Here are some of the things that we have identified as priorities for the updated policies, to better align the roles of teaching-focused faculty with our values, the University's values, and roles at comparator institutions. These are based on conversations with members, recommendations from our Lecturers Committee, and research into similar roles at other Canadian universities.
Professorial teaching stream appointments, with tenure
We are advocating for professorial teaching-stream positions with rigorous tenure and promotion processes that run in parallel with tenure and promotion in the existing professorial ranks. Important models for this work are the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and University of British Columbia, which have “teaching-stream” or “teaching-track” professors at all three ranks.
Tenure is also a professional norm. See CAUT’s policy statement: “Tenure processes should be available to all academic staff”; and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) statement: “all fulltime faculty members, regardless of rank, are to be considered eligible for tenure.
Time and support for pedagogical and professional development
Teaching-stream professors will need time to do the work required to progress through professorial ranks. We are asking for all Lecturers teaching a full load to have at least one term in six dedicated to refreshing courses, disciplinary research, pedagogical scholarship, and professional development. This pedagogical and professional development (PPD) term cannot be achieved at the cost of overload teaching in other terms, which would undermine the purpose of the PPD term. Read our rationale for such a term and analysis of how much it would cost the University on our blog. Other supports include the ability to apply for grants.
Recognition for scholarship
While teaching-stream faculty here at UW are primarily devoted to teaching, it is worth nothing that, as Policy 77 states, “University teaching is informed and enriched by the research and scholarship of the professoriate.”
Moreover, the revised policies will need to take account of the varied duties currently assigned to Lecturers, with some having a significant service load and others having assigned scholarship duties. Some teaching stream faculty would also like flexibility in their assigned duties as their departmental contributions, as well as their interests and strengths, change over the course of their careers. In general, teaching-stream faculty deserve clear expectations about all of their assigned duties.
Ending unfair contracts
FAUW is also concerned about some very specific employment issues that it perceives as unfair. For example, a significant number of current Lecturers are appointed on two-years-minus-one-day contracts and are denied benefits because of the one “missing” day.
UPDATE: After discussion at Faculty Relations Committee, Senate has approved a small change to the mandate of the University Appointments Review Committee (UARC) in Policy 76, so that UARC will now no longer be required to consider appointments of exactly two years, removing the primary argument for deans to make two-years-minus-one-day appointments.
We also want to find a resolution to revolving definite-term appointments, where Lecturers may have worked in a department for many, many years, regularly teaching needed courses, and yet having no job security.
Consistency across campus
More generally, we think the current uneven treatment of teaching faculty across campus should be regularized. For example, all teaching faculty members should be able to participate in collegial governance, to apply for grants for which they are eligible, and to have every sixth term as a non-teaching term (with a commensurately lower teaching load).
A smooth transition
Some current lecturers may prefer to remain in their current positions rather than transitioning to a new professorial stream. We will thus strive to ensure that transition mechanisms take account of the diverse range of current lecturers and their career aspirations.
