Faculty Affairs & Professional Development
When a faculty candidate has significant prior service at another comparable institution or already holds the rank of associate professor or professor, appointment at a senior rank may be considered at SMPH. The departmental executive committee shall evaluate all such prior service, and shall determine, by mutual agreement with the dean, whether that prior service warrants the rank of associate professor or professor at SMPH.
Key points
- Requires submission of the Senior Rank Intake Questionnaire (download Word doc) prior to making the offer, which is reviewed by the SMPH Dean’s Office. The DOP faculty recruiter submits this form with input from the division chief.
- The senior rank needs to be approved by the DOP Executive Committee at the time the appointment is approved.
- The new faculty compiles an appointment packet (comparable to a promotion packet) that must be approved by the relevant SMPH appointments and promotions committee or campus divisional committee for tenure track within one year of the start date.
- As division chiefs, it is critical to think through what rank would best serve that candidate at the time of appointment. Sometimes a senior rank can seem appealing, but actually limits opportunities for further promotion or opportunities.
Examples
These examples are intended to illustrate potential scenarios in which candidates would benefit from discussion about benefits versus risks of senior rank appointments.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Example 1
Dr A is an Associate Professor in year 5 at a comparable institution. Dr. A has a strong track record of research, national committee work and national presentations. Dr. A is not sure whether coming to UW at the professor rank versus coming at associate professor and being promoted within a couple years of joining UW is a better path related to academic opportunities, promotion and salary.
Example 2
Dr. B is an associate professor in year 5 in a health system with loose ties to a university. Most of Dr. B’s academic accomplishments have been local talks on standard clinical topics. Dr. B is hoping to come into our system as a Professor. However, the previous accomplishments at the current institution may not meet criteria for promotion to professor at UW. Dr. B may need to consider if Professor on the CT track versus Associate Professor with support to build academic products on the CHS track serves them better.
Example 3
Dr. C is a senior physician in private practice and is excited to transition to an academic institution and contribute to teaching and quality work. Dr. C has never had an academic rank but has 20+ years in practice. Dr. C may need to consider the benefits versus risks related to salary and promotion of coming in at a senior rank.
Considerations
- Division chiefs should consider the best time during the recruitment process to talk with the faculty candidate about a potential appointment at a senior rank.
- A senior rank appointment packet will require “arm’s length” letters for CHS and tenure tracks and academic products.