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Credit for Prior Service

Faculty Affairs & Professional Development

When a probationary (assistant professor) appointment is made, and the candidate has prior service as an assistant professor at another comparable academic institution a candidate may be awarded credit for such service to be considered as a part of their probationary period. The departmental executive committee shall evaluate all such prior service, and shall determine, by mutual agreement with the dean, whether any or all of that prior service is equivalent to service as an assistant professor at SMPH. All such equivalent previous service, but not to exceed four years, at one-half time or greater, shall be subtracted from the normal nine years, unless programmatic circumstances can be documented to justify otherwise.

Difference than prior approach

In the past, credit for prior service was a maximum of 3 years. Credit for prior service was often set at the highest level possible, or to match how many years a faculty had been at a previous position. It is now allowable to request up to four years. With an increase in the number of years that can be applied as prior service, this document is meant to help guide discussions to determine the number of years that will best benefit the new faculty. This determination must be part of the final employment offer and contract.

Benefits and risks

Benefits of having credit for prior service are that it allows a faculty to be promoted to associate professor in a more timely manner. This credit for prior service may be of interest to faculty with multiple years as an assistant professor at another institution and are excited to advance their career. Risks of credit for prior service include having less time to build a strong promotion package, particularly if there needs to be time to build mentorship teams, and start new projects or programs.

Key points

  • Credit for prior service must be determined prior to making the final appointment offer and voted on by the Executive Committee
  • New faculty member would join SMPH at the rank of assistant professor. Faculty member could be credited with 1, 2, 3 or 4 years of prior service for time spent at their previous institution

Considerations

  • Important to consider if candidate is at an institution of a similar caliber, on a similar track at their current institution, and whether or not they would be able to stay productive during their transition to SMPH
  • Awarding credit for prior service can be a way to recognize a prior faculty appointment at SMPH (i.e. candidate works in our department after residency, leaves to complete a fellowship and returns for a second faculty appointment)
  • Credit for prior service results in a firm date to start “counting” activities and accomplishments for promotion.
  • Important to consider the best time in the recruitment process for the division chief to talk with the faculty candidate about potential credit for prior service

Examples and scenarios

Example

  • Start date: July 2025 with 3 years credit for prior service
    • Clock start date: July 2022
  • Activities/accomplishments prior to July 2022 would be grayed out on CV and cannot be the focus of the personal statement at time of promotion
    • Promotion in 2026-2027 would be clock year 5 (year 2 on the SMPH faculty)
    • Promotion in 2027-2028 would be clock year 6 (year 3 on the SMPH faculty)
    • Promotion in 2028-2029 would be clock year 7 (year 4 on the SMPH faculty)
    • Promotion in 2029-2030 would be the latest they could go up

Scenarios

Please consider the following three candidate scenarios as examples of how different faculty situations may lead to different determination of credit for prior service.

Note that sometimes unusual scenarios arise, such as if a faculty member returns to training, and then rejoins the faculty in a different division. These situations may require additional discussions.

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Candidate 1

This candidate spent 3 years at another academic institution. A faculty here at UW was a member of their mentoring team. They have done collaborative academic projects with faculty at UW and were excited to be recruited here.

This candidate is transitioning to UW already having mentorship and academic connections here. This means this candidate is less likely to have delays in their academic work due to the institutional transition, and their work here at UW is a continuation of what they did in the past. This candidate would likely have more benefits than risks from a credit for prior service allotment and may benefit from taking 2-3 years of credit for prior service.

Candidate 2

This candidate spent 3 years at another academic institution. They have some academic achievements and are excited to find some new directions in their academic work with the transition to UW.

This candidate is transitioning to UW with experience and academic output. They will need to establish new mentors and may try some new academic directions in their work. These activities may slow down their academic progress following their transition to UW. This candidate likely has a mix of benefits and risks from credit for prior service, and may benefit from taking 1 or 2 years of credit for prior service instead of the full 3.

Candidate 3

This candidate spent 3 years at another academic institution, mostly focused on building new clinical programs at that institution. The candidate has also done some teaching about those clinical services. The candidate is being recruited here and will be joining an established clinical program and needing to identify new directions for their academic work.

This candidate is transitioning to UW and will likely need time to establish mentors and determine an academic direction for their work. This candidate likely has more risks than benefits from credit for prior service. This candidate may benefit from taking 1 year or no credit for prior service to allow time to achieve promotion goals.

Process

During interviews

  • Credit for prior service should be introduced and benefit/risk balance discussed
  • Division chief can consult with a member of the Academic Affairs team and/or candidate can interview with a member of the Academic Affairs team if helpful to discuss process, pros and cons

At the pre-offer stage

  • Division chief reviews CV and provides initial recommendation for credit for prior service
    • Division chief shares recommendation with Academic Affairs team and Faculty Recruiter; discussion on challenging cases is recommended
    • Faculty recruiter submits Prior Service Request Form (download Word doc) to SMPH for approval before pre-offer is shared with candidate (division chief provides input on these questions for the form)

Stakeholders in process and decisions

  • DOP Chair
  • Academic Affairs team: Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, Academic affairs staff
  • DOP Recruitment team
  • Division chief
  • Anticipated academic mentors at UW (if known)
  • SMPH: Dean of Faculty Affairs