Faculty Qualifications and Record- Keeping Effective Date: April, 2018 Questions? Please direct questions regarding this policy to the Office of Accreditation. PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to ensure that high quality instruction is delivered at UIndy by demonstrating that faculty possess appropriate qualifications for coursework taught at every level. Adherence to this policy also aligns the institution with the Criteria for Accreditation and the Assumed Practices as outlined by the Higher Learning Commission. SCOPE: This policy applies to faculty and staff. REFERENCE/DOCUMENTS/FOR MS RELATED INFORMATION: The Higher Learning Commission Board of Trustees adopted a clarification to HLC's Assumed Practice B.2. regarding faculty roles and qualifications in June 2015, with an effective date of September 1, 2017. This revision clarified HLC s longstanding expectations regarding the qualifications of faculty and the importance of faculty members having appropriate expertise in the subjects they teach.
POLICY STATEMENT: The University of Indianapolis shall hire qualified regular faculty and adjunct faculty; and approve the faculty who teach in dual credit, contractual, and consortial programs. The faculty are expected to support the mission of the University and actively contribute to the continuous improvement of its programs and services for students. The University requires faculty to possess the requisite qualifications needed to assure the quality of instruction and alignment with the Higher Learning Commission s Criteria for Accreditation and the Assumed Practices. 1. Faculty should hold a degree higher than the level at which they are teaching. For example, when teaching at a bachelor s degree, then a faculty member should hold a master s degree. 2. Faculty should have 18 graduate credit hours in the field in which they are teaching if their degree is different than their teaching assignment(s). 3. It is possible for to be used to substitute for a higher degree at the undergraduate and graduate levels, if the institutional policy and process for approval of is followed. Typically, would include years of work, clinical practice, alternative credentials, certificates, or CEUs. 4. It is not possible to use to qualify a faculty member for general education courses. 5. Instructors teaching in graduate programs should hold the terminal degree determined by the discipline and have a record of research, scholarship, or achievement appropriate for the graduate program. 6. Instructors teaching at the doctoral level should have a record of recognized scholarship, creative endeavor, or achievement in practice commensurate with doctoral expectations. POLICY PROCEDURES: The hiring of faculty members is managed by Academic Affairs with support from the Office of Human Resources. Decisions to hire faculty shall align with the criteria enumerated above. An official transcript documenting the highest degree attained shall be filed with Human Resources. Faculty with international degrees shall have their credentials evaluated by an external service as determined by Human Resources. Background checks are required by Human Resources before an offer of employment can be finalized. A database documenting faculty qualifications is maintained in Human Resources. The recommendation to extend employment originates with the department and school, and part of the credentialing process remains at this level. The department chair and dean shall determine and maintain appropriate documentation related to: 18 hours of required graduate coursework in the area of teaching A copy or scan of transcripts for all graduate degrees (not just the highest) Faculty Curriculum Vitae In some cases, such as in practice oriented disciplines or programs, in the field is needed as much as the formal educational preparation at the prescribed level, to document that the faculty is eminently qualified. The value of using to determine faculty qualifications depends upon the relevance of the both to the degree level and to the specific content of the course(s)
for which the faculty member is responsible. As a guideline, no more than 30% of the faculty in a degree program would be appointed based on. Each academic school or college has an internal review process for approving which has been vetted within Provost s Council and by the Executive Vice President and Provost. Approvals of faculty utilizing and approvals of faculty for graduate teaching are the result of unit reviews following established criteria, and which are then communicated to the Office of the Provost. In the case, however, when there is a question about qualifications, the on Faculty Qualifications, composed of a subset of members from the Provost s Council and a Faculty Senate representative, may make a recommendation. The on Faculty Qualifications shall review and recommend on individual cases of faculty qualifications when there are questions about as part of a qualification. Unit deans who use should serve on the subcommittee, along with one Faculty Senate representative, and the process should involve a review of individual unit recommendations, employing the criteria of the unit, for a recommendation from the. Faculty who teach in graduate programs must be approved for Graduate Faculty Status. The department chair or dean completes the review form as developed by the Graduate Program. A copy of the completed approval form is retained in the chair or dean s office. A copy of the approval form is communicated to the Graduate Office for filing and for inclusion in a database that reflects approved graduate faculty. A record of scholarship, faculty credentials, and may be considered as evidence for graduate faculty status. The decision pathways are diagrammed as follows:
Faculty Qualifications Decision Tree Green=Hire Red=Cannot Hire Faculty Qualifications: one degree higher than teaching level Yes, then information goes to HR No, additional review is needed Is this a general education course? Yes, then a Masters is required; not available for No, then may be used Needs unit review utilizing approved protocol Unsure if candidate meets guidelines Meets unit, approved, filed, communicated to HR Does not meet unit ; cannot hire Bring before Faculty Qualifications approves, filed, communicated to HR does not approve
The Dean makes recommendations for hiring that are approved by the Executive Vice President and Provost. However, when the Dean defers a review of a faculty member for to the on Faculty Qualifications, then this subcommittee reports its recommendation to the Dean and the Executive Vice President and Provost. Should the Dean disagree with the subcommittee s recommendation, then the Executive Vice President and Provost shall make the final determination. Exceptions to the Policy: In the event of a staffing emergency or exigent need, an exception may be made to the faculty qualifications policy for a limited time. Any exception must be approved by the Executive Vice President and Provost.