POLICY STATEMENT

(1) Academic titles shall consist of graduate and faculty ranks.

Graduate ranks are GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT, GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT, and FELLOW. Faculty titles and ranks are (in alphabetical order): AFFILIATED FACULTY, CLINICAL PROFESSOR (assistant clinical professor, associate clinical professor, clinical professor) or PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE (assistant professor of practice, associate professor of practice, professor of practice), INSTRUCTOR (instructor, senior instructor I, senior instructor II), LECTURER (lecturer, senior lecturer I, senior lecturer II), LIBRARIAN (assistant librarian, associate librarian, senior librarian), RESEARCH ASSISTANT (research assistant, senior research assistant I, senior research assistant II), RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (research associate, senior research associate I, senior research associate II), RESEARCH FACULTY (research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor), TENURE TRACK OR TENURED FACULTY (assistant professor, associate professor, professor, distinguished professor). Faculty titles will not be given to graduate students. 

(2) Each institution can select from among these ranks and titles those appropriate to the hiring and retention of their faculty members as it relates to their institutional mission. 

(3) The following definitions shall govern the use of faculty tiles and rank: 

(a) AFFILIATED FACULTY: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals who do not receive monetary compensation by the institution for which services are rendered. They can be unpaid invited guests for a temporary length of time or individuals who on a consistent basis lend their expertise and/or collaborate on teaching and research. Affiliate status is approved for a specified length of time and must be renewed should the association continue. Associated ranks are at the discretion of the institution.

(b) CLINICAL FACULTY OR PROFESSOR OF PRACTICES: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals with primary duties in the area of clinical instruction or professionally related community education/service. Clinical faculty or professor of practice members are licensed or certified professionals, or individuals in professional fields. The major responsibility involves the education of students/learners in academic and clinical settings, supervising clinical experiences, and/or engaging in professionally related community service. Scholarly activity may or may not be required. Ranks in this category in ascending order are assistant clinical professor, associate clinical professor, and clinical professor; or assistant professor of practice, associate professor of practice, and professor of practice.

(c) INSTRUCTOR: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals with unclassified instructional appointments whose functions are devoted exclusively or primarily to undergraduate instruction. Such appointments include advising and mentoring expectations congruent with creative and engaged undergraduate instruction, including the possibility of involvement in design and development of courses and the curriculum. Ranks in this category in ascending order are instructor, senior instructor I, senior instructor II. 

(d) LECTURER: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals with unclassified instructional appointments whose functions may include significant responsibilities for graduate level instruction. The appointment may also include upper division undergraduate instruction. Such appointments must include significant mentoring and advising responsibilities and a significant measure of responsibility for graduate education. Appointments in the lecturer series will always require the terminal degree (or its professional equivalent for certain adjunct appointments), but the holding of a terminal degree in itself does not constitute an argument for appointment in the lecturer series. Ranks in this category in ascending order are lecturer, senior lecturer I, senior lecturer II. 

(e) LIBRARIAN: A ranked appointment that depends on a terminal professional degree in librarianship (typically, a Masters in Library or Information Science) or a position-relevant terminal professional/academic degree plus appropriate experience. Such degree requirements ensure proper professional training, but also provide the flexibility to open appointments to a broader range of qualified applicants. Ranks in this category in ascending order are assistant librarian, associate librarian, and senior librarian. A university may elect to consider the librarian series to be eligible for tenure or to be tenured ranks with privileges and may also choose to use the tenure-track and tenured faculty titles. 

(f) RESEARCH ASSISTANT: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals who have typically earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree and conduct research under the direction of a tenure-related faculty member, a research associate or a research faculty. Ranks in this category in ascending order are research assistant, senior research assistant I, senior research assistant II. 

(g) RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals who have typically earned doctoral degree (or an advanced or professional degree in the field typically the terminal degree, plus appropriate experience) and conduct research independently. Ranks in this category in ascending order are research associate, senior research associate I, senior research associate II. 

(h) RESEARCH FACULTY: A NTTF (Non-Tenure Track Faculty) appointment for individuals who are primarily engaged in research at a level normally appropriate for a professorial rank. Ranks in this category in ascending order are research assistant professor, research associate professor, and research professor. 

(i) TENURE-TRACK AND TENURED FACULTY. A faculty position assigned to an academic department wherein the incumbent holds academic rank and is eligible for tenure or is tenured. Ranks in this category in ascending order are assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. The rank of distinguished professor may be bestowed based on criteria established by a university. 

(4) The terms “affiliate,” "adjunct," "visiting," “fellow,” “emeriti,” or other appropriate terms may be used and/or added to academic title and/or ranks in those cases in which the institution wishes 1) to draw upon the skills of certain persons in the community or in other educational, industrial or governmental institutions for help in carrying forward teaching, research or service commitments (e.g., doctors, dentists, lawyers, psychiatrists, professors or administrators at other academic or governmental institutions, public school teachers or administrators), 2) where the appointment is planned for a limited duration, or 3) as an honorific title. 

(5) Academic title can be assigned to staff members in unclassified academic service, whether the type of service is teaching, research, extension, administration or other service. Deans, vice presidents, presidents, Chancellor and vice chancellors may have the academic rank of professor as determined by each institution’s criteria. 

This policy previously was an Oregon Administrative rule from the State Board of Higher Education.