6.2.a Faculty Qualifications [CR]

For each of its educational programs, the institution justifies and documents the qualifications of its faculty members.

Judgment

x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial Compliance

Narrative

The institution establishes standards for faculty qualifications

UL Lafayette maintains rigorous standards for faculty qualifications that are formalized in policy. To further clarify the minimum acceptable qualifications to teach specific University courses, a Faculty Teaching Qualifications Table has been created for each course prefix, organized by College and degree program, and is publicly available:

· College of the Arts- Teaching Qualifications

· College of Business Administration- Teaching Qualifications

· College of Education- Teaching Qualifications

· College of Engineering- Teaching Qualifications

· College of Liberal Arts- Teaching Qualifications

· College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions- Teaching Qualifications

· College of Sciences- Teaching Qualifications

The Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) in its Master Plan defines the role, scope, and mission of higher education institutions. Appendix D of the Master Plan defines UL Lafayette as one of three statewide universities that “offer a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and masters’ levels, with selective offerings at the doctoral level. Research is selective in nature, focusing in those areas of graduate expertise.” The BOR’s designation follows a common framework of audience served, general program offerings, and distinctive features of the institutional mission.

UL Lafayette’s own mission is to offer “an exceptional education informed by diverse worldviews grounded in tradition, heritage, and culture.” Further, the University develops students and faculty “leaders and innovators who advance knowledge, cultivate aesthetic sensibility, and improve the human condition.” The University’s Carnegie classification defines it as a doctoral university with high research activity offering a combination of professional, arts, and sciences undergraduate programs with some graduate coexistence; and research graduate programs that are STEM-dominant. To achieve the mission of providing exceptional education and advancing knowledge requires well-qualified faculty who are effective in the core responsibilities of teaching; research, scholarship, and creative works; and service to the institution, disciplines, and community.

Aspirational peer institutions identified in the UL Lafayette Strategic Plan 2015-2020 establish benchmarks for faculty qualifications and the recruitment and selection of a highly qualified faculty. The Faculty Credentials Policy at the University of Alabama at Huntsville has served as an example of relevant policies. The University of Memphis provides a sample of hiring processes to ensure a highly qualified faculty is recruited and developed at UL Lafayette.

UL Lafayette’s Policy on Faculty Teaching Qualifications states that, “In support of its goal to ensure high quality teaching and learning in its curricula,” the University establishes minimum qualifications for instructional staff teaching credit bearing classes. The Policy stipulates that “Qualifications to teach a given course are usually based on the faculty member’s highest earned degree in the teaching discipline,” though a faculty member may be regarded as qualified based on other qualifications appropriate for a given course. The policy further states that degrees earned must be from an institution holding regional accreditation or, in the cases of international degrees, comparable institutions. For 100-300 level undergraduate courses (enrolling only baccalaureate students), faculty may meet academic qualifications if they fulfill the following requirements:

· A master’s or higher degree in the teaching discipline; or

· A master’s or doctoral degree in a closely related discipline, as defined by the academic department; or

· A master’s or doctoral degree in any discipline with a concentration of at least eighteen (18) graduate credit hours in the teaching field or a closely related field, as defined by the academic department.

For 400-level undergraduate courses, mixed undergraduate/graduate courses (viz., 400G courses), and graduate courses, faculty meet academic qualifications if they have earned a terminal degree in the teaching discipline (PhD, EdD, MFA, MArch, etc.) as determined by the academic department. Table 6.2.a – 1 illustrates the general minimum degree requirements for each level of coursework.

Table 6.2.a – 1: Minimum Degree Qualification Requirements in Teaching Field for Course Level

Course Level	Terminal in field	Terminal related to field	Terminal any field w/ 18 graduate credits in field	Master’s in field	Master’s related to field	Master’s any field w/18 graduate credits in field	Min. 18 graduate credits in field	Another Qualifi-cation
100-200 labs UG.	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
100 Undergraduate	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
200-300 Undergrad.	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
400 Undergraduate	X	X	X					X
400 UG. /Graduate	X	X	X
500 < Graduate	X	X	X

The course delivery type (lecture, lab, studio, clinical, internship) can also affect the required qualifications. The traditional music program, for example, often hires part-time faculty to teach private lessons (such as AMUS 160: Traditional Music Ensemble and AMUS 360: Upper-Level Traditional Music Ensemble) based on alternate qualifications such as performance experience recognized by a Grammy nomination. Similarly, nursing instructors are often hired for clinical courses (such as NURS 308: Adult Health and Illness 1 and NURS 340: Community and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing) based on professional experience.

The BOR and BOS follow Louisiana law in mandating that prior to employment each institution also assess faculty members’ English Proficiency. At UL Lafayette, when departments submit the Personnel Action Form (PAF), the Department Head confirms that an assessment of English proficiency has been performed. Typically, the evaluation takes place during the on-site interview process and is recorded in the Personnel Action Form.

Table 6.2.a – 2 presents the faculty appointment type, total number of faculty, followed by the number and percentage of faculty with terminal degrees.

Table 6.2.a — 2: Faculty with Terminal Degrees

	Fall 2018			Spring 2019
	Total Number	Number w/ Terminal degree	Percent w/ Terminal degree	Total Number	Number w/ Terminal degree	Percent w/ Terminal degree
Tenured/Tenure Track faculty	408	388	96%	416	393	94%
Non-Tenure Track Faculty	166	46	28%	170	47	28%
Special Appointments	43	34	79%	54	39	72%
Total	617	468	76%	640	479	75%

Continuing faculty are generally those faculty at the rank of Instructor, Lecturer, Faculty in Residence, Faculty of Practice, and other similar appointments. Tenure-track and tenured faculty are those at the rank of Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor. Adjunct faculty include part-time faculty and emergency temporary hires.

Faculty Qualifications Rosters

The qualifications of each faculty member teaching in the AY2018-2019 are given in the Faculty Qualifications Roster, which is an Excel file visible immediately upon opening the flash drive. Simply open the flash drive and double click the Faculty Qualifications Roster.xlsx. The Roster is based on the SACSCOC faculty qualifications template and draws data from the University’s enterprise resource planning platform, Banner. Transcripts are linked within the excel spreadsheet. For those faculty members reviewed during the 2010 Compliance Report, the Alternate Roster is also drawn from Banner as a report:

· 2010 Alternate Roster

Types of Faculty Appointments

The UL Lafayette Faculty Handbook-Types of Appointments defines the three types of faculty appointments: full-time continuing faculty members, special appointments, and laboratory assistants.

Full-time continuing appointments consist of non-tenure-track appointments, probationary tenure appointments, and tenured academic appointments. Non-tenure-track appointments include Instructor appointments that are ineligible for tenure and subject to annual renewal by the institution. There are three ranks of Instructor: Instructor, Senior Instructor, and Master Instructor. The rank of Assistant Professor is based upon performance and potential, while tenure and promotion to Associate Professor is based upon actual accomplishments and future potential. Professors are those individuals who are outstanding teachers and researchers recognized by peers as authorities in their fields.

Special appointments include temporary faculty, adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, lecturers, artists-in-residence, faculty of practice, and research scientists and associates. Temporary faculty are hired for a specific time in response to a specific need. Adjunct faculty appointments are typically part-time faculty who fill positions to meet a specific enrollment demand. Visiting faculty have temporary appointments at a rank for which the qualifications are comparable to those appointed at the corresponding regular faculty rank. An appointment as Lecturer is typically based on experience and for a specific length of time. Research scientist or associate appointments are generally funded by external grants or contracts coinciding with the funding period of a project.

The UL Lafayette Policy on Faculty Teaching Qualifications provides that graduate “Teaching Assistants are allowed to be assigned undergraduate teaching duties if they have earned eighteen (18) graduate credit hours in the teaching field or a closely related field and if they are provided with in-service training and are mentored by a faculty member with expertise in the teaching area.” All graduate teaching assistants are supervised by teaching faculty, attend an orientation, and are evaluated by their students through the University’s Student Evaluation of Instruction process. Laboratory assistants may have full- or part-time appointments and may be invited to teach appropriate sections. Graduate students may be assigned duties as laboratory assistants under the supervision of a faculty member.

For example, graduate assistants in the MA and PhD programs in English complete a required two‐day orientation that consists of a variety of sessions covering departmental policies, teaching and syllabi, and program opportunities and events, such as conferences, reading series, and editorial activities. In addition, graduate teaching assistants may access a repository of instructional materials on Moodle. Master’s level teaching assistants are required to complete ENGL 501: Teaching of College English. In that course, they review theories and pedagogies for teaching ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 and observe classes. In their first and second semesters in the classroom (usually the Fall and Spring terms of their second year in the program), they enroll in ENGL 509: Teaching Practicum, during which they discuss their classroom experiences and additional pedagogical readings with the professor, who also observes their teaching and assesses their syllabi and class materials. Beginning Fall 2019, graduate assistants teaching Creative Writing courses will be required to take ENGL 581: Creative Writing Pedagogy. The course will trace the evolution of Creative Writing in the Academy, discuss connections with Composition Studies, Literary Theory, and Literature, and offer students an opportunity to review Creative Writing syllabi and assignments.

Teaching assistants in the Mathematics department teach mathematics and statistics courses and represent about 25% of the sections taught by all graduate students. Like their counterparts in the English department, these teaching assistants are required to enroll in a teaching seminar, MATH 591: Teaching Seminar, during their first semester of teaching. Students receive training in numerous aspects of teaching and present sample lessons. They are observed in their classrooms by the professor conducting the seminar, who uses a common instructional critique. Each teaching assistant is also reviewed by an instructor, professor, or experienced teaching assistant at least once each year in his or her second and third years, and thereafter as requested by the department administration.

Table 6.2.a – 3 illustrates the number of sections taught by graduate teaching assistants in AY2018-2019.

Table 6.2.a — 3: Number of Sections Taught by Graduate Teaching Assistants

Discipline	Fall 2018	Spring 2019
Biology (BIOL)	2	1
Chemical Engineering (CHEE)	0	2
Communicative Disorders (CODI)	4	4
EDFL	1	1
Electrical Engineering	0	1
Engineering (ENGR)	0	1
English (ENGL)	86	74
French (FREN)	10	11
Math (MATH)	36	28
Psychology (PSYC)	4	4
Statistics (STAT)	13	19
TOTAL	156	146

The process for documenting faculty qualifications

The current process for verifying and documenting faculty qualifications begins with the requisition for a position in Cornerstone, the University’s human resource platform. The Office of Faculty Affairs reviews each vacancy announcement submitted in Cornerstone for full-time continuing faculty appointment to ensure that the qualifications align with the Teaching Qualifications Tables and the Teaching Qualifications Policy. Applicants apply for a position through Cornerstone, at which time the Office of Human Resources confirms that the applicant meets minimum qualifications defined in the vacancy announcement through searching the National Student Clearinghouse. The departmental Qualifications Screening and Nominating (QSN) Committee reviews each applicant to ensure that they meet the qualifications for the position.

When a finalist is selected, the Department Head initiates a Personnel Action Form (PAF) to begin the hiring process. The PAF contains three sections relating to faculty qualifications: the first identifies the courses that the faculty member will teach; the second lists the applicant’s degree, date, institution, major area, and professional experience; and the third assesses whether the applicant is qualified by degree for undergraduate instruction only, by terminal degree for undergraduate and graduate level, or by other qualifications. If the applicant is qualified by degree, he or she is then required to submit an official transcript, typically within 30 days, to the Office of Faculty Affairs. Upon receipt of the transcript, the Office of Faculty Affairs reviews the PAF to confirm that the applicant has the appropriate coursework for the courses being taught. The transcript is then archived by the Office of Faculty Affairs. If the department is requesting that the applicant be considered qualified by alternative means, the department must submit, through the college Dean, supporting documentation that may include professional experience, excellence in teaching, licensure, honors and awards, or scholarly publications. The supporting documentation is evaluated and, if approved, archived by the Office of Faculty Affairs.

The PAF is a paper form scheduled to be replaced in December 2019 by an electronic requisition to hire submitted through Cornerstone. The revised process calls for the documenting of faculty qualifications to occur during the application period rather than at the point of hire. In addition to cover letters, curriculum vitae, and other Supporting Documents, the new protocol collects unofficial transcripts from all applicants. After review by the QSN committee, the Department Head submits the name of the selected applicant to the Office of Faculty Affairs prior to the Office of Human Resources extending an official offer. The Office of Faculty Affairs requests and archives official transcripts at the point of hire.