provides clinical teaching of students and/or residents assessed as good or excellent; patient volume is at assignment capacity; and all clinical documentation is timely, accurate, and complete.
• Exemplary: Achieves status as a clinical expert with significant impact on clinical practice that is recognized on a regional, national, or international level; and, fulfills a leadership role in extensively advancing the quality of care in medical practice at the College and/or its affiliates through: technological innovation; quality improvement; and evidence-based practice. Engages others and leads multidisciplinary teams. Clinical teaching is evaluated by students as excellent, diverse patient issues, and clinical volume is at or exceeds capacity.

I. Level of Accomplishment Required for Appointment/Re-appointment/Promotion to Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor (Regular Faculty)

• For appointment, re-appointment or promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor, must meet expectations in all domains.
• For appointment, re-appointment or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, must exceed expectations in at least one domain, and must meet expectations in the other domains. Faculty members with a Teaching, Research, or Clinical Emphasis must exceed expectations in that area of emphasis.
• For appointment, re-appointment or promotion to the rank of Professor, must be exemplary in at least one domain, and must meet expectations in the other domains. Faculty members with a Teaching, Research, or Clinical Emphasis must be exemplary in that area of emphasis.
• For appointment, re-appointment or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, clinical faculty members with a Clinical Emphasis must exceed expectations in the clinical practice area and any one other area, and meet expectations in the remaining domains.
• For appointment, re-appointment or promotion to the rank of Professor, clinical faculty members with a Clinical Emphasis must be exemplary in the clinical practice area and any one other area, and meet expectations in the remaining domains.

Note: Achievement of the level of accomplishment indicated in Table 2 does not in itself guarantee appointment to/promotion to the respective Academic Rank.

Table 2: Minimal requirements for consideration of Appointment, Re-appointment, or Promotion

J. Level of Accomplishment Required for Appointment/Promotion to Adjunct Associate Professor, or Adjunct Professor

Appointment and/or promotion for adjunct faculty will take into account the candidate's entire body of work at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and/or elsewhere (e.g., affiliated hospital). They are expected to meet the minimum level of accomplishment in each of the major domains of academic activity, as specified in ANY one of the work-effort distribution categories defined for contract faculty (see Table 2).

Note: Achievement of the level of accomplishment indicated in Table 2 does not in itself guarantee appointment to/promotion to the respective Academic Rank.