[table of contents] [previous] [next]

 
 
I. FACULTY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences includes three categories of academic appointments:

  1. The Standing Faculty consists of the core of the academic staff. A prime measure of the University's distinction is the quality of that faculty. The primary requisite to membership in the Standing Faculty is a commitment to both the advancement and the communication of knowledge. The Standing Faculty is composed of all faculty members with tenure or with tenure-probationary status holding the following ranks:

    1. PROFESSOR--The title of Professor signifies that the holder is a mature scholar whose achievements have won outstanding approval both by scholars outside the University and by faculty colleagues, and whose presence on the faculty enhances the prestige of the University. Appointment to this rank is not merely a recognition of length of service, but also of outstanding quality. An appointment to the rank of Professor is always for an indefinite term.

    2. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR--Appointment to the rank of Associate Professor is made only to a person who has demonstrated the personal and intellectual qualities that with increased maturity are expected to lead to the appointment to the rank of Professor. Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences is always for an indefinite term. An initial appointment from outside the University to the rank of Associate Professor may be for a fixed term or for an indefinite term.

    3. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR--Appointment as an Assistant Professor is accorded to a person who has completed his or her final earned degree or other professional certification relevant to his or her discipline and who has given evidence of superior potential for development in academic stature. As most persons in this rank are passing through an early period in their scholarly growth, an effort is made to design departmental and school policies to provide them with a variety of educational experiences, including the opportunity to conduct original research and to participate in both undergraduate and graduate levels of instruction. Appointment to this rank provides a period during which an individual has an opportunity to confirm his or her own interest and motivation as being appropriate to the broad scope of University faculty responsibilities, and also one in which senior faculty members may assess the promise and the competence of the faculty member's performance in both instruction and scholarly activity. Appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor is always for a fixed term. (In SAS the initial appointment is usually for four years.)

  2. The Associated Faculty play varied and important roles in the teaching, research, and professional programs of the University. However, they do not acquire tenure by virtue of their appointment or service in the Associated Faculty. The Associated Faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences is composed of the Research Faculty, the Adjunct Faculty, and the Visiting Faculty.

  3. The Academic Support Staff includes many persons who contribute actively to the University's teaching and research services, but whose roles are distinct from Standing or Associated Faculty. Each appointment to the Academic Support Staff is for a term of years, and is without tenure or tenure significance.

 
 
[table of contents] [previous] [next]

School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: Thursday, 12-Oct-2006 14:14:21 EDT