Can I apply for a multi-year contract?
The university can only provide a limited number of multi-year contracts ranging from 2-5 years. The number of multi-year contracts available depends on student enrollment and other resource considerations and is reconsidered on an annual basis. The process for determining multi-year contracts is entirely separate from the promotion process. When available, multi-year contracts will be assigned following each teaching unit’s term faculty reappointment guidelines.

Is there a salary increase for rank promotion?
A salary increase is granted when a term faculty member is promoted from Professorial Lecturer to Senior Professorial Lecturer and from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor or Senior Professorial Lecturer. A salary increase is granted when a term faculty member is promoted from Senior Professorial Lecturer to Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and from Associate Professor to Full Professor. 

Can I move from the professorial lecturer sequence to the term professor sequence?

AU’s Faculty Manual describes two promotion sequences for term faculty. All new term faculty at AU are hired into one of the professorial lecturer ranks and most seek promotion along that sequence. Those ranks are: instructor, professorial lecturer, senior professorial lecturer, and Hurst senior professorial lecturer.

A term faculty member with an exceptional portfolio of research/scholarship—equivalent to that of a newly tenured colleague—may apply for promotion to associate professor, which entails moving to the term professor sequence. These and all other promotions follow the procedures and criteria established in the Faculty Manual and your academic unit’s guidelines. 

Note: although the title of assistant professor is no longer used when hiring new term faculty, it is grandfathered in for term faculty hired before the change. Term faculty at the rank of professorial lecturer may not change their rank to assistant professor.

What is the parental leave for term faculty?
Term faculty are eligible for a six-week short term disability paid leave following the birth of a child. If the birth involved surgery an eight-week paid leave is granted. If unpaid FMLA leave eligibility requirements are met, the short-term disability leave runs concurrently with FMLA medical leave; in addition, up to 16 weeks of unpaid FMLA family leave is available for child care bonding if taken within one year of birth or adoption and within the contract term.

As a term faculty member, am I eligible for research grants/support and travel grants/support?
Each academic unit provides faculty support funds for term faculty. Faculty support funds typically may be used for traveling to conferences or seminars. Please check with your Dean’s Office for further information.