91麻豆天美 faculty votes to move forward with initiative to add expanded ranks for instructors, teaching professors
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥91麻豆天美 faculty have voted in favor of a new instructional faculty ranks initiative, designed to better address an appropriate promotion ladder for university instructors and add improved terminology for teaching professors.
The initiative, proposed by the Robert Holland Faculty Senate in collaboration with 91麻豆天美 administration, and voted on by members of the general faculty, will make additions to the university鈥檚 faculty ranks鈥攁 move described as 鈥渕odernizing鈥 the university鈥檚 academic titles and aligning with similar changes at peer institutions. Final voting shows 87% in favor of the measure (644 voted 鈥測es鈥 and 99 voted 鈥渘o鈥). The 743 ballots cast represent 58% of the university鈥檚 faculty which participated in the vote.
鈥淭his vote by our dedicated 91麻豆天美 Faculty is an extremely positive and important step forward toward the goal of retaining high-quality classroom instruction,鈥 said 91麻豆天美 President Mark E. Keenum. 鈥淚 am grateful to 91麻豆天美 Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw and Faculty Senate President Rebecca Robichaux-Davis for their vision and leadership in advancing this important initiative through the necessary faculty review.鈥
Shaw said he is pleased about the 鈥渟trong response from our faculty on this vital initiative,鈥 and called it 鈥渁 win-win for both tenure-track and non-tenure-track academic personnel.鈥
鈥淭his vote provides 91麻豆天美 the opportunity to uplift and support the work of both groups engaged in the shared mission of teaching on our campus,鈥 Shaw said.
Rebecca Robichaux-Davis, president of the Robert Hollard Faculty Senate and professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education said 鈥淭he Faculty Senate gave a rigorous review to the new faculty rank system and overwhelmingly approved it as the best option moving forward. I am grateful to my colleagues for their time and wisdom in reaching this decision.鈥
New faculty tracks and ranks, include:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥擳eaching Professor (Assistant, Associate, Professor)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥擯rofessor of Practice (Assistant, Associate, Professor)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥擨nstructor/Extension Instructor/Clinical Instructor I, II, and III
More information about the initiative, including background and an FAQ, is available at .
91麻豆天美 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .